Shelley's Book Nook

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 496 pages Published June 25th 2019 by HARLEQUIN – MIRA About the Book: All her life Ryan Gracey watched her perfect older sister from afar. Knowing she could never top Wendy’s achievements, she didn’t even try. Instead Ryan forged her own path while her family barely seemed to notice. Now Wendy shares two little girls with her perfect husband while Ryan mourns the man she lost after a nearly fatal mistake in judgment. The sisters’ choices have taken them in different directions, which is why Ryan is stunned when Wendy calls, begging for her help. There’s been a murder—and Wendy believes she’ll be wrongfully accused. While Wendy lays low, Ryan moves back to their hometown to care for the nieces she hardly knows. The sleuthing skills she’s refined as a true-crime podcaster quickly rise to the surface as she digs for answers with the help of an unexpected ally. Yet the trail of clues Wendy’s left behind lead to nothing but questions. Blood may be thicker than wat...

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 384 pages Published June 25th 2019 by HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing and Park Row About the Book: Beth Murphy is on the run. For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning--one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her. Sabine Hardison is missing. A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she's taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play. As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine's carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happe...

☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 338 pages Published June 21st 2019 by Bookouture About the Book: It’s everything she’s ever wanted … When I first set eyes on Westhill House with its breath-taking views of the sea I knew Jack and I could make this our forever home. It may be falling apart with an overgrown garden, but with some tender loving care, we can repair this beautiful building and perhaps our relationship too. But the more time I spend renovating our new house, the more time Jack is spending at work. At least Lori is here to keep me company. She has her own troubles yet she always listens to mine. She’s helping to restore the house, uncovering its secrets one by one. Like the children’s drawings under the wallpaper in the back bedroom. The hidden papers underneath the floorboards in the turret room. And the fact that Westhill House is a place women used to go to feel safe. Lori seems to know a lot about Westhill House. The question is, why? This book had me intrigued right from the ...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 368 pages Published June 18th 2019 by HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books About the Book: The Harmony Resort promises hope for struggling marriages. Run by celebrity power couple Drs. Miles and Grace Markell, the "last resort" offers a chance for partners to repair their relationships in a luxurious setting on the gorgeous Mayan Riviera. Johanna and Ben have a marriage that looks perfect on the surface, but in reality, they don’t know each other at all. Shell and Colin fight constantly: after all, Colin is a workaholic, and Shell always comes second to his job as an executive at a powerful mining company. But what has really torn them apart is too devastating to talk about. When both couples begin Harmony's intensive therapy program, it becomes clear that Harmony is not all it seems—and neither are Miles and Grace themselves. What are they hiding, and what price will these couples pay for finding out? As a deadly tropical storm descends on the coast,...

