“Las Madres”–Review

Good evening, bloggers! Here’s one of my latest fiction reads.

Las Madres is a novel that alternates from 1970s Puerto Rico to present-day Bronx, New York. The main characters refer to themselves as “las madres,” along with their daughters, las nenas, who have been a family to one another based on friendship. In 1975, in Puerto Rico, 15-year-old Luz was the tallest girl in her dance academy, as well as the only Black girl in a group of light-skinned dancers in her school. Luz had the potential and the advantage to make it as a dancer in her future. But her future forever changed when she and her parents were in a car accident that killed her parents and left her with a brain injury, erasing her memory of the car crash, and leaving her with episodes she can’t control.

In 2017 in the Bronx, Luz’s adult daughter, Marysol, looks after her. For years, Marysol has wanted to understand her mother’s life, but her mother’s brain injury has made it impossible. Luz barely has any recollection of her own life. When Marysol’s friend, Graciela, suggests they and las madres fly to Puerto Rico as an opportunity for Luz to regain some of her memory, they jump at the chance. Although they were aware of the news of a deadly hurricane approaching Puerto Rico, las madres and las nenas still make the trip. During their stay, two back-to-back hurricanes hit Puerto Rico, destroying everything in its path, leaving communities in devastation. While las madres and las nenas are barely surviving, they start learning more about one another and learn of a big secret that may change everything forever.

What a great story. I learned that this book is based on Hurricane Maria, which left communities in Puerto Rico devasted. Thousands of people died, homes were destroyed, electricity was out, and resources were scarce. The author described the aftermath of the hurricane really well. I can’t even imagine what residents had gone through. What actually caught my interest in this book was the cover, which I came across on Instagram, so I borrowed a copy. It’s also my first novel by Esmeralda Santiago. I’ll definitely read more of her work. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

About the author: Esmeralda Santiago is the author of the historical novel Conquistadora, and the memoirs When I Was Puerto Rican and Almost a Woman. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, she lives with her husband, documentary filmmaker Frank Cantor, in Westchester County, New York. For more info, click here.

“The Guest House”–Review

How far would you go to protect the ones you love?

After a long time of no results, Jamie and his wife, Victoria, are finally going to have a baby. During the last few weeks before the baby is due, they decide they’re going to go on a short holiday at a remote country guest house that’s miles away from the city. When they get there, they’re greeted by a nice, older couple, Barry and Fiona.

The next morning, Victoria decides to step outside for some fresh air. Yet she can’t, and neither can Jamie. The doors and windows are locked. Their cell phones and car keys are nowhere to be found, and Barry and Fiona aren’t in the house. Even though it’s too soon for the baby to arrive, Victoria feels her contractions kicking in. With both of them in panic mode, they wonder what Barry and Fiona’s intentions were when Jamie and Victoria arrived. At the same time, they know there’s no time to question anything. Victoria’s contractions are getting worse, and they have to escape fast.

This story alternates between Jamie and Victoria’s stay at the guest house to the present days after their stay. Following their stay at the guest house, Jamie and Victoria’s marriage is hanging on by a thread after losing their baby. Although they came home empty-handed, it’s still not over. But what happened with the baby?

Normally, I’m a slow reader, but I finished this book in a week. I enjoyed the tension, and I admired Jamie who was willing to put up a fight to save his family. Victoria, on the other hand, was all over the place, but that’s what made me want to know more. When I came across this book on Poisoned Pen Press’s Instagram account, I thought it looked creepy yet enjoyable, which it was. Honestly, I’ve never been to the mountains or the woods, but after reading this book, I think I’ll pass on isolated destinations. This is my first read by Robin Morgan-Bentley. Check it out if you’re in the mood for a domestic suspense novel. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

About the author: Robin Morgan-Bentley was born and grew up in London. After studying Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge University, he went on to work for Google before moving to Audible, where he has been working since 2014.

His debut thriller, The Wreckage, was nominated for the CWA Dagger John Creasey New Blood Award, the CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Award and Capital Crime’s Debut Book of the Year Award.

Robin lives in Buckinghamshire with his husband and son.

For more info on the author, click here.

“The Sweet Spot”–Review

One divorce, one social media disaster, one random baby, and three unlikely friendships: welcome to The Sweet Spot.

Set in New York, this is a story of a baby who sparks an unexpected friendship amongst three women: Lauren is an artist, wife, and busy mom of three children. When she least expects it, she is given a deadline that can make or break her career. Olivia is young and on the verge of moving up in her job, until an encounter at work leaves her unemployed, with student loan debt and break-up remorse. And then there’s Melinda, who is lonely and angry after her divorce. And why not? She and her now ex-husband didn’t want children, but then he changed his mind when he fell for another, younger woman. Now Melinda wants revenge, and she knows exactly who was responsible for her ex-husband’s actions.

