Today's Prompt: Grow//Growth

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#BloomingBibliophiles

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  GROW/GROWTH

A lost woman, an estate in shambles, a diary, and the South of France.   Who doesn't love all of these things...especially a diary. 

FULL REVIEW HERE 

 

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick

Mitchell went from his job as an engineer to the job of removing padlocks placed by lovers on bridge railings and padlocks that were starting to weigh down the bridges.

Mitchell lived alone with his daughter since his wife died, and he had a difficult time making ends meet, keeping her entertained, and trying to not think about love since he still grieved for his wife.

One day as Mitchell was removing the padlocks, he saw a woman falling over the edge of the railing.  He jumped in after her and rescued her.

Of course he didn't like the attention he received from his rescue, but he did keep thinking about this girl.  His only regret was that he never got her name.

We follow Mitchell as he looks for this woman and finds out that her sister is his daughter’s music teacher and that she had disappeared a year ago.  He then becomes involved in the family’s search for Yvette. He also finds out that there are some secrets in this family.

Besides helping the family search for Yvette, Mitchell is pulled into a journalist's story about his heroics when the journalist asked readers to write to him.  His involvement is to read the hundreds of handwritten letters that have made their way to her desk.

Ms. Patrick has written another heartwarming book with characters you will fall in love with and a story line that will keep you turning the pages.

I always enjoy Ms. Patrick's books because they are uplifting and sweet.

THE SECRETS OF LOVE STORY BRIDGE will warm your heart just as all of her books.

A truly enjoyable read. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher and BookBrowse in exchange for an honest review.

PHAEDRA PATRICK:

 PHOTO CREDIT:  SAM RALPH

Phaedra Patrick is the author of The Library of Lost and Found, Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone and The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, which has been published in over twenty countries around the world. 

She studied art and marketing, and has worked as a stained-glass artist, film festival organizer and communications manager. 

An award-winning short story writer, she now writes full-time. She lives in Saddleworth, UK, with her husband and son.

BUY LINKS:

THE SECRETS OF LOVE STORY BRIDGE

Author: Phaedra Patrick

ISBN: 9780778309789

Publication Date: April 28, 2020

Publisher: Park Row Books

Buy Links: 

Harlequin 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @PhaedraPatrick

Instagram: @PhaedraPatrick

Facebook: @PhaedraPatrick

Goodreads

Have You Seen Me by Kate White

Ally went to work, but not to the place she currently works. 

Ally ended up at the place she had worked five years ago, and then she fainted and is rushed to the hospital.

Those two things were not the worst part.  Ally can't remember anything, her purse is gone, and apparently she had been gone for two days.

After coming home from the hospital, things still didn’t clear up.

Ally couldn’t remember what had triggered her memory loss and wondered if a traumatic event when she was nine may have resurfaced and caused her dissociative episode.

As I read, I could feel something was just not quite right with the characters, Ally's episode, and her situation.  An undercurrent of something sinister seemed to lurk behind the words.

You will be on pins and needles with Ally as you wonder what’s really happening and who’s behind it all.  How could everything that's happening be a coincidence?

Ms. White always brings her readers a story that will keep you tense, totally absorbed, and in this case thinking about your memory and well being.
 
Are you doing all you can for your well being and your life? 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Spotlight and Giveaway of The Sweeney Sisters

Photo Source
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Alessandra Scarpaci of Wunderkind PR is celebrating the release of:

THE SWEENEY SISTERS

With a USA Giveaway!!

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Information in this post is courtesy of Alessandra Scarpaci of Wunderkind PR.

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Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife, Lian Dolan has a new novel out this Spring by William Morrow and it’s ideal for book clubs to jumpstart conversations about DNA testing and its life-changing results.

