Shelley's Book Nook

His and Hers by Alice Feeney My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was absolutely gripped by this story, I started reading and didn’t put it down until I had finished the whole book. I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved that the story was told from the eyes of the different characters involved and liked reading from the different points of view. There were so many twists and turns that I thought it would end one way and it turned out completely different to what I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to the arrival of the next Alice Feeney book, she is two for two with me. View all my reviews

☆☆☆1/2 ebook, 268 pages Expected publication: May 26th 2020 by Montlake Romance About the Book: In the fading town of Rooster, Texas, all that’s really left is a service station, a church…and the Banty House, a long-ago Depression-era brothel. For more than seventy-five years, Betsy, Connie, and Kate Carson have called their mama’s house a home. The three eccentric sisters get by just fine with their homemade jams and jellies, a little moonshine on the side, and big hearts always open to strangers. Like Ginger Andrews. An abandoned teen with a baby on the way and nowhere to go, she’s given a room to call her own for as long as she wants. The kind invitation is made all the sweeter when Ginger meets the sisters’ young handyman, Sloan Baker. But with a past as broken as Ginger’s, he’s vowed never to get close to anyone again. As a season of change unfolds, Ginger and Sloan might discover a warm haven to heal in the Banty House, a place to finally belong, where hope and dreams never ...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 276 pages Expected publication: May 7th 2020 by Cherry Tree Publishing About the Book: He stole her childhood. Now she wants it back. A woman is found alone and confused wandering through remote woodland. She claims to be Mara Sitwell, the little girl who mysteriously vanished from her home nineteen years ago. She says she was abducted and has been held captive in an underground cell. But not everyone’s convinced she’s telling the truth. Her brother-in-law, Damian, thinks she’s hiding a dark secret and so psychologically scarred she’s a danger to his young family. But no one’s listening to him. His only choice is to prove what really happened to Mara. But the truth is never easy to uncover, especially when it’s been buried so deep... This book was very fast-paced. Great character development, good plot. I had moments of consciousness and nerves. This book takes off from the get go and keeps you turning the pages until the very end. Not many books keep me enthralled l...

Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson My rating: 4 of 5 stars 🌟For laughs 🌟For swoon 🌟For smiles 🌟For heartbreak I only read this book because I got A Happy Catastrophe Maddie Dawson and it is a sort of continuation of this title. The same main character. I am so glad I picked this up! She was like my guru and my grandmother and my therapist and my Reiki master and my best friend, all rolled into one. I really enjoyed this story, it put a smile on my face, made me laugh out loud and I was so engrossed in it that I read it in just one sitting...all 350 pages. The book was so engaging and had me glued to the pages. The man is damaged and broken, but as someone wiser than me said, it’s in the broken places where the light gets in. And as you and I both know, he is LUMINOUS. The main character was so likable and interesting and all the secondary characters had stories and backgrounds that were heartfelt, although, I enjoyed Blix’s chapters slightly more as I loved readi...

The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine My rating: 2 of 5 stars 2.5 Stars I was really looking forward to reading this book because I loved The Last Time I Saw You. While this title was ok I found it lacking and missing something. Honestly, I felt that this was a repeat of a story I had already read. There were a lot of secrets, twists etc, but there hit a point where it was just too much. I think I actually yelled at one point...come on already, just tell the damn story. I was disappointed, I mean I couldn't wait to see what happened, but there was just too much. Every cliche you could find was in this book. I love Liv Constantine's work and their writing of this book was still good, but I think the direction of the book just wasn't clear. View all my reviews

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 316 pages Expected publication: July 7th 2020 by Simon & Schuster About the Book: Atlantic City, 1934. Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to vacationers escaping to “America’s Playground” and move into the small apartment above their bakery. Despite the cramped quarters, this is the apartment where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and it always feels like home. Now Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel, and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bedrest for the duration of her pregnancy. After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams. Esther only wants to keep her daughters close and safe but some matters are beyond her control: there’s Fannie’s risky pregnancy—not to mention her always-scheming husband, Isaac—and the fact that the ha...

