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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Reviews at Amazon: April - June 2026

We're posting some reviews at our Amazon (or Goodreads) accounts, as either they've been sitting in our queue for a while and deserve their time in the sun, fall under our featuring policy, or they're new reads that we couldn't wait to post at the blog. You can check them out at the links below. Hope we can help you find your next favorite book!

Sara:
The Tradwife's Lie by Bella Ellwood-Clayton

The Final Target by Nora Roberts

Nightborn by Theresa Cheung

Two's a Charm by Heather Spellman

Melissa:
The Parisian Chapter by Janet Skeslien Charles
The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer
Soon by You by Dahlia Adler
Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding

The Island Club by Nicola Harrison

Eat the Cake by Annie Cathryn

Missed You the First Time by Julia Carpenter

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

Rewrite the Stars by Lindsay Hameroff

The Other Beautiful People by Caroline Bock

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Spotlight and Giveaway: Love You More

Emily Giffin's latest novel, Love You More, will be available in a week from today! Melissa loved it and read it in one day. She will be reviewing soon, but you can check out her Bookstagram post in the meantime. Thanks to Random House, we have THREE copies to give away!

Billie has built the perfect life. Her practice as a doctor in New York City is thriving, and she’s finally found the right partner in Dean after years spent trying to move on from her high-school sweetheart, Mick. Their young love had been intense and true, but distance and ambition pulled them apart when she left Wisconsin for medical school.

Then one morning, just after accepting Dean’s romantic marriage proposal, Billie’s phone rings. It’s Mick—calling for the first time in nearly a decade. His news is urgent, and in a moment, everything changes.

As Billie boards a plane back to Wisconsin, the past comes rushing in—her friendships from home, the love she shared with Mick, and the choices that shaped them. What awaits her is a reckoning with what she’s lost, what she’s built, and what she still wants.

Gripping and deeply moving, Love You More is a story about the plot twists life throws at us—and how love, in all its forms, has the power to change everything.

Credit: Chris Martin

Emily Giffin is the author of twelve internationally bestselling novels, including: Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Heart of the Matter, Where We Belong, All We Ever Wanted, Meant to Be, and The Summer Pact. She lives in Atlanta with her family and two dogs.

Visit Emily online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

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 5th at midnight EST.

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Book Review: For the Bride

By Sara Steven

On the surface, Alice has her life together. She's got a job in music she loves; she's firmly sober; and she's grateful to be back in the good graces of her ex-girlfriend-once-best-friend-now-literal-only-friend Gin. Just in time, too, because Gin's getting married this summer! And Alice gets to be a bridesmaid.

If only the maid-of-honor wasn't Renee Type-A, the opposite of her in every way, and a long-time Alice-hater who's clung to her animosity like a leech. Every second Alice spends around Renee makes her feel like who she used to be, rather than the person she’s spent years trying to make herself into—and she doesn’t want to be reminded of her younger self any more than she wants to be thinking, more constantly than she wants to admit, about her hair, her lips, her wit.... No, Alice has her own stuff to figure out. She still loves music, but her career feels directionless. She’s grieving the loss of her father just a year ago, to alcohol. And then she finds out that her mother's started to date her father’s ex-bandmate, which sends her reeling…and with the wedding just around the corner, she doesn't want to bother Gin about any of it.

It's pure chance that Renee runs into Alice, just when she needs someone the most—and suddenly, everything shifts. Neither of them are what they assumed the other to be. Over the days and nights they’re spending helping Gin throw a DIY summer wedding of epic proportions, Alice and Renee discover that though they have nothing in common—that might be precisely what each of them need.

 Heartfelt and hopeful, For the Bride is a banter-filled sapphic romance with deep emotional resonance about found family, second chances, and finding love in the unexpected. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

For the Bride was one of those reading experiences that flowed effortlessly for me. Alice had a lot of wit and charm, making it easy to fall into her as the primary character, with plenty of flaws that made me want to know more about her. We learn that she’s been grieving hard after the loss of her father, seeing a lot of herself in the choices he’d made. It’s what makes her want to focus on sobriety. For so long she’s been classic Alice; the one who parties into oblivion and causes all sorts of chaos for those around her. But a lot can change and she’s been sober for three years. Not everyone has gotten the memo, though. 

Renee can’t stand Alice. She remembers how Alice used to be, particularly with her close friend Gin, so there is absolutely no way she’ll ever give Alice any slack. It was obvious that there is no love lost between the two characters, with Renee coming on as a very opinionated and at times, overbearing personality, and Alice fledgling around, trying desperately to prove how much she’s changed. Ultimately, one moment provides both of them the clarity they need to see that there is more to it than previous judgements and conclusions, and slowly over the chapters, they develop a closeness between them.

