Second Life by S.J. Watson (TLC Book Review)

Second Life

Author:  S.J. Watson

Published:  June 2015

Publisher:  Harper

Pages:

Genre:  Fiction/Suspense

Source:  a complimentary copy was provided by TLC Book Tours and the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep, a sensational new psychological thriller about a woman with a secret identity that threatens to destroy her.

How well can you really know another person? How far would you go to find the truth about someone you love?

When Julia learns that her sister has been violently murdered, she must uncover why. But Julia’s quest quickly evolves into an alluring exploration of own darkest sensual desires. Becoming involved with a dangerous stranger online, she’s losing herself . . . losing control . . . perhaps losing everything. Her search for answers will jeopardize her marriage, her family, and her life.

A tense and unrelenting novel that explores the secret lives people lead; and the dark places in which they can find themselves Second Life is a masterwork of suspense from the acclaimed S. J. Watson.

Julia has a loving husband and son, a career as a photographer and a secret.  Jayne has a lover, likes playing games, taking risks...within reason.  Jayne also has a husband and a son and is Julia's secret.  Jayne is Julia's alternate - the person she becomes in her determination to find her sister's killer and if that means taking on an alternate lifestyle, she's willing.  She'll play the games ... have an affair.  But then she begins to have feelings for Lukas.  Lukas has secrets too.  There's a side of him that seems sinister but then he can explain or make her think she's misjudged him.  He's playing the mind games and because she doesn't follow her gut, doesn't question him until it's too late, she's trapped.

Worried her husband will find out and she may lose her son, Julia is thrown deeper into a life of betrayal, of sinister mysteries, of life and death and she can't get out.  Not without betraying herself.  It may be too late... too late for her marriage and too late for herself.  

Before I Go To Sleep was a spell-binding, page turner that was, incredibly, S.J. Watson's first novel.  Now he has returned with Second Life, another that is truly "unrelenting" in its narrative and plot.  It's hard to put down.  The antagonist is well-hidden and the reader may guess the identity of the killer and yet, you wonder.  There's an odd clue here and there, hidden...almost unseen.  It's not until the very end, the last three pages in fact, that real truths are revealed.  

Though at times I could have yelled Julia for being so daft; there are times I understand her and feel compassion for her situation.  Watson has developed Julia with keen attention to the frailties of humanity.  Her strengths and weaknesses are imbalanced, just as anyone in crisis can be, so her actions and reactions appear viable.  Her priorities become out of whack, the deeper she delves into her deception. Her husband Hugh can see the lack, he calls her on it more than once but he has no idea, no inkling of what is really going on at all. At the end, he is just as surprised as anyone how the plot unfolds.  Second Life is another testament to Watson's ability to develop a good supporting cast in a plot that twists and conceals and shocks at its final reveal.

For suspense, mystery and psychological thriller lovers; Second Life should be the next book on your TBR list.

Warning:  explicit language and sexual situations

Meet the Author:

S. J. Watson was born in the Midlands and lives in London. His first novel was the award-winning Before I Go to Sleep, which has sold over four million copies in more than forty languages around the world. It was recently adapted into a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong.

Find out more about S.J. at his website, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

The American Wife by Taya Kyle (TLC Book Tours review)

The American Wife
Author:  Taya Kyle
Published:  May 2015
Publisher:  William Morrow
Pages:  304
Genre:  memoir
Source:  a complimentary copy was provided by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

The widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle shares her private story: an unforgettable testament to the power of love and faith in the face of war and unimaginable loss--and a moving tribute to a man whose true heroism ran even deeper than the legend.

In early 2013, Taya Kyle and her husband Chris were the happiest they ever had been. Their decade-long marriage had survived years of war that took Chris, a U.S. Navy SEAL, away from Taya and their two children for agonizingly long stretches while he put his life on the line in nearly every major battle of the Iraq War. After struggling to readjust to life out of the military, Chris had found new purpose in redirecting his lifelong dedication to service to supporting veterans and their families. Their love had deepened, and, most special of all, their family was whole, finally.

