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The Party Line–life changing secret
The Party Line
by Carolyn Brown
Once upon a time, phones had no dials or buttons. To place a call, you spoke to an operator who made the connection. To be affordable, several people shared the same phone line—and could stealthily listen in on neighbors’ conversations. What a way to spread gossip! That was the birth of the “party line.” What could happen if someone overheard something confidential never meant to be disclosed? Gracie, at fourteen, heard a secret that changed her life forever.
Gracie grew up to be a strong, independent woman of means. She shared her life and love with Sarah whose own parents kicked her out when she became pregnant out of wedlock. Gracie helped Sarah raise her daughter Lila and became a grandmother to her in every way except by blood. When Gracie passed away, she left her home and much of her fortune to Lila whose life was changed as she tried to live up to Gracie’s example and expectations in the little town of Ditto. She also devoted a lot of time to discovering Gracie’s secret.
The first chapter left me floundering a little trying to orient myself within this story. I gradually became more comfortable as history caught up with the present and the characters were somewhat sorted. Along the way, we are introduced to Sarah (Lila’s mom), Jasper (Gracie’s 90 year old best friend), and Connor (Lila’s love interest).
I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as other books by Carolyn Brown. She seemed to be searching for herself to understand ghosts, what happens to a person’s spirit after they die, and communicating with the dead. There was a lot going on in the book which could be viewed positively as a variety of plot threads or negatively as an inability to focus on the important points of the story. Although most of the characters were likable enough, none of them were particularly interesting to me. The premise of the book, a secret, was good, but not well executed and not surrounded with any tension.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Fiction, Romance
Notes: clean
Publication: November 5, 2024—Montlake
Memorable Lines:
“ ‘Ladies do not dance around like heathens in the rain. What would people think?’ ” Then her tone softened, and she smiled at me. “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t dance in the rain.”
“Sometimes our choices determine our fate. Sometimes we just follow where we are led and are amazed when we find happiness,” Connor said.
“Do you think this secret stuff will ever completely die down?” “Someday,” she said. “The next generation won’t be interested in something that old any more than they are interested in their grandmother’s crystal and silver.”
Lessons in Love at the Cornish County Hospital–many faces of love
Lessons in Love at the Cornish County Hospital
By Jo Bartlett
This series is the fictional account of several of the workers at St. Piran’s Hospital. It focuses specifically on two couples: Gary, a staff nurse, and Wendy, the head of housekeeping; and Danni who works in emergency medicine and her boyfriend Charlie, a children’s book author. Working on the fourth book in this series, Jo Barlett presents a lot of background about the various characters. Sometimes I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of a soap opera; and at other times, I admired Barlett’s handling of characters and situations that are serious.
Wendy had been married to Mike, unquestionably a philandering, narcissistic jerk who was the father of her two young adult girls. Now he is in a relationship with the much younger Chloe. Wendy struggles with doing the right things for her daughters as they form bonds with Chloe who is pregnant. Danni is also pregnant and is carefully cared for medically as an older mom with a first child. Both Gary and Charlie are caring and loving mates, but the women take the stage in this novel.
With relationship and medical issues, there is both trauma and drama for Chloe. Eating disorders affect several characters. Wendy struggles with jealousy over Chloe even though Wendy no longer loves or is attracted to Mike. It hurts that her daughters see Chloe as the fun “mom.” Meanwhile Chloe suffers from a deep seated and unfulfilled desire to be loved.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #4 in the Cornish County Hospital series, but could be read as a standalone.
2. Only 6 instances of swear words and no open bedroom doors.
Publication: October 3, 2024—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
…borrowing tomorrow’s trouble was a sure-fire way to suck all the joy out of life.
If death could come from a thousand small cuts, so could the death of a relationship and it felt like that day was getting closer and closer.
Everything they’d been through had taught her that love really could be found in the most unexpected of places. There was no such thing as loving too many people, or being loved by too many people in return.
