Shelley Reads and Writes

Tag: novel

  • Another Nicholas Sparks Tearjerker

    Book Cover off of Amazon

    If I haven’t said it before, Nicholas Sparks is one of my FAVORITE authors. As a reader throughout my life, I devoured books. As I grew up and started to get out of young adult books, Nicholas Sparks was one of the first adult romance authors that I tried (and fell in love with).

    Since I started writing reviews on Medium and now here, I have read Counting Miracles. Before I had kids, I have read most of his books. Now, I have been playing catch-up. Plus, I downloaded several Sparks’ books last week, so I will read and review more of them!

    In Two By Two, we meet Russell Green. His life seems perfect at thirty-two. He has a beautiful wife and an adorable daughter. He is a successful advertising executive, moving up in his career. His wife, Vivian, can stay home and care for his daughter.

    Then, things begin to change. Russ loses his job and tries to start his own advertising company. It isn’t as simple as he had imagined, and his wife decides to go back to work, leaving him in charge of his daughter, while starting a new business.

    As Vivian starts traveling more for work, Russ has to pick up the slack, taking care of the house and his daughter while trying to find time to build a business that he can be proud of.

    He doesn’t do this alone. He has the help of his loving parents and his amazing sister, Marge. He also runs into an old girlfriend (the one who got away), which makes him question his life even more!

    All of Nicholas Sparks’ books make me cry, and this was no exception. As you feel for Russ, who is just trying to do the right thing, it makes you think about your own marriage or relationship. Is it really as stable as you think? Is your good life good enough for someone else? What do you really want out of life?

    Readers will adore this book. Another winner by Nicholas Sparks!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • What If The Fact That Your Husband Is In A Coma Wasn’t The Worst News of the Day?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Emma Havern’s day started like most days. She was working on her pottery in her shed when two policemen showed up at her door. They were giving her the news that nobody wanted to hear. Her husband, Noah, was in a coma after he was in a car accident.

    However, that wasn’t the worst news. He was driving a woman who died in the accident and there was a small child involved. She was fine, but nobody really knew who she was. They were hoping that Emma knew.

    What conclusion would you come to? Your husband had been traveling a lot more for work, to the point that you were separated. The little girl looked so much like her husband and own daughter that her mind went wild.

    All Emma wanted was Noah to wake up and tell her that it was all a big misunderstanding! But in the meantime, who would take care of the little girl? Her mother named Noah as a guardian, so Emma seemed the logical choice, but was she?

    What would you do? Emma realizes that she never really knew her husband, and she uses this time to figure out what exactly he was hiding from her.

    I LOVED this book. I became so invested in Emma’s life as she tried to continue to raise her daughter, while learning as much as she could about her husband and the little girl who just might be his daughter.

    I was completely blown away at the ending. You won’t believe what happened to Emma, Noah, Maya, and the little girl. I can’t wait to grab her next book when it is on sale. I may not even wait that long.

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • This Book Will Leave You Thinking for Hours

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    If you are looking for a book that will make you think and possibly rethink things, you should pick up Emma-Clair Wilson’s book When You Were Mine.

    Two friends, brought together by odd circumstances, learn to lean on each other, even when they live miles and miles apart. Two moms have two different lives, but their shared horrible deliveries brought them together.

    A few years later, one mom is struggling in her marriage, while the other appears to have a picture-perfect life on Instagram. They find themselves meeting again in person, but it doesn’t go how they both thought it would!

    A shock diagnosis changes everything! However, there is a way that one of the moms could save the other family. But a secret is going to come out that may change everything. It is going to be hard, but it is going to be worth it.

    With every change, this book really made me think. I was still thinking about this book hours later.

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Another Danielle Steel Winner!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Eugenia Ward has been taking care of her family and ex-husband for years, even after she left her job and started her own company. She is a big-name designer when it comes to evening and wedding gowns, but she is struggling with the economy during COVID. But, she still manages to take care of everyone and everything, including her daughter’s lavish wedding (that has gone over budget)!

    For one last break before the wedding madness and fashion week, Eugenia gathers the entire family (and significant others) together for a delightful holiday. However, Gloria’s fiancé causes quite the stir, Daphne is about ready to pop with twins, and everyone is on edge.

    The silver lining in it all may be meeting Patrick Hughes, a successful real estate developer who’s also going through a rough patch. When the two meet, they find that they can easily talk about life, family, and even business. They find an easy friendship that may turn into more (if either of them wants it).

    But as the wedding gets closer, tensions get higher, money gets tighter, and a hurricane may just ruin it all!

    Danielle Steel’s For Richer For Poorer is another great novel by a wonderful writer that will leave you wanting more!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • What Happens When Pinkertons Take Women Agents?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Mail Order Misaim by Jennifer Branson, we meet Nadine Bradford, who thought she would have a home forever with her brother. However, when he marries, she finds herself out on the streets without warning. Before her money runs out, she decides to answer a mail-order Bride advert by the Pinkerton Agency. There, she will marry an agent while training to become one herself.

    When Josiah Bell comes in for his next assignment, he is completely taken off guard. To avenge his brother’s death, he must marry his wife and try to finish the case he was working on. However, the two soon find themselves working well together. In fact, they may find themselves fighting their true feelings for each other!

    Another great read. I highly recommend this sweet romance series!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Will Elsie Find Love When She Becomes a Mail Order Bride?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Mail Order Misstep by Jennifer Branson, Nolan Buckley is running from a scandal by becoming a Pinkerton Agent. When he shows up for his first job, he is surprised that he must marry in order to work undercover.

    Elsie Jenkins’ father promises her to a man who is abusive, but he needs the money more than he cares about his daughter’s welfare. Her only way out is to run. So, she decides to become a mail-order bride for a Pinkerton agent out west.