But revenge isn’t as great as Melinda had hoped when she ends up stuck with her ex’s baby due to unforeseen circumstances. Melinda can’t look after a baby by herself. She’s never done it before, so she swallows her pride and seeks help from Lauren and Olivia. While the three women are juggling everything in their own lives, all the while taking turns with a baby who doesn’t belong to any of them, they decide it’s time to track down the wayward parents.

The Sweet Spot is my first read by Amy Poeppel. Also, I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance at a book event at Bloomingdale’s. I have a copy of one of her previous books, Limelight, which I will read, I promise. I enjoyed reading this latest book, though. I was actually amazed by these women who were willing to lend a hand with a baby while they had their own, busy lives. It wasn’t just the three of them, though; Lauren’s family, including Olivia’s father, stepped in on many occasions. Honestly, in real life, I’m sure it would not work out that way. This was a situation, however, that not only brought everyone together, but it helped the main characters learn a lot about themselves. Whenever I read novels about family life, I often think, “My goodness, how do they do it?” I applaud them all.

Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

The Sweet Spot will be available on January 31, 2023.

About the author: Amy Poeppel is the award-winning author of the novels The Sweet Spot, Musical Chairs, Limelight, and Small Admissions. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Rumpus, Literary Hub, and Working Mother. She and her husband have three sons and split their time between New York City, Germany, and Connecticut. For more info, click here.

“Strangers We Know”–Review

Good evening, fellow bloggers! I hope you’re enjoying some good reads. I was fortunate enough to receive an early copy of Strangers We Know from the author, herself, so I’d like to share my feedback.

After dealing with the frustrations of her unknown ailments, Ivy Hon starts some research on the possibility that whatever she has might come from her family’s history. But Ivy was adopted, so she knows so little about her biological family. Although she had been brought up by a decent, attentive family, Ivy has to know what’s going on. After doing a genetic test, she meets with an FBI agent who reveals that Ivy might be related to the Full Moon Killer, who has left residents of the Pacific Northwest terrified for years.

While finding it hard to believe, Ivy does research on the history of the Full Moon Killer. The information eventually leads to Ivy’s long-lost cousin, who lives in Rock Island, Washington. Then Ivy travels from San Francisco to Rock Island to meet this cousin, along with the Caine family. Ivy doesn’t want to believe she may be related to a serial killer, but any kind of information from the Caines may lead to answers for which she’s been searching. Yet some things seem a bit off, especially when it comes to questions she has about her birth parents. According to her family, Ivy’s biological mother suffered a tragic fate, while her father disappeared. The more information Ivy digs up, she can’t help feeling as if she’s being watched. Some things seem off with the Caines, yet Ivy wants to be wrong about her assumptions; the Caines may be all she has of finding answers, after all. But with the possibility that the Full Moon Killer is targeting people again, Ivy wonders if she’s next.

Thank you, again, to the author for this copy. I love a good suspense read. The backstory of Ivy’s biological mother, Tatum (that character shares my name), had my attention. I didn’t quite expect it to end the way it did—in fact, I don’t think I came close to guessing how it all would go down—but I can definitely recommend it for the suspense fan. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

Strangers We Know will be available on May 1, 2022.

About the author:

Elle Marr strives to tell powerful and compelling stories of women who demonstrate resilience in the face of great obstacles. She is the author of thrillers, THE MISSING SISTER (2020), LIES WE BURY (2021), and STRANGERS WE KNOW (May 2022). 

THE MISSING SISTER was a #1 Amazon bestseller, #1 in the Kindle Store, an Amazon Charts bestseller, featured in Woman’s World, and named one of PopSugar’s “31 Thrillers of 2020.” LIES WE BURY earned a Kirkus starred review, was named one of The Nerd Daily’s Eagerly Anticipated Thrillers, and reached #1 in Serial Killer Fiction for four straight weeks. Publisher’s Weekly said, “Marr is a writer to watch.”

Originally from Sacramento, Elle Marr graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris.  When not working on her next book, she enjoys watching French Netflix shows with the subtitles off, in Oregon, where she lives with her family. For more info, click here.

“Absolution”–Review

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After she was sexually assaulted by her college professor, Jeanie ends up pregnant. While she tries to figure out what to do about her situation, she can’t bear the idea of having to tell her traditional Catholic family. After all, her parents worked hard to send Jeanie to college. How could she let them down, now?

