In England, Queen Elizabeth has stopped their annual debutant ball because it is a tradition that no longer has significant meaning. So, in the summer of 1959, France holds the first debutant ball at Versailles. Invitations are sent out to certain debutants in America. Amelia, Felicity, Caroline and Samantha receive invitations. They do not know each other, but at the ball they bond and become friends. Each has their own struggles related to growing up and works through them over the year. This debutant ball is supposed to bring fortune in finding a husband. Will it be the escort they are assigned?
This is a delightful tale of society and the costs of being in that elite group. It's also a story of finding the path to maturity.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a story! Andy has a dream job as the head of a movie studio. That is, until the company is bought and the new owner gives his son Andy's job as head of studio. Andy is lost because his identity is so tied to his job. His love interest drops him because he is no longer useful to her as a rising actress. He's no longer invited to the important parties, has lost so called friends and pretty much isolates in his beautiful Hollywood home.
Andy tells his assistant to find him a home somewhere isolated in another country. She finds the perfect home in the British countryside. It is available for a short-term rental, 6 months, which is just perfect for Andy. He settles in and walks down to the shore where he finds a woman walking the beach with tears in her eyes.
The remaining story is heart-warming and provides direction in Andy's life showing him what really is important. Will he return to Hollywood as a head of a movie studio when the offer comes in?
I enjoyed this story as it is a story about humanity and how other people are important in our lives, not homes, status and material possessions.
Sabrina is a very successful author who writes thrillers. Having been married twice, each for a short time, she has quite a bit of material on which to base her books. Her last husband, a physician, was violent. She lives a quiet live in the Berkshires, in an charming setting with her dogs. Her life changes when she receives a legal letter from England saying she has inherited an estate in the English countryside from an uncle. Not only an estate, but also a title, Lady Brooks!
She travels to England with the intention of selling the estate. She meets an attorney, Grayson, whose father just happens to own the property next door to hers and knew her uncle and family well.
Sabrina struggles with the decision to return to her home in the Berkshires or stay at the English countryside estate she has come to love. What will she choose?
* I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Erika has the perfect life- a consulting business with her best friend as a partner, a fiancé with whom she is planning their wedding and a beautiful New York apartment. Her parents are deceased and she has no extended family- so she thinks. This "perfect" life is about to change. She receives a registered letter one day at work informing her that she has inherited a vineyard and winery in Tuscany. She travels to Italy with the intent of staying a week and arranging for the sale of the Italian property.
When she arrives at this gorgeous, peaceful property, life changes and she changes. The caveat to inheriting the property is that she has to stay 5 months to truly learn the business, the region, the people. She returns to New York to inform her fiancé and business partner and receives a shock pretty much changing what she thought of as her perfect life.
Will Erika adjust to life in Tuscany? Will it become her permanent home? Will she find love again. This is a delightful, sweet story, but I don't want to give away spoilers. I enjoyed this book and envy the author that this is her life!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Bookshop by the Bay is a terrific summer beach read. The main character, Jess, is at a crossroads in her life. Her marriage has just imploded and her job, her friends, etc. are all tied together. Her 30 year old daughter, Caitlyn, is also contemplating her life after a break up and loss of a job. Jess's mother lives in Chatham in Cape Cod. While Jess and Caitlyn flee there, Jess's best friend Allison has troubles of her own. Allison's daughter, Julia, is a creative jewelry designer awaiting her big break.
As the 4 main character live their life in this storybook setting, life ensues. There are break ups, new love, friendships and more. It is a terrific book to escape inside with this brutal summer heat!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Clover is a death doula. She is quite familiar with loss and grief as she lost her parents to an accident while they were on vacation. She grew up in her grandfather's apartment in New York City. She never felt that she fit in at school. College provided her a more varied exposure. While studying abroad, her grandfather died. She finds a book of regrets.
Clover helps individuals transition from life to death. She works by referral and is so busy that she barely has time to live her life. She meets someone in a grief support group that she becomes friends with. He asks her to see his grandmother who is near death. His grandmother shares a story of lost love with Clover. This leads Clover on an adventure that ls life-changing.
This is a wonderful story of life, death, love and what's important in life.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Heather is bored with her husband and her marriage and wants out. Her husband runs a business and expects their son to carry on the business after his retirement. Their son is not interested. Heather decides she will rent a cottage in Nantucket for the summer to re-think her life and plan for the future. She finds a bare bones cottage that is reasonable. Surprisingly, her son decides he wants to also spend the summer in Nantucket working for his girlfriend's family construction company. Heather is not very fond of her son's girlfriend.
Nancy Thayer has written a novel around the lovely island of Nantucket and a family and turmoil. Will Heather be able to re-create a life for herself on Nantucket? This is a delightful read that you won't want to leave when it ends.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Imagine that your love of books results in a career in a bookshop, especially with rare books. You come across a book that describes a fairy tale you made up and told your younger sister as a child set in an imaginary place. With her father fighting in the war, Hazel uses this fairy tale to soothe her sister.
In London, when Hitler struck, many families sent their children to live in the English countryside. Hazel and her little sister, Flora Lee, go to live with a woman and her teenage son in an idyllic village along the river Thames. Young Flora, around 5 years old, falls into the river and is lost, presumed dead. Hazel has a crush on the teenage son, Harry, and blames herself for losing her sister.
Years later she comes across the book based on her fairy tale. Will it solve the mystery of the disappearance of Flora Lee?
