Breathe In, Cash Out

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon):  In this sizzling debut for fans of The Devil Wears Prada, Wall Street banking analyst Allegra Cobb plans to quit the minute her year-end bonus hits her account, finally pursuing her yoga career full-time. But when she forms an intense relationship with the #InstaFamous guru who may hold the ticket to the life Allegra's always wanted—she's not sure if she'll be able to keep her sanity intact (and her chakras aligned) until bonus day. 

Allegra Cobb’s resume: Straight-A Princeton grad, second-year analyst at a top-tier bank, one-time American Yoga National Competition Champion. Allegra Cobb’s reality: Spends twenty-four hours a day changing the colors on bar charts, overusing the word “team,” and daydreaming about quitting the minute her year-end bonus hits her account. She has no interest in the cutthroat banking world—she’s going to launch her very own yoga practice.

But her plan isn’t quite as perfect as the beachfront yoga pictures she double-taps on Instagram. On top of the 100 emails an hour and coworkers already suspicious of her escape plan, Allegra's hard-driving single father has always expected fiercely high achievement above all else. That his daughter works on Wall Street means everything to him. Still, she marches on, taking it day by extremely caffeinated day.

But after (1) unknowingly sleeping with the man now leading her banking cohort on one of their biggest deals to date and (2) meeting the #blessed yoga guru who might just be her ticket to the life she’s always wanted, it really hits her: her happy-ever-after will be harder to manifest than she thought.

Fast-paced, laugh-out-loud funny, and totally irresistible, this is the story of a fearless young woman determined to center herself in the life she truly wants.

One (or more) Sentence Summary: Breathe In, Cash Out reminded me of a modern day (updated significantly) Working Girl movie with a little bit of Flash Dance toss in!  By the way I loved both of those movies!  This was a fun and different combination of characters that made me want to keep reading instead of going to the pool!

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  I would love to read her next book!

Madeleine Henry worked at Goldman Sachs and in investment management in New York City. She graduated from Yale in 2014 where she wrote comedy for The Yale Record, America’s oldest college humor magazine. Now working on her second novel, she shares more information about her life, writing, and yoga practice on @MadeleineHenryYoga. Breathe In, Cash Out is her debut.

Amazon 

Breathe In, Cash Out

Life and Other Inconveniences

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon):  From the New York Times bestselling author of Good Luck with That comes a new novel about a blue-blood grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of the same coin.

Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn't protect her from life's cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve's young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.

When Emma's own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother's doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her--until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back...but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley. 

So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  I have not read a book by Kristan Higgins and I am not sure why.  I absolutely loved the characters Emma, Riley and Genevieve.  Emma and Genevieve are extremely strong women. While Emma is also very caring and always puts her family first, Genevieve appears to put money and her career first.  As the story unfolds, we (and Emma) realize that there is another side of Genevieve that she doesn't let others see....ever. Life and Other Inconveniences is a great book about family, loyalty and amazing women. 

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  I can't wait to read all of Kristan Higgin's books.  I want to read Good Luck With That first.

Excerpt:  When I called Genevieve back and told her we were coming—including Pop, who would be staying elsewhere—there’d been a long pause. “Thank you,” she finally said.

“On one condition, Genevieve,” I said. “You do not mention money or inheritance to Riley. Not a whisper, not a hint. I don’t want you dangling your bank accounts in front of my daughter and snatching them away if she uses the wrong fork.”

“By which I assume you’re referring to the fact that I didn’t fund your teenage folly.”

“Teenage folly? You mean your great-granddaughter? Yes. This summer isn’t about the money. It’s us giving you a chance to make amends, and you making me Hope’s guardian.”

“How very gracious you are, my dear,” she said, and I heard a slurp. Five o’clock somewhere.

But she agreed, and here we were.

My clients, the ones I saw in person, were fine with me leaving for two months. I’d TheraTalk with most of them; two were about done anyway, and said they’d call me if they needed me. I’d had to give up my office space, though; luckily, a classmate from my PhD program had sublet it. Once I got back, I’d have to find another space, but I’d deal with that later.

Pop had found himself a little apartment over an antiques shop on Water Street. I was unspeakably grateful that he’d be nearby. He’d always hated Genevieve, who had viewed my mother as insufficient wife material for her wretched son.

