White Dresses: A Memoir of Love and Secrets, Mothers and Daughters

An utterly unique memoir, this book was not was I expected it to be. Though it got off to an almost excruciatingly slow start, the book was a very touching and heartfelt look into the love that can exist despite and sometimes even because of a dysfunctional environment.
The story was one that had difficult moments but I feel like it was an important story for Mary to share. One that might give others hope even or at least help them to accept that we are all a product of our experiences. Not for the faint of heart, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt like life was stranger than fiction but couldn't help but embrace those there.

Mary Pflum Peterson is a veteran multi-Emmy-Award winning producer at Good Morning America, the nation’s number one morning news show. Her work at GMA has taken her to papal funerals in Rome, to the ravaged remains of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, to the royal wedding in London and to numerous Oscar ceremonies in between. Prior to joining GMA, Pflum Peterson was a producer and reporter for CNN, where, from her post in Istanbul, she traveled in and out of numerous warzones, including Afghanistan. Today, her warzone of choice is Manhattan’s Upper West Side where she resides with her husband, Dean, and their four young children, ages 1 to 7.

Plan Bea Reveal!

Author: Hilary Grossman
Series: (book 1)
Release Date: October 2015
Genres: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Booktrope

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Blurb
How well do you really know the people in your life?  

Annabel O’Conner has the perfect husband, two adorable children, an amazing job, and the mother from hell! Annabel doesn’t like it but has come to terms with the fact that her relationship with her mother, Bea, deteriorated to the point of forced and strained communications. However, an unscheduled call from Bea turns her world around and makes Annabel question everything she believed about her life.

Despite the fact secrets, lies, and misplaced blame have destroyed the women’s relationship; Annabel reluctantly agrees to help Bea plan her wedding. Little does Annabel know the impact of her decision.

In this Women’s Contemporary Fiction novel, Hilary Grossman explores the complex relationship that exists between mothers and daughters in a light-hearted and relatable manner.

Goodreads Link
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26230669-plan-bea

Author Biography
Hilary Grossman loves to find humor in everyday life. She has an unhealthy addition to denim and high heel shoes. She likens life to a game of dodge ball - she tries to keep as many balls in the air before they smack her in the face. When she isn't writing, blogging, or shoe shopping she is the CFO of a beverage alcohol importer. She lives on the beach in Long Island.


Social Networking Links
Blog: http://www.feelingbeachie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HilaryGrossmanAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/feelingbeachie
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Hilary_Grossman/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hilary_grossman/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7266769.Hilary_Grossman
Amazon Author: http://www.amazon.com/Hilary-Grossman/e/B00F4WT2R6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/brIroD

A Remarkable Kindness

 A Remarkable Kindness was the kind of novel that touches you deeply. I have always been drawn to Israel and its rich history, so I was not at all surprised to be drawn into the story of Rachel, Lauren, Emily and Aviva. Faced with their own personal challenges, this book tells the stories of their lives and what brought these four Jewish American to this place.
I was quite intrigued by the concept of a burial circle as it was not something I had previously heard about yet I found utterly compelling. I found the idea very touching and something that I felt was a great central focus of the story with the individual stories revolving around it.
This book was one that I can definitely recommend to anyone who loves a good story with a lot of emotion. It was a heartfelt and great story that was very easy to read.

Purchase Links: Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Diana Bletter is a writer whose work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Commentary. Her first book, The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women, with photographs by Lori Grinker, was shortlisted for a National Jewish Book Award. In 1991, she moved from New York to a seaside village in northern Israel where she lives with her husband and children, and volunteers in a burial circle.

Find out more about Diana at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Center of Gravity Review

Center of Gravity was just the kind of heart pounding suspenseful novel that I just love. I suspect that this genre is fast becoming my favorite type of book to read and this book just helped reinforce that. I really felt for Ava and could not wait to find out what would happen next. I honestly was so upset with everything that she was going through and  the story drew me in this intensely from the very beginning.

This story had all the great elements of an amazing oeuvre. I loved how little by little, we learnt more until piece by piece everything came together. I could not put this book down and read late into the night anticipating the next shocking twist.

Laura adores hot coffee, good manners, the color pink, and novels that keep her reading past midnight. She believes in the beauty of words, paying it forward, and that nerds rule the world. Laura is a fan of balmy summer nights, fireflies, and pristine mountain lakes. She lives in Mobile, Alabama with her two sons.

You can find Laura Tweeting @Lauramcneillbks and blogging at lauramcneill.com. After July 14^th, Laura’s suspense novel, Center of Gravity, can be found wherever fine books are sold. 

Book Links

http://amzn.to/1H5ahOo
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/center-of-gravity-laura-mcneill/1120808716?ean=9780718030919
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23736530-center-of-gravity

Love at First Flight

This book was much different from what I expected so I have to say it somewhat affected my enjoyment of it. I was expecting more of a modern love story and less of a romance novel but that is what I found myself reading. I wouldn't say that it was not a good book because it was just that my personal expectations were different.

The story focused on Mel and her life especially after meeting an irresistible stranger on a plane. I am not sure if I believe that in so short a period of time that your life could be so changed forever but I there is a part of me that loved that it may be possible. Who doesn't want to believe that the love of your life is out there to be stumbled upon at any moment? So this novel definitely had its appeal in regards to that.

