Book Review: Salt Sisters

By Sara Steven

Twin sisters Jocelyn and Maddy Marx grew up in a tight-knit family on Cape Cod, but they couldn’t be more different. Jocelyn, laid-back and dreamy, still lives in their hometown as a Realtor. Maddy, intense and ambitious, left for New York after college and never looked back. Until the summer they turn thirty-one.

After a dramatic fall from grace in her career, a pregnant Maddy returns to the Cape with her husband and announces she’s back for good. For Jocelyn, it’s less a reconciliation than a reminder of a life that was ripped away from her and the deep grief she’s carried ever since. Back in each other’s orbit, the sisters reopen old wounds and are forced to confront what it will take to heal.

Salt Sisters is a moving exploration of sisterhood and motherhood, and the courage it takes to face the past, forgive, and finally let go. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

This is the third book I’ve read by this author, and it was just as engrossing as the first two! I felt that the grieving process was captured perfectly, and understandably, from the perspectives of twin sisters who view the same tragic events in vastly different ways. For Jocelyn, it hit the hardest, while Maddy is more of a bystander. It creates a large divide between the two women, further complicating a relationship that has always been difficult. 

Giving outlooks from both women in the past, then returning the reader to the present time, really helped me to better understand where each one is coming from. Jocelyn views Maddy as selfish and uncaring, while Maddy sees Jocelyn as rigid and unforgiving. Really, neither can really grasp the full extent of what the other is going through, allowing for the opportunity to give both characters more grace within their experiences. There is some honesty to both suppositions; Jocelyn finds it hard to give anyone some slack, while Maddy seems to view the world from a more internal perspective. But with time and experience, maybe they can see things from the other’s viewpoint.

When a triggering event occurs between the two sisters, it sends ripples through families and their town. I don’t think Jocelyn nor Maddy could have imagined the fallout, and while I understood that it wasn’t meant to be so upending, I can’t blame either sister for their reaction. I questioned if they could come back from the fallout, and what would happen moving forward. If they could rebuild the trust. With so many years of discord already, it was hard to imagine there could be any coming back from the event. 

I appreciated that both women change and grow through their experiences, the ones they face together, and the ones they have apart from one another. Having twins be the main character was really clever, too, because it’s assumed that twins have an internal connection to one another, but for Maddy and Jocelyn, it’s anything but. There were some moving, touching moments that brought me to tears, still others that made me angry, first siding with one twin, then the other, realizing no matter who you believe the most in, they both deserve a second chance at happiness. Salt Sisters was a definite five-star experience!

Thanks to Lindsey J. Palmer for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Lindsey J. Palmer:
Pretty in Ink
Otherwise Engaged
If We Lived Here

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We're starstruck over Devon Daniels...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Pete Albert

We're excited to have Devon Daniels back at CLC to talk about her latest novel, Star-Crossed Summer! Melissa loved her sophomore novel, The Rom Con (reviewed here), and has this new one in her five-book pile. We enjoyed Devon's answers to our questions and hope you will too. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy to give away!

Devon Daniels is a born-and-bred California girl whose own love story found her transplanted to the Maryland shores of the Chesapeake Bay. She's a graduate of the University of Southern California (fight on!) and in her past life worked in marketing, product design, and music.

Devon loves writing books that make people laugh, cry, and swoon, and feels incredibly lucky that her job is to make people happy. Her debut novel Meet You in the Middle was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2021 by USA Today.

When she's not writing, you'll find her clinging to her sanity as mom, chef, chauffeur, and referee to four children, or sneaking off with her husband for date nights. (Bio courtesy of Devon's website.)

Visit Devon online:

Website * Facebook * Instagram * TikTok

Synopsis:

It’s been ten years since the fateful summer Scarlett Everhart filmed The Lost Letter, the tearjerking romantic drama that catapulted her to worldwide fame and set her on a collision course with Ryder Perry, the movie’s intense, irresistible leading man. The pair’s fiery onscreen chemistry captured audience’s hearts—while their whirlwind affair offscreen shattered Scarlett’s into a million pieces. Determined to move on, she made a vow: to focus on her career, leave Ryder in her past, and never, ever look back.

A decade later, Scarlett’s kept that promise. She’s become one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading ladies and is on the cusp of the biggest role of her career. And if she’s been unlucky in love, at least she’s managed to put her ill-fated relationship with her former costar—and the public’s obsession with the pair’s star-crossed romance—behind her. That is, until a sudden twist of fate thrusts her and Ryder back together in the seaside South Carolina town where they first fell in love, then fell dramatically apart.

