Review: The Windsor Affair

The Windsor Affair by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful gossipy book that will be perfect for a light beach read. I understand that the author's other smash hit was The Swans of Fifth Avenue, and this was a book I found to be not to my liking. I was surprised, then, to find this one much more riveting.

The book summary gives you all the salient points, but I will say that the summary leaves out just how emotional this book was, how much history it covers, and just how confusing all these pet and royal names are to a mere American!

I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to all who love gossipy, intriguing books.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Delacorte Press/RandomHouse, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "Feuding Windsor brothers and their wives—some things, it seems, never change. The Men: Edward David Windsor, heir to the British throne, and Albert, known as Bertie, his younger brother, “the spare.” The Women: Edward’s wife Wallis, an American divorcée, and Bertie's  wife Elizabeth, descended from Scottish nobility. The Feud: a rivalry that will last all their lives, make headlines, and still fuel gossip pages nearly a century later.

The Windsor Affair recreates the cataclysmic events that nearly toppled the monarchy and incited the power struggle between Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the queen-to-be, and Wallis Simpson, aka “That Woman," who fell into a calculated love affair with Prince Edward. Told from the perspective of both women, the novel propels readers into the fabulous world of the debonair Prince of Wales, café society of the 1930s, and the glittering private lives of the Windsors.

The first novel dedicated to the infamous rivalry between these two world-famous women, The Windsor Affair brings us all the gossip and intrigue between the two very different—yet perhaps more similar than they would admit—wives of royals. As Queen, Elizabeth would become the symbol of British pluck and courage during World War II and remain a British institution for the rest of her long life. Wallis would be forever forced to enact the World’s Greatest Love Story even after it sours, as she goes from being admired to vilified and, ultimately, pitied.

Against the backdrop of the Abdication Crisis, World War II, coronations, funerals, births, and deaths, these two women maintain a bitter, biting, sharp-tongued feud—until age and the long arm of history bring about a kind of understanding. For the last communication between these bitter rivals was a simple, surprising “In friendship, Elizabeth.”"

Review: Old Girls Go Off the Rails

Old Girls Go Off the Rails by Maddie Please
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was less an interesting or funny story about ex-friends reuniting and getting together to recreate a college trip and more of a travelogue of Croatia.

I expected some zaniness from the girls and instead got a lot of inner dialogue about being so old and near the end of their lives.

There was no fun, no zaniness, really no laughs at all... but a wonderful push to visit Croatia.

Hilarious this was not, but it certainly was a worthwhile beach read.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Boldwood Books, the author, and NetGalley. 

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SUMMARY: "The BRAND NEW hilarious, uplifting book, full of friendship and fun - from BESTSELLER Maddie Please

A one way ticket to misadventure!

When Lizzie Stevens was eighteen, life took a wrong turn. While her best friends Harriet and Anna went interrailing across Europe, Lizzie stayed behind—shunted into a dusty bank job and a sensible life that never quite got back on track.

Now sixty-four, freshly divorced from terminally dull Freddie and wondering how she ended up here, Lizzie is unexpectedly reunited with the friends who left her behind. This time, she's not missing the train.

Their plan? A gloriously reckless rail adventure across Europe. The women are older, allegedly wiser, and considerably less flexible—but their bags are packed and they're ready to depart.

Yet once the train pulls out of Worcester, it's clear this journey won't be smooth. Old secrets derail fond memories, Harriet and Anna barely tolerate each other, and Lizzie discovers the trip she idolised for decades wasn't quite first-class.

As they rattle from city to city - Paris to Venice before embarking on a cruise along the Croatian coast - the old girls are fuelled by laughter and questionable decisions. And Lizzie begins to realise it's never too late to change direction—and that the best adventures are the ones without a timetable.

All aboard for another hilarious and heartwarming adventure with bestselling author Maddie Please"

Review: The Supper Club Saints

The Supper Club Saints by Claire Swinarski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a well-written book by an author who was unknown to me. After finishing this book, I will be looking into some of her earlier works.

