The Truth of the Matter by Leigh Fleming

Laurel wants to know why her father is so cruel to her.

She knows she looks exactly like her grandmother, but what could she have done that makes her father take things out on her.

Laurel works at the textile mill during the day and goes to painting school at night.

One day she finally decides she has had enough and leaves in the night from Philadelphia to where her grandmother lives in Maryland in hopes of finding out just what happened between her father and her grandmother.

Her trip was a harrowing one, but she made it.  Her grandmother is just as cruel to her as her father has been all these years.  Did she make the trip for nothing?

Laurel decides she must find out and stays longer even though she misses her home, her painting, and especially Cillian.

We follow Laurel as she is determined to find the mysteries and secrets her family holds.

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER is a very enjoyable read with writing that pulls you in.

Ms. Fleming does a marvelous job with descriptions of the characters, places, and feelings.

This book is a lovely, heartwarming read based on the author's research of her own family but does have some harsh moments

It will appeal to women’s fiction fans, historical fiction fans, and those readers who enjoy a family saga along with life lessons.

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER is a pleasant, satisfying read that will stay with you and one that will lift your spirits as you see how the family endured hardships, made the best of them, and became closer.  5/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Fiancee by Kate White

The annual family gathering at the Keaton’s beautiful country estate is always a pleasant week of fun and getting reacquainted.

This year’s annual family vacation has a few surprises that aren’t welcome including murder.

One of the surprises is that a new member has been added to the family and everyone takes an instant dislike to her. Hannah had also been the girlfriend of one of the other Keaton men.

The daughter-in-law, Summer, knew Hannah, but she can’t get Hannah to admit remembering her.  Summer doesn’t know what plans Hannah has, but she doesn’t like what’s happening.

When her beloved mother-in-law is found dead and Summer has found clues pointing to Hannah, Summer makes it her mission to try to find out what happened to her mother-in-law without telling anyone what she is doing or what she suspects.

As the tension mounts and everyone isn’t as pleasant as usual, you won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.

Kate White once again puts you right into the thick of things and makes you want to be there and to help solve the crime. 

THE FIANCÉE is another heart-pounding read that will keep you guessing until the end.

What a vacation this turned out to be.

Do not miss reading this one. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley and a print courtesy of the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

FEATURING: DARLING ROSE GOLD by Stephanie Wrobel

For eighteen years Rose Gold was told by her mother that she was ill with some disease that no one could figure out.  

DARLING ROSE GOLD is a tense, chilling book, but is very well written.

If you like psychological thrillers, you will enjoy it.

FULL REVIEW HERE

This Week at Silver's Reviews

 

Lots of good books that are reviewed and bookish posts this week.

Hope to see you.

PROMPT: Car on the cover

 

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

 

#CURIOUSCOVERS

@Eggs

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

 

Today’s Prompt:  CAR ON THE COVER 

 

LOVED this book!!

 

PASSING THROUGH PERFECT is another perfectly wonderful novel by Bette Lee Crosby.  

 

Ms. Crosby is a master storyteller.

FULL REVIEW HERE

PROMPT: Food on the Cover

 

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

 

#CURIOUSCOVERS

@Eggs

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

 

Today’s Prompt:  FOOD ON THE COVER 

 

Have you read any of them?

 

All are very good reads.

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

PROMPT: Flowers On The Cover

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

 

#CURIOUSCOVERS

@Eggs

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

 

Today’s Prompt:  FLOWERS ON THE COVER 

 

Have you read any of them?

 

All three are very good reads.

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

Spotlight of Tidal Rage by David Evans

 

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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TIDAL RAGE

DAVID EVANS

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF LOUDHAILER BOOKS.

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A gripping, suspenseful new thriller about a serial killer operating on the world's most luxurious cruise ships?

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PRAISE FOR TIDAL RAGE:

 

“From the slums of Bangkok, a heroin addicted baby is born with mental and physical trauma. He grows up to be a brilliant pianist and a killer without remorse. He finds a perfect solution for his lust to kill, cruise ships. The characters are brilliant, I might be in love with Max Cutler 's character. The plot takes you through the full range of emotions and never lets you down. This is a new author, one to mark down on you index for future, my first five stars this year.”
Judy Bellis – Reviewer

“This is an exciting read about a serial killer with a strange obsession (other than murder) and the complex team of characters who get involved in his story. It’s gripping and has the makings of a really dark tv series but no idea who they would get to play the lead.”
Lindsay Adams-Riley – Reviewer

“The climax has some unexpected twists and is almost guaranteed to keep the reader’s attention to the very end.  A most enjoyable read.”
Steve Canipe – Educator

“Fast paced and full of action, unforeseen twists and turns. A mixture between Cussler and Clancy. Very gripping… would highly recommend.”
Andy Coulson – Reviewer

“Lost the weekend, couldn't put it down, and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns. The writing reminded me of Ludlum and Clancy.”
Colin Speed – Educator

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ABOUT TIDAL RAGE:

Out on the Water, There Are No Rules...