Then, the unthinkable. On February 2, 2013, Chris was killed while attempting to help a troubled vet. The life they fought so hard to build together was shattered. In an instant, Taya became a single parent of two. A widow. A young woman facing the rest of her life without the man she loved.

Chris and Taya’s remarkable story has captivated millions through Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster, Academy Award-nominated film American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper as Chris and Sienna Miller as Taya, and because of Chris’s bestselling memoir, in which Taya contributed passages that formed the book’s emotional core. Now, with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice, Taya writes in never-before-told detail about the hours, days, and months after his shocking death when grief threatened to overwhelm her. Then there were wearying battles to protect her husband’s legacy and reputation.

And yet throughout, friendship, family, and a deepening faith were lifelines that sustained her and the kids when the sorrow became too much. Two years after her husband’s death, Taya has found renewed meaning and connection to Chris by advancing their shared mission of “serving those who serve others,” particularly military and first-responder families. She and the children now are embracing a new future, one that honors the past but also looks forward with hope, gratitude, and joy.

American Wife is one of the most remarkable memoirs of the year -- a universal chronicle of love and heartbreak, service and sacrifice, faith and purpose that will inspire every reader.

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

First there was the bestseller American Sniper written by Chris Kyle.  Chris Kyle served as a sniper in the U.S Navy Seals.  He earned a reputation for being cool under fire and for his incredible marksmanship.  Tragically, Chris was killed by a fellow returned vet at a gun range.  His legacy lives on with his wife and two children.  The American Wife is Chris' wife Taya's story.

The American Wife, written with the assistance of Jim DeFelice, chronicles Taya's and Chris' life together as a married couple madly in love.  Taya shares the days of their courtship, marriage and parenthood.  The struggles of being the one left at home while her spouse served overseas are real and relatable.  Through two pregnancies for which Chris miraculously was home to support her through childbirth, Taya writes of months being home alone.  Pregnancy, raising children alone for months at a time, all unfathomable to me but Taya, like so many other military wives, did it.  

Chris rarely spoke about his missions to Taya while he was serving in the Seals.  The horrors he faced, the lives he defended, the people he saved were things he kept to himself while he was gone.  It wasn't until he left the Navy Seals that Taya learned what it was really like out there.  Of course he wasn't alone as a returned "soldier of war" and this is where Chris found a new purpose at home, serving other returned vets.  Sadly, one day one of those vets would be so scarred, not only from war, that he took Chris' life at a gun range.

Left alone, a widow and mother of two, Taya struggled to live on.  The love of her life had ironically lost his life at home while trying to help another vet.  Taya shares her sorrows, her grief, and the road to learning to live her new life without Chris.  The pain is palpable, and the reader feels it keenly as we share her experiences.  Her struggle back to living and finding a new purpose is encouraging and courageous and certainly an example of strength and perseverance.  

Taya's story is one of love and faith and endurance.   She is a modern day example of strength under adversity. American Wife is an encouraging read for women everywhere.

About the author:

Taya Kyle founded the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation in honor of her late husband Chris Kyle, legendary U.S. Navy SEAL and author of the bestsellers American Sniper and American Gun. The foundation is devoted to strengthening the marriages of veterans and first responders. An active public speaker, Taya Kyle makes frequent appearances at fund-raisers and other events, inspiring others to find strength and persevere through struggles. She and her two children live in Texas.

Supreme Justice by Max Allan Collins (book review)

Supreme Justice

Author:  Max Allan Collins

Published:  July 1, 2014

Publisher:  Thomas & Mercer

Pages:  336

ISBN 9781612185309

Genre:  Legal thrillers, crime drama, fiction

Source:  a copy was provided by the publisher and TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A new standalone thriller from the creator of The Road to Perdition and the Nathan Heller series. 