A Cowboy’s Fourth of July–love you can count on
A Cowboy’s Fourth of July
by Melinda Curtis
I enjoy Harlequin Heartwarming books, and I favor books by Melinda Curtis. The Cowboy Academy series combines what I like in A Cowboy’s Fourth of July. In the prologue, the reader gets a peek at Allison Burns, a talented singing cowgirl, and Dixon Youngblood (Dix), her math tutor guarding a heavy crush on her, in high school. The rest of the novel focuses on them as adults, however. Allison is a single mom trying to manage a ranch floundering in debt, and Dixon has returned to his roots in Clementine, Oklahoma, working with his grandmother as a banker. Both characters have trust issues and long for the love found in a stable family. Most of the characters in this book have cowboy/rodeo connections and values rooted in family and the land. Dix, however, was abandoned by his parents and then his grandparents. He was taken in by a loving ranch couple who fostered lots of boys who chose to call them “mom and dad.” The ranch was their home, and they became brothers with all the teasing and support that comes with that relationship.
In his banking job, Dix has to work with people who are under water financially. They fear him because, despite his cowboying abilities, he dresses like a city slicker and has the power to foreclose on their loans. Allison inherited many loans when her parents died and doesn’t have the financial skills to get herself out of debt. Besides the obvious challenges of running a ranch and raising a child, Allison feels pressure to win out over “Pilates Queen” Evie in the yearly fair baking competitions continuing the Graces versus Burns feud, another family inheritance of sorts.
Dix has always been attracted to Allison and steps up as her fake boyfriend to help her in a difficult social situation. As might be expected in a Harlequin Heartwarming romance, sparks fly even as the two work on their own issues. Dix helps Allison discover why she is so far in debt and inspires her to recall the joy she once found in music. Throw into this plot Dix’s uncaring parents and sick grandmother, and Allison’s daughter’s self-obsessed baby daddy. The result is a fun romance with 4th of July fireworks.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance
Notes: 1. Allison’s daughter is Piper. She is 10 years old and enthusiastic about so many interests, especially as they relate to being “the best cowgirl ever.” Allison has never told her anything about her father and that comes to a head in this book when he appears in Clementine to sing. He is also unaware he has a child. Piper is a fun character, sweet but manipulative.
2. #2 in The Cowboy Academy series, but works well as a standalone because each book focuses on a different cowboy. There are four books so far in this series.
Publication: July 25, 2023—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
“Even if you opened branches of the Clementine Savings & Loan across the state of Oklahoma, your mother would still look at you and see the boy she failed because she had to give you up. And until she can look at you without that filter, your relationship with your reals is going to be strained.”
“At some point, Dix, you’re going to have to make choices about your life based on what makes you happy, not what might mend that dysfunctional family of yours….Maybe then, you’d look around and find yourself a good woman, one who understands you’re always going to be watching for signs she’s leaving you to find a happier place in the world, because that’s what most fosters do.”
“If you wait until she’s worked through her issues and you’ve worked through yours, you might just be waiting forever…instead of finding your forever.”
The Silver Ladies Do Lunch–a story of friendship
The Silver Ladies Do Lunch
by Judy Leigh
Join me in Middleton Ferris in Oxfordshire to enjoy a story of friends.
Meet the Silver Ladies—four ladies of a certain age: Josie, a widow of only one year; Lin, married to Neil who is devoted to her regardless of her lack of culinary skills; Minnie, the Doc Martin wearing, single, retired professor; and Cecily, their former teacher who taught them the importance of friendship.
Look in on all their childhood friends who still, along with many of their children, populate the little town.
Listen in on their opinions.
Cheating men: “all men who cheat are pigs.”
Charred food: “It’s burned to a cinder.” “I like my food well done. It’ll be all right—with ketchup.”
Unwed mother: “When will people learn that a pregnant woman is not a target for gossip? It’s a baby we’re talking about here.”
Passage of time: …everyone was so much older now, yet time had passed so quickly and she felt no different. It didn’t make sense.
Aging: “I hate getting older…there’s so much prejudice about aging—and so many problems.”
Friendship: “A good friend is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have.”
Relish the way their attitudes about friendship overflow the little group to affect so many other likable characters in the small town from Odile who runs the café to Dangerous Dave, the accident prone mechanic and his daughter Florence who was deceived by a charmer.