On the cruise ship circuit, Sebastian McKenzie is a star. A brilliant pianist and singer, he entertains the wealthy guests every night in the piano bars and restaurants of the world’s leading cruise liners. But he never stays with the same ship for long. And some of the other entertainers have nicknamed him the Grim Reaper, because whenever Sebastian is on board, people go missing.

After escaping from prison, Josef Werner is driven to a safe hideout in the Didim area of Turkey. He sets up his base in the beautiful bay of Akbuk, and buys two isolated villas high on a hill overlooking the bay. But Werner has been followed by a private eye named Cortez, and the premises are bugged.

Max Cutler is an All-American boy: tall, blond and handsome, with a sharp wit and a keen eye for female company. A stand-out student at law school, he is immediately recruited into the Secret Service, to protect America’s interests overseas. Max is in Europe, breaking up a violent counterfeiting ring in Germany, when he hears that his baby sister Elisa has disappeared from a cruise ship in Alaska.

In a gripping thriller crossing three continents, these three men find their fates are entwined.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

David Evans spent his formative years in Singapore and Germany before returning home to Liverpool. He attended the same school as John Lennon and Paul McCartney, albeit a generation later.

He is currently Managing Director of Business Consultancy, and has investigated over 200 industrial accidents.

This has given him a unique insight into causations and forensics. He is also a qualified lecturer teaching industrial and safety law, and a Principal Designer.

He is a chartered member of the Institute of Safety & Health. Having been a technical author for many years, he has decided to use this knowledge and imagination to write fiction.

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Today's Prompt: Covers With a Building On It

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today’s prompt:

 

#CURIOUSCOVERS

@Eggs

@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

 

Today’s Prompt:  COVERS WITH A BUILDING ON IT

 

Both were good.

 

Did you read either of them?

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

FULL REVIEW HERE

 

 

Lie Beside Me by Gytha Lodge

Waking up with a man in your bed who isn’t your husband and one who is bleeding and dead is what Louise faced one morning.

Yes she had been drinking heavily the night before, but she has no recollection of what happened.​​

The question is:  How did this man get from her bed to her front yard?

​​We meet Louise, her husband, friends of Louise, friends of the victim and the investigative team as we go back and forth from the present situation to getting background on the main characters.

The characters were well developed, but I didn’t really like any of them. The detectives were an interesting lot too.​​

I couldn’t narrow down who I thought the murderer was even though it seemed to point to one person.​​

If you like to keep guessing, LIE BESIDE ME will be a good read for you.

It was a bit confusing, though, with all the characters, but the multiple story lines will keep you reading because of the curiosity about who the murderer could be, how and where the murder happened, and what will happen to the couples keeping secrets and having problems.  4/5​​

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

Spotlight of What A Happy Family by Saumya Dave

 

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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WHAT A HAPPY FAMILY

SAUMYA DAVE

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF DANIELLE KEIR, SENIOR PUBLICIST | BERKLEY, PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE.

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In short, the novel is about a family who learns the funniest punchlines can hide the hardest truths.

 

Berkley Trade Paperback Original; June 22, 2021; Diverse Women’s fiction 

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PRAISE FOR WHAT A HAPPY FAMILY:

 

“A full, big hearted novel.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six 

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ABOUT WHAT A HAPPY FAMILY:

A full, big hearted novel.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six

Nestled in the suburbs of Atlanta, a family learns the funniest punchlines can hide the hardest truths in this evocative women’s fiction novel from the author of Well-Behaved Indian Women

From the outside, the Joshi family is the quintessential Indian-American family. Decades ago, Bina and Deepak immigrated to America, where she became a pillar of their local Indian community and he, a successful psychiatrist. Their eldest daughter, Suhani, is following the footsteps of her father’s career and happily married. Natasha, their middle daughter, is about to become engaged to the son of longtime family friends. And Anuj, their son—well he’s a son and what could be better than that?
 
But a family scandal shows that nothing is as it seems. Bina’s oldest friendship starts to unravel and she finds herself as an outsider in the community she helped build. Suhani discovers that her perfect marriage isn’t as solid as she thought. Natasha faces a series of rejections that send her into a downward spiral. 
 
As they encounter public humiliation, gossiping aunties, and self-doubt, the Joshi family must rely on each other like never before. But sometimes, family has to fall apart in order to come back stronger than before.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PHOTO CREDIT:  Sultan Khan

 

Saumya Dave is an author, resident psychiatrist, and co-founder of thisisforHER. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Refinery29, and others. Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six raves that WHAT A HAPPY FAMILY is a “full, big hearted novel.”

