Book Review: That Night in Paris

By Sara Steven

Note to self: don’t sleep with your flatmate after a curry and three bottles of wine… especially if he’s secretly in love with you and wants you to meet his mum.

Cat Parsons is on the run. She doesn’t do relationships. After ten years of singlehood even the hint of the ‘L’ word is enough to get Cat packing her bags and booking herself onto a two-week holiday.

A European bus tour feels like a stroke of genius to dodge awkward conversations at home. But little does Cat realise that the first stop will be Paris, the city of love itself.

Joined by new friends, Cat has got two weeks, eight countries and a hell of a lot of wine ahead of her. As they discover hidden treasures and the camaraderie of life on the road, will Cat find a new way of looking at love? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

I think one of the best aspects to That Night in Paris is the hodgepodge group of characters that suddenly find themselves spending a two-week trip together, people who might not ordinarily seek out one another in the vein of friendship. It made the experience all the more interesting and fun for not only Cat, but for the reader, too. It is a whirlwind adventure, with quick stops and trips through some of the most pivotal sights in the world- and I felt like I was right there with Cat through all of it.

She’s not the only one who is on the run from something. It appears that nearly every character who is on this fly by the seat of their pants adventure has used it as a means of escape. That added a nice layer of depth, because it is something we can all identify with and while most of us won’t ever have the opportunity to tornado ourselves away to places like Paris, we can live vicariously through Cat and the group. While they are all so vastly different in personalities, in where they come from, and how they live their lives, they all have that commonality between them, making their bond all the more feasible.

Of course, it helps to have a love interest thrown into the mix for good measure. Cat finds herself catapulted back in time, not at all expected. I appreciated the backstory given, and I also appreciated the backstory given where a former long-term relationship is concerned, because it is what bleeds into why she “doesn’t do relationships”, and why it’s hard for her to trust in it, even when it’s someone she once considered to be of importance to her. It made me question what would happen for her and her love life in the not-so-distant future.

While I appreciated the information given in terms of Cat’s failed relationship, I felt it was hard to follow at times because of the back and forth of time frames, from past to present. It could feel jarring. But the beauty of the tour, the bonds of new-found friendships and the excitement of letting it all go and seeking out adventure far outweighed it, lending into an enjoyable experience for me.

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit the other stops on the blog tour.

About Sandy Barker

I’m a writer and traveler with a lengthy bucket list and cheeky sense of humour, and many of my travel adventures have found their way into my books. I’m also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover, and a coffee snob, though my writing is mostly fuelled by copious mugs of strong, milky tea (no sugar).

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Spotlight: The Big Finish

Today we are pleased to feature The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey. See what it's all about and enter author liaison Cindy Roesel's giveaway.

Meet Duffy, an old curmudgeon who lives in an assisted living home.

Meet Josie, a desperate young woman who climbs through his window.

Together, they’re going to learn it’s never too late—or too early—to change your ways.

For Duffy Sinclair, life boils down to one simple thing: maintaining his residence at the idyllic Centennial Assisted Living. Without it, he’s destined for the roach-infested nursing home down the road—and after wasting the first eighty-eight years of his life, he refuses to waste away for the rest. So, he keeps his shenanigans to the bare minimum with the help of his straight-laced best friend and roommate, Carl Upton.

But when Carl’s granddaughter Josie climbs through their bedroom window with booze on her breath and a black eye, Duffy’s faced with trouble that’s sticking around and hard to hide—from Centennial’s management and Josie’s toxic boyfriend. Before he knows it, he’s running a covert operation that includes hitchhiking and barhopping.

He might as well write himself a one-way ticket to the nursing home…or the morgue. Yet Duffy’s all in. Because thanks to an unlikely friendship that becomes fast family—his life doesn’t boil down the same anymore. Not when he finally has a chance to leave a legacy.

In a funny, insightful, and life-affirming debut, Brooke Fossey delivers an unflinching look at growing old, living large, and loving big, as told by a wise-cracking man who didn’t see any of it coming. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Credit: Chemenn Photography 2018

Brooke Fossey was once an aerospace engineer with a secret clearance before she traded it all in for motherhood and writing. She’s a past president and an honorary lifetime member of DFW Writers’ Workshop. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including Ruminate Magazine and SmokeLong Quarterly. Her debut novel, THE BIG FINISH was recently published by Penguin/Berkley (US) and Piper/Pendo (DE). When she’s not writing, you can find her in Dallas, Texas with her husband, four kids, and their dog Rufus. She still occasionally does math. (Bio adapted from Brooke's website.)