The Silver Ladies Do Lunch has a lot of characters, but the important ones rise to the top. Relationships and circumstances tie them to the more minor characters as various threads emerge. When the author switches to a different thread, the reader becomes anxious to find out what happened to the characters in the previous thread. Never fear! Author Judy Leigh will not leave you hanging for long. I love the way she skillfully provides tension by alternating storylines.
This is my first read of this author who has written many books about women of a certain age. I will return for more of her stories that provide both depth and humor.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Women’s Fiction
Notes: Standalone
Publication: 6/2/2023—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
Miss Hamilton read clearly, her voice comforting, and all around the classroom eyelids grew heavy, faces puckered with smiles as everyone drifted into a wonderful world of imagination and hope, where friendship was everything.
The first scent of dusty pages and old tomes or the inhalation of a crisp new book made her heart race, and she was ready to delve inside and fill her head with the knowledge stuffed between the pages.
The sight of the Thames twisting into the distance always thrilled her. Minnie liked unfathomable depths; it was like knowledge, it intrigued her, there was always more waiting to be plumbed, to be discovered beneath the smooth surface.
Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn–reality TV on a farm
Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn
by Jessica Redland
I have heard praise of the Hedgehog Hollow books, but have not read any of them. I was excited to read Jessica Redland’s Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn which is set in Yorkshire and incorporates the Hedgehog Hollow Rescue Center in the plot and setting.
Barney comes from a farming family and Amber from a dramatically inclined family. Barney is convinced by his sister Fizz to apply to appear on a new reality TV show which Amber is producing. Amber is not normally a fan of reality TV, but as producer of the family friendly docu-series Countryside Calendar, she is convinced to produce Love on the Farm “with genuine intentions to help farmers find love rather than putting the participants through ritual humiliation and manipulating the footage for shock value and ratings success.” As a farmer, Barney leads a fairly lonely and isolated life. This show could be an opportunity for him to attain a lifelong match.
Both Barney and Amber are really nice people, and both have been hurt in past relationships. Barney enters the show with an open mind, and Amber has a professional attitude which is hard to maintain when the company she works for changes its perspective on the show as well as hiring new directors. With a non-disclosure agreement, Amber is unable to share the changes with Barney and the chosen matches. The results are some unpleasant surprises that are intended to increase ratings.
Even with family health issues and broken hearts, the show must go on. Eventually we learn of the betrayals of various “ex’s” revealing personalities who are ruthless and self-centered. Through it all, both Amber and Barney remain true to their principles. As Amber says, “It’s not about winning…It’s about what’s right.”
I very much enjoyed the interplay of the main characters and the supportive roles of the minor characters. Amazon lists this as a standalone, but I hope it will be the first of a new series. There are so many directions the talented Redland could take these characters.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: General Fiction, Romance
Notes: I don’t watch reality TV, but I enjoyed this book.
Publication: January 24, 2023—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
To “pull an Amber” was to either avoid a night out or to show your face and slope off to bed early.
It turned out that Parker and I weren’t just not on the same page—we weren’t even in the same library.
Every snide comment, I met with a look. Every criticism, I met with praise for the participants or crew. Every dig at me, I just laughed and walked away—far more powerful than stooping to his level.
The Whittiers–family ties
The Whittiers
by Danielle Steel
If you want to relax with a good story, nothing too heavy, and one that doesn’t try to change the world, you might enjoy The Whittiers. The theme is family. A devastating accident occurs that changes the Whittier family forever. Although they share the same basic values, the three bothers and three sisters seek out individual paths to happiness Rather than rendering them bitter, the accident results in strong familial bonds.
The reader of The Whittiers meets each of the family members at the beginning of the book, and then romantic interests are gradually added to the mix. Amanda is the wife of Lyle, the oldest of the siblings. It becomes clear early in the book that she loves only herself and her initial attraction was not to Lyle but to his money. As much as you will dislike Amanda, you will love Benjie, the young sibling who will always have special needs and require an adult’s supervision. Everyone else piles in to make a crazy, lovable family.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: General Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Notes: contains mild swearing
Publication: November 22, 2022—Delacorte Press
Memorable Lines:
Their father had worked hard too, though maybe not as hard as they did, in a less crazy publishing world, at a more gentlemanly time. The modern world moved at a much faster pace. Computers and the Internet had changed everything for all of them. Their father often said he was glad he wasn’t working now.
