Review: Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 466 KB
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin HQN (Jun 25 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00BED26RM

Book Description

 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery welcomes readers back to Fool's Gold, where a one-time fling could become the real thing...

Felicia Swift never dreamed she'd hear a deep, sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool's Gold, California. The last time Gideon Boylan whispered in her ear was half a world away...on the morning after the hottest night of her life. Her freaky smarts have limited her close friendships, and romance, but she came to Fool's Gold looking for ordinary. Gorgeous, brooding Gideon is anything but that.

Black Ops taught Gideon that love could be deadly. Now he pretends to fit in while keeping everyone at arm's length. Felicia wants more than he can give-a home, family, love-but she has a lot to learn about men...and Gideon needs to be the man to teach her.

As these two misfits discover that passion isn't the only thing they have in common, they just might figure out that two of a kind should never be split apart.

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women. Publishers Weekly calls Susan’s prose “luscious and provocative,” and Booklist says “Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.” Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. Visit her at www.SusanMallery.com. 

My Review

Another winner from Susan Mallery.  If you are a fan of the Fool's Gold series then you will undoubtedly be picking up a copy.  If you haven't heard of the series yet and you like romance novels then this is for you.

I found that the characters were written to be more mature and older than they supposedly were.  Other than that this is an excellent addition to the series. Glad that Gideon, Felicia and Parker have a home in Fool's Gold.

Review: Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books (May 28 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670025836
• ISBN-13: 978-0670025831

Book Description

A Southern novel of family and antiques from the bestselling author of the beloved Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The result is a tremendously moving story that is destined to make bestselling author Beth Hoffman a novelist to whom readers will return again and again as they have with Adriana Trigiani, Fannie Flagg, and Joshilyn Jackson.

About the Author

Beth Hoffman was the president and co-owner of an interior design studio in Cincinnati before becoming a full-time writer. Looking for Me is her second novel. Her debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, was a New York Times bestseller in hardcover and paperback. She lives with her husband and two cats in northern Kentucky.


My Review

What a beautifully written, glorious piece of literature.  I loved Looking For Me.  I wondered how Beth Hoffman could write another novel that would compare to Saving CeeCee Honneycutt but she has.

This is story of love, of friendship and of family.  And of the delights that we can find in these relationships as well as the sorrow.  Hoffman's love of Charleston and of Kentucky shines through her writing directly into your heart.  You want to immerse yourself in Charleston with its lovely old buildings, its elegance, and its charm.

You can feel the deep love Teddi has for her brother Josh.  It's a love defines her character. She will stop at nothing when she thinks she may have a chance to see her brother. You can feel her desperation.

Beth Hoffman is an enticing author whose wonderful writing keeps you from putting this book down. I highly recommend Looking For Me. It publishes on May 28th.

Review: If You Were Here by Alafair Burke

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper (Jun 4 2013)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B009NFDQ40

Book Description

Magazine journalist McKenna Wright is chasing the latest urban folktale-the story of an unidentified woman who heroically pulled a teenaged boy from the subway tracks, seconds before an oncoming train. When McKenna locates a short video snippet that purportedly captures part of the incident, she thinks she has an edge on the competition scrambling to identify the mystery heroine.

She is shocked to discover that the woman in the video bears a strong resemblance to Susan Hauptmann, a close friend who disappeared without a trace a decade earlier. Investigating her disappearance, the NYPD concluded that the nomadic Susan-forced by her father into an early military life, floundering as an adult for a fixed identity-simply left town to start over again somewhere else.

But McKenna has always believed the truth went deeper than the police investigation ever reached, and sees Susan's resurfacing as a sign that she wants to be found. Yet when she shares the image with her husband, Patrick, who was Susan's classmate at West Point, he isn't convinced.

What would have been a short-lived metro story sends McKenna on a dangerous search for the missing woman, a twisting journey through New York City that will force her to unearth long-buried truths much closer to home-to her own husband, who seems to know much more about Susan than McKenna could have ever imagined..


About the Author


Alafair Burke is the bestselling author of eight previous novels, including the thriller Long Gone and the Ellie Hatcher series: 212, Angel's Tip, Dead Connection, and Never Tell. A former prosecutor, she now teaches criminal law and lives in Manhattan.

My Review

Just finished reading If You Were Here...what a rollercoaster ride from author Alafair Burke.  Burke gets better with each book she writes. Her storytelling skills are number one in my book.  You know how you have authors whose books you look forward to each year.  Well, Alafair Burke is definitely on my list.

Set in New York City, the story is a thriller filled mystery.  I immediately liked the main character McKenna Wright.  Through every twist and turn in the story the reader will root for her. McKenna has been dealt a few losing hands in her life and you want her to succeed in getting to the truth in this adventure.

Another winner from author Alafair Burke!