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 323 pages Expected publication: May 19th 2020 by HarperCollins Publishers - Ecco About the Book: In West Adams, a rapidly changing part of South Los Angeles, they’re referred to as “these women.” These women on the corner … These women in the club … These women who won’t stop asking questions … These women who got what they deserved. In her masterful new novel, Ivy Pochoda creates a kaleidoscope of loss, power, and hope featuring five very different women whose lives are steeped in danger and anguish. They’re connected by one man and his deadly obsession, though not all of them know that yet. There’s Dorian, still adrift after her daughter’s murder remains unsolved; Julianna, a young dancer nicknamed Jujubee, who lives hard and fast, resisting anyone trying to slow her down; Essie, a brilliant vice cop who sees a crime pattern emerging where no one else does; Marella, a daring performance artist whose work has long pushed boundaries but now puts her in peril; and Anne...

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 317 pages Expected publication: April 7th 2020 by Grand Central Publishing About the Book: Beth Fraser finally has her life together. She's built a successful career in the tech sector, has a bright fifteen-year-old daughter, and she's completely erased all evidence of her troubled past. At least that's what she thought. Dana Fraser always wondered why she's the only kid with two backup phones, emergency drills, and a non-negotiable check-in time every single day. When a stranger approaches her on the street claiming to be her grandmother, Dana starts to question what else her mother has been hiding. Soon Beth's worst nightmare is coming true: Dana is in grave danger, and unless Beth is willing to pull one last con job for her parents, she may never see her daughter again. This is the first book I've read by Sarah Zettel and holy cow, this book started with a bang and never let up. A Mother's Lie is a mystery within a mystery and this int...

☆☆☆1/2 ebook, 252 pages Expected publication: April 7th 2020 by Grand Central Publishing About the Book: Ilka Jensen's life is in chaos following the tumultuous events of Her Father's Secret. The funeral home she inherited after her estranged father's death is bankrupt. Her new business partner, Artie, lies unconscious in the hospital after a savage attack by mysterious assailants, and her father's second wife is in prison. Then, just as Ilka learns a shocking revelation about her father, two menacing strangers turn up at the funeral home -- dangerous men who mean to draw her further into a world of secrets, betrayal, and murder. In order to protect herself and those around her, Ilka sets off on a twisting journey to confront the truth about the man who abandoned her as a child. But the long-buried secrets of her father's past are more tangled and perilous than Ilka could ever imagine. This is the last of the Ilka Jensen series and the books got better as I w...

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde My rating: 5 of 5 stars I knew then. I knew I was okay being with her, but . . . more than okay. Almost like I was home with her, in a weird way. I mean, it wasn’t as good as having a real home, because I couldn’t actually live in a thing like I’d found with her, but it still felt something like home, because it was a place where I could bring my whole self. There are memorable characters and stories and then there are fantastic characters and incredibly moving stories brought to life that allow you to fall deep into a book and forget that they are just that. Stories. This is what happens when you read Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Rich storytelling, fraught with intense struggle, torn between two worlds a young girl who leaves her home, not of her own accord. I read many of Catherine Ryan Hyde's books, so I shouldn't be surprised that I loved this one so much. A well written story of mistakes, choices, family, l...

Her Father's Secret by Sara Blaedel My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 Stars There are many plots intertwined into this novel. Just when you think you have figured out how they are all connected Ms. Blaedel takes you down a different fork in the road. The characters are well developed and intriguing. This is the second book of the series. I suggest readers read, The Undertaker's Daughter before reading this book to fully understand the background. Our main character is trying to sell the family funeral home which is in poor financial shape after her father's death. All kinds of family secrets come out during this story and the reader is left with a cliffhanger at the end. To be continued... View all my reviews

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 285 pages Expected publication: June 16th 2020 by Bent Pine Publishing About the Book: When Suzanna Duff was ten years old, she lost her mama, and that’s when the lies began. At first, they were just harmless little fibs, a way to hide her unbearable loneliness and the truth about a daddy who came home rip-roaring drunk every night. But in time, the lies grew bigger and now, when she is a grown woman with a daughter of her own, they threaten to destroy everything she loves. The irony of this situation is that Suzanna never planned to stay in Georgia, she was simply passing through, looking for a fresh start in New Jersey. Attending that wake with her daughter Annie, was a fluke. An opportunity to enjoy a free meal. It should have entailed nothing more than a solemn nod and a brief expression of sympathy but, Ida Parker, the grieving widow mistook her for her the granddaughter who was carried off as an infant. Too embarrassed to do anything else, Suzanna played along. W...

