Review: A Woman of Intelligence

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The war is over, and there are men all around. What is a woman of intelligence supposed to do with all of this bounty? After she sows her wild oats (and I do mean she REALLY sows them), she marries Tom Edgeworth, an eventual pediatric surgeon, quits (or is rather forced out of) her marvelous job once she is heavily pregnant, and becomes a stay at home mother. Until one day, she is accosted by an FBI agent who wants her to become an informer (this is the Cold War period). An interesting premise, is it not?

Well, it would be if one did not have to stretch their credulity nearly to the point of breaking. For example, this book took place in 1954. Did you know that pantyhose weren't invented until 1959? I know this is just a little nit-picky thing for me to latch onto. But it gets more difficult to stay wrapped in this story as the story itself goes on. Did the FBI agent prove what he was? No. Was her husband Tom typical of the time period? Yes. Even though this book takes place in the '50s, do you think women of 'means' were really this chained to their families? I doubt it. Would Rina had been so easily able to 'spy' and travel for it with such an imposing husband?

This is an interesting novel with many twists and turns, but it just wasn't enough to capture me, enthrall me; I just found myself becoming overly critical with it all.

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

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SYNOPSIS:"A Fifth Avenue address, parties at the Plaza, two healthy sons, and the ideal husband: what looks like a perfect life for Katharina Edgeworth is anything but. It’s 1954, and the post-war American dream has become a nightmare.

A born and bred New Yorker, Katharina is the daughter of immigrants, Ivy-League-educated, and speaks four languages. As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, she is a translator at the newly formed United Nations, devoting her days to her work and the promise of world peace—and her nights to cocktails and the promise of a good time.

Now the wife of a beloved pediatric surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune, Katharina is trapped in a gilded cage, desperate to escape the constraints of domesticity. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, Katharina seizes the opportunity. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy, but no one has been able to infiltrate his circle. Enter Katharina, the perfect woman for the job.

Navigating the demands of the FBI and the secrets of the KGB, she becomes a courier, carrying stolen government documents from D.C. to Manhattan. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharina’s secret soon threatens to ruin her."

Review: Shoulder Season

Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was not a book that I was expecting. Let me try to make that statement clearer- I expected less depression and more of a back-of-the-scenes look at Playboy Clubs. Now, remember, I'm of an age who remembers these quite clearly!

However, all I can say is that this was one of the longest-winded books I have read in a while and one of the most depressing. Though I admit that it (the novel) has an interesting look into that time in history. I found an interesting bit while doing a little research -"The Lake Geneva Playboy Club opened in May 1968 and remained in business until December 1981".

All in all - I finished the book but had to take an anti-depressant when I was done!

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

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SYNOPSIS::"The small town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin is an unlikely location for a Playboy Resort, and nineteen-year old Sherri Taylor is an unlikely bunny. Growing up in neighboring East Troy, Sherri plays the organ at the local church and has never felt comfortable in her own skin. But when her parents die in quick succession, she leaves the only home she’s ever known for the chance to be part of a glamorous slice of history. In the winter of 1981, in a costume two sizes too small, her toes pinched by towering stilettos, Sherri joins the daughters of dairy farmers and factory workers for the defining experience of her life.

Living in the “bunny hutch”—Playboy’s version of a college dorm, surrounded by a twelve-foot high barbed-wire fence (to keep the men out, and the girls in)—Sherri gets her education in the joys of sisterhood, the thrill of financial independence, the magic of first love, and the heady effects of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But as spring gives way to summer, Sherri finds herself caught up in a romantic triangle––and the tragedy that ensues will haunt her for the next forty years of her life.

Shoulder Season follows Sherri from her fledgling days as a bunny, when she tries to reinvent herself before she even knows who she is, to the woman she becomes years later. From the Midwestern prairie to the California desert, from Wisconsin lakes to the Pacific Ocean, this is a story of what happens when small town life is sprinkled with stardust, and what we lose—and gain—when we leave home. It’s about the brief but intoxicating experiences of our youth, and how they have the power to shape the rest of our lives. With a heroine to root for and a narrative to get lost in, Shoulder Season is a sexy, evocative tale, drenched in longing and desire, that captures a fleeting moment in American history with nostalgia and heart."

