Her Best Friends Secret by Anna Mansell {Book Blog Tour with Review}

Series:	Standalone
Genre:	Fiction
Publication Date:	January 4th 2019
Format:	Digital
Published By:	Amazon Digital Services
Goodreads:	Her Best Friend's Secret on Goodreads
My Review Copy:	Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy

Where to get:

Your best friend deserves the truth. But it will ruin her life. What would you do?


In summer, the small Cornish village of Gorran Haven fills with tourists, but in the colder months its pretty narrow streets are blissfully quiet, the bell on the village shop door rings only for locals, the beach is unspoilt, empty and safe.

It’s been over twenty years since four very different teenage girls sat on that beach, and swore to be best friends forever. Their lives went different ways after Emily left. But each remembered that promise. And none truly found friendship like it again.

Now, Emily’s back, with a secret she can’t face. She tries to hide away, take time to heal and make some difficult choices, but she runs into one of her old friends, and soon the four are reunited. Lolly, warm as ever, is a successful physiotherapist, married with kids. Yet smart, strong Amanda, who cherishes her teenage daughter, is alone and seemingly stuck in a dead-end job. And creative Jess is so much quieter than Emily remembers.

The bond is still there, and Emily realizes their friendship might keep her together, but there are reasons why the women fell out of touch. Secrets that have lain dormant for decades start to surface, and then one of the women discovers a betrayal so big, it could turn each of their lives upside down.

It’s always those we’re closest to who have the power to tear us apart. Can friendship give Emily and her friends the strength to survive a devastating shock, or are some things unforgivable?

Full of truths about friendship, marriage, and the relationships that define us, Her Best Friend’s Secret is a powerful, relatable and emotionally gripping novel for fans of Jojo Moyes, Diane Chamberlain, and The Silent Wife.

                                    

I’m often drawn to a book that focuses on female friendships and this one did not disappoint. Her Best Friend’s Secret gives us four friends that reunite after 20 years, written alternating between each of their points of view. Emily, Jess, Lolly and Amanda are four fiercely independent, likable and relatable characters. 

When four once inseparable school friends arrange to reunite after over twenty years of absence, they all nervously prepare themselves for their reunion. They had once been the very best of friends, but how would they react to each other after so long was the question that concerned them most.

Emily is newly back home living in the childhood seaside village of Gorran Haven in Cornwall after living in the States for what seemed a lifetime of living the celebrity lifestyle. She has decided it is a false life for her and her agent/partner, and wants to live a completely new life surrounded by peace and tranquility instead of hustle and bustle of a large, loud city. But she arrives alone and is stunned about the latest turn of events in her once busy life.

Lolly leads a busy life as a hospital physiotherapist, working wife and mother of two young boys. Her life is almost complete except for the fact that she desperately wants another baby. She yearns for the mother/daughter relationship she missed out on when her mother died prematurely, but which her older sister remembers fondly. The trouble is her husband is not that keen and has only reluctantly agreed to a third child in the family.

Amanda is a single working parent after her husband left her and their young daughter never to be seen again…….until recently. She is estranged from her daughter who has left her to live with her father, leaving Amanda wondering if she will ever be able to build bridges with her cherished daughter and get back to being a solid loving twosome, a relationship she once enjoyed in abundance.

All of the girls remembered the fourth member of the group Jess as friendly and outgoing but she had changed so much and had become quiet and lacking in self-confidence for no apparent reason.

I really enjoyed reading about all these women and couldn't wait to see everything tied up at the end. I thought the author did a great job seamlessly putting all the stories together and giving the reader a well deserved ending. I would highly recommend this book to any reader who enjoy women fiction and the complex relationship between woman. 

About the Author

Anna had a brush with 'fame' as a magician's assistant back in 1977. She later decided that being sawed in half by her magical performing father, at barely 6 months old, was too submissive a role. She vowed to channel the trauma in to something much more pro-actively creative. Having failed at acting, singing and professional murder mystery parties (she was Always the one to die!), she fell to something much more solitary: writing. She has written three novels, published by Bookouture, her fourth - HER BEST FRIEND'S SECRET - comes out on April 1st, 2019. Anna lives on a dairy farm in Cornwall with her two children, her husband, and her ex-racing greyhound, Olive Dog.

Author Social Media Links:

 Facebook  | Twitter  |  Website  | 

 

Stacking the Shelves {Physical copies and eBooks}

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! I've never participated before, but I'm always stalking other book blogs to see what they are stacking their shelves with so I thought this week I'd give it a go. 

