Shelley Reads and Writes

Tag: women’s fiction

  • What Secrets Are They Hiding?

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    In Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver, three mothers, Anna, Maggie, and Rhea, have known each other for years, yet they have never been close.

    Anna is the headmaster’s wife. She has always been quiet, doing her best to keep her family secrets safe.

    Maggie is a relationship therapist who is struggling in her own marriage. Though she works hard with other couples, she can’t seem to get anywhere in her own marriage.

    Rhea is the perfect well put together one. She hasn’t told anyone about her past, not even her husband.

    The three women, all completely different, find themselves working together on a PTA project. Over wine and hard work, they find themselves with friends (maybe even for the first time in years).

    Then, they find out about a scandal that is going to rock their community and school. Anna is stuck in the middle. There is no way that her husband is not involved. The three women have to figure out what they are going to do. Do they expose the school and Anna’s husband? Will any of them survive the fallout? Will their friendship survive?

    I have been trying a bunch of new authors lately, and I am really glad that I have been! This is one book that I was glad that I picked up. I will have to follow the author so that I can get her other books as they go on sale!

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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!  

  • Who Will Help a Child Who Really Needs It?

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    In The Teacher by Meg Gray, Emma Hewitt was starting over as a kindergarten teacher in Portland. She is completely happy to be with her group of kindergartners until she meets one father who hurriedly drops his son off mid-meltdown.

    After she learns more about the child, she just wants to help him, but his father is too busy to return her calls. Even after she gets his attention, the father doesn’t want to admit that his son needs her help.

    Once she learns about the trauma that the boy suffered, she is even more ready to support the two as much as she can. And then she sees the soft side of the father, and she wonders if she is really falling for the grumpy father of one of her students.

    As the family grows closer, you may wonder what is going to happen with the three of them. When I finished this book, I just had to grab the next one! Gray’s books are definitely worth picking up!

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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!  

  • Will A Play Boy Ever Settle Down?

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    In The Girl Next Door by Meg Gray, Jocelyn Banks hates change, but she was given a job in a big city that she couldn’t pass up. In a few months, she could return home to her beloved paper and take it over. She finds an apartment to sit while the occupant is out of the city. It seems perfect until she runs into her neighbor, a cocky blue-eyed charmer.

    Luke Lewis has a reputation as a flirt, though he is also good at his job as an attorney in the family business. When he finds himself dealing with a big project at work, he realizes that he can’t lose focus, even with his adorable neighbor.

    When Jocelyn publishes something about his latest project, it brings the two of them together. And they find themselves becoming friends as they work on discovering the truth.

    I have already started (and finished) the third book in this series. I highly recommend giving this series a 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!  

  • When Tragedy Strikes, Can You Really Move On?

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    Marcus couldn’t wait to welcome his new baby with his new wife in The Way We Are by Meg Gray. As the couple (and their son Braydon) prepare for the new arrival, tragedy strikes, and Marcus is forced to plan a funeral instead.

    . As the couple (and their son Braydon) prepare for the new arrival, tragedy strikes, and Marcus is forced to plan a funeral instead.

    Meanwhile, Luke finally has his dream girl, and he is carrying around an engagement ring to prove it! However, when his brother’s life unravels, he struggles with his own feelings and doesn’t always act the right way.

    As Marcus struggles to find the light at the end of the tunnel, Luke’s plan backfires, and he is worried that he will spend the rest of his life alone.

    The two brothers have to lean on each other in order to get through this terrible ordeal.

    Though loss can be hard to read about, this series really shows us how family and friends will rise to the occasion to help others out when they need 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!  

  • This One Broke My Heart

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     In A Mother’s Last Wish by Jo Bartlett, a mother of two small children finds out some unexpectedly bad news. She turns to the two people who love her the most: her husband and her twin sister. However, as she faces the truth of her illness, she struggles to see her children living a life without her in it.

    Though she has a good marriage, the majority of the children’s care belongs to Louise. So, who will care for them the way she does? Instead of enjoying the time she has left, she worries about her children.

    However, as Louise gets sicker and sicker, her husband and twin sister are determined to enjoy the time that they have left with her. They try to make as much as they can, while Louise is still feeling alright.

    This book completely broke my heart. I couldn’t keep the tears from falling. It probably wasn’t a good idea to read so close to losing a friend to cancer, but it really makes you think about making the most of the time that you have left!

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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 Death Change Friendship?

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    In The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship by Lisa Verge Higgins, a group of friends’ lives completely change when they lose one of their own. Even more, she sent everyone a letter to ensure that they learn something from her own experiences.

    For Kate, she is busy being a wife and mother. Her entire life revolves around her family and making sure that everyone else’s lives run smoothly. She tries skydiving because her friend asked her to. And it changes her perspective on her life.