After taking a bullet for his commander-in-chief, Secret Service agent Joseph Reeder is a hero. But his outspoken criticism of the president he saved—who had stacked the Supreme Court with hard-right justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, amp up the Patriot Act, and shred the First Amendment—put Reeder at odds with the Service’s apolitical nature, making him an outcast.

FBI agent Patti Rogers finds herself paired with the unpopular former agent on a task force investigating the killing of Supreme Court Justice Henry Venter. Reeder—nicknamed “Peep” for his unparalleled skills at reading body language—makes a startling discovery while reviewing a security tape: the shooting was premeditated, not a botched robbery. Even more chilling, the controversial Venter may not be the only justice targeted for death…

Is a mastermind mounting an unprecedented judicial coup aimed at replacing ultra-conservative justices with a new liberal majority? To crack the conspiracy and save the lives of not just the justices but also Reeder’s own family, rising star Rogers and legendary investigator Reeder must push their skills—and themselves—to the limit.

My Thoughts:

I don't believe I've read Max Allan Collins previous to Supreme Justice but I have seen some of the movies made from some of his books and scripts such as:  Saving Private Ryan and Air Force One.  He has also written graphic novels including Road to Perdition from which a movie was made.  So, obviously he's a very accomplished writer.

Supreme Justice is a stand alone novel featuring Joseph Reeder, a former Secret Service agent who took a bullet for a president he didn't like and later left to run a highly successful security firm.  He ruffled a few fellow agents when he criticized the president for whom he took a bullet.

When a supreme court judge is killed in an alleged robbery; Reeder's friend, a police detective, cajoles Reeder (aka Peeps) into looking at the footage of the robbery.  Played frame by frame, Reeder sees what others didn't.  This was an assassination made to look like a robbery. Because of his extensive training, including being able to read body language, and his intuition, Reeder is invited to act as an advisor with the service in relation to the shooting. 

Shortly thereafter another judge is murdered in his yard and it is obvious he had been followed and his routine memorized.  The more Reeder investigates and watches, the sooner he realizes there's a conspiracy at play and the leaders within the conspiracy are likely people he is now working with.

Supreme Justice is definitely driven by the plot rather than by the characters and it is a real page turner. In a book like this, I don't mind a lack of character development in the supporting cast.  Reeder (Peeps) was well developed, his character believable and intriguing with an ability to read people and situations that is sometimes a gift and sometimes a curse. It makes it difficult to get close to someone just as I imagine being friends with a psychiatrist would be.  

While aspects of the ending were predictable, there was still an element of mystery about who and how. As the climax drew near, my only complaint is that it seemed an abrupt ending. But I would be hasty to not realize the clues had been dropped all along the path.  It really was cleverly designed, artfully composed and carried out by a cunning writer.  

Overall, I really enjoyed my first Max Allan Collins novel. Highly recommended to readers of Lee Child, political thrillers, legal thrillers, mysteries and crime dramas.  My favourite genres!

Meet the author:

Max Allan Collins has earned fifteen Private Eye Writers of America “Shamus” nominations, winning for his Nathan Heller novels, True Detective and Stolen Away, and receiving the PWA life achievement award, the Eye. His graphic novel, Road to Perdition, the basis for the Academy Award–winning film starring Tom Hanks, was followed by two novels, Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise. His suspense series include Quarry, Nolan, Mallory, and Eliot Ness, and his numerous comics credits include the syndicated Dick Tracy and his own Ms. Tree. He has written and directed four feature films and two documentaries. His other produced screenplays include The Expert, an HBO World Premiere, and The Last Lullaby. His coffee-table book The History of Mystery received nominations for every major mystery award and Men’s Adventure Magazines won the Anthony. Collins lives in Muscatine, Iowa, with his wife, writer Barbara Collins. They have collaborated on seven novels and are currently writing the Trash ‘n’ Treasures mysteries.

