authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Early 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: Don’t Let Her Go Author: Willow Rose Series: Detective Billie Ann Wilde #1 Much thanks to Willow Rose, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was fine. A good mystery to pass the time, if not a terribly unique one. I feel kinda slimy saying child abduction and …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Sweet Life by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a feel-good book. It has a story of self-reflection, healing, love, and faith although there are some difficult issues covered regarding loss, hardship, and fear. The plot has Dawn Dixon’s life turned upside down when her fiancé, Kevin, backs out of their wedding. She then finds out her mother had breast cancer and treatment. In addition, both mother and daughter are still recovering from the sudden …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Family Across the Street is Nicole Trope’s latest novel. Her American debut was in June of this year with the outstanding book, The Boy In The Photo. With all her books, readers get a vivid plot that grips them and grabs their full attention. The stories usually delve into everything from emotional abuse, child abuse (both psychological and sexual), and domestic violence. The Boy in the Photo was first published by Grand Central …
Title: Love Your Life Author: Sophie Kinsella Series: n/a Kinda fun to read but not memorable I would like to thank Sophie Kinsella, Random House/The Dial Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Premise: A woman, Ava, goes on a writers’ retreat in an effort to focus on the book she’s trying to write. However, she gets distracted by a handsome man with whom she has major chemistry. By the …
Find an interview with the author here. Agnes (Aggie) Pratt from Rachel Fordham’s A Life Once Dreamed has consented to this interview. Elise Cooper: Thank you so very much for doing this. You were very brave to leave the city you have grown up in, your friends, and your family. Now you live in the frontier town of Penance South Dakota. You have grown from a shy and timid individual to being an independent backbone of the town. EC: Do …
Book Review by Elise Cooper A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham is an inspirational historical romance. It is a tale that delves into frontier life during the 1880s. Aggie Pratt, the heroine of the story—find an interview with her here—decides she must move away from her family and boyfriend in Buffalo New York. She answers an ad in the frontier town of Penance South Dakota where she becomes the beloved school teacher. She grows from a timid shy person …
Book Review by Elise Cooper Knot on Her Life by Mary Marks is a cozy mystery with a different perspective. Some would think that a story with quilts could not make a good mystery, but Marks is able to stitch everything together. She is one of a few mystery authors who has a Jewish protagonist. The author explained why she used the quilt angle. “I have made quilts for twelve years. I decided to write about them, which turned into …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Miss D & Me: Life with The Invincible Bette Davis by Kathryn Sermak is a tale of two women. The relationship morphed from that of employer-employee to mentor/protégé to mother/daughter ending up as the best of friends. Bette Davis is regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history. She had more than 100 films to her credit along with television and Broadway roles. There are many firsts including being the first actor, …
Title: My Not So Perfect Life Author: Sophie Kinsella Series: n/a A well-crafted illustration of the age-old adage about books and their covers I would like to thank Sophie Kinsella, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Life in London isn’t what Katie Brenner thought it would be. She doesn’t have a group of quirky friends to go out with, she has a hard time navigating the office politics, …