June Read: Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

 

I love Mary Kay Andrews and look forward to reading her summer novels every year. It took me a bit to finish this novel, but only because I couldn't stay awake at night for some good old-fashioned late night reading!

This novel takes place at the Saint Cecelia resort off the coast of Georgia. A family owned resort, it is grand, expensive, and a place where tradition is strong. Traci Eddings once worked at the Saint as a lifeguard in her youth, before meeting, falling in love, and marrying into the Eddings family, owners of the resort. Her happiness is short lived when her husband dies in a plane crash ten or so years into their happy marriage. Grief is still present four years later, as Traci works to run the resort, which seems to be in the red continuously--and she can't figure out why. 

Traci is up against her brother-in-law, Ric, who is one shady character. She convinces her niece Parrish to work at the resort for the summer, and that sets in motion a summer that will change the Saint for good. 

The novel's cover may give you an idea it's a light, breezy novel. However, there is a shocking murder, a twenty year old mystery to solve, and a whole lot of shenanigans happening around the Saint that will keep you turning the pages. Lots of characters, but you quickly get to know them and it wasn't hard to keep track of who was what. Surprises abound at the Saint! 

I throughly enjoyed this, and it is definitely a summer/vacation/beach read. I also, as always, completely enjoyed the epilogue. I'm a huge fan of seeing what the characters are up to in the future. The setting is lush and beautiful, and what I wouldn't give to ride around the grounds of the Saint in a golf cart!

Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC! 

Rating: 4/6 for a contemporary novel full of shady characters, good people, mysteries old and new, and a spark of romance. Female friendships are a strong theme in this novel. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

June Read: Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

The Ex-Hex by Erin Sterling

 

First off, a big thanks to HarperCollins and Avon for a copy of this book. I entered a giveaway and won! This was a fast read and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially just a few days before Halloween. 

Vivienne Jones lives in the small Georgia town of Graves Glen with her Aunt Elaine and cousin Gwyn. They are all witches. Elaine and Gwyn even own and operate a "witchy" store that keeps them busy with tourists. They are all good witches, of course, and the most Vivienne has done with her magical ability is reheat her tea and set a spell on her student's papers to alert her to any that are plagiarized. She's a professor of history at Penhallow College, a unique place where magic is taught as well as normal college subjects. 

It's the anniversary of the founding of Graves Glen, and Rhys Penhallow of Wales has been ordered by his father to return to Graves Glen to recharge the ley lines that keep the magic flowing peacefully around town. It's also the place where, nine years before, Rhys met and has an intense summer of love with Vivienne. Upon returning to Wales, a broken hearted (and a little tipsy) Vivienne placed a curse on Rhys. 

As her Aunt always says, never mix witchcraft with vodka. 

Rhys returns, and it's one thing after another; near misses, close calls, you name it. For someone like Rhys who is a warlock and never has any issues, it's a bit strange. And when he takes Vivienne to help him recharge the ley lines, disaster strikes-the curse is let lose in the ley lines, traveling all the way to Graves Glen and starting up some crazy, weird off-kilter magic. 

Now it's up to Rhys and Vivienne to figure out how to reverse the curse before Halloween, or the town and possibly Rhys are doomed. 

Of course, through all of this, Rhys and Vivienne can't keep their hands off each other. If Rhys survives the curse reversal, will he return to Wales, breaking Vivienne's heart again?

This was a fun read, with characters I absolutely enjoyed. I'd love to return to Graves Glen for more stories. I kind of hate to say goodbye to this novel, because it just hit me at the right moment and I gobbled it up. I really, really hope Rhys' brothers have their own stories to tell, along with Gwyn and Elaine. 

4/6 for a delightful romance filled with magic, a curse gone very wrong, and a second chance at love. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio. 

**“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this site.**

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Ex-Hex by Erin Sterling

How Lucky by Will Leitch

 

Click here to purchase from Amazon

I saw this last month in my BOTM selections and decided to take a chance. After finishing it, I think this is a novel that is a "word of mouth" kind of novel. It's touching, funny, suspenseful, and has an incredible main character. 

Daniel is twenty-six and lives by himself in Athens, Georgia. He is wheelchair bound with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy); a degenerative neuromuscular disorder. It will kill him at a young age. The fact that he's made it to twenty-six is a testament to his strength, support, and just good luck. 