Review: To Sir, with Love

To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was an excellent update of the movies"You've Got Mail (1998)", "The Shop Around the Corner(1940) ", and the original Hungarian play "Parfumerie/Illatszertár; 1937".

I can't say enough how much I enjoyed this read. An author who can write a book like this that makes me feel like I'm the star of the novel is impressive. I couldn't put it down. Everything about this story, including the secondary characters, kept me engaged.

I thought the update from AOL email with the classic sounds to this version of texts would be annoying. Gladly I was wrong. I also loved the idea of them meeting on a dating app that doesn't have pictures of who you are chatting with quite cute. The sparks when Gracie and Sebastian first meet on neutral ground...ah, what can I say!

This book is definitely the perfect beach read book for those who love a clean romance and characters who learn about themselves and grow.

My thanks to the publisher Gallery Books, the author Lauren Layne, and ATTL/Edelweiss for this ARC.

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SYNOPSIS: "Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.

Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout. But Gracie can’t bear the thought of throwing away her father’s dream like she did her own.

Overwhelmed and not wanting to admit to her friends or family that she’s having second thoughts about the shop, Gracie seeks advice and solace from someone she’s never met—the faceless “Sir”, with whom she connected on a blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos.

But although Gracie finds herself slowly falling for Sir online, she has no idea she’s already met him in real life…and they can’t stand each other."

Review: Questland

Questland by Carrie Vaughn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have no idea how to review this book. This is a different genre than I'm used to. I love this author and thought that going outside of my comfort zone would be good for me. It was not a good idea. This book DID hold my interest, and I found no issues with finishing it. I did heartily dislike our female protagonist, Dr. Addie Cox. I understand that she has PTSD, but in the long run, she acts just like a spoiled child crying every time we turn around and for no apparent reasons. I found this to be very annoying. I can say that if you love RPGs, quests, ultra-rich guys, not having all our questions answered AND Jurassic Park ( but a modernized version of JP), you will most likely love this book.

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SYNOPSIS: ""Questland is a thrill ride…Richly imagined, action-packed, maximum fun."

—Charles Yu, New York Times bestselling author of Interior Chinatown

YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A MAZE FULL OF TWISTY PASSAGES...
 
Literature professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered, life in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual job. He wants her to guide a mercenary strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built:  Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will one day pay big bucks for a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic.
 
Unfortunately, one of the island's employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communication. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion rests on Dominic Brand, the project’s head designer— and Addie Cox's ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost.
 
But Addie is wrestling demons of her own—and not the fantastical kind. Now, she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw.

“Gamers rejoice! Carrie Vaughn has conjured up a fun and fast-paced story filled with elves, d20s, and Monty Python riffs.”
—Monte Cook, ENnie Award-winning creator of the Numenera roleplaying game "

Review: Radar Girls

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was a thoroughly enjoyable and un-put-downable look at one of the lesser-known groups of WW2. This book deals with the WARD or the Women's Air Raid Defense group that was set up in Hawaii right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Part action, part women's fiction, part romance, and a tiny bit of mystery are combined to make this a memorable read.

 Radar Girls was a highly researched novel ( from what I could find out) and helped me understand more of what was possible for women in those years.  Too bad it didn't last all that long, right?  Well, we have it all now!

For anyone interested in the historical fiction genre, this will be a superb summer read.

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

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SYNOPSIS: "An extraordinary story inspired by the real Women’s Air Raid Defense, where an unlikely recruit and her sisters-in-arms forge their place in WWII history.

Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people, bare feet and salt water to high heels and society parties. Then, in the dizzying aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into blacked-out airstrips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies.  

But not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above their differences and work side by side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way. With America’s future on the line, Daisy is determined to prove herself worthy. And with the man she’s falling for out on the front lines, she cannot fail. From radar towers on remote mountaintops to flooded bomb shelters, she’ll need her new team when the stakes are highest. Because the most important battles are fought—and won—together.

