Summer and Fall Reads for 2024

 A few really good reads have made their way to my desk in the last few months.  I'm excited to say that some publishing houses have started sending out physical copies of review books again, that really went away during the initial COVID shutdowns and many have remained firmly in the eARC arena, which is not really my happy place. 

So I'm sharing below some great physical ARCs I've received and then one eARC.  Two of these are not coming out until November, but both would be holiday gifts, so keep that in mind!  

The first picture is the most adorable book I've received in a while. I really didn't want to undo the ribbon to get to the really fabulous and fun sounding story - a bit of a cozy mystery set in a Scottish castle!  (Ribbon and sheep now set aside as a Christmas tree ornament!)

So the rundown here is: 

• Willig, Williams and White - the trio with 4 previous books to their name comes out with The Author's Guide to Murder - out in November
• The Bone Keeper by Luca Vesta - out this summer.  Scary stories told to youths perhaps coming true in the woods!
• Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood - out now.  Note - while many have said her books resemble each other quite a bit, this is different and she describes is as more of an erotic book then rom-com.
• Storm Warning by David Bell - out this summer. One Island, One Hurricane, One Murderer!
• A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison - out in November.  We all like to think we know the authors we love to read......but do we really?
• Day-dreamer by Susie Tate - out now.  Susie writes real characters, which means sometimes you don't like them very much, but trust me - they all grow on you!

Enjoy your Summer/Fall reading!!!  :)

Willig, Williams and White - The Author's Guide to Murder

Veste, Hazelwood, Bell and Ellison

Susie Tate - Day-dreamer

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell - Spotlight

CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL
by Abbi Waxman

I loved the smart and snarky conversations in this novel.  It was an interestingly different novel that caught my attention from the first chapter and kept it all the way through.  I do recommend this book!

After the chaos of her adolescence, Christa Liddle is content to stay isolated, both figuratively and literally. She has the job of her dreams studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a profession that keeps her far away from people and her past. But with one fateful phone call, her tranquil existence is thrown into chaos. Her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—is alive, and he wants to make amends. Christa is forced to abandon her snails (for now), and head home.

The unexpected reunion not only puts Christa’s life into a frenzy, but it catches the attention of the world, putting her and her entire family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, Christa meets up with an old childhood friend and sparks fly. Maybe they can be together… after all the buzz surrounding her father dies down. But when her father’s story starts to form cracks, things start to feel much too complicated for a woman who’s been trying for years to avoid losing control.

With everything falling apart around her, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—her beloved sea snails.

 (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; April 16, 2024)

 

Nowhere Like Home - Out today!

 Come on......... join us........... it'll be fun...

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In NOWHERE LIKE HOME (out February 20, 2024) everyone has secrets to keep buried...and a child to protect them from. Set on a 'mommune'—a unique community for single mothers in search of sisterhood—this thriller brings the old phrase "it takes a village" to a whole new, terrifying level. 

Fans of Laura Hankin, Carola Lovering, and Caroline Kepnes will enjoy NOWHERE LIKE HOME's pulsing psychological suspense and edge-of-your-seat thrills.  A sharp examination of complex female friendships, the pressures of motherhood, and trauma—this book scratches every itch and will keep you guessing up until the very last pages. NOWHERE LIKE HOME is such well-woven mystery that as soon as one thread is revealed, readers can’t help but chase them all down.

 

Years ago, Rhiannon disappeared without a trace. Apparently, now she's living in a mothers-only community called Halycon in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. When Lenna gets a call from Rhiannon out of the blue with an exclusive invitation to Halycon, Lenna decides to go (new baby in-tow) and hopefully repair her relationship with Rhiannon. But as her cell service grows weaker and the Arizona heat swells, Lenna starts second-guessing her plan. Plus, she has to contend with the many Halycon rules: no outside phone calls, no questions about people’s past, and frustratingly, no disposable diapers. Not to mention the padlock on the gate...

 

#sarashepard #nowherelikehome #commune #Dutton

No Road Home

A wild ride! Definitely an "outside the box" story. This story has a full house of quirky - and rather frightening - characters. Toby is a completely different type of MC, you're never quiet sure if he's vacant eye candy or someone with very high intelligence. He certainly has enough "locked doors" in his mind to keep you wondering what goes on behind those eyes!

July 2024

#Atriabooks #netgalley #noroadhome #johnfram

Summers at The Saint - Mary Kay Andrews

 

Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.

The book will be out everywhere from @St. Martin's Press on May 7, 2024, but is officially available for pre-order now. Find more info about the book and pre-order links here: https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/summers-at-the-saint/
#summersatthesaint #summerbeginswithmka
#marykayandrews #stmartinspress