Review: Pretty as a Peach

Pretty as a Peach by Grace Helena Walz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars

I was all set for some good Southern women's fiction. You know, a lot of bless your hearts, some good gossiping, and a bit of back stabbing and such. But what I got was three different storylines, which made this a disappointing read. Oh, don't get me wrong, there is a bit of in-family fighting, and an intriguing story of "multi-tiered marketing" (scam, in other words), but you need to read a lot of the book to really get to the delicious parts.

The characters-well, sometimes I just wanted to smack them upside the heads and yell "pull on your big girl panties and make a move", but there was finally some growth near the end of the book

I also felt like the romance could have been left out. It really made no sense in the larger scheme of things. That would have left room to follow up on the five women's lives and left me with a sense of closure.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Thomas Nelkson, the author, and Netgalley/Edelweiss.

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SUMMARY: "A preschool teacher and her retiree neighbor team up to take on a suspicious multi-level marketing scheme that has a vicelike grip on the women in their suburban Southern community.

Delilah Thomas, beloved preschool teacher to the twos class, has always been the unconventional "black sheep" in the perfectly manicured town of Pearl, Georgia. While the rest of Pearl thrives on perfection and tradition, Delilah's thrift store wardrobe and carefree demeanor set her apart, much to the dismay of her pageant-loving mother and her circle of polished, lifelong friends. Though she loves her quiet life, she can't quite understand why she doesn't feel like she truly belongs in the only hometown she's ever known.

When a new multi-level marketing craze called Peach Pit takes hold of Pearl's high-achieving moms with promises of becoming #girlbosses, Delilah's suspicions are immediately piqued. Promising miracle beauty products made from the "magical" pits of Georgia peaches, the company pressures women to invest in hefty starter packs. To Delilah, it's not just a scam but a direct attack on the women of Pearl, already burdened by the weight of polished perfection.

But when it gets personal, Delilah joins forces with her quirky elderly neighbor Mrs. Chopra and her best friend Jasper to uncover the truth behind Peach Pit's toxic façade. What begins as a battle against shady business practices quickly spirals into revelations about Delilah's own family, her lifelong friendships, and the place she holds in a town desperate to change her.

Full of Southern charm, wit, and heart, this captivating story explores the bonds that hold us together, the courage it takes to resist conformity, and the true meaning of belonging."

Review: The Masala Chai Mystery Club

The Masala Chai Mystery Club by M.J. Soni
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars

While this book was very diverse in its characters, many of them were unlikeable, including some of the main characters.

The mystery was so convoluted that I nearly gave up, and once you come to the conclusion that you should never discount the elderly (and let's face it, most of the characters are what would be considered elderly in today's society), it is easy to see who-dun-it. It's the how and the why that kept me reading.

You need to suspend a lot of disbelief to read this novel, and that made it very difficult at times for me to keep pushing through this book.

A very light summer read that does give you a lot of information on Indian cuisine.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher  Crooked Lane Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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Summary: "Suspects abound when a much-despised neighbor is killed, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club.

Retired librarian Neeti Shah was hoping for a restful life with her chai-loving friends, but when the body of a neighbor, a childhood friend of Neeti's, turns up dead and the killer’s MO is similar to that of Neeti's most recent book club read, things start to get out of control.

When Neeti hears a commotion at a neighbor’s house, she finds Rohit’s body sprawled across the bottom of the staircase with Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness nearby. Blackmailing his neighbors, threatening them with lawsuits, and calling them by nasty nicknames were only some of the hateful things that made him so disliked. But were they angry enough to kill?

Neeti is indebted to her old friend, and she's determined to find his killer. But she can't do it alone, so she enlists her mystery-loving friends, the Masala Chai Mystery Club, to get to the bottom of the murder.

But Neeti and her club members need to be careful."

Review: Vera Stein Is Fine

Vera Stein Is Fine by Julie Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Steamy

LGBT

Vera, Brody and Eli meet in college. Vera falls for Brody and Eli is left as the third wheel throughout college.  

Jump forward 20 years, and Vera is still with Brody (well, sort of) as his personal assistant (Brody is an actor) and a sometime booty call. She has also been her dying mother's caretaker for the last ten years or so.   One day, Vera read Brody's e-mail and found out something hurtful. Vera goes running to her Grandmother for comfort and help at the grandmother's retirement home. She walks in on her Grandmother (Ruby, an ex- scream queen) in an awkward situation.