    For Jo, her career is everything. She works hard to ensure that she is going to have a better future than her childhood. When she gets her friend’s daughter, she has to figure out if one orphan can help another!

    For Sarah, she is forced to confront the man that she has loved for the last few years. It has kept her from finding love with anyone else, even the man who has been beside her in the steamy jungles of Africa.

    The three women are changed, both by the loss of their friend and her final wish for all of them.

    I have been reading a lot of tough books lately, and I was looking for a lighter read. Though this book dealt with death, it was a good, easy read about a group of friends who will be there for each other, no matter what. It also talks about growth as the women learn from their deceased friend. It is a good 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 Rebecca Find Love Later In Life?

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    In A Second Chance by Samantha Price, we meet an Amish woman, Rebecca, who fell in love with an Englisher and married him. When he died, she started a business and moved on. She never thought she would be thinking about love again, especially as she got older.

    When Jeremiah, an Amish widow, started coming into her shop, he changed her life forever. She wonders if she could go back to being Amish and marrying another man.

    However, as she starts to contemplate her future, her husband’s niece shows up on her porch. Morgan has nowhere else to go, and Rebecca welcomes her in. But Morgan’s wild ways bring a wedge between Rebecca and her new love with Jeremiah.

    Will she ruin Rebecca’s chance at love?

    You can never go wrong with Samantha Price. Her books are always a treat to read, especially when you are looking for something that is not so emotional to read. I devour anything she writes!

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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! 

  • A Pop Star Invades Heather’s College Dorm and Changes Everything

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    Heather is hoping for a calm summer. Her residential dorm is closed for renovations over the summer, so she just has a few residents helping to keep things running. But then, Tania’s bodyguard gets shot, and her camp of teenage girls gets moved into the dorm. 

    She gets ready for a reality TV crew, Tania, and a slew of teenage girls, until a homicide spoils the fun. Cooper and Heather are determined to get to the bottom of it, all while trying to figure out their new relationship (and hiding it from the world). 

    Another great read in the series. You can’t go wrong with Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot. I can’t wait to see how this series ends! 

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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! 

  • A Mother Keeps Her Family Close, Despite Their Choices

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    In Against All Odds by Danielle Steel, Kate Madison is determined to keep her family together. After losing her husband to cancer, she has four children to raise. So, she does what she has to. She relies on her mother, goes back to work, and eventually starts her own business, a resale shop.

    But as her children grow up, go to college, and move on with their lives, she is not quite ready to let them go.

    Isabelle is a hardworking lawyer determined to make partner. When she falls for her pro bono client in a criminal case, she can’t wait to begin a life with him.

    Julie is a clothing designer, though she doesn’t get any credit for her work. That being said, she is paid well for her designs and is happy doing what she loves. When she meets a man who seems too good to be true, she marries him, gives up her job, and follows him to Los Angeles, worrying her mother.

    Kate’s son Justin is a freelance writer with a dedicated partner. However, when they decide to start a family, she worries about their relationship and doesn’t think that they are quite ready for their new adventure.

    Her youngest son, Willie is a tech genius and a serial dater, never getting too serious. When he does find someone to become serious with, he shocks his entire family.

    Kate worries about all of her children, though she does her best to keep her thoughts to herself. She worries about both of her daughter’s marriages, as well as Justin and his partner. She worries about Willie settling down.

    She eventually learns that she will support them since she can’t protect them from making mistakes. Instead, she will be by their side every step of the way.

    This was a good book about a family who have each other’s backs, no matter what. No questions asked. You can’t go wrong with a Danielle Steel novel!

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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 A Family Loses the Glue That Holds Them Together?

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    When I realized Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah had a sequel, I just had to get it. But first, I had to re-read the first book in the series. If you haven’t had a chance to read my review, you can check it out right here.

    Tully Hart and the entire Ryan family have been hanging on since Kate passed away, and not very well. Tully promised Kate she would be there for her children, but she finds herself lost. She doesn’t know anything about taking care of someone other than herself.

    Marah Ryan was only sixteen when she lost her mom, and she doesn’t know how to grieve. Though her father, Johnny, wants to be there for her, he is lost in his grief, and Marah gets lost too! She falls in love with another young man dealing with his own grief. He quickly pulls her into his world, and Marah leaves home.

    Dorothy Hart is trying to do better. She is sober and making an honest living. She wants to do better for her daughter Tully, whom she has always abandoned. But Tully wants to know more about her, and Dorothy may have to share her past in order to win back her daughter.

    A single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will change everything, bringing Tully, her mother, and Marah back together in a way they all need. They are all lost and will need each other to get through the next stage in their lives.

    Though I loved Firefly Lane, I believe that of Fly Away by Kristin Hannah is even more powerful. I couldn’t wait to see what happens to Tully, Dorothy, and Marah as they navigate a difficult time in their lives.

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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!