Then again, she had a point. My mother had taken her own life. Maybe Genevieve had sensed something, even back then. She was many things, but she wasn’t stupid.

We crossed the Connecticut River, then the Thames. “There’s the Coast Guard Academy, Pop,” I said, pointing. He was an Air Force man himself, but he nodded. We went through Mystic, and I remembered going to the aquarium with Jason on a date. Or a field trip, maybe, but we’d held hands. Kissed in the dim light of the myriad fish tanks, and it had felt like the most romantic thing in the world.

He knew we were coming, of course. He was excited, he’d said on the phone. Talked about being separated, wasn’t sure where things were headed there. The boys couldn’t wait to meet Riley in person, though they knew her from Skype and phone calls.

My heart leaped into overdrive when, just before we hit Rhode Island, Charles exited the highway and entered the land of stone walls and gracious houses, tall oaks and two-hundred-year-old farms. The woods and fields gave way to narrower streets, and we went over the bridge that led to the borough.

Welcome to Stoningham, the sign said.

I found that I was holding my grandfather’s thumb, same as I had when I was little, back before my mother died, when seeing my grandparents was the happiest thing ever. He gave my hand a squeeze.

“Oh, my gosh, this town is so cute!” Riley said.

And it was. The sky was Maxfield Parrish blue, the lights of the Colonials that lined the streets glowing in what seemed to be a welcome. People were out, walking their dogs. At the library green, some kids tossed a football. As we came onto Water Street, Riley exclaimed over the little shops and restaurants. “There’s a café, Mom! Hooray! Oh, and an ice cream place! Even better!”

I smiled, but my stomach cramped again. It felt like I had never left.

The town hadn’t changed much. Still adorable with its colorful buildings and crooked streets. I caught glimpses of Long Island Sound as we drove, smelled garlic and seafood. Would Genevieve have dinner for us? Would she hug me? I swore if she made Riley feel one iota of shame, we’d be out of Connecticut forever.

Charles turned onto Bleak Point Road, where the most expensive houses in town sat like grand old ladies, weathered and gracious. All had names, which Riley read aloud as we passed.

“Thrush Hill. Summerly. Wisteria Cottage. Cliff View. Pop, we have to name our house when we get back!”

“Name it what? Crabgrass?” Pop asked.

“That’s kind of perfect, actually,” I murmured, having gone to war many times with weeds in our small yard.

“Oh, Sheerwater! We’re here!”

The iron gates (yes, gates) opened, and we turned onto the crushed shell drive. Sheerwater had ten acres of land, the very tip of Bleak Point, and it looked like a park, with beautifully gnarled dogwood trees on either side of the driveway, their intertwined branches making a tunnel of white blossoms. Spring was late this year.

We rounded the gentle curve, and my hands were sweating now.

“Holy guacamole,” my daughter breathed. “It’s even prettier than the pictures!” In the rearview mirror, I saw Charles smile. Beside me, Pop stiffened. He’d never been here, of course.

There it was—my grandmother’s twenty-room cottage, pristine and gracious and lit up like the fires of hell.

Kristan Higgins is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly twenty novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. The mother of two lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband and several badly behaved pets. 

If you want to know when Kristan’s next book will be out and hear news of her appearances, subscribe to her mailing list at kristanhiggins.com. You can also find her online at facebook.com/kristanhigginsbooks, twitter.com/Kristan_Higgins and instagram.com/kristan.higgins.

Amazon 

Life and Other Inconveniences

The Heart Keeper

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis: Two mothers. Two daughters. One heart. 

When Alison's beloved daughter Amalie drowns, her world turns impenetrably dark.  Alison tries to hold it together throughout the bleak Fall, but in the darkest days of the Norwegian Winter she completely falls apart. 

In another family, Amalie's passing is a new beginning. After years of severe health problems, young Kaia receives a new heart on the morning after Amalie drowns. Her mother Iselin has struggled to raise Kaia on her own and now things are finally looking up. She's even made an affluent new friend who's taken a special interest in her and her daughter. 