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A Hand To Hold In Deep Water by Shawn Nocher

 

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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A HAND TO HOLD IN DEEP WATER

 

SHAWN NOCHER

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF KAYLA MANCUSO OF WUNDERKIND PR.

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Slip into this emotional tale.

Debut author  Shawn Nocher’s heart-felt family tale, A HAND TO HOLD IN DEEP WATER (Blackstone Publishing; Hardcover) hits the bookshelves on June 22, 2021. 

It follows the story of Lacey, a mother fighting for her daughter’s life while questions about her own mother’s disappearance resurface. 

Join this unique family as Tasha’s illness calls everyone home to band together in these dark times.  

This emotional tale unfolds from multiple perspectives and time periods as this unconventional family exposes the secrets of their past.

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PRAISE FOR A HAND TO HOLD IN DEEP WATER:

"A HAND TO HOLD IN DEEP WATER is a rich and resonant family story, a meditative, lyrical, and deeply emotional exploration of heritage, loss, and the profundity of parental love.”— Claire Lombardo, author of THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD

"A gorgeous...debut novel by Shawn Nocher...Tender and piercing, A Hand to Hold in Deep Water is about secrets, shame, love, and what makes a family."—Kim Magowan, author of The Light Source 

"Shawn Nocher's A Hand to Hold in Deep Water is beyond thrilling. Tender, fierce, achingly beautiful, this far-reaching novel of family and a woman's fight to keep her life and those she loves afloat sounds the depths of honesty, secrecy, and our desire for connection with a sharp, unyielding insight. Add in the clarity of the writing, its supple lyricism and wry humor, and spread the news: Shawn Nocher is a writer to watch.—"Elise Levine, author of This Wicked Tongue

“Shawn Nocher’s vivid, quietly beautiful prose lures you into the world of this accomplished debut novel. Her rich landscapes and complicated characters are evoked with a rare combination of tenderness and urgency. A Hand to Hold in Deep Water is an immersive novel that’s so deeply felt, you don't just read it, you inhabit it and then emerge from it as if from a dream.”—Stephen McCauley, author of My Ex-Life

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ABOUT A HAND TO HOLD IN DEEP WATER:

Willy Cherrymill and his stepdaughter, Lacey, are deeply bruised by a past brimming with unanswered questions. It's been thirty years since May DuBerry, Willy's young wife and Lacey's mother, abandoned them both leaving Willy to raise Lacey alone.

Lacey Cherrymill is smart, stubborn, and focused. She's also single mother to a young daughter recently diagnosed with a devastating illness. The last thing she needs to think about right now is the betrayal that rocked her childhood. Reluctantly, she has returned to her rural beginnings, a former dairy farm in the Maryland countryside, and to Willy, a man steeped in his own disappointments and all the guilt that goes with them.

Together they will pool their wobbly emotional resources to take care of Lacey's daughter, Tasha, all the while trying to skirt the issue of May's mysterious disappearance. But try as she might, Lacey can't leave it alone. Just where is May DuBerry Cherrymill and why did she leave them, and how is it that they have never talked about the wreckage she left behind?

A Hand to Hold in Deep Water is a deeply felt narrative about mothers and daughters, the legacy of secrets, the way we make a family, and the love of those who walk us through our deepest pain. It is about the way we are tethered to one another and how we choose to wear those bindings. These are characters you won't soon forget and, more so, won't want to leave behind when you turn the last page.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shawn Nocher is a debut author and a co-founder of Love In The Trenches (LITT), non-profit foundation support group for parents of addicts who are suffering the collateral damage of their child’s addiction. Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.

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This Week at Silver's Reviews

A busy, busy week.

Hope to see you.

Reading Challenge So Far This Year

 

What does YOURS look like?

I always aim low so there is no stress.

 

The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery

All it takes is a family emergency to bring people back together, right?

Sage, Daisy, and Cassidy had been out of touch since their parents got divorced and hadn’t seen each other for years.

When Sage came back to their hometown and Cassidy had a skiing accident, both sisters had to pitch in to care for their step-sister/half sister.

Daisy had to have Cassidy stay at her house to recover much to everyone’s not liking it - even the housekeeper.  The housekeeper knew Cassidy and wasn’t fond of her.  Daisy wasn’t fond of her half sister either.  Sage was, though.

Cassidy was as uncooperative as ever when she arrived...Daisy wasn’t looking forward to this at all.

We follow the sisters as they try to reconnect with each other and realize they did miss a lot over the years.

We also follow Daisy and her husband Jordan as they try to work out the reason why Jordan decided to leave.

A lot of family drama, but it was a pleasant read with likable characters.