As old sparks reignite, Scarlett is swept back into the love story that once defined her life, forcing her to reckon with the choice that tore them apart…and the devastating secret she’s been keeping since their breakup all those years ago.

"This beach season, fall in love with Star-Crossed Summer, a swoony tale of ill-fated romance, the one that got away, and second chances. Devon Daniels pens an unputdownable story of two actors separated by the secrets they’ve kept, brought back together by fate—and the movie that made them famous. Daniels’ sun-soaked novel is an immersive reminder that some love stories are simply written in the stars."
—Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of Summer State of Mind

What is one thing you’d tell the debut novelist version of yourself?
I’d tell her to stay focused on the joy of the writing and creative process, because the business of publishing can steal that from you if you let it. The industry makes it easy to obsess over things like sales, rankings, and bestseller lists until you forget that writing a book—let alone getting one published—is an incredible accomplishment! So much of publishing success is outside your control, from market trends to timing to plain old luck. The only thing you can control is writing the best book you can and trying to enjoy yourself in the process.

What were the biggest rewards and challenges with writing Star-Crossed Summer?
The biggest challenge was staying sane while writing a dual-timeline novel for the first time! I’ve read dual-timeline books where I much preferred one timeline over another, and I was determined not to let that happen with Star-Crossed Summer. I worked really hard to make the romance, tension, and emotional stakes compelling in both timelines so readers would be equally invested in each one.
The other challenge was pacing the overarching mystery that keeps readers turning the pages: they know Scarlett and Ryder broke up in the past, but they don’t know why. I loved planting clues and little Easter eggs that seem insignificant but become important later. My goal was to reveal those pieces at just the right pace so the emotional payoff felt both surprising and earned.

The biggest reward for me was giving readers two love stories in one. They get to experience Scarlett and Ryder falling in love for the first time in the past, then watch them rediscover each other in the present.

If Star-Crossed Summer were made into a movie, what are some songs that would be on the soundtrack?
I actually made a Spotify playlist while I was writing, and readers can listen along here.

A few songs that would absolutely have to make the soundtrack:
“August” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” by Taylor Swift 
“23” and “Make You Miss Me” by Sam Hunt 
“Muscle Memory” by Kelsea Ballerini 
“Kokomo” by The Beach Boys and “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes also both make me laugh, since they’re callbacks to one of my favorite and funniest scenes in the book. 

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
Definitely The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. I devoured those books growing up. I would speed read them, then wait impatiently for the next one to be released a month later. I still have my entire collection! In fact, my Star-Crossed Summer dedication paid homage to this: “To Mom and Dad: Thanks for raising a reader—and for buying me all those Baby-Sitters Club books.”

If we were to visit you, what are some places you'd take us to see?
If you came to Maryland, we’d head out on a boat to spend the day cruising the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay. We’d end the evening on Main Street in Annapolis with some crabs, of course!
If we were in South Carolina, I’d take you on a tour of the Charleston and Seabrook Island area that inspired Star-Crossed Summer. We’d visit some of my favorite Lowcountry spots, hunt down filming locations from The Notebook, and take a twilight boat ride through the marsh creeks.

What is something you are hoping to do this summer?
My family actually just got back from our big summer vacation, a two-week trip to the Bahamian island of Exuma. I’ve never seen clearer water! It was the perfect way to celebrate a season of big milestones, including my husband’s birthday and our eldest heading off to college in August, before the excitement of book launch season kicks into high gear.

I’m also hoping to visit as many coastal towns as possible while touring for Star-Crossed Summer—a major perk of releasing a summer beach read!

Thanks to Devon for chatting with us and to Berkley for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends July 14th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Tropesick

By Allyson Bales

Katie Caruso is a completely normal twenty-five-year-old girl. At least, for the past eight years, she’s tried to be. She likes glitter and sequins and flirting with cute boys at New York City bars. She’s also a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time. But then Tyler McNally walks back into Katie’s life, and that bedazzled facade crumbles at her platform-sneakered feet.

Katie and Tyler haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the overdose death of Katie’s older brother, a standout MLB pitching prospect. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie—naturally—was the girl next door. But now, Tyler is a sleeve-tattooed, Ivy League–educated aspiring literary fiction novelist, nine years sober . . . and Katie’s writing partner for the summer.