Alison knows she shouldn't interfere, but really, she's just trying to help Iselin and Kaia. She can give them the life they never had, and by staying close to them, she can still be with her daughter. Kaia is just like her, and surely, something of Amalie must live on in her. As her grief transforms into a terrifying obsession, Alison won't let anything stop her from getting back what she has lost. 

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Wow.....this is like Girl on the Train meets I Invited Her In and the result is one crazy story.  I couldn't stop reading it.  I knew it couldn't end well for one of the mothers, but I couldn't put it down.  

There were times when I was reading The Heart Keeper that I just wanted to cry for Alison.  I can't imagine the grief she was suffering and how insane it made it her.  I wanted to scream, "get help Alison."  Other times I wanted to shake Iselin and say, "no....don't let her in."  As much as my own heart ached for the these two mothers, I had to turn the next page.  I couldn't get to end fast enough and it was an amazing ending.  

Take a break from your beach reads and crack open the spine of The Heart Keeper.  The Norwegian winter will help keep you cool during the summer. It was just so good!

Would I Read Other Books by the Author: Absolutely....I want to read her other novel, The Boy at the  Door.

Alex Dahl was born in Oslo and is the critically acclaimed author of The Boy at the Door.  She graduated with a B.A. in Russian and German linguistics with international studies and went on to complete an M.A. in creative writing at Bath Spa University, followed by an M.S. in business management at Bath University. Alex has published short stories in the U.K. and the U.S. and is a serious Francophile.

Amazon 

The Heart Keeper

A Thread So Fine

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis:  Set in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Ithaca, New York, between August 1946 and November 1965, A THREAD SO FINE follows the lives of Eliza and Shannon Malone. So-called “Irish twins,” the sisters share a close bond—despite their often-clashing personalities. Studious and responsible, Eliza, the younger at 17, plans to pursue intellectual fulfillment, beginning with a Catholic college near her home. At 18, the spirited Shannon is less certain about her future—but wants it to include art, nature, and children. Suddenly, tragedy strikes. Shannon falls ill with tuberculosis. Eliza falls prey to a violent assault. Separated by increasing distance, physical and emotional, the sisters go on to live their own lives. One vows to hold fast to the invisible thread that connects them—and to protect her sister’s secret.  A sweeping work of fiction, A THREAD SO FINE is layered with realities, truths, and insights about life for women coming of age in the post-war boom and the conservative Midwest. 

One (or more) Sentence Summary: Last week was extremely hot and humid, so I stayed inside and got caught up on some reading.  A Thread So Fine is a really good book and I haven't read on like it in a long time. I think the Kennedy Debutante was the last book I read with a similar timeline.  

Historical, in nature, I love that it took place in the 40's through the mid 60's.  I love that time period, which was an added bonus.  A Thread So Fine is a tale of two sisters who were very close growing up and Shannon falls ill with TBin the mid 40's.  During this time Eliza is violently attack at home, keeps it to herself and ends up pregnant.  Just as Shannon is released from the hospital, Eliza has the baby and runs from home and everything she knows in order to try to erase the past and move forward.  She ends up at Cornell in Ithaca, New York, far from Minnesota, and makes a name  for herself. While Shannon is trying to figure out what happened to Eliza baby, she meets the Ross family and is most certain their baby is Eliza's.  After almost 20 years, the two sisters are brought together when Shannon is in a car accident and all the past comes tumbling out. 

A great story about family, history, tragedy, and forgiveness.  

Would I Read Other Books by the Author: Yes, I would.

SUSAN WELCH grew up in Minnesota and Wisconsin with either her nose in a book or her toes in the water. She earned a Masters in International Management and built an international career in the brewing industry, and now works for a company focused on regional agriculture, new technologies, and craft brewing. When not traveling for work or pleasure, she spends her time either on the family houseboat in Seattle or in a cabin in the woods of Lummi Island, preferably with her husband, Bruce.  

http://www.susanwelchauthor.com

Amazon 

A Thread So Fine

The Great Unexpected

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon):  A curmudgeon and his eccentric new roommate join together to plan an epic escape in this charming, poignant tale.