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Book Review: Truths I Never Told You

By Jami Deise

Over my past eight years of reviewing books for Chick Lit Central, Kelly Rimmer has become one of my favorite authors. Her latest book, Truths I Never Told You, while not as strong as her two previous novels (The Things We Cannot Say and Before I Let You Go), offers her go-to mixture of family bonds, family secrets, mental illness, and meaningful endings.

In 1996, child psychologist Beth Walsh recently became a mother after years of infertility. But her failure to bond with her baby Noah and other odd behaviors have left her close family baffled and worried. She’s extended her maternity leave, but her mother-in-law is caring for Noah almost daily. Cleaning out her family home after her dying father is moved into hospice, Beth uncovers clues that her mother, who died in a car crash when Beth was a toddler, might have died earlier than her family thought… and that her father wasn’t always the terrific guy who raised them single-handedly. Is there a connection between Beth’s behavior and her mother’s death?

Beth’s first-person narrative alternates with her mother Grace’s diary in the late 1950s. Later on, Grace’s older sister Maryanne joins the story with her impressions from the late 50s-early 60s.

To be honest, it took me a little while to get into this book. I’ve read a lot of novels featuring post-partum depression, so Beth’s issues didn’t feel revelatory to me, and placing the current narrative in the 1990s made the diagnosis draw out even longer. And by necessity, a first-person narrator suffering any kind of mental illness won’t create the kind of bond with the reader that readers expect. Grace, suffering from the burdens of too many young children and a husband who drank away his paycheck, is surprisingly eloquent and expressive for someone in her position… almost unbelievably so.

For me, the book didn’t come alive until Maryanne’s introduction. I had thought the story was moving in a certain direction, and Maryanne introduced a logical and timely plot twist that spun the narrative off from a personal story into something with broader political and social implications. Maryanne herself made an engaging protagonist, an early feminist who stood up to her parents and vowed not to be trapped into the roles that 1950s society demanded that women play. I loved her.

With Maryanne’s voice, the story comes together quickly—in some cases, too quickly—and things pick up speed until its inevitable climax. By this point, the book is “unputdownable.”

While Truths I Never Told You isn’t as strong as The Things We Cannot Say, the latter book is so good that the comparison may be unfair. Just as she does in Before I Let You Go, Rimmer uses the story of one family to illustrate how public policy can hurt and punish society’s most vulnerable people. I wish she had found a way to place this book in the present, because the scenario she describes may soon be common again.

Thanks to Park Row for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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We want Loretta Nyhan in our family...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to welcome Loretta Nyhan back to CLC today. Her latest novel, The Other Family, sounds like a real treat and we can't wait to dig in. Loretta has one e-book for a lucky reader!

A reader before she became a writer, Loretta Nyhan devoured everything she could get her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and the instructions booklet for building the Barbie dream house. Later, her obsession with reading evolved into an absolute need to write. After college, she wrote for national trade magazines, taught writing to college freshmen, and eventually found the guts to try fiction.

Most of her novels center on women finding their true selves. She previously wrote Digging In and All The Good Parts. When Loretta is not writing, She's knitting, baking, and doing all kinds of things her high school self would have found hilarious. Loretta lives in the Chicago area with her wonderfully blended, "Brady Bunch" family. (Bio adapted from Loretta's website.)

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Synopsis:
With a dissolving marriage, strained finances, and her life in flux, Ally Anderson longs for normal. Her greatest concerns, though, are the health problems of her young daughter, Kylie. Symptoms point to a compromised immune system, but every doctor they’ve seen has a different theory. Then comes hope for some clarity.

It’s possible that Kylie’s illness is genetic, but Ally is adopted. A DNA test opens up an entirely new path. And where it leads is a surprise: to an aunt Ally never knew existed. She’s a little wild, very welcoming, and ready to share more of the family history than Ally ever imagined.

Coping with a skeptical soon-to-be-ex husband, weathering the cautions of her own resistant mother, and getting maddeningly close to the healing Kylie needs, Ally is determined to regain control of her life. This is her chance to embrace uncertainty and the beauty of family—both the one she was born into and the one she chose. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing? 
A stranger said that reading my books was like making new friends. I loved that!

What kind of research did you have to do in preparation for writing The Other Family? 
I spoke with many people facing autoimmune illnesses. I also contacted parents who were willing to speak with me about their child's experience with desensitization therapy. They were so open and detailed--I'm forever grateful. Alternative medicine and complimentary therapies are interests of mine, but I bolstered my knowledge with substantial research.

If The Other Family were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles? 
Oooooh! This question is always hard, because the physical appearance of the characters is etched into my brain. If hard-pressed, though, Sandra Bullock for Ally (I know she's older by a decade, but maybe a Sandra Bullock-type?), Charlie Hunnam for Sawyer, Emma Thompson for Aunt Micki, Ryan Gosling for Matt, Willow Smith as Radha, and Jason Momoa as...I don't know. Can't we fit him in somehow???