I had a little problem with the first 1/4-1/3 of the book, trying to keep all of the characters and timelines straight, but once I got the hang of things, the book became clearer to me and also more interesting.

This book shows the strength of sisters (and sisters-in-law), family and love. I cringed at a lot of the mothering advice given by Cass (helicopter Mom), but as the times change, so does the rearing of children.

I can easily see this as a good book for book clubs, as there is a lot in it worth discussing.

ARC supplied by the publisher HarperCollins/Avon, the author, and NetGalley/Edelweiss.

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SUMMARY: "A dynamic, honest, and beautifully written novel about a young mother who returns to her small-town Wisconsin home after living in a cult-like “Mommune,” and what happens with the other women in her family as they each navigate the constraints, complexities, and joys of modern motherhood.

When prodigal daughter Cass Simon returns home after years away, the Simon family’s fragile peace is disrupted. Cass, a young mom previously living in a cult-like “Mommune” and working for a popular mom-fluencer, has come back under questionable circumstances, but is intent on starting fresh. As Cass gets work writing advice for a parenting website, her mother and sisters chip in their own wisdom from personal experience—of troubled pasts, heartache, and issues with infertility.

As the story unfolds through past and present, the Simon family women come to understand their own relationships to mothering and forgiveness—and what it truly means to be a “good” mother.

Review: The Scoop: A Novel

The Scoop: A Novel by Erin Van Der Meer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars




First-person singular, ego-driven, repetitive, narcissistic, disappointing.


Frankie has lost her prestigious job at Marie Claire (and never lets us forget it). When her money starts running out, and she has exhausted all other leads, she takes a job with The Scoop. The Scoop is a sleaze gossip site/newspaper. The reason she did so is that her boss promised her (sort of) that she would be promoted to a better, more prestigious job in a few months.

Her friends, well, what can I say about them except that they hate the job she has taken and never let her forget it. One friend even managed to stab her in the back. Very low blow.

Eventually, Frankie finds herself rolling around in the sty with all the other pigs (voluntarily) and nearly ends someone's life.

I truly got tired of the misogynistic White man trope. That anyone with power is going to poop on the "little people". If you think about it, there are plenty of women in that top-tier category, and I would have to assume they are painted by the same brush.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.


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Summary: "A piercing satire about a journalist working the night shift at a tabloid and the explosive consequences of her “harmless” clickbait.

 
Washed-up New York journalist Frankie Miller is getting desperate. Since the twenty-nine-year-old lost her dream job at a glossy magazine three months ago, her days have been filled with overdue bills, cereal for dinner, and a flood of rejection emails (not to mention her ex has a new girlfriend). So when she’s offered a job at The Scoop, a notorious tabloid website run by tyrannical editor-in-chief David Brown, she can’t exactly afford to say no—even if it means swallowing her pride for clicks. Besides, for Frankie, it’s just a paycheck, a temporary detour. It’s not forever.
 
But the deeper she’s pulled into the breakneck world of tabloid journalism, the blurrier the line between ambition and morality becomes—until she crosses it. When her reporting humiliates a beloved pop star and dredges up grief over her late mother, Frankie sets off a chain reaction that spirals beyond her control. In an industry where reputation is currency and outrage sells, how far is Frankie willing to go—and how much is she willing to lose—to win at this ruthless game?
 
Sharp, witty, and unflinchingly bold, The Scoop is a searing exploration of ambition, exploitation, and the human toll of the 24/7 news cycle."

Review: Hope Rises

Hope Rises by David Baldacci
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hope Falls Flat.

The antagonist was so evil and so blatant about it that all I could think of was the character DR.Evil from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. I kept giggling every time I saw Victoria Steers name. The plan for them to break her Mother out of 'jail' was so convoluted that it also had me giggling.

I just don't think I'm the right audience for this novel. What is really too bad is that David Baldacci used to be one of the authors that I would automatically buy. No more.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author and NetGalley.


