Tag: fiction

This Chick Read: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

Have you ever been asked “If you could have dinner with any five people, dead or alive, who would you choose?”  The Dinner List is a novel about Sabrina, who sits down to dinner for her 30th birthday with five people, one of whom is Audrey Hepburn. An interesting premise, but as the novel moves forward, we are given hints that there’s a reason these five people have been chosen, and in a few hours Sabrina is able to work out her feelings of regret, sadness, love, and friendship so that by dinner’s end she, and everyone else at the table can move in the direction their lives have taken them.

Even though I didn’t have a clue where this novel was going to take me I quickly found myself wrapped up in the dinner conversation and in Sabrina’s life as told through flashbacks. This dinner list was started when she was in college with her roommate and best friend Jessica. On this list was her father who had left she and her mother when she was a toddler, her college Philosophy professor, her best friend Jessica, Audrey Hepburn, and the boy she had a blind crush on in college. As the novel progresses we see the reasons why each of these people were at the table. As each course is eaten, something new is revealed about Sabrina’s life and the people at the table help her deal with her emotions about that time in her life. These scenes were sometimes sweet, funny, fascinating and sad. However they made me feel, I eagerly ate them up digesting the words as if they were a calorie free all you can eat dessert buffet.

I think the reason why this novel worked so well was because Sabrina was not a perfect woman. She was completely flawed. At times, I didn’t understand her reactions yet I wanted to know so much more about her. In one scene we find out Sabrina is named for Audrey Hepburn’s character in the movie Sabrina because her mom and dad thought that that character was a young woman that knew what she wanted and was determined to get it. A great person to emulate, however this Sabrina was more like Audrey Hepburn’s character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Holly Golightly. Sabrina was afraid to be alone, wanting to always be connected to others and she let that fear rule her.

This book made me reflect upon my own list of five people I’d like to sit down to dinner, dead or alive. Should I sit Jon BonJovi next to Abraham Lincoln or Margaret Thatcher? Or maybe I should ask Candice Bergen if she’s available? Regardless, I don’t think it would be as interesting as Sabrina’s journey was in this book.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

The Dinner List

Click this link to purchase!* The Dinner List: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: August Wrap-Up!

When I look back on August, the first thing I think of is my fabulous vacation in France. I’ll admit, I stop and dream for a bit, then focus myself on writing this post!  When I look back there were a surprising number of good books! Just in case you missed these, I want to highlight the books that had a 5.0 rating.

The Tower by Nicole Campbell

This book deals with friendship, love for your best friend and the difficulties of being different while in high school. The three main characters were enchanting and grew throughout the novel. Oh, and did I mention they are witches?

The Tower

“It is a wonderful story about love and acceptance and I’d wish for each of you to pick this one up and give it a shot.”

To read my full review of The Tower click HERE.

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

Sarah meets Eddie while on a visit home to England. They hit it off, spend a week together, fall in love and then she never hears from Eddie again. Were their feelings imagined?

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“This novel was part love story, part mystery, and every bit of it fascinating. As I learned more about Sarah’s life, I really wanted this happiness to be real.”

To read my full review of Ghosted click HERE.

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

Have you ever eagerly anticipated a novel so much that you then didn’t really want to read it? That’s how I was with Magic Triumphs, the 10th and final installment in one of my favorite fantasy series by Ilona Andrew, Kate Daniels. The buildup towards Kate’s final showdown with her father Roland has been HUGE! Ilona Andrews did not disappoint.

Magic Triumphs

“Kate-The reason why I love this heroine so much is because even though she has this incredible power and could do and be pretty much anything she wants, she remains true throughout this series. She wants to have friends, love and have a home with Curran.”

To read my full review of Magic Triumphs click HERE.

I fit in a couple Sunday Commentary posts:

Will These Genre’s Get Me Out of My Book Rut? I’ll admit, I still have not read any of the books in this post, but I did get out of my book rut. How? I read an old favorite by Kristen Ashley called Lady Luck. I knew the story, knew I liked it and was able to enjoy reading again!

Book to Movie- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society– Click this link to read my review of the book and movie. I’ll give a hint. I did like one more than the other but enjoyed them both!

