- The Roxy Letters

The Roxy Letter

By

by Mary Pauline Lowry

This Novel is told through Roxy’s mostly unsent letters to her current roommate Everett who was once her boyfriend. These letters become more journal entry and she only left the first few for Everett to read.

 Roxy, a twenty – eight-year-old Austin native girl, is uninspired and unmotivated. She is tired of her job and is seeking real love. Her life is far from perfect. She is an artist, but she hasn’t painted. She is a deli maid at whole foods, and it is an unfulfilling job for her. She is frustrated with her sex life.  

The description was intriguing, it is a humor interlaced novel. It definitely has a certain Bridget Jones Diary quality to it.

I found the main character very interesting but then the writing fell flat for me and my feeling towards her remained stagnant throughout the book. Don’t get me wrong, Roxy is an amiable character, but she is annoying most of the time.

What I liked the most about this book was the strong female relationships. There are other aspects that some readers may find stronger. like the focus on her love life, her enthusiasm about Austin or even her job.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an ARC copy.

-Twice in a Blue Moon

Twice in a Blue Moon

By Christina Lauren

Tate Jones falls passionately in love with Sam Brandis, a charming boy whom she meets during a short vacation abroad. They are both very young, Tate is eighteen and Sam is twenty-one.

They fall in love and share their dreams and homes and secrets along the way. Sam was Tate’s everything, her first love, her first heartbreak even the first one with whom she shared her secrets.

Their love was intense but then again due to unforeseen circumstances that are beyond their control, they are pulled apart and lose touch for years.

Tate, who still thinks about her first love from time to time, is a successful actress. And fourteen years after the first met, Sam is a successful writer whose book is sold as a movie and Tate is playing the lead actress in Sam’s movie.at this point they are  forced to confront Sam. Sam is still charming and alluring and this is when Tate thinks whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

It is a bit different from other books by Christina Lauren. A very well-developed plot and story line. I found the story entertaining and engaging.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Pocket Books for sending me an ARC copy.

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- The Secret Messenger

The Secret Messenger 

by Mandy Robotham

An excellent read!!!

In 2017, Luisa Belmont who is grieving for her mother, finds an old typewriter in her mother’s attic and decides to delve into past to find the story behind it and who it belongs to.

Most of the story centers around the past, when we read about Stella Jilani, who is leading a double life. She is a typist for the Reich office during the day and by night she is a messenger for Italian resistance.

Stella traffics essential supplies across the city and convey Nazi secrets. Stella also has her beloved typewriter that she uses to produce her underground newspaper.

Stella’s life is threatened and could be in danger when General Breugal, a German commander becomes suspicious of her activities.

The story is a dual timeline of past and present which makes it very interesting. So much research was done for this book. It gives its readers a lot of information about Venice during 1944.

At some points long description of Venice scenery caused me to feel disengaged. But the book is very well written, and I felt drawn to the story of these two women and was hooked from the start.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sending me an ARC copy.

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- Been There, Married That

Been There, Married That

by Gigi Levangie

Been There, Married That, is yet another hilarious Hollywood story. With all the glamour and shine yet lies and fights and divorces. For me it was not a new scenario we hear this a lot on a daily basis. It was like watching one of those housewives of “somewhere”.

The cover was very nice, the story line though was a bit fractured (that is my opinion) . the story could be more interesting if there was a better choice of characters. I found no positive qualities in Agnes, Trevor or others. Characters where so superficial and maybe that is why I, as a reader didn’t really care about any of them in the story.

It is a light read, can be funny and humorous for some reader and some others like me would really fall flat.

At some point the author did a good job because I had a very negative feeling that Agnes still cared for Trevor with everything, he did to her. Meaning the story could engage my feeling towards the character.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC copy.

-The Paris Girl

The Paris Girl

By Natalie Meg Evans

Tatiana, a sought-after Model in Paris is trying everything she can to leave her past as a Russian princess. And be a happy marquise who is now engaged to Gerard, an arrogant man of quality.

It is time for Tatiana to feel happy and enjoy her life is still has more for her. One night in a café located in Montparnasse she finds out that Gerard and his brother have secret dark side. And she understands that Gerard will easily ruin her life to save his own reputation.

Tatiana is being miserable after knowing the secrets and this is when she meets a war photographer, Regan. he is very different from her fiancé and he is probably the only one who can save her…

This book is also following the same path as Natalie Meg Evans other books but with more intrigue.

It has some details that as a writer I think it would have been nicer if investigated. But overall it is a good read.

My thanks to NetGalley and bookouture for sending me an ARC copy.

-The Truth is a Theory

The Truth is a Theory

By Karyn Bristol

Allie, Megan, Zoe, and Tess are four college friends shaping this story in the beginning of mid 80’s until 2001. We gradually learn about these four women’s stories.

Their trials, failure and successes. The timeline was a bit confusing for me. it is altering between present and the past. The book is written from different point of view all at the same time which makes it a bit harder for me to read.

It’s a story about love, friendship and heartbreak. relationships between friends and families.

My thanks to NetGalley and AuthorBuzz for sending me an ARC copy.

-The Companion

The Companion

By Jake Taylor Blakemore

The Companion is a historical  fiction. This novel is set in Main during a hard winter in 1850’s. Lucy, a servant, is on trial for murdering her lover who is also her employer. And the story is explaining how she got here and her journey.

Different characters shape the story and that is why it was a bit slow for me. couldn’t connect with the characters.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me an ARC copy.

-Child's Play

Child's Play

by Danielle Steel

Kate Morgan is a mother of three children, who lost her husband Tom Morgan, 19 years ago in a plane crash. Tom was a successful congressman and Kate was a perfect political wife, who wanted to be a lawyer.

A year after Tom’s death They had a comfortable life with the insurance money. and Kate considered going to law school and fought all the challenges of being a student and taking care of her three children.

Today, she is a senior partner at Berrigan Feldman and McCarthy for fifteen years. Having three perfect children whom She had always encouraged to follow professions that were meaningful to them.

Amazing read, a page turner and like other Danielle Steel’s book , it talks about struggles in life and how to overcome problems.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

Delacorte Press for the Advanced Copy.