THE SWEENEY SISTERS (William Morrow; Hardcover; April 28, 2020)

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PRAISE FOR THE SWEENEY SISTERS:

"This is a big-hearted belly-laugh of a book, told with wit and poignancy. Family secrets, laughter and tears, shocking reveals, and an uplifting ending make this a story to savor--and share."  (Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of The Oysterville Sewing Circle) 

"Dolan uses her experience in podcasting with her own sisters to craft believable women characters who worry about real problems and use wry humor to push through dark moments . . . . A warmhearted portrait of love embracing true hearts."  (Kirkus)

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ABOUT THE SWEENEY SISTERS:

Maggie, Liza, and Tricia Sweeney grew up as a happy threesome in the idyllic seaside town of Southport, Connecticut. But their mother’s death from cancer fifteen years ago tarnished their golden-hued memories, and the sisters drifted apart.

Their one touchstone is their father, Bill Sweeney, an internationally famous literary lion and college professor universally adored by critics, publishers, and book lovers. When Bill dies unexpectedly one cool June night, his shell-shocked daughters return to their childhood home.

They aren’t quite sure what the future holds without their larger-than-life father, but they do know how to throw an Irish wake to honor a man of his stature.

But as guests pay their respects and reminisce, one stranger, emboldened by whiskey, has crashed the party. It turns out that she too is a Sweeney sister.

When Washington, DC based journalist Serena Tucker had her DNA tested on a whim a few weeks earlier, she learned she had a 50% genetic match with a childhood neighbor—Maggie Sweeney of Southport, Connecticut. It seems Serena’s chilly WASP mother, Birdie, had a history with Bill Sweeney—one that has remained totally secret until now.

Once the shock wears off, questions abound. What does this mean for William’s literary legacy? Where is the unfinished memoir he’s stashed away, and what will it reveal? And how will a fourth Sweeney sister—a blond among redheads—fit into their story?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PHOTO CREDIT:  Brookes Treidler

Lian Dolan is a writer and podcaster. She is the host of Satellite Sisters, a podcast she created with her four real sisters.

She is the author of two bestselling novels, Helen of Pasadena and Elizabeth the First Wife and the co-author of two collections of essays, Satellite Sisters UnCommon Senses and You’re The Best: A Celebration of Friendship.

She has written columns for O, The Oprah Magazine andWorking Mother and is currently a columnist for Pasadena Magazine.

A graduate of Pomona College, she lives in Pasadena, California, with her husband, two sons and a big German shepherd.

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GIVEAWAY: 

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PLEASE.

I am partnering with Alessandra Scarpaci of Wunderkind PR for this giveaway:

USA ONLY
April 27 - May 4

Enter here

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Today's Prompt: Warm/Warmth

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

#BloomingBibliophiles

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

@OriginalCyn620

Today’s Prompt:  WARM/WARMTH

NOTHING TO SEE HERE is comical as well as heartwarming as Lillian learns to take care of Roland and Bessie and fall in love with these strange, needy, difficult children. 

This book is heartwarming as well as heartbreaking

FULL REVIEW HERE  

This Week At Silver's Reviews

This is the last week of April....time is flying.

Hope you and yours are safe and healthy.

 

Today's Prompt: Chair On The Cover

Thank you to eggs of Litsy: 

#AcrossApril

@eggs

Today’s Prompt:  CHAIR ON THE COVER

LOOKING FOR ME is about the relationship between family members and how tragedies can tear them apart and also about talents that we shouldn't waste.  If you are an antique buff, you will be thrilled.

FULL REVIEW HERE

The 10th Book On Your Shelf

What is the 10th book on YOUR shelf - use any shelf any bookshelf.

Check all those other beauties too.
 

Books With A Number In The Title

LOVE the covers.

Any you have read?  What can YOU add?

All are reviewed on my blog.

Spotlight and Giveaway of Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan

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Lisha Samuel of Wunderkind is celebrating the paperback release of BECOMING MRS. LEWIS with a USA Giveaway.

The perfect paperback to read during your quarantine.

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Information in this post is courtesy of Lisha Samuel of Wunderkind.

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BECOMING MRS. LEWIS by Patti Callahan is a work of historical fiction inspired by the life of Joy Davidman and her improbable love story with C.S. Lewis.