Well, to make a long story short. Vera ends up taking a position at the nursing home as the events coordinator and finds herself face-to-face with Eli.

This is your typical frenemies-to-lovers story with a lot of quirky side characters and situations. Steamy without being over-the-top. And since this is a romance as well as a growth novel, you can bet that there is a HEA.

This would make a perfect movie for the Hallmark Channel, although it would need a bit of editing.*grin*

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

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SUMMARY : "From #1 New York Times bestseller Julie Murphy comes a heartfelt and hilarious tale of a woman who thinks life and love have passed her by until she’s thrown into her grandmother’s quirky world of octogenarian free love and gets a second chance with the one man she never expected to see again. Perhaps it’s never too late to play the opening credits…

Welcome to Starlight Palms, a favorite retirement facility among Hollywood actors and industry professionals tucked away just outside of sunny Palm Springs. Filled with forgotten scream queens, eccentric screenwriters, and heartthrobs of the past, it has a brand-new resident: Vera Stein, age forty.

Vera knows she’s missed her chance at a life worthy of the silver screen, just like she missed her chance at ever finding true love. But Vera isn’t one to take chances. She’s spent most of her adult years caretaking for her dying mother and her movie star boss’s ego. Now abruptly houseless and jobless, Vera has nowhere to land, so to grandmother’s house we go!

The Starlight Palms Senior Living Center is midcentury Hollywood down to its pastel-painted bones. This desert gem isn’t lacking in saucy plot twists (swinging seniors, anyone?) or a leading man: Elias Buckley, the on-site doctor and Vera’s former ill-fated college fling and—for reasons that will stay in Vegas—legally her ex-husband according to the state of Nevada.

It’s not long before Vera falls into a job as the activities coordinator and under the spell of a certain smart-mouthed doctor… Suddenly all those empty years in LA look less like mistakes and a lot more like backstory. With a fresh start at her fingertips, Vera begins to see that even with all the detours she’s taken, there’s still a Hollywood ending (and maybe even a happily ever after) in sight…

TROPES
- Second Chance Romance
- Workplace Romance
- Multigenerational Family Drama
- Forced Proximity
- New Lease on Life and Spice"

Review: The Second Chance Trailer Park

The Second Chance Trailer Park by Katie Powner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



4.5 Stars

Meridith may not think she is having a midlife crisis, but in my opinion, that is exactly what I think is happening to her.

Meridith's life is a mess. She has lost a promotion to a much younger woman who doesn't have her experience. She is a serial dater whose relationships don't make it past the six-month mark. She may have lost a man she loves because the inside of his car is a mess.

Now she thinks she wants peace and quiet, joining a book club and sipping wine while chatting with other like-minded women. She thinks she can get this peace by moving to an age-restricted trailer park. Of course, to get in, she has to lie about her age! This is not what she gets, though.

This book runs the gamut from funny to sad to quirky, and sometimes just perfect. Although this book is about characters who are 55 and older, I recommend this book for any age. The ending is perfect -a real HEA!

I loved it, and it will be going on my re-read shelf!

*ARC was supplied by the publisher, Alcove Press, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY:  

"Fifty-two-year-old Meredith McGillicutty is not having a midlife crisis. She’s just ready for a change of pace, that’s all. The fact that she lied to get into a retirement community has nothing to do with being passed over for a promotion at work nor her recent breakup with the only man she’s ever loved. 

Nothing.     

Meredith only wants some peace and quiet. To sit on a porch in elastic-waist pants and mingle with other mature individuals who value a life of serenity. But the residents of the Peaceful Pines retirement community have other plans for her. These quirky and endearing neighbors seem to know her better than she knows herself, and they decide Meredith’s life is only just beginning. 

Blending humor and tenderness, The Second Chance Trailer Park will appeal to fans of Fredrik Backman and Lenora Worth."

Review: Fury in Death

Fury in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

J. D. Robb hits another one out of the ballpark with her newest Eve Dallas novel.

Just when you think you've seen every horrid thing that can happen in this world, the scary imagination of the author comes up with something new and fresh. In this book, we start off with a horrible enough prologue and shoot right to a dead body that has been pulverized. Pulverized not by falling 50 or so floors out of a window, but by being beaten with fists.  Then another death by pulverization, and something connects both of these dead men. The company they worked for. A company that claims to be working for the betterment of the world, but guess what? Eve eventually finds out that that is just not true. Oh man, you are going to love to hate these protagonists, and they sure do deserve your hate.

This was a fairly slow build to a very exciting ending.