I also interviewed a couple of amazing book bloggers in my Blogger to Blogger series! If you missed those posts, please click their links to read them.

Amanda @Cover2CoverMom

Trang and Lashaan @Bookidote

If you have had the chance to read any of these books did you agree with my 5.0 rating? What did you think of Amanda, Trang and Lashaan’s answers to my questions? Aren’t they great bloggers?

What was your favorite book that you read in August? I’d love to hear about it!

Deb

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This Chick Read: Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

While on her annual visit home to England Sarah meets Eddie and they immediately hit it off. A one day meeting at a pub turns into a magical seven days spent in his home falling in love. Or so Sarah thought. As she leaves at the end of those seven days, they exchange all information, including phone numbers and friending each other on Facebook, and Sarah never hears from him again.

Ghosted def

OK, let’s be honest here, we have all been Ghosted. Did I know there was actually a term for what has happened in the past? Nope! When it happens to you, it’s very easy for that worry to turn into an unhealthy anxiety. In Ghosted, the novel, Sarah knows this happens to people but she can’t help wonder if something had happened. After all, she knew their feelings were true and couldn’t be one-sided. 90% of this novel is from her POV, so we only feel what she’s feeling and even though she gets kind of crazy you just know there is more to Eddie’s story.

This novel was part love story, part mystery and every bit of it fascinating. As I learned more about Sarah’s life, I really wanted this happiness to be real. I wanted her to be allowed to have this one thing that was wonderful. Her restless energy imbued me as I was reading the novel making it hard for me to sit still and finish it. Two thirds of the way through the novel the author took a sharp turn that enabled us to FINALLY get Eddie’s POV. My feelings about him shifted dramatically when I got to see what was inside his head.

I really liked this story. I will admit that as a woman, it’s hard to read from Sarah’s POV because it brings back all of those moments of uncertainty from my single days, and that was before we had all of the technology we do today. Then it was just unreturned phone calls. Now there are so many other forms of torture available! I am so glad that I stuck with this novel to the end. The ending was fabulous, but more because by living through Sarah’s pain and uncertainty her resolution became the reader’s own. It was a great feeling! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Click this link to purchase!* Ghosted: A Novel

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate

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This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Will These Genre’s Get Me Out of My Book Rut?

What do you do when you are in a book rut? I’m not in a slump. I don’t have trouble picking up a book and reading it, I have just felt like nothing has made me think lately and I hate that. Maybe I need to try to read outside my comfort zone? Lately, I have split my reading between romance, urban fantasy, and YA. Do I need to jog myself out of this pattern? I still love those genre’s but I think I need a little stimulation. I want to take a look at some other genre’s and get your opinions on these books. Have you read them? Do they look interesting? Do you have another suggestion of a book that moved you to think about it long after you’ve read it?

Mystery: I love romantic suspense novels, but haven’t recently read contemporary mystery novels. I do love a great historical mystery and have enjoyed a few of those but of the many books out there, which books are people saying are awesome?

Woman

I have seen some many reviews about this book, and it’s definitely on my radar. It came out in January, so isn’t brand new, but the mystery has yet to be spoiled for me. I’m intrigued by the family that moves across the street and isn’t what they appear to be…

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Ohh. Two ex best friends, a secret, and a competition for a new job. Sounds like it could be thrilling! Has anyone read this novel?

Non-Fiction: Admittedly, this genre kind of scares me. Unless it’s a funny autobiography I typically steer away from non fiction books. However, there are a couple that are tempting…

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Is anyone else out there a reality TV junkie? I am a fan of Big Brother, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You can Dance, Amazing Race and have watched past episodes of the Real Housewives of practically any city. This novel may open the window into just how scripted these “reality” shows may be. OK, I’ll admit to being curious about this one, anyone else interested?

caddyshack-book-cover-1-1525443738

Who doesn’t want to read behind the scenes of the making of Caddyshack? I can’t even imagine the hijinks, craziness, and maybe some bruised ego’s that could make this book fascinating. I didn’t even know this one was out there! Is anyone else curious?