What is something that would surprise people to learn about you?
I was obsessed with wrestling when I was a teen. My dad took me to matches and I LOVED them. I saw Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Andre the Giant, and many more--they were really tremendous athletes and expert choreographers.

What is the last book you read that you would recommend? 
I whipped through Emily Carpenter's latest, Until the Day I Die. Highly recommend!

What song is an earworm for you? 
"Groove is in the Heart," baby!

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

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 


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Giveaway ends April 19th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Landsliding

By Jami Deise

Once or twice a month, a chilling story hits the media: A man has killed his wife, children and himself. His friends are flabbergasted. He was such a devoted family man. He never let his wife and kids out of his sight. How could he do such a thing? What was really going on behind closed doors?

Landsliding, author Mandy Jameson’s debut release, takes what readers know about controlling men and the women who love them and uses that knowledge as the basis of her novel. Blond, beautiful Julia was shattered when her husband Harry left her and their son, Matty. A scandal in her past that only Harry knew about made Julia vulnerable and secretive. But when she meets Brendan, a quiet and reliable IT consultant, it seems she has met the man to heal her wounds. He’s devoted to her and anxious to be a father-figure to Matty. The only problem? His paranoid jealousy when it comes to her friends, their husbands, and even Julia’s new boss.

Will Julia take her friends’ advice and end things with Brendan? Or will his irrational behavior lead to tragedy?

Landsliding is told from multiple third-person points-of-view, revealing not only Brendan’s private thoughts but also the impressions Julia’s friends have of him… and of her. While readers make quick assumptions about Brendan, eventually Jameson takes the story on a completely different path than the set-up implies. Her twists are subtle, rather than the shock jumps that many writers in this genre employ. Jameson does an excellent job differentiating the voices of all her point-of-view characters and moves smoothly between action and narration.

Although there was one huge coincidence I found hard to swallow, and some of the writing was repetitive at times, Landsliding was a quick, fun read.

Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review. Find all the blog tour stops here.

Originally from Manchester, Mandy Jameson spent ten years living in southwest France where Landsliding, her first novel, was written with the encouragement of a prolific writing group.

Now settled in Sussex with her daughter, her passions include football, chocolate and walking on the Downs.

She is working on her second novel.

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​

Excerpt and Giveaway: The Gift of Cockleberry Bay

**Synopsis may contain spoilers**

Read more about the first two books in the series:
The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay
Meet Me in Cockleberry Bay

From the author of the #1 BESTSELLING The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay

All of our favourite characters from Cockleberry Bay are back in this final, heart warming story in the series. Including Hot, Rosa Smith's adorable dachshund and his new-born puppies.

Now successfully running the Cockleberry Café and wishing to start a family herself, Rosa feels the time is right to let her inherited Corner Shop go. However, her benefactor left one important legal proviso: that the shop cannot be sold, only passed on to somebody who really deserves it.

Rosa is torn. How can she make such a huge decision? And will it be the right one? Once the news gets out and goes public, untrustworthy newcomers appear in the Bay . . . their motives uncertain. With the revelation of more secrets from Rosa's family heritage, a new journey of unpredictable and life-changing events begins to unfold.

The Gift of Cockleberry Bay concludes this phenomenally successful series in typically brisk and bolshy style and will delight the many thousands of Rosa's fans.

Excerpt from The Gift of Cockleberry Bay where Mary explains to Rosa the history of Halloween…

‘What is Halloween all about, anyway? I’ve always just thought of it as a lot of commercial rubbish if I’m honest.’

Mary looked horrified. ‘Let me tell you all about it.’ As Rosa settled back into her chair and took a sip of tea, her mother went on: ‘Today, yes, Halloween, is celebrated all around the world with sweets, costumes and trick-or-treaters, but all this began as a celebration for the dead to return to the living world and reconnect with their families.’

‘Oh, so that is the spooky connotation then?’

‘Well, if you want to look at talking to your loved ones as that, then I guess so, but having that gift, I see it as a beautiful thing.’ Putting some sugar into her tea, Mary sat comfortably at the kitchen table and went on, ‘Halloween is the night preceding All Hallows Day, which is November the first. This date has long been considered one of the most magical nights of the year – a night on which the “wall” that separates the living from the dead is at its thinnest.’

‘Wow, why didn’t I know this already? It all makes sense now with the ghosts and the ghouls.’ Rosa listened, entranced. ‘Go on.’

‘So, this night was usually a celebration of being in touch with the spiritual world and many would experience heightened sensitivity around this time.’

‘So, what does a carved pumpkin stand for then?’