2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino - book review

2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas

Author:  Marie-Helene Bertino

Publisher:  Crown

Published:  August 5, 2014

Pages:  272

Genre:  Fiction

Source:  I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

2 A.M. AT THE CAT’S PAJAMAS begins on a quiet morning in a Philadelphia apartment the day before Christmas Eve, where we meet the precocious and smart-mouthed nine-year-old Madeleine Altimari.  Madeleine’s mother has recently died, and her father is still lost in his grief. Meanwhile, Madeleine finds solace in music and aspires to become a jazz singer. Just two days shy of her tenth birthday, she is about to have the most remarkable day of her life.

After facing down mean-spirited classmates and rejection at school, Madeleine decides today is the day to find Philadelphia’s legendary jazz club, The Cat’s Pajamas, and make her debut. On the same day, Madeleine’s fifth grade teacher Sarina Greene, who has moved back to Philly after a divorce, is nervously looking forward to a dinner party that will reunite her with her high school love. And across town at The Cat’s Pajamas, club owner Jack Lorca discovers that his beloved venue may close be closed due to financial woes by the end of the night. As we follow these three lost souls over the course of twenty-four hours, we also meet a cast of unique and brilliant characters who surround them – from the warm-hearted cafe owner Mrs. Santiago to Melissa, the former “snake lady” exotic dancer who might be Lorca’s last hope for love.  With sharp wit and irrepressible spirit, Marie-Helene Bertino turns Philadelphia into a magical place where anything can happen.

A sparkling and completely original novel, 2 A.M. AT THE CAT’S PAJAMAS will capture your heart and make you root for Madeleine, Sarina, Lorca, and those whose lives they touch around them.

My Thoughts:

I love the raised black velvet feel of the lettering on the light turquoise cover of 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas.  At 272 pages, it's not a long read but it was slow going getting into this novel.

Nine-year-old Madeleine is quite foul-mouthed which is alarming to me for a child so young.  She gets kicked out of school by her principal for slugging another kid in the nose; granted he was making fun of her and she was standing up for herself.  Young Madeleine's mother passed away earlier in the year and her father spends most of his time in his room, so deep is his grief.  Madeleine is one of those children whom the neighbourhood seems to raise.  She has one wish, and that is to sing jazz.  As luck would have it, it looks like she will get that wish.

Sure I rooted for Madeleine because at first I felt sorry for her more than anything.  I tend to root for the underdog and love to see them overcome their challenges.  I'm a sucker for that in fiction or real life.  Understand she has a rough time of things and only one friend, the one who taught her all the filthy language she knows.  Madeleine doesn't care to make any others.

She's a little girl against the world, trying to make her wish come true despite the odds.  The Cat's Pajamas may be her answer but it's owner has troubles of his own, as does Madeleine's favourite school teacher.  Their stories are intertwined and come together on the eve of Christmas Eve, the perfect time of year for a little magic.

2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas is a saucy bit of entertainment with a terrific title that promises a good time.  For many, this novel will be a nice change with its current day dreams and an older era feel. It's precocious, feisty and jazzy; just like its protagonist.

Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/m-The-Cats-Pajamas/dp/0804140235

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18815488-2-a-m-at-the-cat-s-pajamas

Author's website: http://mariehelenebertino.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarieHeleneBertino?ref=hl

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mhbertino

Meet the author:

Marie-Helene Bertino is the author of the story collection Safe as Houses, which won the 2012 Iowa Short Fiction Prize and The Pushcart Prize, and was long-listed for The Story Prize and The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize. An Emerging Writer Fellow at New York’s Center for Fiction, she has spent six years as an editor and writing instructor at One Story.