Watching them fall for one another was really sweet to read. I also appreciated how old habits can die hard, making it tough for Alice to trust in Renee fully. It was also interesting how Renee had some secrets of her own she wanted to keep hidden, highlighting even more on the vast differences that make up this budding romance. It was nice to see that despite their contrasting economic backgrounds and how Renee is type A and Alice is type B (maybe with a little C mixed in for good measure), they still try. Without trust, though, it might be tough to ever move forward.

The romance was beautiful, but the friendships and partnerships were even better. Alice comes full circle with former bandmates, friends, and even family members, trying to get past her grief and live as fully as she can. Writing notes and letters to her dad was a nice touch, allowing her to keep who he was alive through her memories and the music he created. The ending felt well-deserved and worth the space Alice needed, making me yearn for my own place like The Outpost–it’s Alice’s home away from home, the dwelling her father and his bandmates have made Alice’s sanctuary, and the place where she will always be herself–not classic Alice, but the real Alice. For the Bride is a worthy five-star read! 

Thanks to Viking for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Also by Becca Grischow: I'll Get Back to You

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Book Review: Greater Expectations

By Melissa Amster

Allison James is finally thriving. No longer mourning her old PR career or cheating ex-fiancé, the thirty-eight-year-old entrepreneur embraces a successful business supporting nonprofits and her gorgeous coffeehouse owner boyfriend. But when her mother suddenly suffers a heart attack in the middle of the night, she’s completely shaken to realize once again how quickly life can change—and vows now is the time to be a mom.

Unfortunately, her partner isn’t so sure he wants to be a father, and Allison worries her pursuit of pregnancy could break them up again. But when tragedy strikes and her ride-or-die best friend is suddenly avoiding her, she feels her world spiraling as her envisioned family seems to be falling apart.

Struggling through heartbreak, loss, and unpredictable twists threatening all she loves, will Allison lose faith or discover that something greater lies in wait? (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I really enjoyed Angela Terry's debut, Charming Falls Apart (reviewed here), so I was pleased to find out that she wrote a follow-up novel. While Greater Expectations can be read as a standalone, it's worth your time to read Charming first. I enjoyed being reunited with Allison and all the other characters. Angela provided enough memory refreshers that it felt easy to pick up where Charming left off. Adeline (from Angela's sophomore novel) also makes an appearance, so there is a spoiler for her story (which is also worth reading). 

Angela's writing is genuine and I feel like I am a friend of Allison's too. I still find her to be easily relatable, even if we're at different places in our lives. I also enjoyed seeing Chicago through Allison's eyes and it brought back memories from when I lived out that way. 

I could guess some things, but I also was glad to be right. There were still plenty of things I wasn't expecting, so I still felt like I was along for the ride. Some of the things that happened in this story were upsetting or frustrating, but Angela handled them in a sensitive way. 

I recently read and reviewed Shaken to the Core by Dara Levan and found a few similarities between that book and this one. It's all coincidental since they were probably being written around the same time. I don't want to say much as to not spoil either book, but if you read both, you'll notice this too.

Overall, this was a sweet story about relationships and the quest for motherhood. I already can't wait for whatever Angela has in store next!

(Trigger warnings at the bottom of this post.)

Movie casting suggestions (most are from Charming):

Allison: Emily Wickersham 

Jordan: Katharine McPhee 

Eric: Justin Hartley 

Jake: Zach Gilford

Kate: Shannon Woodward 

Theresa (mom): Rene Russo

Thanks to Angela for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Angela Terry:

The Trials of Adeline Turner

The Palace at Dusk

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TW: Health scare from main character's mother. Ectopic pregnancy. Infertility. Loss of frozen eggs. Death of parents (for a supporting character).

Spotlight and Giveaway: Romantic Hero

We're excited to share Kirsty Greenwood's latest rom-com, Romantic Hero, today! Melissa loved The Love of My Afterlife (reviewed here) and will be starting this one soon. Thanks to Berkley, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living. . . . Or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.

The last thing Gertie needs is more drama—like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real . . . and very shirtless.

River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal: he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and, surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.

But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to choose: the ending she thought she wanted . . . or the plot twist she never saw coming. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

"Romantic Hero is a swoony, funny, outrageously delightful jolt to the nervous system. It's the kind of romcom we reminisce about the moment we finish it, immediately wanting someone else to discuss the characters who have become our beloved friends through the pages of a perfect book."
—Ali Rosen, USA Today bestselling author of The Slow Burn

"Kirsty has done it again, a total rom-com triumph! I laughed, I cried, I swooned! Five magical stars."
—Josie Silver

"I adored it. Kirsty is one of the smartest, funniest and most compelling writers in the world, and I was utterly swept away by Romantic Hero. It's a truly beautiful, special book, and I will be telling everyone I know to buy it."

—Lucy Vine, author of Seven Exes

Credit: Antalya von Preussen

Kirsty Greenwood is an internationally bestselling author of funny, fearless romantic comedies about extraordinary love. When she’s not writing books, she composes musicals and explores London, where she lives with her husband.

Visit Kirsty online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

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 June 30th at midnight EST.

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