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 242 pages Expected publication: April 23rd 2020 by Troubador Publishing Ltd. - Matador About the Book: When Alice was ten, she shot rabbits with her father. Thirty five years later, she’s after bigger prey. Life hasn’t been kind to Alice. Abandoned by her father at fourteen, she ran away two years later to 60s London, embracing all the darkness it had to offer when hopes of finding her father are lost. But that was the past and at thirty-seven she meets and marries Jake. They have a son, Adam, and life is perfection. But when he is killed in an accident six years later, her entire life comes crashing down. Buried under the weight of grief and guilt, Alice sets out on a path for revenge on the mother who killed her child. Teetering on the brink of sanity, she refuses to acknowledge the truth: what really happened on the way through the park on the day Adam died? The dominoes fall, sending Alice into dark places. Does forgiveness wait for her on the other side or will s...

The Undertaker's Daughter by Sara Blaedel My rating: 3 of 5 stars At times it was exciting but most of the story was either predictable or confusing. The writing itself was pretty good, especially as it was translated. This book was really different, I've never read one quite like it. Not a bad read but just really different and the ending is a cliffhanger...Thank goodness I have the other two books in the series! To be continued… View all my reviews

☆☆1/2 ebook, 280 pages Expected publication: February 29th, 2020 by Grand Central Publishing About the Book: Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise--she's just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems. Just one more night. Then I'll end it. Alison drinks too much. She's neglecting her family. And she's having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle. I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up. Alison's client doesn't deny that she stabbed her husband - she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself. I'm watching you. I know what you're doing. But someone knows Alison's secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she's done, and who won't stop until she's lost everything. I really really tried to love t...

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf My rating: 5 of 5 stars 4.5 Stars Oh how I love Heather Gudenkauf books. I don't care what genre she writes as long as she keeps putting out great books. This was a great book! A cold case murder, a small town, plenty of suspects and a surprising culprit! The reveal is done early but my gosh the book gets even better after that! Honestly loved this book and didn’t see the end coming. I love a good psychological thriller but can usually piece out the ending...not this time. I won’t say all the twists were a surprise, I figured out some things earlier on but the actual ending what not what I expected. Highly recommend! View all my reviews

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 293 pages Expected publication: June 2nd 2020 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books About the Book: It’s 2 A.M. on a Saturday night in the spring of 2001, and twenty-eight-year-old Cecily Gardner sits alone in a dive bar in New York’s East Village, questioning her life. Feeling lonesome and homesick for the Midwest, she wonders if she’ll ever make it as a reporter in the big city—and whether she made a terrible mistake in breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Matthew. As Cecily reaches for the phone to call him, she hears a guy on the barstool next to her say, “Don’t do it—you’ll regret it.” Something tells her to listen, and over the next several hours—and shots of tequila—the two forge an unlikely connection. That should be it, they both decide the next morning, as Cecily reminds herself of the perils of a rebound relationship. Moreover, their timing couldn’t be worse—Grant is preparing to quit his job and move overseas. Yet despite all their obstacl...

Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wendy Walker has a new fan! I know I am late to the party...what the heck took me so long!? This was a great book that uses vivid language to truly paint the scenes in your mind. It has so many twists and turns that I was guessing everyone as a suspect to the crime all the way to the big reveal...a true enjoyment that I couldn't put down. I loved how this book kept you on the edge of your seat and I haven’t read any book this unpredictable, with suspense in every chapter, in a long time. Bottom Line: I read this all in one day. Nary a boring moment. The ending was surprising and satisfying. I would definitely recommend it. View all my reviews