Women’s fiction fans will enjoy this book along with anyone who needs to take a look at their family and personal relationships to see just how important they are.  4/5

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

Spotlight of Kids & Cocktails Don't Mix by Heather Haldeman

 

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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KIDS & COCKTAILS DON'T MIX

HEATHER HALDEMAN

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF CAMYLLE FLEMING | LEAD PUBLICIST, MINDBUCK MEDIA BOOK PUBLICITY

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Author Heather Haldeman's debut memoir Kids and Cocktails Don’t Mix explores machinations of gender and power dynamics in the 1960s and ‘70s as Heather comes of age and must decide how she wants her own life to look.

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Publisher: Apprentice House Press

 

Publish Date: June 2, 2021

 

Distribution: Ingram

 

Publicity: Mindbuck Media

 

Lead Publicist: Lisa@MindbuckMedia.com  

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PRAISE FOR KIDS & COCKTAILS DON'T MIX:

"Haldeman has crafted an enthralling tale that mixes the allure of rubbing shoulders with the glitterati with the harrowing grit underneath the sparkle."—Bernadette Murphy - Author, Harley and Me

 

“Funny, sly, open-hearted and beautifully written, it’s a winner from the
first page to the last.” — Caitlin Flanagan author of Girl Land

“I love this book. The first time I read it I was bowled over, and each time I return to it, I find some new wonder. It’s a book about a culture - and a way of being - that seems almost fantastical, although it was just a few decades ago. It’s a book about manners, about putting on a brave front, about brilliant women trapped in a moment that expected everything and nothing from them. Set in Los Angeles over a period ranging from the 1970’s to the present day [yes? No 60’s for the opening scene?] Haldeman locates a great story within a girl’s life, and her eye for the exquisite detail - of clothes, of decor, of catered food served in silver chafing dishes - has a precision reminiscent of Didion writing at the height of her powers. Funny, sly, open-hearted and beautifully written, it’s a winner from the first page to the last.”— Caitlin Flanagan, Staff Writer - The Atlantic, Author - Girl Land
 

“Old time, moneyed Los Angeles. Women whose lives are dictated by the men they’re married to, and a child narrator who sees it all. Behind the Gates is the tender yet quick-witted story of Heatherbean, an overweight girl trying to make sense of world that doesn’t and shouldn’t make sense, and Marilyn, her starstruck mother who yearns for the glamour and ease life has told her to expect. Haldeman has crafted an enthralling tale that mixes the allure of rubbing shoulders with the glitterati with the harrowing grit underneath the sparkle. Reading this story, I cheered for Heatherbean and Marilyn, wanted to take a two-by-four after Heather’s father, and felt my heart break again and again, set off by bouts of laughter.”— Bernadette Murphy, Author - Harley and Me
 

“In Kids & Cocktails Don’t Mix we meet the Eaton family—observant Heather, her self-assured older sister April,their unreliable father, and larger-than-life mother, the unsinkable Marilyn. They enjoy a glamorous lifestyle in an exclusive Hancock Park neighborhood, but when the marriage collapses and funds run out, Marilyn, trained or no work outside the home, must seek a new breadwinner. Heather, the youngest, overlooked in a fractious blended family, finds ways to console herself. The author has an eye for telling detail, a compelling, honest voice and a sly sense of humor, viewing the often tragic occurrences with accuracy but also love. A fascinating and entertaining memoir of tribulations and survival.”— Marjorie Tesser, Editor - Mom Egg

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ABOUT KIDS & COCKTAILS DON'T MIX:

KIDS & COCKTAILS DON’T MIX is a coming-of-age memoir following Heather, the pudgy granddaughter of the Governor of California, who grows up in an exclusive gated LosAngeles community with celebrities and political figures as neighbors, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

When her father leaves to chase women and riches, her mother must lure in  another man to hold onto the house and the lifestyle it represents. After the father disowns Heather and her sister they, like their larger-than-life glamorous mother, must find a way to move forward.

Watching the machinations of gender and power dynamics of the 1960’s and 70’s unfold in her own family, Heather becomes determined to make her own way through the world.

Unlike her mother, she vows not to rely on looks and seductions, but to find the heart underneath the gilt and glamour.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

PHOTO CREDIT:  Jonathan Weedman

Heather Haldeman lives in Pasadena, California, and also spends some time in Utah. She has a loving husband, three grown children, and two granddaughters.

Her work has been published in The Christian Science Monitor, Chicken Soup for the Soul, From Freckles to Wrinkles, Grandmother Earth, The Mom Egg, and numerous online journals. 

While she has received many prizes for her essays, Kid’s and Cocktails Don’t Mix is her debut book.

Website: HeatherHaldeman.com 

Blog: Heatherhaldeman.blogspot.com

Twitter: @pasadenawriter

Instagram: @heatherhwrites

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