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Connect with Marie-Helene Bertino

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Conquering Shame and Codependency by Darlene Lancer - book review

Conquering Shame and Codependency

8 Steps to Freeing the True You

Author:  Darlene Lancer

Published:  July 2014

Publisher:  Hazelden Publishing

Pages:  180

Genre:  Self-help

Source:  A complimentary copy was provided by TLC Book Tours and the publisher in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Codependency Expert Uncovers Fundamental Causes and Effects of Shame and a

Simple Path to a Healthier Life

Shame is an emotion that can be buried in a person’s psyche so deep that one does not realize how much he is affected by it.  From the publisher that popularized the topics of shame and codependency with such publications as Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection and Melody Beattie’s Codependent No More, Hazelden Publishing releases CONQUERING SHAME AND CODEPENDENCY: 8 Steps to Freeing the True You (Hazelden Publishing; July 14; $14.95), by nationally-recognized author, codependency expert and family therapist, Darlene Lancer.  This essential guide explores the powerful emotion of shame, what can happen if it is not addressed, and provides practical advice on how to break deep-rooted patterns.

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In the book, Lancer begins by explaining the difference between guilt and shame: “Guilt results from violating rules or moral precepts, while shame emanates from breaching accepted group norms.  We’re guilty if we do something bad.  With shame, we believe that we ourselves are bad or inadequate in some way.”  Understanding these definitions shows how incredibly deep and profound feelings of shame can be, and as a result, how difficult it can be to change how you feel about yourself.

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She then delves into the link between shame and codependency, explaining how they prevent us from living life as our “true selves”.  As the result of a combination of personality, parenting, and life experience, we may develop an “inner critic” who is constantly questioning our motives and putting us down for our actions.  We become victims of our own negativity which then leads to codependency, which is the disease of a lost self where one organizes his or her thinking and behavior around another person, process, or substance. Before we know it we may be engaged in abusive or inappropriate relationships.  For example, we may be working in a career we felt we “had” to take on in order to please a parent.  We may be living as if we were someone else, unable to make our own decisions out of fear of hurtful repercussions left over from living with an abusive partner.  These and other similar situations can cause us to spiral down into an unhealthy state such as severe anxiety or depression, substance abuse, or other serious issues.

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In CONQUERING SHAME AND CODEPENDENCY Lancer outlines 8 Steps that will help us develop more healthy attitudes about ourselves:

1. Find Your True Self
2. Uncover Your Shame
3. Find Your Shame’s Roots
4. Disarm Your Shame
5. Confront Your Shame
6. Share Your Shame
7. Build Your Self-Esteem
8. Love Yourself

By working through these steps you will be able to better identify and understand the root source of negative feelings and what course of action to take in order to let it go and free yourself to a life confident in being your true self. Drawing on thirty years of experience as a therapist, Lancer has made an immense contribution by writing CONQUERING SHAME AND CODEPENDENCY.  For anyone who has been in therapy or has never knocked on a Ph.D.’s door, this book will break down a wall and open an entirely new path for you to begin living a true and authentic life.

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Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

Classmates make fun, a sibling belittles, a parent scorns, a teacher chastises.  All part of growing up or can be.  Is there one among us who hasn't at some point in our lives felt ashamed or embarrassed?  Has it altered how we see ourselves...our self-esteem?

To begin, author and therapist Darlene Lancer explores how shame happens and the types of shame: existential, situational, class,  and narcissistic. Using tables, the author shows the difference between guilt and shame and how guilt can be healthy while shame leads to negative self-image.

After exploring how people deal with shame and attempt to escape it, we then learn how shame can cause feelings of emptiness and inadequacy.  From there author Darlene Lancer explores relationships and how a person feeling subject to shame may do anything in return to feel wanted and loved.  This is where the codependency comes in.

Once shame, its sources and effects have been identified, the reader is given 8 steps to freedom.  These steps are intended to help the reader overcome feelings of shame and learn self-love.  With exercises to help accomplish this last and final goal; the reader will be empowered to make positive changes in their lives.