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 323 pages Expected publication: May 14th 2020 by Avon Books UK About the Book: Effie’s not perfect. Neither is Theo. But together, they’re pretty close. Matilda ‘Effie’ Heaton has always felt like she’s swimming against the tide. Everyone around her has life sorted, but Effie’s living with her parents and crying into a wine bottle at night. The only thing she loves is her job at a bookshop, where she can lose herself in other people’s stories. But then she meets Theo, who knows only too well that life isn’t something to take for granted. Because Theo has a life-changing secret, and as Effie starts to realise that she’s falling in love instead of falling apart, fate steps in and deals her a new hand. And this time, the stakes are high. Mother, the sooner you learn that I am unlovable, the easier it will be for you to come to terms with the fact that I will die a spinster. When I first started reading this book I didn't think I was going to like it. Effie seemed ...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 302 pages Expected publication: May 19th 2020 by Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books About the Book: Glamorous Margot Jones is the fashion editor at glossy magazine Haute. Pregnant with her first child, Margot’s carefully curated life is the object of other women’s envy—who wouldn’t want her successful career, loving husband, beautiful house, and stylish wardrobe? Maggie, a freelance journalist, certainly knows she doesn’t measure up. But when she gets the temp job covering Margot’s maternity leave, Maggie seizes the chance to live a flashier life—even if it’s only for a few months. But the simultaneous arrival of Margot’s baby and a brutal end to her oldest friendship sends Margot into a spiral of insecurity and suspicion; normal preoccupations of new motherhood turn into dark and frightening paranoia. Who is the vicious online troll mocking Margot’s facade of perfection and threatening to expose a dark secret she’s spent years concealing? Are Maggie’s new...

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner My rating: 5 of 5 stars Nobody writes fiction like Jennifer Weiner. I have been a fan since Good in Bed and would read a shopping list if she wrote it. You can relate to the characters and the chaos in their lives and I love how she brings all the characters together. You can feel the struggle, the loss and pain but also the love. During everything Daphne goes through she finds the strength to go forward, to keep fighting for all she holds dear and to never, ever give up. All. The. Stars. View all my reviews

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 290 pages Expected publication: May 1st 2020 by Amazon Publishing UK About the Book: For Emily Rossi, life may not be perfect, but it’s pretty close. She has a great career, a house in the country, a solid marriage to Eric and two wonderful children—tennis superstar Daniel and quiet, sensitive Zara. But when her fourteen-year-old daughter brings home a toxic new best friend, Emily’s seemingly perfect family starts to spiral out of control. Suddenly Zara is staying out late, taking drugs and keeping bad company. And just when Emily needs Eric to be an involved father, he seems too wrapped up with his job in London to care. What’s more, he’s started drinking again. When a dark secret from the past emerges, Emily’s life is turned upside down. Struggling to protect the people she loves, can she save her damaged family? Doing so may mean keeping a secret of her own. Once in a while I look back over the landscape of our marriage as if I were a bird and I see it so clearly,...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 388 pages Expected publication: May 1st 2020 by Independent Publishers Group & Macmillan About the Book: It's been twenty-five years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a vineyard and wine business from the ground up. But when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it's left to their three grown-up children in London to step in. Sebastian is busy running his company with his wife, Anna, who's never quite seen eye-to-eye with her mother-in-law. Katie, a successful London solicitor, is distracted by the problems with her long-term partner, Nic, and the secretive lives of their three daughters. And Jake, ever the easy-going optimist, is determined to convince his new wife, Bella, that moving to Spain with their eighteen-month-old would be a good idea. As the children descend on the vineyard, it becomes clear that each has their own idea of how best to handle their mum and dad,...

☆☆ ebook, 388 pages Expected publication: May 1st 2020 by Thomas & Mercer About the Book: Charlotte Coburn has a tragically dark past. But she’s safe now. She lives in a gated community, protected from danger. When teenager Elle knocks at her door looking for shelter during a particularly severe storm, the woman can’t help but think how lucky Elle’s been to have found someone as friendly as her. Except Elle chose her door on purpose. She knows all about Charlotte’s secrets because they ruined her family and her life. And it is time that everyone else knew. But Charlotte’s past has left a dark void in her life, so she is concocting her own vicious plan, convinced that Elle can help fill that void. As events unfold, the truth unravels and pulls both women into a dangerous game that will leave you wondering, Who’s the villain? I really tried to like this book, but felt the characters and story weren't enough. The characters weren't fleshed out and not enough back-story ...

☆☆☆☆☆ ebook, 324 pages Expected publication: April 28th 2020 by Lake Union Publishing About the Book: The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both. But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together. When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save e...