Patti Callahan, has written an exquisite novel about, C.S. Lewis’s muse, Joy Davidman and their improbable love story, BECOMING MRS. LEWIS.

 The novel has also inspired a behind-the-scences podcast where Patti conducts fascinating interviews and brings you to the places on her journey in unraveling the love story between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. You can listen to the episodes here.

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PRAISE FOR BECOMING MRS. LEWIS:

 “Callahan (The Bookshop at Water’s End) vividly enters the life of a woman searching for both God and romantic love in this pleasing historical novel about writer and poet Joy Davidman...Making full use of historical documentation, Callahan has created an incredible portrait of a complex woman.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

“Patti Callahan has inhabited her subject so convincingly that Joy’s light can finally shine brightly. Highly, highly recommended!”
—Historical Novels Review, Editor’s Pick 

“Patti Callahan’s lyrical novel Becoming Mrs. Lewis (Thomas Nelson, 2018) details American author Joy Davidman’s unconventional friendship-turned-romance with famed author and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis…The thoughtful narrative reads more like a memoir than fiction.”
—WORLD Magazine 

“Spanning more than a decade, this slow-burning love story will be especially satisfying to writers and C.S. Lewis fans, as there are many references to his literary canon and his famous stories of Narnia. Callahan’s prose is heartfelt and full of grace.”
—Bookpage 

"Through the vibrant and emotional writing in BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, we witness an unlikely romance, especially for our current times, where two perfectly deserving people wait to totally know one another, and themselves, before embarking on a romantic relationship."
—Bookreporter.com 

“This breathtaking story is so real that it almost has a heartbeat. Patti Callahan brings Joy Davidman to life once again in these pages with writing as lush and lyrical as one of Davidman’s sonnets. At once an important historical novel and a fascinating and astonishing love story, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a must-read for anyone who has ever grappled with finding his or her place in the world.”
—BookTrib

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ABOUT BECOMING MRS. LEWIS: 

Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy.

In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories never told, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant and change us.

Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had. BECOMING MRS. LEWIS is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Patti Callahan is a New York Times bestselling author.

Patti was a finalist in the Townsend Prize for Fiction, has been an Indie Next Pick, twice an OKRA, and a multiple nominee for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Novel of the Year. 

Callahan is the recipient of The Christy Award—A 2019 Winner "Book of the Year” ; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year for 2020 and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for 2019. 

Her work has also been included in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and blogs.

Patti attended Auburn University for her undergraduate work and Georgia State University for her Graduate degree. Once a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, she now writes full time. 

The mother of three children, she lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Bluffton, South Carolina, with her husband. 

Follow Patti: Author Page | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

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GIVEAWAY: 

ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PLEASE.

I am partnering with Lisha Samuel of Wunderkind for this giveaway:

USA ONLY
April 24 - 30

Enter here

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FEATURING: THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Alexandra Burt

A childhood filled with secrets about her identity and her life,  never going to school, and always on the move until her mother finally came back to Aurora, Texas.  That is what Dahlia dealt with throughout her childhood. 

FULL REVIEW HERE.

PROMPT: Inspiring

Thank you to eggs of Litsy:

#AcrossApril

@eggs

Today’s Prompt:  INSPIRING

The beekeeper's quotes at the head of each chapter were thoughtful and interesting, and the inspiring quotes throughout the book were marvelous. 

Another lovely, enjoyable, memorable read that won't disappoint fans of Karen White and women's fiction fans.

FULL REVIEW HERE. 

Orange Covers

Share those orange covers - they should brighten your day!!

This Week at Silver’s Reviews

I hope you can stop by this week.

Did you try a SPINE POEM?  😊 

Spine Poem

Thank you to eggs of Litsy:

#AcrossApril

@eggs

Today’s Prompt:  SPINE POEM #2

Love doing these.

The Poem:

A Window Opens

Along the Infinite Sea

AND The Pocket Wife

AND The Daring Ladies of Lowell

WERE A Long Time gone