This inspiring and uplifting tale of pioneering, unsung heroines vividly transports the reader to wartime Hawaii, where one woman’s call to duty leads her to find courage, strength and sisterhood. 

Review: The Second Mrs. Astor

The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an extremely well-written novel about the meeting, relationship, and marriage of Madeleine Force 18 and John Jacob Astor, 46, the richest man in America. Believe it or not, this was a wonderful love story, and the age difference was not as big of a deal back then as it would be today.

This a heart-wrenching account of what Madeleine had to put up with both during her relationship and consequent marriage and then the loss of her husband on her honeymoon.

I do wish that this book had gone on a little longer to see how she and her child's life developed.

For those of you with Kindle Unlimited, may I suggest you look into reading A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the Titanic. For an earlier look at the types of families you would find in this book, may I recommend A Night to Remember: The Sinking of the Titanic

For those of you that like a lot of truth in your romance, I suggest highly that you read this book. I really couldn't put it down and wish it hadn't ended. I will be searching for other books like this one.

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SYNOPSIS: "Inspired by the real-life Titanic love story between America's richest man and teenaged beauty Madeleine Force.

He was American royalty, the richest man in the country and Fifth Avenue scion of the Gilded Age. She was a vivacious teenage socialite suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into fame simply for falling in love with a famous man nearly three decades her senior. Brought to life in this sweeping work of historical fiction by New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Shana Abé, the love story between Jack Astor and Madeline Force, from scandalous courtship to tragic honeymoon aboard the Titanic, which made them the most famous couple of their time...

A mesmerizing novel of historical fiction from New York Times bestselling author Shana Abé, The Second Mrs. Astor tells the sweeping real-life Titanic love story of Madeleine Force, who became the teenaged bride of one of the world's richest men, and triumphed over tragedy and heartache.

"I won't begin with our ending, which everyone in the world knows anyway. Our beginning, however, belonged only to us..."

Madeleine Talmage Force is just seventeen when she attracts the attention of John Jacob "Jack" Astor. Madeleine is beautiful, intelligent, and solidly upper-class, but the Astors are in a league apart. Jack's mother was the Mrs. Astor, American royalty and New York's most formidable socialite. Jack is dashing and industrious--a hero of the Spanish-American war, an inventor, and a canny businessman. Despite their twenty-nine-year age difference, and the scandal of Jack's recent divorce, Madeleine falls headlong into love--and becomes the press's favorite target.

On their extended honeymoon in Egypt, the newlyweds finally find a measure of peace from photographers and journalists. Madeleine feels truly alive for the first time--and is happily pregnant. The couple plans to return home in the spring of 1912, aboard an opulent new ocean liner. When the ship hits an iceberg close to midnight on April 14th, there is no immediate panic. The swift, state-of-the-art RMS Titanic seems unsinkable. As Jack helps Madeleine into a lifeboat, he assures her that he'll see her soon in New York...

Four months later, at the Astors' Fifth Avenue mansion, a widowed Madeleine gives birth to their son. In the wake of the disaster, the press has elevated her to the status of virtuous, tragic heroine. But Madeleine's most important decision still lies ahead: whether to accept the role assigned to her, or carve out her own remarkable path."

Review: The Hive

The Hive by Gregg Olsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a good read that could have been even better having there not been so many cliches (women lying and stabbing each other in the back, washed-up actress, a politician running for an important office, women thinking that life would be better if they looked better, that Marnie and her bees had all the answers...) and had the timeline not been so willy-nilly. I realize the author felt that this was a good way for us to learn what was going on - cults, bees, lies, secrets, blackmail, and murder. These characters, ALL of them-are so unlikeable that you may want to tear your hair out. There were too many issues with this book for my taste, but on the other hand, I did keep reading it, so that says something about it! If you have Kindle Unlimited, then this would defiantly be something you may want to try. If you don't have KU, the price is still a good one and will be a good summer read for those of you that are curious and like all the positive reviews. *ARC supplied to me by the publisher, author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Glamorous messiah or charlatan? A mask of beauty hides deadly secrets in #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s mesmerizing novel of suspense.