‘Well, a folklore tale states that the jack-o-lantern was originally supposed to help lost souls find their way home. It got its name from an Irish folk tale about a prankster named Jack. Jack was a known troublemaker who was stuck between the world of the living and that of the dead. Legend states that Jack tricked the devil into the trunk of a tree by carving the image of a cross in the tree’s trunk. His mischievous ways denied him access to heaven – and the devil was so enraged by being tricked that Jack was also denied access to hell. So he remained a lost soul trapped between two worlds. In Ireland, people would carve turnips and pumpkins and place candles inside on All Hallows Eve to help guide Jack’s spirit back home.’

‘That’s an amazing tale!’

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Nicola May lives in the UK, five miles from the Queen’s castle in Windsor, with her black-and-white rescue cat, Stan. Her hobbies include watching films that involve a lot of swooning, crabbing in South Devon and devouring cream teas.

Her bestselling The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay, the 1st book in the Cockleberry Bay series, went to #1 on Amazon and stayed there for an unprecedented six weeks.

She classes her novels as ‘chicklit with a kick,’ writing about love, life and friendships in a real, not fluffy kind of way. She likes burgers, mince pies, clocks, birds, bubble baths and facials - but is not so keen on aubergines.

Visit Nicola online:
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Giveaway to win a signed copy of The Gift of Cockleberry Bay (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within seven days, then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. We are not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

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Giveaway ends April 20th.

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Book Review: Make You Mine

**RELEASE BLITZ**

Title: Make You Mine 

Series: Love in Everton, 4

Author: Fabiola Francisco

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Trope: Hate to Lovers

By Sara Steven

“I’ve had a fifteen-year-plan since high school—get a degree in hospitality, learn the ropes working for a big hotel, before opening my own bed and breakfast.

Eli Hastings isn’t part of that plan. The sexy-as-sin contractor I hired to renovate my bed and breakfast is the kind of man I’ve learned to stay away from.

I can’t stand him most of the time, especially when he’s interfering in my dreams like a know-it-all. That doesn’t mean I don’t imagine what it would feel like to have him pressed against me, but those fantasies are my best kept secret.

I try to hate him, but one kiss is enough to give in to my desires. Eli challenges me to live outside of my box, until one major deviation in my plan is too big to ignore. I refuse for anything to stand in the way of my dream, even if it causes me to break my own heart.” (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

I’m back in Everton, and there’s no other place I’d rather be!

The Love in Everton series just keeps getting better and better, and this time, we get to learn more about Averly and her love to hate, hate to love relationship with her contractor, Eli. They are both incredibly stubborn, not wanting to give an inch, and it only adds to the growing tension between them. I could relate to Avery’s personality, given her penchant for lists and organization. There is security and safety in always knowing what is coming around the corner. On the flip side, Eli doesn’t live his life by those rules, and it creates friction. 

For Eli, he chooses to live a day at a time, and as thoroughly as he can. His plan is to help Avery find a way outside of her comfort zone, to let loose, to live more. But given Avery’s past, it’s hard for her to even fathom letting go of the reins and letting someone else in, even if that someone happens to be a man whom she can’t seem to get out of her head. It’s interesting that the two contrasting personalities open up another lens within each character, widening their acceptance on how differing opinions are okay. It’s in that acceptance where we see real growth for both. 

Of course, there are obstacles present that would stun even the best of us. When Avery and Eli are faced with one of their biggest challenges yet, that’s where we begin to see how this couple will fare and whether they’d be able to survive together. It’s shocking, but it’s based on real-life issues that have been known to make or break even the best of relationships, and leading up to it, we see both characters in the beginning stages of a new relationship, where everything is perfect and wonderful. The question is, can those feelings sustain a long-term commitment?

As always, the Love in Everton series is full of white hot steamy scenes and moments that kept this reader riveted. Intertwined is an engaging love story with characters from the other books in this series, giving me the feeling that I’m not only learning much more about Averly and Eli, but I’m catching up with everyone else, too. A much-deserved five-star read! 

Thanks to Barenaked Words for the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Check out the Love in Everton Series here.

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Meet Fabiola Francisco

Fabiola Francisco is a contemporary romance author from South Florida. Writing as been a part of her life since she was a teenager. Even at that age, she dreamed of happy endings with emotional twists. Her novels include Perfectly Imperfect, The Restoring Series, Sweet on You Duet, and Red Lights, Black Hearts.  

Her passion for books and writing has inspired her to write her own stories. She writes novels readers could relate to and grow with. She’s currently working on writing more stories that connect with readers on a deeper.

Fabiola also loves expressing herself through art and spending time in nature. In her spare time, she loves to cuddle with a good book and a glass of wine.

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