Joel lives in a nursing home, and he’s not one bit happy about it. He hates being told when to eat, when to sleep, when to take his pills. He’s fed up with life and begins to plan a way out when his new roommate, a retired soap opera actor named Frank, moves in and turns the nursing-home community upside down.

Though the two men couldn’t be more opposite, a fast friendship is formed when Frank is the only one who listens to and stands up for Joel. When he tells Frank about his burgeoning plan, they embark together on a mission to find the perfect escape, and along the way will discover that it’s never too late for new beginnings.

Filled with colorful characters, sparkling humor and deep emotion, The Great Unexpected is the story of friendship, finding oneself later in life and experiencing newfound joy in the most unexpected places.

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Oh, I absolutely loved The Great Unexpected.  Frank and Joel are complete opposites and yet in such a short amount of time, become thick as thieves. The journeys (or escapes) they take together outside the nursing home are unforgettable.  The Great Unexpected is beautifully written and so lovingly takes us through life of residents in a nursing home along with the ups and downs. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. 

The characters are so unbelievably perfect.  We all know a Joel (on the outside), but what he is going through on inside just broke my heart (even while he made me laugh a lot). We should all hope to have Frank in our lives.  What a special man and what a difference he made in a short period of time.  Joel's grandkids - loved them! 

If I had to compare The Great Unexpected to something, I would say a modern day On Golden Pond meets Dirty Grandpa (but a clean version).  Frank and Joel's outings are really too funny (clean version of Dirty Grandpa) and yet very magical (On Golden Pond - modern day). Again, absolutely LOVED it. 

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  I most certainly would.  I think The Great Unexpected is just the being of many great books from Dan Mooney!

Other Reviews on TLC Book Tour: May sure you check out all the other reviews.

Monday, June 17th: @nerdybooknurse
Tuesday, June 18th: @shereadswithcats

Wednesday, June 19th: @ohthebooksshewillread

Thursday, June 20th: @sweethoneyandbrei

Friday, June 21st: @crystals_library

Saturday, June 22nd: @downtogetthefictionon

Sunday, June 23rd: @hollyslittlebookreviews

Monday, June 17th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Tuesday, June 18th: BookNAround

Wednesday, June 19th: A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall

Thursday, June 20th: Bookchickdi

Monday, June 24th: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Tuesday, June 25th: @thriftybibliophile

Wednesday, June 26th: Cheryl’s Book Nook

Thursday, June 27th: @saturday_nite_reader

Friday, June 28th: A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, July 2nd: Lori’s Reading Corner – spotlight

Wednesday, July 3rd: Books and Cats and Coffee

Friday, July 5th: The Book Return Blog

Monday, July 8th: Book by Book

Tuesday, July 9th: Openly Bookish

Wednesday, July 10th: @one_more_paige

Friday, July 12th: Seaside Book Nook

Monday, July 15th: Asha Reads and @ashareads

Tuesday, July 16th: Real Life Reading

Wednesday, July 17th: Jathan & Heather

Thursday, July 18th: @theunreadshelf

Friday, July 19th: Eliot’s Eats

Dan Mooney is an amateur filmmaker and air traffic controller, and a friend to many cats. He wrote his first piece of fiction for a child-operated local newspaper at age ten and has been writing ever since. He lives in Ireland.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Dan

Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Great Unexpected

Summer on Mirror Lake

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis:  Summertime is the best time to lose yourself in the romance of Honeymoon Harbor…

When he lands in the emergency room after collapsing at the funeral of a colleague and friend, Wall Street hotshot Gabriel Mannion initially rejects the diagnosis of an anxiety attack. But when warned that if he doesn’t change his adrenaline-fueled, workaholic lifestyle he could end up like his friend, Gabe reluctantly returns to his hometown of Honeymoon Harbor to regroup.

As he adjusts to the sight of mountains instead of skyscrapers, Gabe discovers advantages to this small Pacific Northwest town he once couldn’t wait to escape. But it’s irresistible librarian Chelsea Prescott who, along with the two foster children she’s taken under her wing, makes slowing down seem like the best prescription ever.

Over the course of their summer romance, Gabe gets a taste of the life he might have had if he’d taken a different path. But with his return to New York City looming on the horizon, he’ll have to choose between the success he’s worked tirelessly for and a ready-made family who offers a very different, richly rewarding future…if he’ll only take the risk.

