Showing posts with label women's fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's fiction. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

WEDNESDAY REVIEW - A Letter From Nana Rose

 Good morning, friends!

One of my goals this year is to read more books. A writer NEEDS  to read in able to learn and to grow as a writer.  I truly believe that but I've always held myself back for two reasons. One - once I start a book I can not put it down. If I read during the day, nothing else gets done. If I read at night before bed, I don't get any sleep. 


Case in point is this week's book, A LETTER FROM NANA ROSE by Kristin Harper. I began reading the book during coffee, then lunch while out of town on Saturday. Sunday was my husband's last day home before leaving for twenty-two days. Every time he did something that didn't involve me (like getting his bags ready for Monday morning (he had to leave by 5:30 a.m.), I picked up the book. We were supposed to be spending time together LOL By the time I was down to the last three chapters I asked him if he could get on Facebook or something so I could finish the book. 

The cover you see on Amazon is not the final cover for the print book.  So if you go looking you won't see the cover I have above.  Follow the link under my image above and you'll be taken to the correct book... Book 3 in the Dune Island series. 

For me, the book started out a bit slow but as I continued to read I realized Kristin was setting the pace for life on the picturesque Dune Island. The story pulled me in when the letters from Nana Rose began to arrive. In each one, in precious pieces of memories, Nana Rose began to reveal a secret she had harbored for over sixty years! Can you imagine keeping a secret from your family for that long? 

Here's the book blurb:

This summer is one they will never forget...

Arriving at the inherited honeysuckle-covered beach house heartbroken, Jill hopes to convince her two feuding sisters not to sell a place so full of happy memories. Then the envelope waiting on the driftwood table changes everything. In her elegant handwriting, Nana Rose promises a new letter will arrive each day revealing a family secret she took to her grave.

Shaken, Jill anxiously awaits each letter filled with Nana's bittersweet memories of her own sister, whom she loved more than anyone - and lost far too young. But why did Nana never speak of this tragic loss to her grandchildren?

Each passing day, Jill feels her sisters growing closer than ever. And after a chance encounter with blue-eyed Alex, she begins to wonder is she's finally found "the one". But when Nana's final letter arrives, the revelation inside is so shocking that it threatens everything Jill holds dear.

There are three sisters, Rachel, Brooke, and Jill. If you've ever had siblings, especially sisters you will identify with these girls. Always so close yet there are instances of discontent, especially if you are middle child who seems to be overlooked or the baby (as I am) that regardless of how old you get, the other two (the oldest especially) seems to 'mother' you. Yet when push comes to shove, Love will balance the scales every time.

This book was an absolute joy to read. I waited for each letter from Nana Rose as much as the girls did. I felt every emotion they experienced as the learned about their grandmother's life. That is what a book is supposed to do. Draw you, make you a part of the story. Kristen Harper does a beautiful job. 

I hope you will enjoy reading A LETTER FROM NANA ROSE as much as I have. In fact, I've placed an order for the other remaining four books in the series. Book 6 releases in March.

I'm giving A Letter From Nana Rose:

In the mean time, please check out Kristin Harper's links below and when you've finished reading, please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. 

WEBSITE   AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   TWITTER-X   GOODREADS


All My Best!

~ Angela


Tuesday, January 9, 2024

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Kristin Harper

Good morning, everyone!

Bob left for work yesterday so I guess I need to get back in the office and be productive as well.


I'm kicking off 2024 with the return of the Author Spotlight. This series 'should' run every Tuesday with a review of a book by that author on Wednesday. Please bear with me, I'll get there. 


This is Kristin's promo photo from all of her media, including the back cover of her book. She has a website, Goodreads and Twitter-X account. I will link all of those below.

Normally, I read mostly romance but I picked up 'A Letter From Nana Rose' at Walmart last week and could not put the book down. I'll go into more detail during my review tomorrow.

Here is Kristin's Bio from her website:

Kristin Harper grew up in New England, and has lived in various places across the US, including the West Coast and Washington, D.C. She's now happily back in Massachusetts, just a stone's throw from Cape Cod--the source of inspiration for the setting of her Dune Island series.

Kristin earned her MFA in creative writing, and she's thrilled to be a full-time author. She has held numerous other professional roles, such as a college professor, an addictions coach, a data analyst, and a development director. 

Although she's not on social media very often, she loves hearing from readers and fellow writers, so she hopes you'll drop her a line! You can contact her at kristinharperauthor@gmail.com


From what I can see on the website, she is a Women's Fiction author. That genre often offers a bit of romance, though that is not the focus of the story.  I also discovered the book I will be reviewing tomorrow is Book 3 in a six-book Dune Island series. I will have to read them all. 


In the mean time, I hope you'll check out her website, good reads and follow her on Twitter-X


WEBSITE   AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   TWITTER-X   GOODREADS


All my best!

~ Angela




Tuesday, March 22, 2022

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW - Denise Hildreth Jones

Good morning, everyone!

I do apologize for not getting a Top 3 posted yesterday. I have 2 goals for this week.. Continuing to heal from the fall and work through the HB90 course I should have been on last week.  Doing the course this week will still put me on track for setting up Q2, which begins April 1.

I'm also struggling with arthritis in my right wrist so I'm limiting my blogging time.


I'm stepping outside the box a bit this week to share an unconventional women's fiction as opposed to the normal romance. Let's start with the author - Denise Hildreth Jones:


Here's a bit about Denise:
Denise Hildreth Jones is an author and Bible Study teacher. Her books have been hailed as "smart and witty" by The Library Journal and featured twice in Southern Living. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband, five bonus children, and her dog where she leads Reclaiming Hearts Ministries. Visit her at www.reclaiminghearts.org 

If you've been with me for the past six months, at least then you know about the SpectrumArtCreations book club that was formed by friends of mine back in December to read An Ozarks Christmas. They are an art supply company I've become friends with. One of the book club members, (and part of Team Azar) suggested THE WILL OF WISTERIA to kick off 2022. 



BLURB:

Four headstrong siblings must satisfy their father's dying demands--or risk losing his fortune. Let the clash of wills begin.

Charleston blue blood Clayton Wilcott "got religion" late in life; so late, it turns out his kids never took to it. So he's left a provisional will delivered in a highly unorthodox way.

Now they're going to have to honor Daddy's commandments from beyond the grave--for a full year--or be cut off from their substantial inheritances.The scent of wisteria lingers in the air as the four spoiled Wilcotts battle for their birthright. Told in Denise Hildreth's trademark blend of humor and heart, this Southern tale is about learning to love, learning to live, and learning to bend.


This is not my normal read. The Will of Wisteria came out in October of 2007 but is just as enjoyable to read today as I'm sure it was upon release fifteen years again. This book is destined to become a classic and just as soon as I remember where I laid my copy, The Will of Wisteria is going on my keeper shelf!


As a writer, I can appreciate how Ms Jones wrote in no less than FIVE points of view and carried each off with a standard most of us can only hope to achieve when writing two. Each character had their flaws as well as strengths... strengths that showed over time as part of the evolving process they each had to go through in able to achieve the ultimate prize. (sorry, no spoiler alerts here!)


I'm giving THE WILL OF WISTERIA ...



You can learn more about Denise Hildreth Jones by clicking on the following links:



All My Best
~Angela