Netgalley Haul 

I requested this one because of my love for historical fiction, and I kept hearing so many good things about it from friends who got early copies. 

Description:

It’s July 1921, “flickers” are all the rage, and Irene Van Beck has just declared her own independence by jumping off a moving train to escape her fate in a traveling burlesque show. When her friends, fellow dancer Millie Martin, and comedian Henry Weiss, leap after her, the trio finds their way to the bright lights of Hollywood with hopes of making it big in the burgeoning silent film industry.
At first glance, Hollywood in the 1920s is like no other place on earth—iridescent, scandalous, and utterly exhilarating—and the three friends yearn for a life they could only have dreamed of before. But despite the glamour and seduction of Tinseltown, success doesn’t come easy, and nothing can prepare Irene, Millie, and Henry for the poverty, temptation, and heartbreak that lie ahead. With their ambitions challenged by both the men above them and the prejudice surrounding them, their friendship is the only constant through desperate times, as each struggles to find their true calling in an uncertain world. What begins as a quest for fame and fortune soon becomes a collective search for love, acceptance, and fulfillment as they navigate the backlots and stage sets where the illusions of the silver screen are brought to life.


I was invited to read this next one from St Martin's Press. I was over-joyed when I got the email because I adore Mary Kay Andrews. She writes such lighthearted and sweet romances. 

Description:
Pull up a lounge chair and have a cocktail at Sunset Beach – it comes with a twist.
Drue Campbell’s life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a twenty-year absence. Worse, he’s remarried – to Drue’eighth-grade frenemy, Wendy, now his office manager. And they’re offering her a job.
It seems like the job from hell, but the offer is sweetened by the news of her inheritance – her grandparents’ beach bungalow in the sleepy town of Sunset Beach, a charming but storm-damaged eyesore now surrounded by waterfront McMansions.
With no other prospects, Drue begrudgingly joins the firm, spending her days screening out the grifters whose phone calls flood the law office. Working with Wendy is no picnic either. But when a suspicious death at an exclusive beach resort nearby exposes possible corruption at her father’s firm, she goes from unwilling cubicle rat to unwitting investigator, and is drawn into a case that may – or may not – involve her father. With an office romance building, a decades-old missing persons case re-opened, and a cottage in rehab, one thing is for sure at Sunset Beach: there’s a storm on the horizon.


I read JP Delaney's last book "The Girl Before" and was completely mesmerized by her storytelling abilities. I was shocked at the ending. So when I got invited to view and read this new title, I quickly jumped at the chance. 

Description: A missing woman receives a second chance at life, thanks to her billionaire husband--but the consequences are deadly in this gripping psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before.
Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition. The man by her side claims to be her husband. He's an icon of the tech world, the founder of a lucrative robotics company. He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago, and that, through a huge technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss. She is a miracle of science.

But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins questioning her husband's motives--and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to Abbie half a decade ago?

Kindle Haul

These are the books I found while browsing the internet. I just love to pick up books on my kindle. Although, they definitely make it way too easy to buy ebooks. Click, click, and it is yours. Yeah, I have a kindle buying problem. 

Description:

Ian Bradley is the definition of a Wall Street hotshot: seven-figure salary, designer suits, and a corner office. His drive off the floor is just as potent. Every woman who knows him has felt the rush. But now he’s met his match in Lara McKenzie—a woman with the power to bring Ian to his knees.

An ambitious, whip-smart daughter of FBI agents, Lara is a rising star in fighting white-collar crime. Her latest case—the investigation of Ian Bradley for insider trading—could make her career. She knows a scoundrel when she sees one. Ian fits the bill: a cocky, ridiculously handsome bad boy with a slick swagger.

She’ll do anything to prove he’s guilty. He’ll do anything to prove he’s not. But it’s only a matter of time before their fierce battle of wits gets oh so hot and personal. Now, taking down Ian has become more than business for Lara. It’s become a pleasure—and there’s more at risk than she ever dreamed.

Physical copies

These are the books I couldn't resist picking up at Barnes and Noble or that I got sent from the publisher. Although I often read on my kindle, I still love the feed of a book in my hands. I don't think there is a better way to read than a mug of coffee and a paperback in your hands. Pure Bliss. 

Description: Although beautiful young widow Phoebe, Lady Clare, has never met West Ravenel, she knows one thing for certain: he’s a mean, rotten bully. Back in boarding school, he made her late husband’s life a misery, and she’ll never forgive him for it. But when Phoebe attends a family wedding, she encounters a dashing and impossibly charming stranger who sends a fire-and-ice jolt of attraction through her. And then he introduces himself... like none other than West Ravenel.