As genre conventions require, Katie and Tyler soon find themselves removed from Manhattan and instead writing their love story in “forced proximity” at Meredith’s isolated Southampton home. As the summer unfolds, the tropes Katie and Tyler have written into their novel begin to play out in their own lives. Call it destiny, fate, or magic itself: it’s clear their love story isn’t finished. This time, though, they’ll work through the pain that tore them apart—and fight for their happy ending. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

This is my first Lauren Okie read and it definitely won’t be my last. 

I was  immediately hooked when I read this synopsis of this story and really couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I have found as the years go by that I love a romance that is more deeply layered with more going on with the characters than just a love story and this book delivered that ten fold. 

You get to meet Katie and Tyler, two childhood friends that come together to ghostwrite a story and while there is light and laughter, there is also more seriousness and darkness. I think this type of love story is so relatable, so real, and vulnerable. I found myself frustrated with the characters at times and also so proud of them in others which is…well…life. 

I don’t want to give too much away. You obviously know you get a bunch of tropes. You know you get a love story. There are things you don’t see coming, characters that you’ll miss dearly, and one side character who is going to steal your heart. I loved the dual POV as well as the dual timeline. I also loved the book within a book vibes! 

This is the perfect summer romance and one where you’ll be gripped until the very end! 

Thanks to William Morrow for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase Tropesick here.

Also by Lauren Okie: The Best Worst Thing

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Spotlight: Summer of Love

It’s the summer of 1967 and the counterculture revolution is in full swing in San Francisco. Every street is alive with the music of Jim Morrison and Dionne Warwick, and in view of the Golden Gate bridge young people come together, waving anti-war signs and shouting for equal rights. No one is more into the messages of love and peace than Winnie Hartley who has just graduated from UC Berkeley determined to use poetry to capture the ever-shifting world around her. When she reconnects with her high school boyfriend, an aspiring musician, their creative bond further fuels her work, and it feels like her life is finally taking off.

Meanwhile, miles up the winding coast, her sister Miranda stays close to home, throwing herself into running the family business, Hartley Vineyard. She’s determined to make California wine that rivals French. But change is in the air this wild and heady summer, and each sister will make choices that set their lives hurdling down paths neither would have imagined.

Fifty years later, Dawn Hartley stays as far as possible from her family’s famous vineyard, until a work assignment requires her to research the bestselling Vineland novels penned by a famously anonymous author. Determined to discover the identity of this mysterious writer—who seems to know things no one should about her family—Dawn embarks on a soul-searching journey along the windswept coast of California to uncover her family’s secrets even as she’s keeping a big one of her own. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Purchase your copy!

"This dual timeline narrative deftly transports the reader to the sunny California landscapes of yesterday and today and delivers a wallop of a story that keeps the pages turning late into the night."
—Susie Orman Schnall, bestselling author of Anna Bright Is Hiding Something

“A gorgeous golden ode to California history, from the sun-drenched Napa wineries to the hippy-jammed concerts of San Francisco at the height of the sixties. … A delightful intergenerational tale.”
—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Briar Club

"Poignant, page turning and relevant today, I couldn’t stop reading about these women living on the precipice of transformation until the final page.”
—Brooke Lea Foster, award-winning author of Summer Darlings

Courtesy of Kerri's website

Kerri Maher is the USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller, All You Have To Do is Call, The Kennedy Debutante, and The Girl in White Gloves. She is also the author of This Is Not A Writing Manual: Notes for the Young Writer in the Real World under the name Kerri Majors. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and founded YARN, an award-winning literary journal of short-form YA writing. (Bio courtesy of Amazon.)

Visit Kerri online:

Website * Facebook * Instagram

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Book Review: When You Loved Me

By Sara Steven

Local history insists that a legendary pirate buried his treasure somewhere beneath Windward, the decayed Cooper estate on Winthrop Island, but Lucy Cooper never trusted the fable that broke her family apart. When a widowed Lucy returns with her young daughter to grieve her estranged father, she discovers the property’s buried under a mountain of debt, and Ben Ressler has just turned up on her doorstep.

Thirteen summers ago, a teenaged Lucy never meant to fall in love with Ben, a Dartmouth football star vacationing next door at the Peabody estate, and the object of an all-consuming crush by Laura Peabody, Lucy’s best friend. Those two weeks with Ben were the best and worst of Lucy’s life, dooming her friendship with Laura. Now Ben’s returned to live quietly in the Peabodys’ caretaker lodge, after a fatal accident ended his dazzling NFL career. He’s also the last person who saw Lucy’s father alive.