Horror: I shudder to even think there could be a horror novel that could interest me. However, I do like supernatural novels that sometimes lean towards horror. I’ve been known to enjoy a Dean Koontz novel, althought typically I steer away from Stephen King. When I was younger I really enjoyed the occasional scary movie, but as I got older maybe it all got too real?

The hunger

The Hunger seems to be a horror/historical novel written about the Donner Party. This was on the list of one of the most anticipated horror novels for 2018, but the threat of cannibalism may keep me from reading this one…  Has anyone else read this novel? What did you think?

Bad-Man

A little boy goes missing in the grocery store when his brother looks away for a second. He spends the next 5 years searching for him. When he takes a job in the grocery store where he goes missing he realizes that there is something wrong with the people, his boss, and the whole place. This one looks really creepy! I’ll admit I’m intrigued. Has anyone read this? Is it more thriller than horror? Or is there an element of the unreal?

Other than that last book possibly scaring the crap out of me, will any of these novels make me think, feel, and well, linger?

Do you have any suggestions for a great book that will get me out of my comfort zone?

I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Until next Sunday,

Deb

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Release Blitz! Young Love by Alyson Santos

Young Love by Alyson Santos IS NOW AVAILABLE!

“I never wanted to come up for air. Alyson Santos is a master at painting the pages with emotions. This one is a must-read!” – Ginger Scott, Bestselling Author

Amazon ➜ https://amzn.to/2LmfOgd
Amazon Universal ➜ mybook.to/YoungLoveAlysonSantos
FREE with #KindleUnlimited

ADD TO YOUR TBR ➜ http://bit.ly/2JABiGj

Sometimes you need to let yourself fall…
Recently divorced Sienna Porter has the life she’s supposed to. A house, career, even a hot young contractor working upstairs to distract her. At thirty-eight, she’s entitled to a little fun (according to her best friend, anyway).

Pain, though— it’s so clever in the way it infects hope and poisons happiness.

Jace Beckett should be flying high. Talented, driven, and disciplined, he’s far beyond his twenty-three years. He’s used to the game, the attention his looks and highly-trained body get from women. Doesn’t mean he likes to play.

Doesn’t mean his own secrets aren’t intent on tearing him down.

It’s just a fling. Sexy. Temporary. It’s not supposed to last. It’s not supposed to transform into love. It’s certainly not supposed to become the air you breathe and everything worth fighting for.

About the Author:
I’m a writer, musician, and cat lover. I also have an alternative music obsession. Seriously, it’s a real problem.
I write what needs to come out, whether it’s pain, tears, or laughter. I write people and relationships, about the beauty and horror of what we do to ourselves and each other. I write Love. Vengeance. Compassion. Cruelty. Trust. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Darkness, and the incredible way humans destroy and heal each other.
I like to eradicate barriers, refusing to be confined by the laws of physics or limitations of reality. I will befriend a vast population of possibilities and introduce them in ways that might surprise you.

Connect with Alyson!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralysonsantos/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAlySantos
Join her group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlysBreakfastClub/
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2E57FWM

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This Chick Read: It Started in June by Susan Kietzman

On the surface Grace looks to have it all. She’s cool, confident and extremely professional in the work place. She’s not someone who makes friends easily because of her kind of cool demeanor and because of that leads a rather lonely life, but it’s a life she is very satisfied with. Bradley is a young attractive co-worker at the advertising agency where Grace works. They get paired on an account together and really hit it off. He sees beneath her cool demeanor and likes what he sees. Grace is flattered at the attention from this young, good looking man and at an after works celebration they drink a bit too much and “celebrate” in the back of her car.  A few weeks later Grace realizes she is pregnant and decides she wants to keep the baby.

This novel is about how Grace and Bradley, two people who are at different places in their lives, try to find common ground and balance in order to be parents to the child they have created. I found it very easy to relate to Grace because I, too, work in the advertising world. I understood the emotions they went through after having a great meeting and closing the account. I’m also childless by choice, although now a bit older than Grace’s forty-two, I certainly remember my own choices about ‘to be or not to be’ a mother. Bradley’s character was a little harder for me to grasp. I met my own husband when he was twenty-nine and I was five years older. Bradley is thirty in this novel and seemed so much younger than I remembered my own experiences with my husband at almost that same age. Of course, different childhoods and experiences create different people, but I found myself having very little patience for Bradley’s hesitations and “backseat” shenanigans. I will admit that I am drawing on my own life experiences in my opinion of Bradley, but most readers would and other readers also may not have those same feelings I did.

