Only Love Can Hurt Like This

 

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.

Worthy Opponents

 

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.

The Night Travelers

 

A family saga- the story of 4 generations of women in a family. Each family member is stronger than the last. The story goes from Germany in the time of Hitler to Cuba, to New York, and back to Berlin.
Ally has a child with a black man, a musician named Marcus. Marcus is no where to be found when Hitler begins his racial cleansing. Ally gives her little girl, Lilith, to her neighbors, the Hertzhogs, who are off to Cuba to escape the persecution of Jews in Germany. Lilith grows up in Cuba. When there is a revolution in Cuba, she sends her daughter to live with a family in New York. The family moves back to Germany when she is a teenager. She has a daughter. In Germany, she is reunited with individuals that were significant in her grandmother's life.
At the conclusion of this book, there is a wonderful reunion. I won't spoil it! I really enjoyed this book. I was not very aware of the migration of German Jews to Cuba. Lots of great historical details in this book. Don't miss this one!
I was given a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley and the publisher.