West is a man with a tarnished past. No apologies, no excuses. However, from the moment he meets Phoebe, West is consumed by irresistible desire...not to mention the bitter awareness that a woman like her is far out of his reach. What West doesn’t bargain on is that Phoebe is no straitlaced aristocratic lady. She’s the daughter of a strong-willed wallflower who long ago eloped with Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent—the most devilishly wicked rake in England.

Before long, Phoebe sets out to seduce the man who has awakened her fiery nature and shown her unimaginable pleasure. Will their overwhelming passion be enough to overcome the obstacles of the past?

Only the devil’s daughter knows…

Description: The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters
who get dumped in the same week…

Finola, a popular LA morning-show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by the news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.

What are you Stacking the Shelves with this week? Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to see it more often on the blog? Comment below and let me know. 

THE GIRLS AT 17 SWANN STREET by Yara Zgheib {Book Blog Tour}

Series:	Standalone
Genre:	Fiction
Publication Date:	February 5th 2019
Format:	Digital
Published By:	St Martins Press
Goodreads:	The Girls at 17 Swann Street on Goodreads
My Review Copy:	Thanks to Clare at St Martins Press for my review copy

Where to get:

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Yara Zgheib's poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting, intimate journey of a young woman's struggle to reclaim her life. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

                                

Certainly not a light read, The Girls at 17 Swann Street deals with anorexia; a disease that is very real and can take your life if you aren't careful.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is an honest, unflinching, but fundamental hopeful portrayal of anorexia and the struggles of recovery. Anna enters treatment at the beginning of the novel primarily at the persistence of her husband, who is at the end of his rope and fearful that he wouldn't be able to keep her alive on his own. She is resistant to the idea of treatment at that time, filled up with fear and denial.

Anna doesn't feel the treatment center really knows what she needs. After all, she's been fine up till now. So what that she doesn't eat. So what that she doesn't find anything fun anymore because she's so worried about the food she isn't eating. She can handle it on her own. That is just the attitude she goes in with but what comes after will bring tears to your eyes. For Anna's bravery, is beautifully written and portrayed by the author.

I fell hard in love with this book and the writing style. The emotional connection I felt toward Anna was instant. There was no judgement towards her; just sorrow, encouragement, and joy. Everyone from the staff to Anna's husband, Matthias, as well as the other girls, were all so supportive of each other. They really looked out for one another and that made me smile. Through all the emotions you feel as a reader while reading Anna's story, you also feel joy and happiness at all the things she goes through. Every mountain she climbs is just another reminder that anything is possible if you just give yourself a chance.

Such an amazing story I will read over and over again.

About the Author

Yara Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a PhD in International Affairs in Diplomacy from Centre D'études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog, "Aristotle at Afternoon Tea" (http://www.aristotleatafternoontea.com/).

Author Social Media Links:

 Facebook  | Tumblr  |  Website  |  Instagram

 

Handle with Care by Helena Hunting {Cover Reveal and Excerpt}

I’m startled out of my thoughts when my brother jumps up and shouts a bunch of profane nonsense, hands flailing like he’s trying to swim on land, or approximate the chicken dance while on an LSD trip.

“You can’t do this! It’s absolute bullshit!” Armstrong yells.

I look around the table, trying to piece together what I missed.

“I’m sorry, Armstrong. I know this is a shock, but we feel it’s in the company’s best interest to put Lincoln at the helm during this transitional stage,” G-mom says firmly.

At the helm? I look to G-mom who’s busy not looking at me.

Armstrong jabs at finger at himself. “But I’m the one who’s put in all the time here! I deserve to run the company! Lincoln doesn’t know the first thing about Moorehead. All he knows how to do is dig wells and forage for food in the wilderness. How are those valuable assets here?” He turns his attention to our mother. “Did you know about this? How can you let this happen? Look at him. How can that be the face of our company? He looks like he crawled out of a gutter and mugged a twenty-year-old college kid on a bender. How is this better for our bottom line?”

My mother clasps her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry, Armstrong, but this decision wasn’t mine to make. I know this is hard for you, but your grandmother and fath—”

Armstrong stomps his foot, exactly as a toddler would. “The company is mine! Lincoln can’t have it!”

I raise a hand, half to quiet my brother and also to find out what the freaking deal is. “Whoa, let’s back this bus up. Can someone explain what’s going on?”

“You’ve been appointed as the CEO of Moorehead Media, according to the will,” Christophe—no R, because that would make it far too pedestrian a name—my father’s lawyer says.