While reading It Started in June, I was not completely certain with how this book would end. Grace was so self assured even though motherhood would be a completely new event and as a child she didn’t have a great role model in her own mother. I do think that a lot of women would identify with her character and what she went through in this book. They would root for her to celebrate in her pending motherhood, regardless if Bradley were to join her on that journey or not. You’ll have to read the book to find out whether the two of them resolved their pending parenthood because I don’t want to give away the conflict and resolution, but I will say that while reading about these two characters it did make me reflect upon my own life’s journey which is a compliment to the author for really making me think. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review and it was honest!

It started in June

Click this link to purchase! It Started in June

I am an Amazon Associate and receive a very small fee for your purchase of this book.

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman

Other People’s Houses looks behind the curtain into all of the relationships in a block of houses in the Larchmount neighborhood of Los Angeles. Frances Bloom, as the volunteer driver of all of the neighbors children, she gets an eyeful into the lives of her next door neighbor that makes everyone take a second look into their own marriage.

Although the point of view changes from character to character I mostly identified with Frances, the mother of four, slightly overweight stay at home wife who spends her days making other peoples lives easier. Not to say that I make people’s lives easy, but she was more the “everyman” character in this book, so seeing through her eyes was easier and her point of view was very clear. When she catches one of her neighbors in infidelity she keeps her mouth shut, but her knowing creates a cause and effect that builds into a tsunami that breaks over that neighborhood, changing the lives of not only the adults but all of the children as well.

I LOVED Abbi Waxman’s first novel The Garden of Small Beginnings. It too dealt with a difficult subject as the main character, widower and mother of two, Lili, was still trying to get over the death of her husband. It was a story of letting go and moving forward told through humor. The infidelity in Other People’s Houses was also hard to read, but more so because of how it affected all of the children. There was still a bit of humor but I cried more than I laughed in this book. The funny commentary between mothers and children were present but it was almost bittersweet because of the lesson they were all learning from someone else’s mistake.

Other People’s Houses needs to stand on it’s own and not be compared to The Garden of Small Beginnings, and I think I did it a disservice at first for being so eager to look for a laugh. I was disappointed when I didn’t get it until further into the book. Abbi Waxman still did an amazing job creating credible, real, emotional characters. I really liked these people so was able to get involved in their stories, but it did take me a little bit to understand that this was not going down the road I had wanted to take and my journey was going to be a lot more emotional. If you enjoy reading books about heartbreaking relationships with an occasional laugh then you will really like this book. If you read The Garden of Small Beginnings, be warned, you are not getting the same uplifting novel with Other People’s Houses, but you will still be enthralled with the story. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Other People's

Click this link to purchase! Other People’s Houses

Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Castles Ever After) by Tessa Dare

Charlotte Highwood is blessed with a mother who loves her very much, but that same mother is also determined to see her married well, throwing her into one awkward situation after another. Charlotte is determined that her mother’s newest prospect will not end up being forced to marry her because her mother has maneuvered a “situation”. When Charlotte sneaks away to have a word with Piers Brandon, Lord Granville, and warn him, I and Piers are immediately charmed by her efforts. Charlotte, in her haste to make him aware that she is not trying to trap him, tells him she’d never find him attractive and he’s not her type. He’s intrigued and I’m laughing at the clever dialog and scene that Tessa Dare has written. The scene is not unusual, but she imbues Charlotte with a naive exuberance that you can’t help but find charming, and Piers definitely does.