I loved it-a perfect addition to this series.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press and the author.

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SUMMARY: "

NYSPD lieutenant Eve Dallas never knows what to expect when she gets word of a body. It could be an elderly man who made the mistake of climbing a ladder in slippery footwear. And the next call could be a wealthy biotech executive beaten to death in his home office—but what was Larry Chu’s mistake?

The victim’s corpse is so mangled and damaged it’s hard to believe a lone, unarmed assailant could have managed it. The killer was clearly unnaturally strong—and smart enough to find a way into Chu’s highly secure building. Most of all, whoever did this was very, very angry.

The excessive violence leads Dallas to conclude that this was a deeply personal act, born of a rage that she can’t excuse but can understand thanks to her own traumatic past. And though the motive seems rooted in heated emotion rather than cold hard cash, she can’t ignore the suspicious bank account in the Cayman Islands, or the shadowy, profit-hungry company Chu worked for. The mystery only grows when it turns out Chu isn’t the only victim—and Dallas will need to tear through one layer of secrecy after another to reveal what lies behind this explosion of fury..."

Review: The Lake Club

The Lake Club by Lina Patton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quick, beachy type read, filled with lies and secrets. A lot of backstabbing is going on, infidelities, and an old mystery too!

 As far as the characters go, Danika was a total *itch, Augie was a dishrag, and Chat (oh dear, but yes, that is really his name) came off as being a sneaky two-timer.  I really didn't like or connect with any of them, but the story was so compelling that I just couldn't put this book down. 

This would be an interesting book club read, as there is plenty to discuss while reading this book.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "DRAMA LOVES A DEEP END

When Danika Crawley attends events at the Aldon Lakes Country Club, heads turn. Danika has it all—beauty, money, a successful husband, and two perfect children. She plans on making this summer her best season yet and has a secret weapon to secure the envy of her neighbors.

Augie Elling has lost it all. Reeling from a post-grad scandal amidst her now-former life in New York, she returns to Aldon Lakes with her tail between her legs. Augie wants to keep her head down, save money, and find a way to leave her hometown for good, but someone keeps distracting her.

Danika and Augie have one thing in common: they are both a little obsessed with Chat, the male nanny Danika hired for the summer. But, unbeknownst to either woman, Chat’s appearance in town sets off a chain reaction that threatens Aldon Lakes’ carefully maintained ecosystem. As the heat rises between the three of them, the truth behind a long-buried scandal comes to light, and everyone at the club must reckon with the consequences.

The Lake Club is both an addictive, rollicking beach read, and a stylish, deft exploration of a lesser-known region of American wealth."

Review: The Chateau on Sunset

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For some odd reason, all I could think about when reading this book was the lyrics to the old Eagles song "Hotel California."

This book is supposed to be a modern retelling of "Jane Eyre" -I wouldn't know because I have never read that book. What I do know is that this book pulled me in right from the very first chapter and wouldn't let me go until after I read the author's notes.

If you are a fan of very old movies, you will be able to pick out a lot of old-time stars that are hidden behind false names.

This book deals with some very heavy issues of the day, such as drug use, rape, exploitation, and being a woman in a man's world. 

The story revolves around Aria Jones, who was orphaned and then dumped on a drug-addicted fading actress/star, her aunt, at the Chateau Marmont. I am not going to tell you more for fear of ruining the story for you, but it was quite an intense story with humor and horror.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Ballentine Books/ Random House, the author, and Netgalley

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Summary: "In 1957, newly orphaned Aria Jones is sent to live with her aunt, a fading star who hides away in Hollywood’s infamous Chateau Marmont. There, two aspiring actresses, Calliope and Flitter, take grieving Aria under their wing.

But the Marmont isn’t meant for small girls with big hearts, and Aria’s first few nights reveal an insidious secret that continues to haunt her as she grows up in the hotel’s halls, where the bright lights of Hollywood cast even darker shadows. If Aria can just stay invisible and invite no trouble as she saves money, then she can leave the Marmont and live life on her own terms—alone, but free.

All her carefully laid plans are shattered when the hotel is bought by Theo Winchester: a reclusive rockstar turned unexpected caretaker of his daughter Adele, and unlike any man Aria has met before. To earn the last bit of money she needs to escape, Aria becomes Adele’s tutor, which brings Aria closer to Theo and ignites a passion she never expected.

Suddenly, Aria finds herself wondering if she still wants to remain invisible—and if inviting trouble is a risk she’s willing to take to pursue what she truly desires