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 352 pages Published June 18th 2019 by Lake Union Publishing About the Book: What happens when you open your home to the perfect stranger? Anna Klein is ready to return to work as a literary agent for the first time since having children. She and her husband, Josh, decide to hire a live-in nanny with some trepidation, but all their misgivings disappear as soon as they meet Oaklynn Durst. She has stellar references, a calm disposition, and a natural way with children. Not to mention their kids simply adore her. But not long after Oaklynn arrives, the children start to come down with the most puzzling illnesses and inexplicable injuries. When the maternal Oaklynn is there to comfort everyone, Anna can’t help feeling a little eclipsed. And suspicious. Her husband and friends assure her that her anxieties are getting the best of her—Oaklynn is perfect. But Anna’s not so sure. As she delves into Oaklynn’s past, she discovers too late that the woman who has been living in he...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 368 pages Published June 13th 2019 by Avon Books UK About the Book: What if you almost missed the love of your life? Nadia gets the 7.30 train every morning without fail. Well, except if she oversleeps or wakes up at her friend Emma’s after too much wine. Daniel really does get the 7.30 train every morning, which is easy because he hasn’t been able to sleep properly since his dad died.One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper: To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime? So begins a not-quite-romance of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word. The mating rituals of the sexes were a constant source of fascination. Our Stop is a really cute romantic comedy mixing moments of hilarity while also mining the depths of our characters hearts. Part of what made this novel so enjoyable was the cast of characters. Her characters went from serious to f...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 400 pages Published June 13th 2019 by Avon Books UK About the Book: Fern is too busy making sure other people feel good about themselves to give much thought to her own happiness. But somehow, without her noticing, life has run away from her. Suddenly, Fern realises her vintage clothes business is struggling, and the casual relationship she’d always thought she was happy in doesn’t look so appealing. But sometimes, karma really does come through. And when Fern goes out of her way to help 85-year-old Dinah, little does she realise their new friendship will change her life. Dinah may have troubles in her past, but she’s lived and loved to the full. Can Dinah show Fern that even the smallest acts of kindness can make the world a better place? Loneliness isn’t something that fills you up. It empties you. A Random Act of Kindness is well written and the story is captivating from beginning to end. I absolutely adored this book. I had a huge smile on my face while...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 316 pages Published June 11th 2019 by Lake Union Publishing About the Book: Three women. Two families torn apart by secrets. Crushed by guilt over the car accident that killed her father and sister, and torn apart by her mother’s resentment, Darcy Goodridge fled her family estate eight years ago and hasn’t looked back. Now an unexpected phone call threatens to upend what little serenity she’s found. Her nephew, Emerson, who was just a baby when his mother died, has gone missing. Darcy must return home and face her past in order to save him. Once back in Ohio, Darcy realizes there’s more to Emerson’s disappearance—and to the sudden retirement of her mother, Rosalind—than meets the eye. As she works to make inroads with Rosalind, Darcy begins to unravel a decades-old secret that devastated her family and forced a wedge between her and Michael Varano, the man she left heartbroken when she vanished after the funeral. After carrying the scars of that fateful night ...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 374 pages Published June 11th 2019 by Bookouture About the Book: Everyone makes mistakes. But does everyone deserve to be forgiven? She runs past the tinkling of children’s laughter that fills the park. Heart hammering, she reaches the riverbank, breath catching in her throat as her eyes take in the small body, tangled in the reeds, pale and lifeless. Three years later...Claire’s life is picture perfect. A new home in the countryside. A new-born baby. A doting husband by her side. But behind closed doors, her life is falling apart. And when a threatening note is posted through her letterbox, saying she doesn’t deserve her daughter, it’s clear that someone knows about her past. Someone knows that Claire doesn’t deserve her perfect life. Someone’s going to do everything in their power to destroy it. This is a first novel by Ruth Heald and it blew me away. This book grabs you at the beginning with a very compelling event, given away certainly by the title. It t...

☆☆ Kindle Edition, 304 pages Published June 11th 2019 by Hogarth and Crown Publishing About the Book: When Robert Walter, popular mayor of Amsterdam, sees his wife toss her head back with laughter while chatting to one of his aldermen at a New Year's reception, he immediately suspects the worst. Despite their long and happy marriage, Robert is convinced that Sylvia is cheating on him--with the respectable alderman who is dedicated to the environment, no less. The man who wants to spoil the capital's skyline with wind turbines. The New Year's reception marks the end of the "happy family" era that the mayor has enjoyed for so long. His wife and their daughter, Diana, however, are not aware of his suspicions and carry on as usual. Robert starts spending a lot of time and energy "behaving normally." Naturally, his normal behavior is far more suspicious. Normally Robert's not really present when he's at home--he's preoccupied with his phone,...

☆☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 470 pages Published June 11th 2019 by Atria Books and Simon & Schuster Canada About the Book: Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise. Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect 'Dick and Jane' house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life. But the truth ends up looking differently than what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and Women's Lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture, and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a par...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 368 pages Publication Date: June 11th 2019 by Grand Central Publishing About the Book: I close the online search window, annoyed. These articles never have enough detail. They think my husband's first wife disappeared or they think she is dead. There's a big difference. My phone rings, jarring me away from my thoughts, and when I pick it up, it's an unknown number. The only answer to my slightly breathless hello is empty static. When the voice does finally come, it's female, low, muffled somehow. "Where is it, Claire? What did you do with it? Tell me where it is." A woman. A real flesh-and-blood woman on the other end of the phone. She's not just in my head. A wave of panic spreads under my skin like ice water. It's Colleen. They will all think I’m crazy, insane, psychotic, but what else is love but madness? Isn’t that what all the great novels are about? I was totally enthralled by the book from the very beginning. The wr...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 400 pages Published June 4th 2019 by Crooked Lane Books About the Book: Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life was forever changed by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum, and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's swimming pool. Almost without her realizing it, her life has shuddered to a halt. It’s only when Masha begins an unlikely friendship with the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice and a penchant for saying just what she means, that a new world of possibilities opens up: new friendships, new opportunities, and even a chance for new love. For the first time in years, Masha has the chance to start living again. But just as Masha dares to imagine the future, her past comes roaring back. Refinement lies in the heart and the spirit rather than in outward appearance, but it is by what we do and say that we prove ...