As Lucy reconstructs her father’s troubling final days, she uncovers his research on the frozen winter of 1717, when a desperately wounded pirate sought refuge on Winthrop Island with an enigmatic healer. To Lucy, this history points the way to a different kind of how to forgive yourself for the mistakes of the past and earn a second chance at love. But just as Lucy’s long-buried emotions sear to the surface, a shocking turn of events reveals that someone else on the island will do whatever it takes to claim the fabled plunder.  (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

When You Loved Me was cleverly written, combining past experiences that bleed into present ones, all fueled by a deep-rooted history that provided plenty of mystery and adventure. A background seeped in piracy could have come off as hokey, but not once did the story ever feel that way to me. It was the best way to provide much-needed information so the reader could better understand the obsession Lucy’s dad has, and Lucy’s own perspective about it.

The unsaid connection between Lucy and Ben was pretty powerful. Despite the years, it’s still there, even though Lucy tries desperately to fight against it. She still deals with the leftover feelings she has from the fallout that had come from her past relationship with him, and there is plenty for her to distrust. But he’s the closest thing she has to learning more about her dad’s final days and trying to make sense of it. While doing so, she also reconnects with some old friends and others in her former small town, pushing her into reminiscing and dealing with her former past. 

Woven into an otherwise historical romance genre is the risk Lucy finds herself in by returning to Winthrop Island. Someone else is just as obsessed with her dad’s research, doing anything they can to get their hands on it. The mystery of trying to figure out who it is added an additional level of intrigue for me. I loved how the storyline for Lucy while dealing with this seemed to parallel the same storyline the reader is given in regards to the frozen winter of 1717; characters from both eras deal with trying to hold it all together while fighting desperately to stay alive. 

The standout character was Lucy’s daughter, Punkin. She was so adorable and very advanced for her age. She really was a scene stealer and helped to bring together unlikely characters, romantically, friendship-wise, or otherwise. In the end, truths are revealed, and Lucy has to decide on what will be the best future moving forward for her and her daughter. There are a lot of moments for various characters who are dealing with past traumas and pain, all worked out and shown through dialogue, and through the past experiences that end up shaping the present and future experiences for Winthrop Island. When You Loved Me was a definite five-star experience! 

Thanks to Random House for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Beatriz Williams:
Under the Stars
The Summer Wives
Husbands & Lovers

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The sky's the limit for Mary Ellen Taylor...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to have Mary Ellen Taylor visiting today! She's here to talk about her latest novel, The Sky Beneath Her, which is now available. We're excited for you to check it out and to learn more about Mary Ellen. She has THREE copies to share with some lucky readers!

Mary Ellen Taylor is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of evocative dual-timeline women’s fiction novels rich with history, family secrets, and atmospheric settings. She also writes internationally bestselling suspense novels as Mary Burton, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author known for psychological thrillers and romantic suspense. Across both pen names, her stories explore hidden truths, complex relationships, and the ways the past continues to shape the present. She lives in Virginia and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Visit Mary Ellen online:

Website * Facebook * Instagram

Synopsis:

It’s been seven years since a tragic diving accident took her mother’s life, leaving Tula Cassidy with a crushing fear of the sea. The ocean she once loved is no longer a part of her. And she can’t imagine it ever will be again.

Until her return to the Outer Banks changes everything.

While clearing out an old beach house, Tula receives a mysterious manuscript about the Oceanus. The passenger ship’s final voyage ended in disaster in 1942, and its underwater wreckage ultimately became her mother’s final resting place.

As Tula unravels the ship’s haunting history, she uncovers not only an unexpected family connection, but also a story of survival that helps her understand her own journey toward healing.

With help from Nathan, the charming dive instructor she left behind years ago, Tula faces her deepest fears to unlock the secrets of both past and present. Sometimes the greatest journeys begin when we find the courage to dive back in. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?
One of my favorite compliments came from a reader who told me she stayed up until three in the morning because she couldn't stop turning the pages. As an author, there's no higher praise. We spend months—and sometimes years—creating these stories, so knowing a reader became completely immersed in the world and characters is incredibly rewarding.

How is Tula similar to or different from you?
Like Tula, I love the Outer Banks and feel a deep connection to the coast. We also share a curiosity about the past and the stories hidden beneath the surface. Where we differ is that Tula is far more adventurous than I am when it comes to the ocean. She's a diver who ultimately has to confront her fears beneath the water. I'm happiest exploring history from dry land!