I found the book somewhat frustrating but it was probably more that the situations Mel found herself in were completely frustrating at times so upon reflection, I can say that the author was probably very adept in describing the situations so well so that the general mood of the scene was very apparent.

I know that this is a first novel for this author and I am curious to see what she comes up with next as she definitely has her strengths.

Tess Woods is a health professional who lives in Perth, Australiawith one husband, two children, one dog and one cat who rules over all of them. Love at First Flight is her first novel for HarperCollins. When she isn't working or being a personal assistant to her kids, Tess enjoys reading and all kinds of grannyish pleasures like knitting, baking, drinking tea, watching Downton Abbey and tending to the veggie patch.

Links

My website:

http://www.tesswoods.com.au/

My Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Tesswoods.harpercollins?ref=hl

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25058078-love-at-first-flight?from_search=true

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Love-First-Flight-Tess-Woods-ebook/dp/B00S47T1AG/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429057388&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=tess+woodsds

iBooks:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/love-at-first-flight/id972723972?mt=11

Kobo:

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/love-at-first-flight-6

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-at-first-flight-woods-tess/1121030099?ean=9781460705414

Madeline Cain: Adventures In Fashion Review

Adventures in Fashion was all that but also a lot more! I had not read the first book but that wasn't a problem as this book can definitely hold its own. I didn't feel like I missed anything that made it impossible to read this second installment in this series but I will definitely be going back to read up on Emily's adventures in book one!

I was super intrigued by the way the book was written as a large majority of it was as if you were reading the main character's Facebook page and since we are such a social media obsessed society, I felt like it was very appropriate. It was admittedly a bit difficult to get used to at first but once I fell into a rhythm, it was very easy to read.

The story was interesting and kept me guessing because I could never anticipate what would happen next. I also had quite a few laughs over the things that happened and the posts that would appear on her Facebook wall. I especially liked how her mother would chime in every so often and somewhat unexpectedly at times.

I do enjoy Aussies so this book was definitely a pleasure since Madeline is an expat living in one of my favorite cities in the world. A cute and fun read that is sure to please!

Emily Craven was first inspired to placed pen to paper when she was 12, after she learnt her favourite author, Isobelle Carmody, began her first novel at 14. Emily finished two manuscripts while completing a Bachelor of Science (Space Science and Astrophysics and Geophysics) at the University of Adelaide. So technically, she can claim to be an astrophysicist (stars), geophysicist (rocks) and writer (crazy). She writes YA fiction, Fantasy and non-fiction. Emily lives in Australia and yes, back when she was a teenager her high school had its own herd of Kangaroos. She's been to almost every continent (Africa being her weakness in continent-domination) and has the pretty photographs to prove it (though probably less professional than Madeline Cain...).

Unusual talents and hobbies include: Getting excited at the thought of sky diving (though if you try to attach her to the end of a bungee cord she will take you down with her). She loves belly dancing, singing, is a self-confessed Trekkie, and will never pass up a good bar of chocolate. If you put her anywhere in the vicinity of snow, she turns into a five year old.

Emily has a website http://www.madelinecain.com and two blogs, one on writing (http://theoriginalfantasy.blogspot.com.au) and one on independent publishing and digital storytelling (http://ebookrevolution.com.au). You can find her on Twitter @TheMadelineCain or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GrandAdventuresOfMadelineCain

LINKS TO BUY BOOK:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QY1UUJ0/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d13_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0K75JPT2QR1ZTDEB9M9R&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/madeline-cain-adventures-in-fashion

Smashwords: Smashwords – Madeline Cain: Adventures In Fashion – a book by Emily Craven

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/madeline-cain-emily-craven/1120957588?ean=2940046472622

Milked Review

I LOVED THIS BOOK. And yes I had to write that all in capitals because it was just that true. I read it in one day over the Christmas holidays, which was a feat in itself because of course that is a busy time of year. I just couldn't help myself though because the book was just that good.
The story of Amanda was one that I felt myself drawn into and I was silently cheering for her to succeed despite all of the difficult things she was faced with. I truly loved the realness I felt in this book and wondered if the author had gone through all of these things. From what I read later, she had not but I still felt like I was hearing about a friend's troubles in life and I hurt for her.
Quite often when I read a book I will be disappointed with one thing or another but this book delivered in every way. Great characters and dialogue and an entirely believable story that did not have a bad ending but a really plausible one that made me happy.
A definite 5 star rating and one of my best reads of the past year!

Lisa Doyle is a communications manager and freelance writer based in the Chicago area. A native of Hinsdale, Illinois and a graduate of Miami University, she spent several years editing business-to-business publications for the personal care industry before moving to the nonprofit sector, and currently works in advocacy for homeless families at Bridge Communities in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She has written for major beauty trade publications (Global Cosmetic Industry, Skin Inc, Salon Today, Modern Salon, Renew, Suburban Life) and is a contributor to WOMEN REINVENTED: TRUE STORIES OF EMPOWERMENT AND CHANGE (LaChance Publishing, 2010). Doyle is represented by Claire Anderson-Wheeler of Regal Literary, Inc., a full-service agency based in New York. For more about Lisa, please visit her website.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bylisadoyle

Twitter: @bylisadoyle 

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