Conquering Shame and Codependency is written in easy to understand terms, with clearly defined segments so you can easily select what applies.  From an author who works as a family therapist and lectures about self esteem, co-dependency and addictions; this reference guide makes available to a wide audience what she teaches in smaller environments. Teachers, family therapists. and school counsellors will find this a good reference in identifying factors and solutions for those they may be concerned with assisting; and for anyone who has experienced the negative effects shame can produce, this book is  recommended reading.

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Note:  this reviewer is not a trained therapist.  The thoughts I've shared here are my opinion in relation to how I and how I feel others may respond to Conquering Shame and Codependency.

Meet the Author:

About Darlene Lancer, JD, LMFT

Darlene Lancer, JD, LMFT, is a licensed family therapist with over twenty years of experience working with individuals and couples.  She regularly lectures on self-esteem, codependency, and addiction.  Author ofCodependency for Dummies and 10 Steps to Self-Esteem, she has also published numerous articles.

Chasing the Sun - book review

Chasing the Sun

Author:  Natalia Sylvester

Published:  June 3/14

Publisher:  New Harvest

Pages:  304

Source:  A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher and TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Partially inspired by her grandfather’s kidnapping in Peru, CHASING THE SUN: A Novel (Lake Union/New Harvest; on sale June 3, 2014) is Natalia Sylvester’s suspenseful debut about a man whose wife is kidnapped just as their marriage is falling apart.

After going out for an errand, Marabela Jimenez doesn’t return home and her husband suspects she has left him – again. Only, the next day a letter arrives in the mail that reads:

 Querido Andres,I’m being held by three men who say they’ll keep me safe as long as you cooperate. They say that means no cops and no media. They say they’ll call when they’re ready to talk to you. Kiss our children for me and tell them not to worry. Keep me in your thoughts as I will be keeping you in mine.Marabela

Despite their crumbling relationship, Andres quickly realizes he must do whatever it takes to get Marabela home. He can’t possibly afford the ransom the kidnappers demand or handle this threat to his family alone so he hires a consultant to help negotiate with the terrorists. He also reaches out to his estranged mother, who has never cared for Marabela and even reconnects with an old friend who may hold the key to his past and his wife’s future. As each day passes without the return of his wife, Andres is forced to come to terms with whether or not what he and Marabela have left is worth saving and how far he’ll go to bring her home.

Set against the backdrop of the political turmoil and terrorist threats of 1992 Peru,CHASING THE SUN is a story of how trauma has a way of exposing our most difficult truths and healing past wounds and regrets.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

My thoughts:

Beautiful Peru, she is alluring.  During the time of civil unrest, however, that beauty is torn to reveal an undercurrent of danger.  Kidnappings are not unusual so when Marabella disappears, the horrific visions of torture are not far behind.

Marabella and Andres have a strained marriage.  They've struggled but Andres doesn't give up so easily.  Even when Marabella disappeared and returned in a few days, he forgave.  This time is different.  A note arrives from the kidnappers demanding a grand sum in exchange for the return of his wife.  Andres wants her back but he doesn't have the money they've demanded. 

Andres' mother comes to his aid and with her assistance and that of a consultant, Andres goes about the effort to free Marabella but not without trepidation. On one hand, he must save her.  On the other, his marriage is battle worn and he's unsure of its stability.  Knowing his wife and the possible torment she may sustain during her captivity, Andres fears for the remnants of his marriage.  How will this affect her and ultimately him and their family, assuming she is freed?

The cover of this hardbound debut novel is beautiful in its selection of colours.  Never for a moment does it belie what author Natalia Sylvester has created therein.  Chasing the Sun is a suspenseful tale of the terror one faces when someone they love is kidnapped and the lengths to which one is willing to go to save the person they love.  It's a tale of love and strife, pain and anguish, and the hope for reunited and reignited love amidst the beautiful backdrop of Peru and the terrorism of a country in turmoil.  A fabulous read by a debut author, Chasing the Sun's plot will hold you fast until you've finished the last page.

