Shelley Reads and Writes

Tag: women’s fiction

  • 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.

  • Jodi Picoult Does It Again!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors and in her latest book, A Spark of Light, she does it again!

    This time, Picoult writes about the Center, which is a woman’s reproductive health services clinic. Though it helps women get the help that they need to stay healthy and avoid becoming pregnant, the truth is that it is mainly known as one of the last remaining abortion clinics in the state!

    Because of this, every day is a battle to get women the care that they need and deserve. However, one fall day brings a gunman into the Center, who starts shooting and taking hostages.

    The main police officer and negotiator, Hugh McElroy, takes charge and is ready to do whatever is necessary to get everyone outside safely. However, it becomes personal when he finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter is inside!

    Picoult tells the story backwards, as negotiations take place. You learn about all of the women (and men) that are in the clinic and find out why they were there on that day. You really start to root for those women and the doctor who risked his life daily to help those in need.

    If you have never picked up a Picoult novel, you really need to start now. She is not afraid to tackle hard subjects, often from a different point of view. I always reach for her novels as soon as they come out. A Spark of Light is no different!

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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.

  • Will Deena Catch Eddie’s Attention?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Deena has wanted to get to know Eddie for two years, serving him meals at the restaurant where she worked. However, he doesn’t even seem to know that she exists. 

    When he decides to put an ad for a mail-order bride, Deena finds a chance to get his attention. It has a good chance of backfiring, but she is willing to do whatever it takes! 

    Will the two fall in love and find a way to make it work? Or will they find themselves struggling to make it work? Another great Bridey novel. I just LOVE this 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.

  • There is NEVER a Bad Nicholas Sparks Book!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Though Nicholas Sparks is a favorite author of mine, I haven’t been buying his books like I used to. It is not because I don’t love them. There are so many good books for free on my Kindle that I rarely buy books anymore. However, I recently got a gift certificate, and I splurged on a few books by my favorite authors, including Sparks.

    The Wish by Nicholas Sparks brings us to New York City, where Maggie Dawes is a successful photographer with her own gallery. Though she has traveled the world, her illness has kept her close to home for quite a while. As she approaches her last Christmas, she bonds with her new assistant as he discovers the beauty of New York during the holiday season.

    During their nights together, she begins to tell him a story of her favorite Christmas, back in 1996. Though she wasn’t happy to be sent to live with her aunt in the remote village of Ocracoke, it turned out to be the best thing for her.

    There weren’t many teenagers on the island, so she really struggled until she met Bryce Trickett. Bryce was everything she wasn’t. He was smart and had his whole life planned out, while she was pretty lost and struggling. What started as tutoring turned into something better as he introduced her to photography. Then, they fell in love, but Maggie’s age and Bryce’s drive to succeed and go far kept them apart when Maggie had to return home!

    If you love Nicholas Sparks (or you have never read anything of his), you really need to read The Wish. You won’t regret it!

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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 Elizabeth Find Her Happy Ending?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Mail Order Mishap by Jennifer Branson, Elizabeth Holt makes a mistake in Boston and is sent to live with her brother in Westwind. She is unhappy about it and will let anyone know about it!

    Though George Caldwell came to Westwind for a woman he thought that he loved, he has decided to stick around. The only thing missing is a woman to love, so he sends away for a mail-order Bride.

    When the uppity Elizabeth Holt gets dumped by her horse in his proverbial lap, he isn’t sure what to make of her. Will he be able to get past her grumpiness to figure out what will make her happy? Will Elizabeth decide to go back home, or will she find happiness in Westwind?

    Another great story in the series. I am sad to see it end!

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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 Willa Find a Way to Save Her Family Farm?

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    In Mail Order Mister by Jennifer Branson, we meet Willa Brown, a young woman who rushes home to save her farm. She had left the farm to begin an apprenticeship as a dressmaker, but had no choice but to return after the loss of her brother, mother, and unborn sibling.

    As her father struggles to get out of bed, she has to figure out how to save her farm from debt collectors. She knows that the only way to do so is by getting some money, so marriage is a possibility, but she isn’t sure that she wants to marry a stranger, just to save her family.

    When Harrison Holt comes to town to help them rebuild after a devastating fire, their paths quickly pass. He wants to buy a portion of the farm for his next brickyard, while Willa has a different plan. She counters marriage, knowing that she can give him the land, and he can give her the money for the farm. Seems like a win-win if the two of them can get along!

    When someone from her past comes along, it threatens to destroy the beginning of something great.

    Another sweet romance in this series! You have to check it out!

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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.

  • Millie’s Story Continues

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Millie is back to looking for employment, and even though she has been out of jail for years, her past is still following her around.

    So, when she finds the Garricks, she thanks her lucky stars. Mr. Garrick gave her a job cleaning their stunning penthouse and preparing meals.

    However, she finds it strange that, even as the days and weeks go by, she hasn’t met Mrs. Garrick, who stays in a room the entire time that she is working. When she hears her crying, she can’t help herself. She just has to check on her. When the door opens, it changes everything.

    So, Millie makes a promise. She is going to help Mrs. Garrick get away from her husband. She has done it before. She can protect Mrs. Garrick, no matter what. Mr. Garrick has got to pay.

    Another great thriller. I can’t wait to see how Millie’s story is going to end with the next book!

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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

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    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.