    When the couple meets, they quickly realize that they work better together than alone. But will they allow their hearts to open up and let each other in?

    Another sweet romance by Branson. I can’t wait to continue the series!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • The Ending Millie Deserves

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    I have really enjoyed Freida McFadden’s Housemaid series, and I couldn’t wait to see how Millie’s story ended in The Housemaid is Watching. It did NOT disappoint!

    It starts a few years later. Millie and Enzo are happily married with two children, and they have decided to buy a house outside the city so their children can have room to run and play.

    When they finally find their dream home, they can’t believe their luck. They get a home they can barely afford, though it’s much less than the asking price. It needs some work, but they aren’t afraid of some hard work.

    Then, they meet the neighbors. First, they meet the Lowell’s, a couple who invited them over for dinner right away. Though they don’t have children, they seem friendly enough. They even have a maid (though she gives Millie a strange feeling).

    The other neighbor is harder to meet. They see her watching them through the window, but eventually meet her at the bus stop with their children. She warns them about their neighbors. A young boy vanished years ago.

    Millie isn’t sure what is going on, especially when her husband starts working with the Lowells and going out late at night. Her son starts acting strangely. Her entire family seems to be falling apart. Isn’t her new house supposed to be good for her family?

    As the book continues, more twists and turns arise, and readers will have NO idea what is going to happen next. I loved every moment of this book, and you will too!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • This Book Stayed with Me for Ages After I Put it Down

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Timoney’s novel, The Daughter She Gave Away, we meet two couples in impossible situations. Meg gets a terrible diagnosis and finds out that she only has a few months left to live. She is worried about her husband, Simon, and their beautiful fourteen-year-old daughter, Grace.

    That also means she will have to tell Grace the secret they have been keeping from her for her entire life. That, even though Simon is her father, Meg is not her birth mother. Simon’s first wife was the one who gave birth to Grace.

    However, Cassie was in no shape to take care of a baby at that time. So, Meg and Simon stepped up and have raised Grace as their own. But, with losing her own mother, Meg thinks that Grace deserves to know the truth and meet the mother who gave birth to her.

    However, is Cassie ready to meet the daughter she had to give away? Will she be able to handle it when the truth comes out on her end? Or will it change her entire life?

    This book was really emotional for me. To think of dying and leaving your children behind is absolutely gut-wrenching for me, let alone thinking about hurting your child before you do so! This is a must-read!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Can You Really Let Go of Your Past?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky, Mackenzie Cooper’s eyes were off the road for a few seconds, and it changed her life forever, as well as many others. The accident ended more than two lives that day. After losing her marriage, family, and friends, she decides to get away.

    She finds herself in Vermont, with the name Maggie Reid. She has a small home and has adopted a dog and a few cats to keep her company. She has a good job at the Inn as a makeup artist and has quite a few friends in the community.

    That being said, she is still under probation, so she has to be careful as she gets closer and closer to the date when she doesn’t have to deal with her probation officer anymore.

    However, crime happens no matter where you live, and Maggie’s sleepy little town is thrust into the national spotlight when a local teenager hacks into the school database as well as several powerful men’s Twitter accounts. She finds her face on national television as she stands beside a friend with her own secrets!

    As Grace’s secrets come out, Maggie’s may also. The life that she worked so hard to protect may come crumbling down as Maggie struggles to deal with the loss of her daughter, five years later.

    I could not put this book down, especially as things started to come out about Maggie’s past. When her ex-husband and brother show up, you can imagine that Maggie isn’t going to be pleased.

    A Delinsky classic! Always good storytelling that is worth reading!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Trying New Author Who Writes Amish Novels

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    As someone who loves reading Amish novels, I have been collecting a few new authors that I thought it was time to try. I decided to start with Amish Celebrations by Beth Wiseman.

    In it, I read four short stories centered on celebrations in the Amish community, such as rumschpringe, baptism, weddings, and Christmas.

    In The Gift of Sisters, we meet Hannah and Rachel, twins who are almost sixteen and ready to enjoy their rumschpringe. However, they couldn’t be more different. Hannah is outgoing and attracts attention with her beauty, while Rachel is shy and can be considered withdrawn.

    When Abraham Stoltzfus arrives in their community, both girls decide he is the man they want to marry. The girls end up fighting each other over a man, and it is a page-turner to figure out which girl will end up with the new man in town!

    In A New Beginning, we meet Rebecca and Noah, who are set to be married in a few weeks. One night out changes everything for the couple, as Noah begins to have doubts about baptism and marriage.

    When the couple finally comes face-to-face again, they have to decide what they both want. Can they forgive each other and move on? Or will Noah end up leaving the faith and the Amish?

    In A Perfect Plan, we meet Priscilla King, who has to have everything perfect! When Chester Lapp finally asks her to marry him, she can’t wait to begin planning her special day.

    However, as things start to fall apart in the weeks before the wedding, will both Priscilla and Chester have a change of heart? Will they learn to trust God and know that everything will work out in the end? Or will Priscilla give up on true love because she is worrying too much?

    In A Christmas Miracle, we meet Mary, overwhelmed with her five children. She struggles to take care of her young brood and the house. Both she and her husband are frustrated because they see other big families that seem to have everything figured out.

    She reaches out for help from her in-laws, but they are unable to help at all! In fact, they seem to avoid the family as much as possible!

    Other than that, she has no one. When an elderly man in a red suit and his sidekick elf befriend Mary, she feels like she is getting a Christmas miracle until her husband stops it. He doesn’t want any help from Englishers. When everything goes downhill again, he has to decide whether he can accept the help his wife so desperately needs.

    I loved this collection so much that I started another collection by Wiseman. You will also enjoy them!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

    ***

    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.