As I was reading this novel, I realized that I had actually read Say Yes to the Marquess, the sequel to this one where Rafe, Piers’ brother, falls in love with Piers’ fiancee of many years. Say Yes.. was my first Tessa Dare novel in quite awhile and I think it’s fate that another blogger recommended I read Do You Want to Start a Scandal, the next in the series. That moment of recognition, when Piers’ identity is revealed along with the fact that his brother stole his last fiancee, made Piers immediately interesting. Tying those two histories together made his rather cool demeanor have meaning. That demeanor was a mask for his activities, and the fact that he dropped that mask for Charlotte made me like him for her.

This was a fun novel, and the fact that I fell into the plot so easily showed Tessa Dare’s talent for weaving a charming romantic tale. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Do You Want Click this link to purchase! Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Castles Ever After) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: A Piece of My Heart (Blessings, Georgia #4) by Sharon Sala

Mercy Dane grew up in the foster system, works as a waitress in a rundown bar and drives a Harley. She also has a rare blood type and is a registered blood donor. When she gets an emergency call from a hospital in Georgia to give blood to an accident victim, she races for her Harley and drives an hour and a half to save a strangers life.  This dichotomy in Mercy’s character immediately gained my interest. She is tough, yet caring at the same time. Reticent by nature, Mercy quietly sits in the waiting room while drinking juice and catches the eyes of the victims family. Her resemblance to Hope, the victim, is commented on and suddenly Mercy is swept into the possibility that her lonely life may have ended.

Ron Pittman, sheriff of Blessings Georgia, catches sight of Mercy in the hospital and flashes back to the one night stand they had in their youth that meant so much to him. The fact that Mercy may have ties to Blessings is a welcome surprise, a surprise he takes immediate  advantage of!

I really enjoyed this novel in the Blessings Georgia series. Mercy’s background made her an easy character to root for, and the fact that this good looking sheriff has thought about her all of these years and has the patience to get through all of her defenses made their love story a great read. I also liked the fact that she got reunited with her long lost sister and thought their reunion was very well written and not overdone. Her sister Hope was sweet, and the humor Sharon Sala wrote into the novel made me laugh and sigh in all the right places. I have not read any of the other novels in this series and except for figuring out that Hope and her husband had their own novel, I don’t feel like I missed anything in reading this as a stand alone and would recommend that to anyone else who doesn’t want to read books 1-3 just to catch up. Although I will say that I liked the characters of Blessings Georgia and will probably go back and look for a previous novel just to relive its sweet charm.❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase!  A Piece of My Heart (Blessings, Georgia) Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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This Chick Read: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

One night while Starr and a friend were driving home from a party they were pulled over by a police officer and her friend was shot dead. This incident sets up a chain reaction of violence, hate and mistrust between law enforcement and the black community in Starr’s neighborhood and around the country. Through Starr’s eyes we see her struggle with the shooting and prejudice, but also see her struggle to find an identity between the two worlds she lives in. Private school during the day where she is one of two black people in her class and in the ghetto at night where she lives. The Hate U Give while fictional is a voyeuristic view through Starr’s eyes of how African American and other ethnic communities struggle to rise above their circumstances, and how a young girl finds her place between two worlds.

The dichotomy of Starr’s school and home life was the perfect counter balance to the escalating violence between the police and the community of Garden Heights. As she navigated her feelings about what happened to her friend Khalil and whether she is the girl who fits in with the white kids at school or the slang talking teenager from Garden Heights her emotions escalate, just as the emotions escalate between her community and those who are trying to contain them. The two stories running parallel to each other amp up the tension. Even though I am not ethnic and did not grow up in those same kind of circumstances I was emotional, feeling everything that these people I had come to love through this story were going through. It felt very real. It felt very wrong.

I had obviously heard a LOT about this book before I finally made myself pick it up and read it. I knew it would be difficult to read. It was. As a middle aged, middle class white woman who has never been judged for the color of my skin, I was afraid of how I would feel when I read it. What would this book MAKE me feel? Well, I felt horrified. Ashamed. Sad. Sickened. Hopeful. Energized. and Ambitious. It made me want a change. This is why it is good to read and learn things outside of your comfort zone. Thank you, Angie Thomas for writing a book that was difficult to read. That made me think. That made me wake up. That made me hopeful for change. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Hate Click this link to purchase! The Hate U Give Copyright 2018 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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