In the Pacific Northwest, police officer Lindsay Jackman is investigating the murder of a young journalist found at the bottom of a ravine. Lindsay soon learns that the victim was writing an exposé. Her subject: a charismatic wellness guru who’s pulled millions into her euphoric orbit…

To hear Marnie Spellman tell it, when she was a child, a swarm of bees lifted her off the ground and toward the sunlight, illuming her spiritual connection with nature—an uncanny event on which Marnie built a cosmetics empire and became a legend, a healer, and the queen of holistic health and eternal beauty. In her inner circle is an intimate band of devotees called the Hive. They share Marnie’s secrets of success—including one cloaked in darkness for twenty years.

Determined to uncover the possibly deadly mysteries of the group, Lindsay focuses her investigation on Marnie and the former members of the Hive, who are just as determined to keep Lindsay from their secrets as they are to maintain their status."

Review: The Snake Pit

The Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I don't know if I can do a review of this book justice. I saw a rerun of this movie many years ago, and it left an impact, but not like reading this book did. This was a powerful, deep, unforgettable, and unforgivable read that kept me up half the night tossing, turning, and thinking.

Oh, please don't get me wrong-it did have some tiny comedic moments. But if you know of anyone in a mental health unit or behavioral health unit (Psychiatric hospital), this may not be the perfect book for you. I did have a relative in one, and I can only say that it was not much like this book portrayed them.

If you do read this book, make sure that you read the afterword by Larry Lockridge, and the personal writings of Mary Jane Ward-it's a real eye-opener.

It would be best if you remembered that this book was first published in 1946, and things have gotten better. As to how much better, not a whole heck of a lot if you ask me.

This book starts very confusing, and you may be tempted to end it at the first chapter, but I urge you to read on. Please! Actually, most of the book can be somewhat confusing because (and you must remember this) it was a book seen through the eyes of an "insane" woman. I know that is not politically correct to say, but this IS 1946.

ARC provided by the publisher, the Library of America, and ATTL/Edelweiss. Thank you

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Synopsis: A dramatic best-seller, The Snake Pit vividly depicts one woman's plunge into the nightmare world of the mentally ill and her agonizing climb back to health and freedom. When it was first published, the book claimed attention as a moving study of mental illness based on personal knowledge. This fictionalized, brilliant, and uncompromising first-person account of madness and life in an insane asylum was subsequently made into a haunting movie.

Review: Elizabeth and Monty: The Untold Story of Their Intimate Friendship

Elizabeth and Monty: The Untold Story of Their Intimate Friendship by Charles Casillo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I am adding to this review to mention that I did finally finish this book, it gets somewhat better in the middle. I am going to keep it at 2 stars because this was just a gossip re-hash. Nothing new here. Salacious is the word for this book. I learned more about the sex lives of these characters than I really ever wanted to know. This is one of the reasons I stay away from biographies-I find that the author/s usually have their own agenda and I'm generally not going to embrace it.



I am reading this as an ARC and wonder if the editing got any better with the books that the Goodreads winners have gotten? I know I'm not supposed to be mentioning editing problems (because this is an ARC), but at this late date, the book should have been somewhat readable. I've even found inconsistent dates that are extremely important. I genuinely hope that this book eventually finds a competent editor, or at least I hope the author invested in Grammarly to help out!!!

This book was one of the biggest disappointments in reading that I have ever come across. Had I known that this would be only about Montgomery Clift and his many, many lovers, addictions, and all-around disgusting behavior, with so much less about Elizabeth Taylor, I would never have picked up this biography. If you like sex in all of its down and dirty ways, if you like hearing the sordid gossip of old-time dead actors who are also drug addicts and mentally deficient, then this is the read you have been waiting for.

Now I know why I have always stayed away from gossip rags while I was younger (and still do) - I don't want to know who is screwing who and how. I don't want to know about the stars' penis size or actually the lack of such.