One (or more) Sentence Summary: I loved Summer on Mirror Lake and can't wait to read the other books in the series.  I had no idea (even after turning the last page) that it was part of series.  I finished the book hoping for a sequel and to my surprise there are four other books in the series!  

I absolutely adored the characters.  Chelsea is an amazingly good and kind women.  She has been through a lot herself and yet wants to make a difference in her small harbor town.  Gabe, who grew up in Honeymoon Harbor, comes back for the summer, is someone most of us could fall head over heels for.  He too is good and kind.  He secretly does a lot for his hometown already but after meeting Chelsea wants to do more.

Summer on Mirror Lake is a wonderful, feel good, romantic with some steam type of book. It is also a perfect book to read during the summer!  I read this book in record time too.  I didn't want to put it down or have it end.  I sure hope there is another book in the series.  In the meantime, I will go read the other four!

Would I Read Other Books by the Author: I would love to read the other books in the Honeymoon Harbor series (can't wait to get them!).  I would also like to her Shelter Bay and Coldwater Cove series too.

Look at what others are saying at the TLC Book Tour:

Monday, June 3rd: Bookmark LitMonday, June 3rd: @nerdybooknurseMonday, June 3rd: @angelareadsbooksTuesday, June 4th: Pacific Northwest Bookworm and @pnwbookwormWednesday, June 5th: Book by BookThursday, June 6th: Reading RealityFriday, June 7th: From the TBR PileMonday, June 10th: Romancing the ReadersMonday, June 10th: @_ebl_inc_Tuesday, June 11th: Patricia’s WisdomWednesday, June 12th: Booked on a FeelingThursday, June 13th; BiblioticaFriday, June 14th: A Chick Who ReadsMonday, June 17th: A Holland ReadsWednesday, June 19th: Amy’s Book-et ListThursday, June 20th: Why Girls Are WeirdFriday, June 21st: The Lit BitchMonday, June 24th: @simplykelinaTuesday, June 25th: Seaside Book NookWednesday, June 26th: Jathan and HeatherThursday, June 27th: Lori’s Reading Corner – excerpt
Friday, June 28th: @cassies_books_reviews

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author JoAnn Ross has been published in twenty-seven countries. A member of Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll of bestselling authors, JoAnn lives with her husband and three rescued dogs — who pretty much rule the house — in the Pacific Northwest. 

Connect with JoAnn

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Summer on Mirror Lake

The Friends We Keep

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon):  Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known one another since college. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and they never found the lives they wanted—the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible. 

Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man. 

Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with in college, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause. 

Topher became a successful actor, but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy. 

By their thirtieth reunion, these old friends have lost touch with one another and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness...until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything. 

The Friends We Keep is about how despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  The Friends We Keep starts out with Evivie, Maggie and Topher meeting at university and becoming fast friends.  That is were they first meet Evil Ben.  Upon graduation, they all go their separate ways.  As they are all working on their careers and start to lose touch with each other, Evil Ben makes an appearance again.  Maggie ends up marrying Ben and gives up her career.  While in New York, Evvie is a successful model and Topher is a soap opera star.  They all come together again for Maggie's wedding.  Once again, they go their separate ways.  

Now it's their 30th reunion and they decide to go.  They all realized they have some deep dark secrets and they end up coming out.  Will their friendship be able to survey after such betrayal? The Friends We Keep is a great story about true friendship, the good, bad and ugly.

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  I actually read The Sunshine Sisters and need to write a review (I really enjoyed it). I would like to read The Beach House and other books by Jane.

Jane Green is the New York Times bestselling author of one cookbook (Good Taste), and nineteen novels, including the huge hits Jemima J., and The Beach House. With over ten million books in print in over twenty five languages, she is credited as being one of the founders of the genre, "chick lit". 

She has had her own show on BBC Radio London, is a current storyteller for The Moth, was a correspondent for ABC News for the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, and is a regular guest on radio and television.

She has been featured in People, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and Cosmopolitan amongst others, and lives in Connecticut with her husband, six children, 2 dogs, 5 cats, and 6 chickens. 

Amazon 

The Friends We Keep