After a tough decision, Jeanie and her best friend, Carla, move from their small town in Pennsylvania to Atlanta, to start over. And that’s where Jeanie meets Greg Mercer.

Within a few weeks, she and Greg are married and living in Seattle. With everything happening so quickly, Jeanie feels that all will be fine, that her past will be behind her–as long as Greg never finds out about the assault and her shame.

Years pass, however, and while her ambitious, workaholic husband is constantly away from home, Jeanie is left to tend to their house and raise their two kids all by herself. Jeanie is lonely and frustrated, angry that he barely knows his children, and he barely pays attention to her, yet when she tries to open up to Greg about it, he says he’s working hard for the family. But what good is it all every time he puts his family second?

After a long time of thinking things over, Jeanie wants out of the marriage. She’s had enough of his narcissism, his constantly being away, and his neglecting their kids. Then Greg finds evidence of her long-ago pregnancy. Now that he knows, he won’t let Jeanie leave him, not while he’s worked for years to build an image for himself. If necessary, he’ll resort to blackmail just to make sure she remains his dutiful wife. Would Greg dare tell Jeanie’s family about her past?

I’ve wanted to read this book ever since I came across it on a random Instagram post, and it was a good choice. I really couldn’t guess how things were going to go down, but this was a page-turner. Every moment that Greg became unpredictable, I wondered if he would change for the better, or continue with his narcissistic ways. There had been moments where I was frustrated with Jeanie and the way she often made excuses for her husband, but I felt she’d wake up at some point.

Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

About the author: Regina Buttner is a registered-nurse-turned-writer from Upstate New York. Absolution is her first novel. For more info, click here.

“The House Plant”–Review

Afternoon, bloggers! I just read this new, short story by Jeremy Ray, and I thought I’d share it with you.

This story is told from the perspective of George, a newly adopted houseplant. One day, during a book club discussion, George overhears Brenda, his new owner, tell her book club about her immediate love for George when she first set eyes on him. George’s story, however, is different from Brenda’s.

The House Plant tells George’s story of loss, love, and family. This is my first time reading Jeremy Ray’s work, and I think it was so touching. I’ve never had a green thumb, so I just never got around to appreciating how beneficial plants can be. So, after reading this story, I realized I never would have looked at it that way. Five stars for this story!

Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading! Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read The House Plant.

About the author: Jeremy Ray graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a MFA in Dramatic Writing. He is the recipient of the Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowship for his play Boiling Point and the Shubert Playwriting Fellowship for his play Sisters of Transformation. His work has been performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and his screenplays have placed in the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards Competition, The Academy Nicholl Fellowship, and the ScreenCraft Drama Contest. For more info, click here.

“Of Women and Salt”–Review

A daughter’s fateful choice, a mother’s complex past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them was born.

From 19th-century Cuba to present-day Miami, this story revolves around three groups of women: Maria Isabel, Cecilia, and Dolores; Carmen, Jeanette, Elena, and Maydelis; and, Gloria and Ana.

Carmen is a Cuban immigrant who has struggled with a past trauma, all the while dealing with a difficult relationship with her daughter, Jeanette, who is battling a drug addiction. When Jeanette suddenly takes in a little girl after discovering the girl’s mother was detained by ICE, Jeanette is curious about her own family’s history. But Carmen refuses to discuss it. Jeanette, eventually, takes it upon herself to travel to Cuba in hopes she’ll get answers from the grandmother she never knew.

From the cigar factories in 19th-century Cuba to present-day detention centers, from Cuba to Mexico, each of the women’s stories speak of their traumas, as well as difficult decisions, and how it has made them who they are.

While I do like the occasional historical fiction novels, I’m not sure how I feel about this one altogether. The women’s traumas made for a good story, but I think there were too many conflicts crammed into one, and I feel I may have missed something else in the story. I could be wrong. It was still a good storyline, but I give it at least three stars.

*I received this early copy in exchange for n honest review. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*Of Women and Salt will be available on April 6, 2021.

About the author: Gabriela Garcia is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and a Steinbeck Fellowship from San Jose State University. Her fiction and poems have appeared in Best American Poetry, Tin House, Zyzzyva, and The Iowa Review. She is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and Cuba, and she grew up in Miami. Of Women and Salt is her first novel. For more info, click here.

“The War of the Roses”–Review

Hello, bloggers! It’s been awhile since my last review, so here’s one of The War of the Roses, which I finished reading last night.

It’s the story of the ugly aftermath of the Roses’ pending divorce. Barbara wants out. Jonathan is devastated. Jonathan offers to go half on everything, but Barbara refuses the offer. She wants it all: the house and its possessions. But Jonathan worked for it all as much as she. The battle is on, and no divorce lawyer or judge will stop these two from plotting, sabotaging, and pushing each other’s buttons in extreme ways to get the other to step down. Last one standing gets the house and its possessions. Who will win it all?