Natalia Sylvester was born in Lima, Peru. She came to the U.S. at age four and grew up in South Florida, where she received a B.A. in creative writing from the University of Miami. A former magazine editor, Natalia now works as a freelance writer in Austin, Texas. 

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter |Pinterest

The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

The Care and Management of Lies
Author:  Jacqueline Winspear
Publication Date:  July 2014
Publisher:
Pages:
Source:  a complimentary copy was provided by the publisher and TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs series turns her prodigious talents to this World War I standalone novel, a lyrical drama of love struggling to survive in a damaged, fractured world.

By July 1914, the ties between Kezia Marchant and Thea Brissenden, friends since girlhood, have become strained—by Thea’s passionate embrace of women’s suffrage, and by the imminent marriage of Kezia to Thea’s brother, Tom, who runs the family farm. When Kezia and Tom wed just a month before war is declared between Britain and Germany, Thea’s gift to Kezia is a book on household management—a veiled criticism of the bride’s prosaic life to come. Yet when Tom enlists to fight for his country and Thea is drawn reluctantly onto the battlefield, the farm becomes Kezia’s responsibility. Each must find a way to endure the ensuing cataclysm and turmoil.

As Tom marches to the front lines, and Kezia battles to keep her ordered life from unraveling, they hide their despair in letters and cards filled with stories woven to bring comfort. Even Tom’s fellow soldiers in the trenches enter and find solace in the dream world of Kezia’s mouth-watering, albeit imaginary meals. But will well-intended lies and self-deception be of use when they come face to face with the enemy?

Published to coincide with the centennial of the Great War, The Care and Management of Lies paints a poignant picture of love and friendship strained by the pain of separation and the brutal chaos of battle. Ultimately, it raises profound questions about conflict, belief, and love that echo in our own time.

My Thoughts:

I noticed that the author's name took top billing on this new historical fiction scheduled for release next month.  Her name will sell this book!  Jacqueline Winspear is the well-known best-selling author of the Maisie Dobbs mystery series.

Jacqueline Winspear has long wanted to write a novel set during the time of war.  The Care and Management of Lies brings that desire to fruition.  On the author's website you may read her letter to her readers about the inspiration for The Care and Management of Lies. (see the link included with the links below.)

100 years ago the First World War commenced and there have been and will be several memorials in honour of those who fought, survived, or gave their lives in the cause.  It was the first war, according to Winston Churchill, wherein man realized he could completely obliterate himself. This leaves an enormous impression upon this generation of today.

On this theme, the author transports the reader to a tumultuous time that had long term effect for good and bad on so many.  Kezia, Thea and Tom provide a viewpoint for the reader from their perspectives as Tom is enlisted leaving behind his new young wife Kezia.  Their letters of love during their separation share the longings, fears, and trials.  They are in turn heart-wrenching and touching.

Thea, Tom's sister and Kezia's best friend, becomes an ambulance driver on the war torn fields.  What she sees will surely haunt her for years to come.  This is also a time when women were found doing the work of men, as was Thea; and, at home, Kezia in charge of the farm. It was a burdensome task with little labour and shortage of food.  Kezia's letters embellished the situation as she wrote of meals one could only dream of.  It was her way of assuring her husband he need not worry about her but focus on coming home alive.  Little did she know, those letters would buoy up the spirits of the troupe of soldiers Tom would serve with as well. Little lies to assuage the soul.

Each of the three protagonists face tremendous trials and through the pages we see their growth.  The little secrets they keep to themselves are rather selfless in that they are done to protect those they love.  You can't help but admire the lengths to which each will go to offer that protection.

The Care and Management of Lies is rather slow to get going with a lot of detail about the period in which the story takes place.  It serves a purpose in setting the scene, allowing the reader to visualize the land and the times.  The narrative too, though, is rather slow-paced compared with what I usually read.  That said, Jacqueline Winspear tells herein a haunting tale of the horrors of war with a deft hand and sympathetic heart.  You won't soon forget the impact she leaves.

