Review of THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave

This was a totally engrossing domestic suspense story of a stepmother named Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey. Hannah has married Owen Michaels, Bailey’s father, and is seemingly living an idyllic life on a boat docked in Sausalito when one day Owen disappears. Like, poof! Owen’s boss at his tech company is arrested and Hannah is totally perplexed when her numerous calls to Owen’s phone go unanswered. She and Bailey set out to discover what happened to Owen and in their trip down the rabbit hole of secrets and lies, they slowly discover a relationship with each other. With lots of twists and turns, this was a book that was hard to put down and completely absorbing. The characters are well-developed and realistic, with Bailey’s character being one of a spoiled “daddy’s girl” who has to wake up to a new reality. Hannah is inventive in her quest to find out what happened to Owen and why he would leave his beloved daughter behind. Bailey seems to hold a lot of secrets that she doesn’t know she holds and it is up to Hannah to tease them out. This entire book was like being drawn further and further into a spider’s web and not knowing where I would end up. The plot was intricately and delicately woven around the non-relationship between Hannah and Bailey and the lies that Owen told each of them. I really enjoyed how the author depicted the growing dependency and relationship between the two and how Bailey’s view of her stepmother increasingly became one of trust instead of total resentment. The characters made this story, and the plot wasn’t far behind. Loved it! Fans of domestic suspense will not want to miss this one that will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next secret to be revealed.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Totally captivating story rated a PG-13 because of content
Photo and author info from her website at http://www.lauradave.com

Available TOMORROW, May 4, 2021! Purchase Links:

Google Play

Indiebound

Books-a-Million

Powells

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Publishing for the ARC to read and review. This was a completely “take me away from reality” read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Review of THE NEWCOMER by Mary Kay Andrews

This book is part mystery, part romance and all about family. When Letty is awakened in the parking lot of The Murmuring Surf motel in Florida, she had no idea that policeman Joe who awakened her would play such a big part in her life. Letty was running from NYC and had her niece Maya with her, a precocious four year old who wants her mommy. Unfortunately, Letty had discovered her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her NY condo and had fled with Maya, escaping the possible murderer. The story has some parts that are too coincidental, but all of the pieces flowed together well and made the story an awesome read. The characters were fun to read about, especially the snow birds who inhabited The Murmuring Surf and made constant demands on Ava, the owner and Joe’s mom. Ava was a determined owner of a classic motel, setting high standards for her tenants and providing all kinds of opportunities fo them to socialize. Her acceptance of Letty without asking questions made the story. There were too many minor characters to name, but one of the most memorable is Vicki Hill, the FBI agent who reminded me of Stephanie Plum from the Evanovich series. She was bold, brash and reckless, but she also got the job done. The plot was an enjoyable read with some unexpected twists and a great ending! Fans of romance with mystery will love this book as much as I did.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Some mature content, so I would rate it PG-13
Photo from the author’s website at http://www.marykayandrews.com

Author Bio: (also from website)

MARY KAY ANDREWS is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 novels (including Hello, SummerSunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The WeekendersBeach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring FeverSummer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook,The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York TimesUSA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.

This book will be available on Tuesday, May 2, 2021, but you can pre-order it now.

Purchase Links:

Books-a-Million

Indiebound

Google Play Store

Powells

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book to read. So enjoyable and filled with happy feelings!

A Prayer for You

I used to sing a song in church with the children and I was reminded of it this morning in my devotional.

Deep and Wide

Now, I would like you to look carefully at this photo.

Photo from http://www.wallpapersafari.com

If you have ever been to the ocean, you know that you can’t see the end of it. Oceans actually seem to go on forever. That is how Jesus’s love for us is. It has no end. It is deeper than the deepest ocean, wider than the widest sea and longer than any body of water imaginable. We cannot put Jesus’s love for us in a box and then use it daily and say one day, “Well, I used it all. It’s all gone now.” That’s not how His love works. It’s like a fountain that continually flows from the throne of Heaven into our lives. Likewise, we have that fountain flowing in us to others. So deep and wide!

May God bless each of you today with a renewed understanding of just how much He loves you and desires you to spend time with Him getting filled up with His great love.