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Summary - "Walter Nash began a journey down a dark path of seemingly no return, and now he finds himself questioning everything that got him there in this thrilling sequel to Nash Falls from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.

Walter Nash, working under the alias of Dillon Hope, is on the road to revenge after becoming an informant for the FBI against a global criminal operation headed up by Victoria Steers. Steers has ripped everything Nash held dear away from him. He has nothing left to lose and with long, rigorous training under his belt the gentle and sensitive Nash has transformed into something he never thought he’d be: a physically imposing man with lethal skills. And now he has only goal left in life: taking down Victoria Steers.

In order to succeed, he’s going to need to cross enemy lines and work the job from the inside. But Steers is shrewd and only brings those with her complete trust into her inner circle. Nash must rely on every ounce of his hard-earned skills in order to prove himself an ally to Steers if he’s ever going to get close enough to decimate her criminal empire.

Yet, despite hating the woman for destroying his life, Nash finds himself oddly drawn to Steers in ways that he never could’ve imagined. And what he ultimately discovers will turn all he believed upside down, forcing Nash to do something truly unfathomable.

So, will the truth set Nash free?"

Review: Mad Mabel

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

This was a very unique book in that it was sad, funny, grim, weep-inducing, amusing, frustrating and giggle-worthy.

This is going to be a perfect beach read and an excellent book club choice. There is much to discuss with this novel.

Set in Australia, this book is written with two different time lines called--Now and Then.

Mad Mabel is called such because she was supposed to have committed murder; according to gossip, it may have been multiple murders, but who knows when it is just gossip...or is it?

Mabel finally decides to tell her story to two young people who have a TikTok channel and have been researching Mabel (who now calls herself Elsie). She opens up to them, and the whole story comes out. Meanwhile, there is a death in her neighborhood, and her 'Mad Mabel' name comes forth, and all hell breaks loose.

There are side-characters that are having issues, and Mabel steps up to the plate, no matter how cranky and grumpy she is about it.

I have to admit I did find myself doing a little weeping during the last several chapters, but overall I loved this book.

*ARC Supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley.


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SUMMARY: "There are two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street for sixty years—longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past she's worked exceedingly hard at concealing—because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end."

Review: Elizabeth and Marilyn: A Novel

Elizabeth and Marilyn: A Novel by Julie Owen Moylan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

They both wanted what they cannot have.

This book deals with Marilyn and Elizabeth as women and not idols. However, what the synopsis tells you is NOT what you get. They both want what they cannot have.

I really wanted to love this novel, but did not, as a matter of fact, I did not, because it was just so slow and really had nothing to do with Elizabeth and Marilyn having any sort of relationship (it is fiction after all). 

It was interesting to find out more about their private lives.  

*ARC supplied by the publisher Ballantine Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "What really happened when Queen Elizabeth II met Marilyn Monroe? This stunning historical novel imagines the summer that bonded the world's two most famous women, both thirty years old and chafing against the façade of global celebrity.

On a cool early-autumn evening in 1956, a glittering array of stars turns out in London for a Royal Film Premier, where they will be presented to Queen Elizabeth II—an elegant young mother and wife, gracious and self-sacrificing, who has embraced her patriotic duty despite never expecting to take the throne so soon. Cameras flash, and a crowd surges forward as a limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling the greatest star of the era, Marilyn Monroe. She's a global sensation and money-making machine for Hollywood, with curves that drive men wild and a smile that lets women know she’s in on the joke.

Finally, the two most famous women in the world will come face-to-face in public for the first time. And the world is watching—unaware that Elizabeth and Marilyn have already had an accidental encounter that has changed their lives.

Inspired by the months in the summer of 1956 when Elizabeth and Marilyn lived as neighbors in nearby Windsor, British author Julie Owen Moylan imagines a meeting the two might have had in their shared  garden. Born within weeks of each other, Lilibet and Norma-Jean would seem to have only their age in common. Yet beneath the glamorous costumes and jewels, both women are fighting  to hold on to the men they love while trying to do their work in a man's world, battling demons their adoring public could only guess at. Until now..."