Daniels spends his days as an online customer service rep for a regional airline. He's limited to just using his left hand to work his iPad, but he makes it work and has adapted as he has slowly lost his ability to speak and the use of his right hand and arms. He's got his friend Travis who visits weekly and helps take care of him and treats him as a normal person; Marjani is his caregiver who comes every morning to get him dressed, fed, and in his chair. He has two helpers who come in the middle of the night to turn him in his bed so he doesn't choke. 

I know. It sounds horrible. But Daniel is not a pity party at all. He's always looking on the bright side, and grateful for everyday he wakes up. 

One morning, Daniel is sitting on his front porch, and observes a young Chinese college student walking along the street. She's been regularly doing this, and Daniel knows her schedule. This one day, a car approaches and stops. She bends down, smiles, then gets in the car. Strange, thought Daniel. 

He was right. Ai-Chin has disappeared, and across the college campus, alarms are raised and search parties are formed. A hotline is set up with the police. No one knows what happened. Except Daniel. 

He enlists Travis' help, but the police are slow to respond, and just being in Daniel's company makes them very uncomfortable. What could Daniel possibly know to help them? 

Daniel persists and posts online--and he gets a response that sends this tale off in another direction. Is he playing with fire? Is he in danger?

The kidnapping is just part of the story. Daniel's life and how he lives it is another. He always says he is lucky. Lucky to have lived. He also says he is lucky because he knows he'll die before he will have to experience losing loved ones, and he won't have to grieve. He'll go first.  Oh, that got me in the heart. He's a funny, thoughtful, smart character. 

I'd recommend this novel for anyone who is looking for disability focused characters and plot. It's also just a good story; one that will keep you engaged as Daniel races to help find Ai-Chin, and puts himself in danger doing so. He's no scaredy cat! 

Rating: 5/6 for a strong central character who sees no limits in his life; a twist at the end, and a loveable cast of characters. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

How Lucky by Will Leitch

The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax

Click here to purchase from Amazon

I had to start my summer reading in May when I purchased this novel and couldn't be disciplined enough to wait for June. 

I've read a number of Wendy Wax novels and am never disappointed. Her latest, The Break-Up Book Club was the perfect read to finish up on a holiday weekend and darn it all, gave me a few book recommendations, too. 

There are quite a few characters telling their stories in alternating chapters: Jazmine, Judith, Erin, and Sara are the main characters. There's also Dorothy and Meena, and Annell.  It may seem like a lot of characters to keep straight, but it's really pretty easy. Annell owns the Between the Covers bookstore where their monthly book club meets. It sounds like a dream place (for me, it certainly is!) and the book club sounds pretty wonderful, too. It is the landing space for all of these women who live around Atlanta, Georgia and at first don't have much in common except this book shop and book club. However, friendships form and the book club becomes a support group, too--in the best possible way. 

Jazmine is a sports agent, and wildly successful, too. Judith is in a long marriage and has found out her husband is bored but sticking with the marriage because it's comfortable. Erin is engaged to her childhood sweetheart, who has been signed to the Atlanta Braves baseball team and is having second thoughts about marriage to Erin. 

Sara, oh, poor Sara. She's married, but her husband has taken an out of town job that keeps him away for weeks at a time. His mother Dorothy lives with Sara after having surgery. They have a frosty relationship. When Sara finds out the truth about her husband, it flips her life in ways she never imagined. And it changes her relationship with Dorothy, too. 

Each chapter is told in the alternating voices of Jazmine, Erin, Sara, and Judith. Over the course of many months, the women all experience highs and lows as their lives change and they empower themselves to take control of their happiness. There are some sad moments, but a whole lot of happy moments, too. The monthly book club meetings keep everyone connected and the friendships formed are what help each women navigate big life changes. 

If you're like me, you'll also take note of the books they read and add a few to your TBR list. I've been part of book clubs for over 20 years, and it's always fun to pick out reads and get together to discuss. And yes, books help bring people together. That's just part of their magic. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and just as a warning if you read the author note at the beginning you may get a little weepy. My heart goes out to Wendy Wax. Bless her. 

Add this to your summer read list! I find novels about books, libraries, bookstores and book clubs irresistible. I'd love to craft a post about all the titles I've read that fit this particular sub-genre. Add that to my summer to-do list!