I have made it to the 30% mark, and I don't know how I will get any further. I will rewrite my review if the book gets any better/clearer.

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Synopsis: "Violet-eyed siren Elizabeth Taylor and classically handsome Montgomery Clift were the most gorgeous screen couple of their time. Over two decades of friendship they made, separately and together, some of the era’s defining movies—including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Misfits, Suddenly, Last Summer, and Cleopatra. Yet the relationship between these two figures—one a dazzling, larger-than-life star, the other hugely talented yet fatally troubled—has never truly been explored until now.

“Monty, Elizabeth likes me, but she loves you.” -Richard Burton

When Elizabeth Taylor was cast opposite Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun, he was already a movie idol, with a natural sensitivity that set him apart. At seventeen, Elizabeth was known for her ravishing beauty rather than her talent. Directors treated her like a glamorous prop. But Monty took her seriously, inspiring and encouraging her. In her words, “That’s when I began to act.”

To Monty, she was “Bessie Mae,” a name he coined for her earthy, private side. The press clamored for a wedding, convinced this was more than friendship. The truth was even more complex. Monty was drawn to women but sexually attracted to men—a fact that, if made public, would destroy his career. But he found acceptance and kinship with Elizabeth. Her devotion was never clearer than after his devastating car crash near her Hollywood home, when she crawled into the wreckage and saved him from choking.

Monty’s accident shattered his face and left him in constant pain. As he sank into alcoholism and addiction, Elizabeth used her power to keep him working. In turn, through scandals and multiple marriages, he was her constant. Their relationship endured until his death in 1966, right before he was to star with her in Reflections in a Golden Eye. His influence continued in her outspoken support for the gay community, especially during the AIDS crisis.

Far more than the story of two icons, this is a unique and extraordinary love story that shines new light on both stars, revealing their triumphs, demons—and the loyalty that united them to the end."

Review: The Newcomer

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Mary Kay did her usual fantastic job on this book. But I must tell you her writing style has changed a lot from her beginnings. The topics are way less frivolous. The storylines and characters are more profound and more mysterious. The last few books have less humor and off-the-wall characters in them. In this book, the main mystery is quite complicated, and because there are actually 2 mysteries going on, it can get a little complicated. There are some stereotypical characters in this book (the usual Florida Olde Pharte, for example), but you can see why as you read. I loved it.

This book was filled with mystery, intrigue, family, murder, unlikable characters (and I must admit that it took me a very long time to connect with and warm up to, Letty Carnahan and her niece Maya, our main character's) lies, romance, and the usual luscious descriptions of the deep South.

I have to admit that this book's twists were phenomenal, and I hope that there will be a book about Vikki Hill. She was a great secondary character!

This book will be a must-buy for avid Mary Kay Andrew's fans, and I highly recommend this book to those that love a good mystery and tales of the South. This is going to make for an exceptional beach read this year!

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

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SYNOPSIS: "Mary Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads delivers her next page-turner for the summer with The Newcomer.

In trouble and on the run...

After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya’s ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister’s warnings: “If anything bad happens to me—it’s Evan. Promise me you’ll take Maya and run. Promise me.”

With a trunkful of emotional baggage...

So Letty grabs her sister’s Mercedes and hits the road with her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, a woman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a “go-bag” of cash and a big honking diamond ring—but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She sheds her old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel.

The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling...

And that’s the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel’s former storage room, she tries to heal Maya’s heartache and unravel the key to her sister’s shady past, all while dodging the attention of the owner’s dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past.

Review: When Stars Collide

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 long years! Wow, I never thought we would be seeing another SEP/STARS book, but here we go! And the wait was worth it. Then again, the series was supposed to have ended with This Heart of Mine, and I am so glad it did not.

This book was a tad darker than in the past. There were fewer giggles for sure. At least that was what I thought until I started re-reading the books this weekend! All of the books have a bit of a dark, angsty side to them. For some odd reason, a relationship between an opera singer and a football player just seemed to be more 'out there' than the past pairings. But it worked. For me, it worked quite well.