If The Sky Beneath Her was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
This is always a tough question because readers create such vivid images of the characters. For Tula, I could see someone like Florence Pugh bringing both strength and vulnerability to the role. Nathan would need someone with warmth and quiet confidence—perhaps Glen Powell. And for the mysterious Dr. Brooks, I'd love to see someone like Hugh Jackman, who could bring both charm and depth to the character.

Which book made you fall in love with reading?
As a child, I devoured everything I could get my hands on, but Little Women by Louisa May Alcott left a lasting impression. I loved the family dynamics, the strong female characters, and the sense that ordinary lives could contain extraordinary stories. Looking back, I think that book planted the seed for the kinds of stories I write today.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
I'd choose Olivia Colman. She has a voice that's warm, funny, and full of heart. Whether I was celebrating a book launch, getting lost in historical research, or trying to untangle a stubborn plot, I think she'd make every chapter of my life sound both entertaining and meaningful.

If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I'd start with a drive along the Outer Banks, stopping at some of the quiet beaches that inspired scenes in The Sky Beneath Her. We'd visit the Wright Brothers Memorial, explore Jockey's Ridge at sunset, and wander through the charming waterfront in Manteo. If time allowed, we'd take a trip north to the Currituck Lighthouse. From there we’d hop in my truck, and I’d drive you along the beach so we could see the wild horses that live near the Virginia line.

Thanks to Mary Ellen for visiting us and sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends July 7th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: Palms on the Cape

By Sara Steven

After a tumultuous childhood with a mother she describes as "a train wreck compounded by a dumpster fire that smelled like cheap perfume," Rachel Sinclair has made a life for herself. On the verge of turning forty, her upscale beach bar-Palms on the Cape-is packed with vacationers and regulars throughout the busy Cape Cod summer season. She has surrounded herself with a chosen family of devoted staff and great friends, including her best friend, Carlos...who she might be in love with.

When a visiting study group from a Vermont business school, known as the A-List, descends on Rachel's bar in late August, she gets pulled in by the charms of their leader, Tripper, a younger man with good looks, access, and tremendous connections in the restaurant industry.

But when Rachel learns of the A-List's plans to take over her business, she must decide if it's worth the gamble to join forces with an unlikely ally or risk losing everything she has worked for. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Palms on the Cape made me want to run my own beach bar! Rachel’s bar seems like such a carefree, easy-breezy type place, with plenty of regulars and vacationers to add to the charm. I’ve worked in a bar establishment and I know first-hand just how much work goes into successfully making them run, and while it’s obvious that Rachel and her staff work hard and put in a lot of effort, the vibe of the place would be a fun environment to work in. As the synopsis indicates, Rachel has done a lot to make a life for herself and wants to steer clear of any kind of potential drama. It’s a big reason she chooses not to date. Not to mention she doesn’t have the kind of time necessary to get into any kind of relationship with someone.

Enter Tripper. Rachel figures it could be fun to have a brief summer fling with the guy, only to find out later that he has ulterior motives. The path leading to that realization was sprinkled with tiny little breadcrumb clues, so when the truth is finally revealed, I couldn’t help but want to throttle the guy, and the rest of his so-called A-List team. To know that Rachel has put so much time and effort into her dream, only to have some jerk come along and try to derail that, only added fuel to the fire. As imagined, Rachel is lost on what to do or how to fix things. Tripper has a lot of connections and his team has been working behind the scenes to derail her. Suddenly, her goal to steer clear of drama becomes a situation where there is nothing but.

I thought the steps taken to save the bar had been clever and fun to read. Rachel needs to branch out and ask for help from unexpected places, and the reader isn’t even sure if that choice is the best one, given the circumstances. But Rachel doesn’t have much of a choice. When everything tumbles to a halt and everything is out in the open, it was a pretty exciting experience. Flipping the script and seeing Rachel take charge was nice to see, and watching the A-List squirm was even better!

A secondary plotline is the relationship between Rachel and her long-time best friend, Carlos. It always surprises me when I read about or hear someone say that a romantic relationship built on friendship can’t be possible. I think friendship can be a great foundation in a romantic relationship, and it’s something Rachel has to think hard about, as to whether Carlos could ever be anything more than friends. It was a nice plot to help give some levity to the seriousness of what’s going on in Rachel’s professional world, and I thought the two blended nicely together. Palms on the Cape was a definite five-star read!

Thanks to Jenn Bouchard for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jenn Bouchard:
First Course
Considering Us

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