PS to Maisie Dobbs fans, she will reappear in a new series the spring of 2015!

 Goodreads. Purchase links are: Amazon, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble. 

author's website and Facebook page.  http://thecareandmanagementoflies.com/camol-welcome.php

Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels featuring Maisie Dobbs, a former World War I nurse turned investigator. Originally from the United Kingdom, Winspear now lives in California. Find out more about Jacqueline at her website, www.jacquelinewinspear.com, and find her on Facebook.

The Heiresses by Sara Shepard - book review

The Heiresses
Author:  Sara Shephard
Published:  May 20, 2014
Publisher:  Harper
Pages:  320
Source:  A complimentary advance reader's copy was provided for the purpose of this review.  Receipt thereof bore no influence over this reviewers opinion nor this review.

You know the Saybrooks. Everyone does. Perhaps you’ve read a profile of them in People or have seen their pictures in the society pages of Vogue. Perhaps while walking along that choice block on Fifth Avenue, you’ve been tempted to enter the ornate limestone building with their family name etched into the pediment above the door.

The only thing more flawless than a Saybrook’s diamond solitaire is the family behind the jewelry empire. Beauties, entrepreneurs, debutantes, and style mavens, they are the epitome of New York City’s high society. But being a Saybrook comes at a price—they are heirs not only to a dizzying fortune but also to a decades-old family curse.

Tragedy strikes the prominent family yet again when thirty-four-year-old Poppy, the most exquisite Saybrook of them all, flings herself from the window of her TriBeCa office. Everyone is shocked that a woman who had it all would end her own life. Then her cousins receive an ominous threat: one heiress down, four to go.

Was it suicide . . . or murder? In the aftermath of the tragedy, the remaining heiresses—Corinne, the perfectionist; Rowan, the workaholic; Aster, the hedonist; and Natasha, the enigma—wrestle with feelings of sadness, guilt, and, most of all, fear. Now they must uncover the truth about their family before they lose the only thing money can’t buy: their lives.

The Heiresses is a whip-smart mystery that simmers with the wicked sense of humor and intrigue that made Sara Shepard’s number one New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series a must-read, must-watch phenomenon.

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

My Thoughts:

I admit to being seriously addicted to the Pretty Little Liars television series!  I cannot wait for season 5!  Agh!!  So, for all of you similarly minded readers who may, perhaps, have matured beyond the books of the Pretty Little Liars series, you simply must read Sara Shepard's newest release, an adult fiction novel called The Heiresses.  Fashion, diamonds, beautiful women, hunky men, and a dark and dirty family secret or two - there's lots more where that came from!

We are introduced to quite a large family of the New York upper class, starring two sisters, two cousins and spouses, a fiancé,  a previous lover and more.... believe me, you will need the family pedigree chart to keep track of all of them at first. I often referred back to it as a new character would enter the picture; I need the visual chart to envision how they all tie together.

Like Pretty Little Liars, there's a secret that's been kept for more than a generation and some believe it's become a family curse.  (cue the theme song from PLL).  When one of the heiresses is found dead in front of the family business tower, it is at first believed she jumped.   Or was it murder?  The plot revolves around this murder, its tendrils reaching out, pulling in suspects, making the heiresses question even each other.  At the back of my mind, I was suspicious but was a bit surprised at the real identity.

"My life’s sort of in danger. I should probably lie low.”

“You sound a little Kim Kardashian overdramatic, honey."

Morality issues, lies, and secrets abound in this novel where the past influences the present and someone knows all the secrets.  That someone wants to get even now.  One heiress down, four to go......

Oh, and ladies, if the last chapter tease is any indication, there may be a sequel!!  

Meet the author Sara Shepard:

Sara Shepard graduated from New York University and has an MFA in creative writing from Brooklyn College. The author of the bestselling young adult books Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the adult novel The Visibles, she lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and dogs.

Visit her website at sarashepardbooks.com and follow her on Twitter, @sarabooks.