On an interesting side note, I had, as I had said, thought that an opera singer as the female protagonist was unusual until I re-read First Star I See Tonight I am sure as I keep re-reading the series find more things that delight me as much as this book did.

There were so many mysteries to be solved, and I had to admit that I thought I had the mystery solved, but I didn't, and I love that!
This book was dark but captivating, romantic, and sexy. The characters, Thad and Olivia, were the perfect foils for each other.

For long-time fans of SEP, this is a beautiful read. If you are new to the series, this can be read as a stand-alone, but I think you will read the earlier works to see how SEP has grown as an author and read each character's books.

I certainly hope that there will be some more books in the Stars collection, but I can understand why there may not be.
This book is defiantly going into my re-read/comfort read book folder

*ARC supplied by the publisher, author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and NetGalley. Thank you.

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SYNOPSIS: "#1 New York Times bestseller Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns to her beloved Chicago Stars series with a romance between a Chicago Stars quarterback and one of the world’s greatest opera singers—and a major diva.

“Re-entering the world of the Chicago Stars is like a beloved friend come to call.” — #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr

Thaddeus Walker Bowman Owens, the backup quarterback for the Chicago Stars, is a team player, talented sideline coach, occasional male underwear model, and a man with a low tolerance for Divas.

Olivia Shore, international opera superstar, is a driven diva with a passion for perfection, a craving for justice, too many secrets—and a monumental grudge against the egotistical, lowbrow jock she’s been stuck with.

It’s Mozart meets Monday Night Football as the temperamental soprano and stubborn jock embark on a nationwide tour promoting a luxury watch brand. Along the way, the combatants will engage in soul-searching and trash talk, backstage drama and, for sure, a quarterback pass. But they’ll also face trouble as threatening letters, haunting photographs, and a series of dangerous encounters complicate their lives. Is it the work of an overzealous fan or something more sinister?

This is the emotional journey of a brilliant woman whose career is everything and a talented man who’ll never be happy with second place.  Tender and funny, passionate and insightful, this irresistible romantic adventure proves that anything can happen…when two superstars collide. "

Review: The Summer of Lost and Found

The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is part of an ongoing series, but I found that it could be a read without reading the rest. I have only read one other book in this series and had no problems getting into this book.

The subject matter is a little touchy for some people as this book deals (as a semi-main plotline): Covid.

The rest of the story deals with our main character, Linnea, and to me, the fact that she has no backbone. Of course, if she did have a backbone, she wouldn't be sweet, and we would have no story.

I liked this book but was frustrated at times with Linnea's inability to stand up for herself. I can see why she didn't, though, since that would mean disappointing or inconveniencing the family.

A sweet summertime beach read.
*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and Edelweiss/ATTL.

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SYNOPSIS: "The coming of Spring usually means renewal, but for Linnea Rutledge, Spring 2020 threatens stagnation. Linnea faces another layoff, this time from the aquarium she adores. For her—and her family—finances, emotions, and health teeter at the brink. To complicate matters, her new love interest, Gordon, struggles to return to the Isle of Palms from England. Meanwhile, her old flame, John, turns up from California and is quarantining next door. She tries to ignore him, but when he sends her plaintive notes in the form of paper airplanes, old sparks ignite. When Gordon at last reaches the island, Linnea wonders—is it possible to love two men at the same time?

Love in the time of the coronavirus proves challenging, at times humorous, and ever changing. Relationships are redefined, friendships made and broken, and marriages tested. As the weeks turn to months, and another sea turtle season comes to a close, Linnea learns there are more meaningful lessons learned during this summer than opportunities lost, that summer is a time of wonder, and that the exotic lives in our own back yards. In The Summer of Lost and Found, Linnea and the Rutledge family continue to face their challenges with the strength, faith, and commitment that has inspired fans for decades.

Mary Alice Monroe once again delves into the complexities of family relationships and brings her signature “sensitive and true” (Dorothea Benton Frank, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling to this poignant and timely novel of love, courage, and resilience."