☆ Kindle Edition, 314 pages Published June 7th 2019 by Bookouture About the Book: ‘I’m your husband, Chloe. We’re a partnership now and we do what’s best for us as a couple. Staying here is going to be the best option.’ He picked up his drink and took a sip. ‘It’s not open for discussion. We’re not going home.’ Chloe had the dream wedding. Dan is her perfect man. They haven’t known each other for long, but as she walked down the aisle and saw him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knew this was forever. Later, as they relax on a beautiful island, settling in to their new married life together, they congratulate themselves on their lovely wedding day, and Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her. He did it to keep me safe, she reassured herself. That’s all he’s bothered about. Then another voice in her head said, Or is it about keeping h...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 400 pages Published June 4th 2019 by Blackstone Publishing About the Book: Robert Haller's ANOTHER LIFE, following four linked characters over the course of one summer, set around their local evangelical church, in which a teenage girl has an online relationship with an older man, a legendary high school musician returns to town as a mysterious recluse, a discontented mom finds new meaning in a secret affair, and a thirteen-year-old boy struggles to adjust to the presence of his new foster brother. It’s as if my life were a stained-glass window or something—pretty to look at, but never changing—and then something came along to shatter my window, and now I’m trying to pick up the pieces. And I’m seeing that I don’t have to put them back the way they were before. I could move stuff around, rearrange things, throw out and add stuff, even. An engrossing book with beautiful prose. Another Life is an interesting study with big contrasts in lifestyles an personalities...

☆☆☆ ebook, 316 pages Expected publication: June 6th 2019 by Aria About the Book: Is your house as safe as you think? Natalie spent most of her childhood feeling afraid. So when she moved into her cosy little flat in St Ives and met her three friendly neighbours, she knew at once it was somewhere she'd feel safe. Before long, Natalie's neighbours have become the family she never had. Kind, motherly Morwenna, serious, reliable Nigel, and sweet, anxious Daniel. They collect each other's mail, water each other's plants, and share each others lives. But as Natalie knows all too well, the people who are closest to you can also be the most dangerous. And this house is not as safe as she thinks. Sometimes it’s the shit that keeps you together rather than the good things. This book was ok - very readable, and I finished it in one day. I didn't like the main character very much - she seemed to make every mistake and bad choice possible, and she wasn't very likable...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 336 pages Expected publication: June 4th 2019 by Sourcebooks Landmark About the Book: Is there ever a perfect time for love? When Mimi Huish first visits her dad's new home in the Cotswolds, she falls in love with Goosebrook and the people who live there. There's Paddy, with his electric-blue eyes and seductive charm. Friendly and funny Lois makes Mimi laugh. And seriously gorgeous Cal Mathieson is welcoming and charismatic. Though Mimi loves her city life and her career, she'd be very happy to return to Goosebrook if it means seeing more of him. Life is about to take some unexpected and shocking twists and turns. And Mimi's path and Cal's are set to cross again and again—but will it ever be the right time for both of them? Not even a thank-you. She won’t write, she won’t phone. When I read that bit of dialogue, after helping a pregnant sheep no less, I just knew I was going to love this book. I loved the diversity of the characters, t...

☆☆☆☆ Kindle Edition, 368 pages Expected publication: June 4th 2019 by Simon & Schuster Canada About the Book: What happened to Amanda Holmes? After the sudden death of their parents, the MacAllister children return to the run-down summer camp where they spent their childhood. The four sisters and their elder brother haven’t all been together at Camp Macaw in over twenty years—ever since a tragic and mysterious accident. Over the course of the Labour Day weekend, the siblings must determine what to do with the property, now worth millions. But a stunning condition of their father’s will compels them to face their past—and come to a decision that threatens to tear them apart forever. A sharp and engrossing novel of suspense, I’ll Never Tell reveals what happens when the secrets and lies that hold a family together are finally exposed. I love supporting Canadian authors, especially when they write as well as Catherine McKenzie does. Told from multiple points of view, this is a...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 272 pages Expected publication: June 1st 2019 by Central Avenue Publishing (first published January 19th 2016) About the Book: The year is 1992 and Victoria Hastings Harrison Greene—reviled matriarch of a sprawling family—is dying. After surviving the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Victoria refuses to leave this earth before revealing the secrets she’s carried for decades. Once the child of a loving family during peaceful times, a shocking death shattered her life. Victoria came face to face with the harshness of the world. As the warm days of childhood receded to distant memory, Victoria learns to survive. No matter what it takes. To keep her family alive in an Oklahoma blighted by dust storms and poverty, Victoria makes choices—harsh ones, desperate ones. Ones that eventually made her into the woman her grandchildren fear and whisper about. Ones that kept them all alive. Hers is a tale of tragedy, love, murder, and above all, the conviction to never st...