This book is a delightful story of love, loss and redemption. Patti Callahan Henry does a wonderful job with the characters in this book. It was a pleasure to read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Sophie Irwin's first book, A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting and could not wait to read this one! Eliza made the match of the season marrying an earl 20 years older than her. But, ten years later she is left widowed. She is wealth, titled and a bit unconventional. She begins to live a life beyond convention and dare I say what some would consider scandal! There is manipulation in the shadows as her husband's will says she can only keep her inheritance if she avoids scandal. Can she do it? An interesting male character appears on the scene and tests her resolve.
This tale was as wonderful as Ms. Irwin's first book! I was so happy to read and review it. The story takes us back to a time when it was so difficult to live as a single woman in England. How can they resolve and not be banished by society? Don't miss this book, especially if you enjoyed the first one.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Faith was wedding planner extraordinaire. She was much in demand, but selective about her clients. She personally had 2 engagements that did not end in marriage. It was important to her that the clients were a good fit for her. Her twin sister, Hope, leads a charmed life in Connecticut. Her assistant, Violet, has to plan a wedding of her own. Faith and Hope's mother is around when she and her boyfriend are not in Europe.
Faith takes on a couple of clients who test her emotional stability. One of her clients experiences domestic violence and Faith gets very involved.
Can Faith find love of her own? Does she plan her own wedding?
I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Josie and Arlette are working in the French Resistance as female spies. They are on a very risky mission to track down a Nazi doctor who committed heinous crimes during World War II. They provided so much vital information that they became known as The Golden Doves. When they are captured, they are sent to Ravensbruck, a concentration camp. Josie's mother is also there and a victim of this infamous doctor. Arlette's son is with her; then taken from her for an adoption. Their quest takes them across Europe to eventually French Guiana. Will Arlette ever reunite with her son?
It was great to learn about places Jews escaped to and re-established their lives trying to escape Nazi control. I cannot image such a life of turmoil and oppression. Martha Kelly tells a wonderful story based on fact. It is joyous at times, sad and thrilling. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction lovers who enjoy stories based on facts.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This story starts with a heartbreak. Not only a heartbreak, but her former fiancé lives in the neighborhood in England and she frequently runs into him and his new girlfriend. Her mother suggests a change of scenery. She works remotely and decides to have an extended visit with her father, stepmother and stepsister in Indiana. Her father is a farmer in a small town rural area. Her stepsister and husband live in the town. Next door, another farmer and his wife live, and their 2 sons are a distraction.
This really is a book about growth and relationships. Her relationship with her father, stepmother, stepsister and others is a focal point of this book. The author does a great job in conveying emotion. Should she return to her old life in England, or stay in America where she has found new love.
I really enjoyed this book. Many secrets, personal and family, are discovered in this book. Don't miss this very enjoyable book!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley and the publisher.
Spencer is the apple of her grandfather's eye. He owns and manages a high end small department store in lower Manhattan. As time goes on, the store is in a less desirable neighborhood frequented by gangs. As she grows up, Spencer loves spending time at the store, working with her grandfather as she grows up. She develops a love for retail and dealing with customers just as he does. When her beloved grandfather dies and her father inherits the store, he sees it as a burden. His years at the helm of the store bring the store down. When her father dies early in his life, Spencer inherits the store and brings it back to it's shining star status. However, the old building and neighborhood it is in continues to deteriorate. Her chief financial officer encourages her to find an investor. Spencer is not interested because she knows she will have to give up a percentage of ownership in the store. She meets with an investor. It doesn't go well. They are not big enough and there is not enough volume in the store. She's not interested in expanding to other areas or moving to a better area of town. The tragedy strikes the store and changes everything.
One of the best aspects of this story is the relationship between Spencer and her grandfather. Will she carry on his legacy? This book left me with such a heartwarming feeling.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher.
Georgie lives in Los Angeles, but has to return home due to circumstances. Georgie returns to her parent's home, but is surprised that she has to face a roommate. He's a former bad boy that she had a crush on while in school. This is a love story. But, Georgie is so relatable. She's a real person with real feelings and is not afraid to share them with the reader. I love that the chapters alternate between her point of view and that of Levi. Georgie finds her teenage diaries which bring back so many memories and so many feelings she had while growing up and knowing Levi.
This was a great book, a feel-good book, one you want to spend a day curled up reading.
Alix St Pierre is a remarkable woman. This story is initially set in Paris. She works for a fashion house which eventually becomes the House of Dior. The story is set before, during and after WW2. The setting varies at different times in the story taking the reader to London, Switzerland and the United States.
Alix is a driven woman. Her home life is sparse, but rich. She begins to help the United States by providing details about the war unavailable to military personnel. She is a very strong, independent woman. Her family life has not been a happy one and much of her life evolves around her work.
This story was wonderful historical fiction. While I read many stories set in WW2, this one is a story from a different perspective. Never have i imagined that fashion houses were involved in war efforts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Don't miss it..
f you had the chance, would you check out of your current life and live another one?
Charles had a charmed life- so it seemed. He had a great job, he was wealthy, Paris apartment and estate in the country, beautiful socialite wife. His two children were successful in their own careers and lived away. These should be the best years of his life. Yet his wife, who is from a wealthy background, wants more and more and more. Weekends at the country mansion consist of entertaining her socialite friends. Not exactly a relaxing weekend for him.
On a Friday evening, trying to make it to the country in time for dinner, Charles drives his car off a cliff. Miraculously, he survives with minor injuries. He is taken in by a village woman who cares for him. How does Charles re-enter life after a period of time?
Don't mis this intriguing story! I couldn't put it down and read into the night till morning.