Annabelle watched the screen intently and then looked away. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the image, except she was shocked to see that it looked like a baby, not a blob. It suddenly made it all so real.
Her life was a filled to the brim with people who loved her. It shone in her eyes, and she had unlimited love to give as a result.
Striking Range–another winner from Mizushima
Striking Range
by Margaret Mizushima
Striking Range is one of those books that can not be tidily put in a box with a label. It is a police procedural as the reader gets to see law enforcement, federal, state, and local, at work. It is a K-9 mystery, a who-dun-it where Deputy Mattie Cobb shares the limelight with K-9 officer Robo. He is her buddy and she is his handler; they look out for each other. Watching Robo’s skills is fascinating. This book has enough suspenseful action and danger that it is also a thriller.
The plot is quite involved as Mattie is reviving a thirty year old cold case of the murder of her biological father. Was he a dirty cop? There seems to be only one person alive who knows the truth. He is the same evil man who tried to kill Mattie, but in her determination to find justice for her father, she visits him in a Colorado state prison.
Another thread in the plot is the discovery of the body of a young girl. Only the day before, she was pregnant. What happened to the baby? Why would someone kill the baby? How does fentanyl keep tying into this mystery?
Cole, Mattie’s boyfriend, is a veterinarian and is active in the sheriff’s posse. He plays a prominent role in this story, and there are also a number of kids who figure strongly into the plot.
There are many suspects to sort through. Although I had guessed the motive from a number of reasonable possibilities, the identity of the murderer was a surprise. Complications to solving this crime keep adding up and weather conditions in the rural setting don’t help. Author Margaret Mizushima is a talented writer with descriptions that put you at the scene and let you experience the emotions of the characters. This series is my favorite K-9 series. I have happily read all of the published books in the series and am looking forward to the next one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #6 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series. Although the characters continue from one book to the next, it would be excellent as a standalone as the author includes background information as needed.
2. It has a few instances of swearing, but no sex.
Publication: September 7, 2021—Crooked Lane Books
Memorable Lines:
Getting the kids ready for school each morning before he hurried off to work was like lining up horses at the gate before a race—everyone wanted to run off in a different direction, and sometimes someone balked at going anywhere.
Narcan reversed the effects of opiates such as fentanyl, one of the street drugs most dangerous to narcotics detection dogs. It saved the lives of dogs, their handlers, and even addicts after accidental exposure or overdose. Nowadays K-9 officers carried two doses, one for their dog and one for themselves.
Always a sporty dresser, he straightened his bow tie, which was lime green with yellow polka dots, a cheerful addition that conflicted with the lines of fatigue on his face.
Aria’s Travelling Book Shop–trauma of grief
Aria’s Travelling Book Shop
by Rebecca Raisin
This second adventure of the Van Lifers features Aria, Rosie and Max who are the main characters in Aria’s Travelling Book Shop. We follow them to France for the summer where they meet up with new and old friends as is the way with these nomadic souls who travel from festival to festival earning their way as they go by holding pop-up specialty shops.
This story is told from Aria’s point of view. She lost the love of her life to cancer three years ago and is still struggling with grief, guilt, and an inability to move forward in her life. Her friend Rosie is always there to support her, but Rosie has a life surprise that complicates her ever-meticulous plans. Aria tries to re-establish a relationship with her husband’s family who estranged themselves from her after TJ’s death. She receives a journal written by TJ during his last months that reveal his hopes for her future. Jonathan is a successful writer who wants to be friends with the romance book loving Aria.
An interesting technique the author uses is to have Aria step outside herself, as if she were an onlooker announcing the events. For example, in italics we read “Hopeless romantic Aria vowed never to love again after loving her husband, TJ, but fate seems to have other ideas and keeps throwing mysterious Jonathan in her path. Is this a test of her commitment…” Using this approach, we get an up close view of Aria’s working through her issues in an almost humorous way.