I’m working on trying to remain calm as I address my grandmother. “You didn’t say anything about me being CEO. You said you needed my help.”

“Running the company, yes,” she says through a practiced, stiff smile.

It’s her warning face, but seriously, when she said she needed my help for a few months I figured it meant I’d be keeping Armstrong in line while she sorted out who was going to take over the company, which I realize now was a stupid assumption.

“I didn’t think that meant CEO. How am I going to run a company with this dickhead on staff?” I motion to my brother.

“The name calling is unnecessary,” G-mom replies.

“Lincoln’s not even part of this family! He hasn’t attended one event in the past five years except for Dad’s funeral. He didn’t bother coming to my wedding and now he’s going to run the company? How is that fair?”

I snort. “Your wedding was an expensive joke.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “I was set up. Amalie had cold feet and made me out to look like the bad guy.”

The woman beside him shoots him disgusted look.

Armstrong clears his throat and tugs at his collar. “My wedding is not the real issue. The point is that you’ve never involved yourself in any part of this family and now you think you can come in and take over. I will not stand by and let this happen!” He keeps jabbing his finger at me, as if he’s engaged in a finger sword fight.

I lean back in my chair and lace my fingers behind my neck. Armstrong has always been reactive. And self-absorbed. For a while it seemed like he finally had it together—back when he was engaged. But ever since that fiasco of a wedding he seems to have come completely unglued. Again. But worse this time. “Someone needs a timeout.” 
Buy Links 

AMAZON-BARNES & NOBLE-GOOGLE PAY-IBOOKS

About the Author

New York Times  and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She's writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

Social Media Links:

• Author Web Site
• Facebook
• Twitter

The Secret to Dating Your Best Friend's Sister by Meghan Quinn { Book Review Blog Tour}

   How do you date your best friend's sister? Easy. Step one: Pretend you want her to set you up with someone else. That will bring the two of you closer. Step two: Go on date with lots of random women, proceed to get stupid drunk and talk about your best friend's sister, thus gaining the courage to finally make a move. Step three: Randomly show up at her apartment and confess your love. Women love that, right? It all seemed so simple. A fool-proof three step process that will guarantee the love of you life to fall madly in love with you. At least--that's what I thought was going to happen. But my attempts to win over Julia Westin backfired in more ways than I can count. The thing about Julia? She's smart--really smart--and her wicked gaze cuts through all the charm I've tried slinging her way. She's not interested in games, my gifts, or my stories. She might want me too; but she's not giving in that easy... ADD TO GOODREADS  

AVAILABLE NOW

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK | AMAZON CA | AMAZON AU

One guy, Bram, totally in lust with his best friends sister Julia. He first noticed her in college when his best friend invited her to one of their fraternity parties. Instead of wearing what every girl wears, something slutty, Julia wears tube socks and an even uglier outfit. Something about it gets to Bram though. He knows she's trying to make sure no one comes near her, but somehow it makes her more of a  catch to him. Bram buys his time though and comes up with the BEST PLAN EVER to start dating her. So what if it is several years later and he had to lose a bet to make the plan work.

One girl, Julia is smart as hell and very organized and meticulous. She doesn't like surprises and she knows what she wants at least until Bram throws her for a loop. Julia is the owner of her own business. She matches introverted professional woman like herself with guys who understand them. Since she is so meticulous, all her clients must pass a series of personality tests to see who their perfect match will be. The test is a bit detailed and some of the questions don't make since but Julia is convinced this method works perfectly. So what if she hasn't found her perfect someone and has never taken the test herself. She doesn't need to be dating to find others their soulmates right? Once Bram walks in with his sharp suits, rugged good looks and sarcastic commentary, Julia is sure she can find him someone but what if she wants him for herself? Is that allowed?

Meghan Quinn has done it again! She has this amazing knack for making me swoon over EVERY SINGLE guy she writes about. Bram is no different. I was at the edge of my seat to see what he would do next. He is sexy with a BIG CAPITAL S. Meghan made this story pop off the pages for me with the chemistry these two had. I loved every minute of these characters and getting to see what would happen next. Do yourself a BIG favor and pick up this read SOON!

 

And just like that, I feel my heart leap out of my chest and right into Julia’s hands. She holds it; she has it all to herself. But I don’t think she realizes that mine beats because of her—that she has the potential to crush it more than anyone else in my life—and I hope she doesn’t throw it back at me. Ever.

 

About the Author

  USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book. Facebook | Follow on Goodreads | Website | Amazon Author Page | Instagram | Follow on BookBub