What a crazy story. Throughout my reading it, I thought, “Really, is this all worth it?” All that fighting, the manipulations, the sabotaging? It drove the Roses toward insanity. For material things! And what an example they were setting for their kids. While messy divorces aren’t uncommon, this one was a combination of dark humor and disturbing content. I’ve never seen the movie adaptation, although I saw only the ending, which is a little different from the book’s ending. Perhaps I’ll watch it. I’ve heard good things.

Looking for some domestic suspense? Pick up this book. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

“Hollywood Park”–Review

We were never young. No one told us who we were or where all our parents went. They would arrive like ghosts, visiting us for a morning, an afternoon. They would sit with us or walk around the grounds, to laugh or cry or toss us up in the air while we screamed. Then they’d disappear again, for weeks, for months, for years, leaving us alone with our memories and dreams, our questions and confusion…

In his memoir, Hollywood Park, Mikel Jollett describes his childhood in a commune in California, a commune he was always told was an orphanage, a school. But why couldn’t his parents always be around? And why all the strict rules? What started as a respite for drug addicts and alcoholics eventually turned into the notorious cult, Synanon. The leader, whom Jollett called The Old Man, told the kids they didn’t need parents, that they were to be known as “Children of the Universe.” Every member had to shave their heads, the men had to get divorces, including vasectomies, and so forth. These people were supposedly going to change the world and all that nonsense they were fed. There was physical and emotional abuse.

Even though Jollett’s parents finally took him and his brother, Tony, out of the cult when they were still small, their lives came with years of struggles. While his brother dealt with his constant anger and neglect, Jollett was forced into an adult responsibility to take care of his unfit mother. While the brothers were growing up and growing apart, Jollett describes his struggles with suppressed anger, addictions, and nearly hitting rock bottom.

While I first thought this book was going to talk more about the cult, I liked the story of the author’s life after it. It’s well-written and made me want to know more. For years, the author believed he never could be capable of happiness, to be be loved, or to love. He puts the reader in his shoes from his boyhood to adulthood, with constant struggles, perseverance, and making peace.

I admit, at times, I had to stop in between some paragraphs or chapters because I’d get a bit emotional. But isn’t that what a great read is supposed to provide? For those who are fans of The Airborne Toxic Event—I recently checked out their music, which is pretty cool—check out this amazing memoir. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this copy from Celadon Books, in exchange for an honest review.

About the author: Mikel Jollett is the front man of the indie band, The Airborne Toxic Event. Prior to forming the band, Jollett graduated with honors from Stanford University. He was an on-air columnist for NPR’s All Things Considered, an editor-at-large for Men’s Health, and an editor at Filter magazine. His fiction has been published in McSweeney’s.

“The New Husband”–Review

Good afternoon, bloggers! I hope your reading is serving you well. Here’s a description of my latest read, which I highly recommend:

What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?

He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.

Her son adores him.

He was there when she needed him most?

He anticipates her every need.

He would never betray her like her first husband.

The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes. The question is, why?

Almost two years after her husband’s betrayal and mysterious disappearance, Nina is starting over with Simon Fitch. Simon has been her hero in her devastating times. A great provider, a father figure to her son and daughter, a supportive partner, he’s everything Nina hoped for. Despite it all, she still can’t shake the betrayal of her first husband, Glen. What, exactly, happened to him?

While the family is getting their lives back together, Nina’s daughter, Maggie, can’t help feeling suspicious. Simon is too good to be true. Something’s not right with him. She can’t stand the sight of him, as well. She’s not buying his sweet, caring side. Even though she can’t prove his true colors to her mom, she’s determined to get him out of the picture. At the same time, she truly believes her father is alive. But how can she prove it? Simon is too good and intends to keep Nina wrapped around his finger.

This story provided great suspense. It really wasn’t what I expected, to be honest, and I’m glad. This is one of those stories about the reality of obsession, control, and the consequences of ignoring the warning signs. I was less than halfway toward the end of the book and I actually stood up until 4:30 a.m. to finish it. I was dying to know how it was going to go down. Great work to the author. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this early copy, in exchange for an honest review. The New Husband will be available on April 14, 2020.

About the author: D.J. Palmer is the author of numerous critically acclaimed suspense novels. A former e-commerce entrepreneur, D.J. Palmer now resides in New Hampshire and is currently at work on a new book. He also is the author of Saving Meghan. For more info, click here. You can also find him on Twitter.