In addition to personal matters, Rosie and Aria are confronted with a negative and unhappy “friend” who invites herself along. She is not a nice person, but Rosie and Aria try to understand and help her. Look for a surprise transformation for that character, and enjoy the very bookish nature of this novel.
I would like to extend my thanks to Edelweiss and to HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: #2 in The Travelling Shops series, but can be read as a standalone.
Publication: August 10, 2021—Harper Collins
Memorable Lines:
Promises that won’t be kept swirl in the air above like the glittery trail of a sparkler extinguished before the word is written. I smile sadly, wishing things didn’t have to end but knowing that they do.
“According to my translation app you just told him: You’re a wet chicken!” She bites down on her lip before laughter gets the better of her.
I duly sit and wait for Rosie as she hurries to make tea and serves me a slice of cake so large it has its own postcode.
Snowed in with the Single Dad–twins and more twins
Snowed in with the Single Dad
by Melinda Curtis
Laurel, who frequently acts as a double for her famous actress twin Ashley, takes her role too far on a date with handsome actor Wyatt with some lasting consequences. She escapes to Second Chance where she meets Mitch, a lawyer who is managing the inn and his just turned teenage daughter Gabby who has perfected eye rolls. Laurel is a creative dress designer, but she always puts the needs of others, especially her sister Ashley, ahead of her own. Among the locals, the quirky but artistically talented sisters Odette and Flip are mainstays in Second Chance and are instrumental, along with Mitch, in helping Laurel find her own dream as Second Chance lives up to its name in this sweet romance.
I would like to extend my thanks to Melinda Curtis for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance (Clean)
Notes: #2 in the Mountain Monroes Series but works as a standalone. There is a chart showing the family relations and the author provides any background from previous books that is needed.
Publication: June 1, 2019—Harlequin Heartwarming
Memorable Lines:
She’d seen Mitch smile before. Kind smiles. Polite smiles. Rueful smiles. But never a smile like this. A smile of pure, unapologetic joy. That smile. It reached into her chest like a heart-to-heart hug. It said everything was going to be all right.
He laid his cell hone faceup on the table, the sure sign of a man who considered whatever might happen in the world more important than the person they were dining with.
Her mother was a master manipulator. She recognized the dead end they’d come to and took on a new attack as smoothly as a shark circled back for the kill.
Goodness, Grace, and Me–it’s complicated
Goodness, Grace, and Me
by Julie Houston
Complicated relationships are at the center of Julie Houston’s Goodness, Grace, and Me. Harriet (Hat) has been best friends with Grace since they were eleven, and they both idolized Amanda who along the way picked up the title “Little Miss Goodness.” Twenty years later, Grace and Harriet assume they are rid of her influence when she suddenly re-enters their lives. Despite all warnings, Harriet’s husband Nick becomes involved in business with Amanda’s husband and thus Amanda. Grace’s brother continues to be under Amanda’s spell.
Life is not easy for Harriet, mother of three, who had to return to teaching because of economic problems. Also Nick’s mother has come to live with them. Although her situation is complicated, Harriet pushes hard for stability for her family.
This is my second Julie Houston book to read and I like it much better than the first. The main character is strong, likable, and has moral character. There is a subplot involving Harriet’s mother, possible dementia, and a secret. I wasn’t sure how the plot would sort itself out, but it did and I enjoyed watching it happen.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Aria for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5/5
Category: General Fiction (Adult), Women’s Fiction
Notes: Includes some British vulgarisms but they are not terribly offensive compared to those found in Julie Houston’s Coming Home to Holly Close Farm.
Publication: February 19, 2019—Aria
Memorable Lines:
I can only ever sulk for a maximum of five minutes, by which time I’ve usually had enough of giving the cold shoulder treatment and need to start talking again. Life is just too short to spend it in silence.
Admittedly, I did most of the hard graft but I lightened the proceedings by blasting out T.Rex’s “I Love to Boogie”, so that even Kit forgot he was a fully paid up member of the moody brigade and jitterbugged round the furniture with the Hoover.
…wrapping a duvet around her against the almost damp cold which had settled in the sitting room like a melancholic maiden aunt who has outstayed her welcome, I went back through the hall to ring the doctor’s surgery.
education pathways 