Rating: 4/6 for an enjoyable novel about friendship, a book club, and women coming into their own power. I gulped it down! 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Break-Up Book Club by Wendy Wax

Read Off the TBR Pile: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

This is a novel I've been wanting to read for quite some time. February is African American History Month, and I felt this was the perfect time to read it. I finished last night, and had to take some time to digest, because it's a book that left me gobsmacked. 

First of all, Colson Whitehead is an amazing writer. Amazing. This was a novel that grabbed me and occasionally let me come up for air. I  read it in chunks, because some of it was brutal, and left me feeling a bit sick and horrified. 

Cora is a young slave working the cotton fields at the Randall plantation in Georgia. Two brothers own two parts of the plantation, and while she is under the ownership of the less brutal brother, it is still a harsh life. Her mother Martha had run away when Cora was very small, and the famous slave catcher Ridgeway had failed to bring her back to the plantation. Ridgeway just could never let that go, and that plays a big part in Cora's journey throughout the novel. Cora herself is at turns angry and bitter at her mother for leaving her, and desperately missing her mother. 

Cora's owner dies, and his brother Terrance takes ownership of the whole plantation. Terrance is quite possibly the most sadistic and horrible character in the novel. He has his eye on Cora, and she is terrified of what's to come. Caesar, a fellow slave, decides to run, and asks Cora to go with him. The two run away and so begins Cora's amazing flight to freedom. 

The underground railroad is stunning; it's an actual railroad, complete with trains and tracks. Cora travels from Georgia to South Carolina and beyond. At each stop she thinks she's found a safe place. The people who help along the way are all part of a huge network of folks who risk their lives to keep the railroad moving. Some of them pay a harsh price. 

I can't tell you more, because if you haven't read it, you should and discover Cora's journey for yourself. While some reviewers expressed disappointment in not getting to know Cora on a deeper level, I didn't find that to be true. The brutality she experiences is told in a matter of fact way which makes it that much more awful. This was every day life. I was reminded at times of witch hunts--people taking the opportunity to turn others in on suspicion in order to get even for imagined slights. I was reminded of World War 2, when people took great risks to hide Jews and help them get to safety. I was reminded of those people who were so afraid for their own safety that they willingly, and sometimes gleefully betrayed others in order to survive. Time and again, Whitehead reminds us that the machine of the South was relentless, asking for more and more human flesh to keep it churning, greedy for more cotton, more money. 

The "magical realism" of the railroad and some of Cora's experiences portray a world gone mad and out of control. Time and again, Cora meets and loses someone; she must continue on this journey alone. Ridgeway has not given up on finding Cora and bringing her back to the plantation. He's obsessed with her, and will not let Martha's daughter escape. 

Will Cora make it to freedom? Is it worth the sacrifices and loss she must suffer?   Will she ever find Martha?

This is a novel that will stick with me for a long time. I feel emotionally exhausted. Worthy of all the accolades, and definitely one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time. 

Rating: 6/6 for a Pulitzer prize winning novel that is astonishing in the brutal portrayal of slavery and a flight to freedom. A cast of unforgettable characters and excellent writing make this truly an epic read. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio.  

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Read Off the TBR Pile: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

It's been a long time since I've read a Mary Kay Andrews novel, and I'm happy to report her latest, The High Tide Club was just as entertaining as her previous novels. 

Set on an island off the coast of Georgia, The High Tide Club centers around Josephine Bettendorf Warrick, a 99 year old woman who is dying of cancer, and wants to make amends with friends before she dies. Brooke Trappnell, a young lawyer in the small town St. Anne, is called in to help Josephine with her requests. Living in a crumbling pink mansion on the island of Talisa, Josephine wants to reconnect with the ladies of the High Tide Club: Ruth, Varina, and Millie. Unfortunately, only Varina still lives, but she's a fragile 91 year old. Brooke quickly realizes there's more to Josephine's story--she's quite the sassy, bossy, and tough lady, even in her last days. 

Woven throughout the contemporary plot is the story of the High Tide Club, and a momentous evening in 1941, as Millie's engagement party takes place at Shellhaven, the Bettendorf mansion on Talisa Island. Engaged to a cruel man in order to provide for her mother, Millie is miserable, and the night of her party is a turning point for not only her, but all the girls. Russell Strickland, Millie's finance, is missing the next morning. What happened to him, and what do the friends know? How is Brooke connected to Talisa Island, and Josephine's family? Who will inherit the house and island after Josephine dies? 

I very happily settled into this novel. There were a few little twists that I wasn't expecting, and I was disappointed in the weak storyline regarding Henry, Brooke's three year old son. Brooke's reconnection with Henry's father seemed like an afterthought, and could have used more attention in the novel. But overall, I loved the characters, the plot, and the setting. A satisfying read all around. It's got me itching to read more of Mary Kay Andrews' backlist. I've missed a few over the years. 

Rating:  4/6 for an enjoyable summer read about the power of friendship, the power of money, family, and some good old scandals. Friendships between women old and young; friendships that span decades and some that are new,  built from shared experiences and connections. Pack your beach bag with this novel!

Available in hardcover, audio, and ebook.  

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

I'm a HUGE fan of Karen White, so there wasn't much arm twisting to read her latest.  I am absolutely in love with the cover art.  

I bought this book, because I couldn't wait to read it...

And then proceeded to not get to it for almost FIVE MONTHS. When I finally did pick it up this week, I power read it in a few days, in between work and an out of town family visit. It was just the palate cleanser I needed.

The two main characters, Merilee Dunlap and Sugar Prescott meet when Merilee rents the cottage that sits behind Sugar's farmhouse outside the small town of Sweet Apple, Georgia.  Sugar is 93 years old, and still full of piss and vinegar.  She's a force to be reckoned with, and commands the respect of everyone in town.  Her family once owned most of the land around Sweet Apple, and she's resisting developers who want to buy the rest of her land to build more housing developments.

Merilee is freshly divorced; her two children are attending a new school, and she's dealing with the fall out of her husband's lover (a local elementary school math teacher) being pregnant.  Small town gossip is running at an all time high. Merilee is struggling to adjust to life as a single parent, and balance the demands of society expectations--school committees, sports, and making appearances at all the right places.  Sugar recognizes a kindred spirit, but her past sorrows and heartbreak have left Sugar reluctant to open her heart to anyone.  

Here's what I enjoyed about this novel:  as a reader, you see both Sugar and Merilee through each other's eyes, and through their own thoughts and memories.  Sugar begins to tell Merilee about her past in small stories; I found Sugar's life in the 30's and 40's to be one of the best parts of the novel.  Makes what we consider difficult today seem like child's play.  These stories are a bridge between Sugar and Marilee as they slowly (very slowly) become friends.  

Merilee, I have to say, was much more complicated than I expected. I was, however, highly annoyed at her absent-mindedness and inability to create a safe password for her phone.  It sounds like a silly thing to point out, but it was a major plot point, and you could see what was going to happen coming long before it did.  Merilee's friendship with Heather Blackford, the wealthy, beautiful, and powerful wife of a popular doctor is bad from the get go.  That plot, I thought, was pretty weak.  Anyone with some life experience knows that people don't befriend you and go out of their way to be overly generous with time, money, and resources unless they want something from you.  Or want to hurt you.  It's not hard to see what's going to happen in this case, but I did get wrapped up in the action steaming along to the big turning point.  

One part of the story I found unnecessary was the "blog" that was put out by an anonymous source in Sweet Apple.  Full of local gossip, it spotlighted the nasty rumors and the people spreading them.  It was basically a way to shame people into behaving instead of spreading malicious gossip and half-truths.  Wasn't hard to figure out who the author of the blog was, but it is finally revealed at the end.  

The big point of this novel is that we all put on public faces, but they are rarely our real faces.  We keep a lot of our lives hidden from everyone else. Past heartbreaks, tragedies, and bad behavior can keep us up at night; but come morning, we stride into our daily lives with none of it showing.  Sometimes the ugliest people hide behind pretty faces, and sometimes a bad person is just a bad person with no redeeming qualities.  

Even though there were parts of the novel I didn't care for, overall I did very much enjoy this book.  I found myself talking out loud when I figured something out before Merilee did; I found myself reading this in big gulps because it kept pulling me along (and I didn't resist that pull).  I spent a whole morning before work lying on my couch reading, and anxiously waiting until I could come home again to finish the last few pages.  

Rating:  4/6 for a novel that explores the choices women make in their youth that can haunt them; the good and bad of living in a small town, and strong friendships between women that become the backbone to overcoming the hard parts of life.  There's a bit of potential romance in here, too--but not so much that it gets in the way.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, large print paperback, and audio.

 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

It seems like forever since Sarah Addison Allen put out a new book!  It was worth the wait, however--and next week, Lost Lake will be out in bookstores everywhere.  How can you ignore this cover?  It just invites you to pick up the book, settle into a comfy chair, and let the magic take over.

Kate has been living in a fog of grief since her husband died suddenly a year ago.  In that fog, her forceful mother-in-law Cricket has taken over her life by selling her home and putting Devin, Kate's young daughter, into a private school.  Now it's crunch time, and Kate is expected to move into Cricket's home and work for her realty business.

Except Kate just woke up, and realizes she doesn't want any of this.  Instead of driving to Cricket's home, she  travels to Selby, Georgia with an old postcard in hand from her Great Aunt Eby.  Lost Lake is a resort that has seen better days, and Aunt Eby has decided to sell to a developer.  But there's still one magical summer left, and Lost Lake has something to say…

This book is all about the toll grief takes, the choices we make to move onward and embrace life, the places we find that seem pretty safe, but are actually places we find ourselves stuck in, unable to get out.  Lost Lake brings together a casts of characters that are sweetly quirky; all find a home at Lost Lake and gather there for once last chance to stay at the cabins before Eby sells.  With flashbacks to Eby's life as a young honeymooner in Paris and Amsterdam in the 1960's, the story fleshes out and Eby's choices later in life are understandable.  Kate's desire to do something and Devin's desire to stay at Lost Lake all get mixed up with the other guests at Lost Lake, and something magical happens.  You'll have to read it to find out!

Trying to describe this book, I can only come up with the words "sweet and gentle".  A lot of life changes happen at Lost Lake; necessary for all who are there that last summer.  This is a book that keeps you contemplating long after you've turned the last page.  I loved it, and you will, too.

Rating:  8/10; a favorite author returns with a magical tale of waking up to life.
Available January 21st in hardcover, audio, and ebook.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli: Review and Giveaway!

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love to read historical fiction set in the South.  Glow has now been added to my collection of favorite Southern novels.

Glow follows the story of the family tree of Solomon Bounds, a white man who settles in the mountains of Georgia is the early 1800's. What makes this novel special is that as you read, you go back up the family tree, not down.  The story starts with young Ella McGee and her mother, Amanda.  They live in Washington, DC in 1941.  Amanda--a mix of Cherokee and Scotch-Irish descent, is working  on racial equality and making herself very unpopular in the community around her.  A rock thrown into her home one night makes her realize leaving is the only option.  But--she can only get one bus ticket out that night.   Reluctantly, she puts Ella on the bus to Georgia, with instructions on where to get off and who to meet.  

But things go wrong, and Ella is left injured on the side of the road in Georgia.  Two elderly women, Willie Mae and Mary-Mary, find Ella and take her to their cabin in the woods to heal her and her dog.  In doing so, Ella's family tree and Willie Mae's family tree connect.  We begin the stories of Amanda's life as a child in the same region--her loving parents, her elder brother Bud, and her love for Obidiah Bounds, a young black boy who's father is the only black person around to own a large farm.  Amanda's childhood stories are interspersed with Ella's time at the cabin with Willie Mae and Mary-Mary.  It is important to look at the chapter titles--each chapter is the name of the character you will be reading about.  If you don't it can get you off track and a bit confused.  I found it helped me reset my mind to go back to a particular character's history.  There is also a family tree at the beginning of the book to help you keep track of each character and where they are in the history of this family.

This novel is chock full of superstition, racial tension, and the beauty of the Georgia mountains.  Jessica Maria Tuccelli is an amazingly descriptive writer.  Her ability to write about the color of a river, the smell of flowers, and the blazing colors of the leaves are a gift to savor.  And the heartbreak and happy times for each storyteller are simply told yet pack a power punch of emotion.  

You too, will fall in love with Ella and, most of all, young Amanda.  She really is the voice of this novel and seeing things through her young eyes makes them even more poignant.  The love of mothers for their children, the mix of Cherokee, white, and black histories, and the drive for the human spirit to never give up are all themes that run throughout each and every story--from Ella all the way back to Willie Mae's early life as a slave.  

Did I tempt you?  How about a chance to win a copy of Glow?  You can!
Just add a comment to this post and I will pick a winner on Monday, April 29th.  *open only to US residents*

Rating:  8/10 Compelling story about the history of  Hopewell County and one of the founding families.  Beautifully written novel for a first time author.  Perfect for book clubs!  Fans of The Kitchen House will like this one.

Available in paperback, e-book, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli: Review and Giveaway!