BookBrowse: Your Guide to Exceptional Books

Reviews by Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)

Power Reviewer

Note: This page displays reviews using the email address you currently use to login to BookBrowse. If you have changed your email address during the time you have been a member your older reviews will not show. If that is the case, please email us with any older email addresses you have used for BookBrowse, and we will do our best to link these older reviews to your current profile.

Between the Tides
by Susannah Marren

A great beach read (3/30/2015)

The book started off a bit slowly but as I continued to read I became absorbed in the story. As a New Jersey resident, I could find it east to relate to the Jersey shore and the upscale towns in the Northern part of the state.

I don't want to elaborate on the plot: it would be too easy to become a spoiler. Don't hesitate to read this debut novel. I would like to read her next one.

The Well
by Catherine Chanter

An extraordinary book (2/22/2015)

I found this to be a book of many layers; mystical, a mystery, a woman in turmoil..and more. The author has used her skills well. I heartily recommend this book.

The Rabbit Back Literature Society
by Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen

A very strange book (10/25/2014)

If you love Lewis Carrol or Jasper Fford you will like this book. No doubt it is more than a little strange and, and at times weird. Maybe I'm also strange and a bit weird because I really enjoyed reading it. The translation is good and the Finnish references are very interesting. However if you want a straightforward plot, this is not your book.

The Book of Strange New Things: A Novel
by Michel Faber

A Really Fascinating Book (8/15/2014)

I never read science fiction, so I was truly surprised by how much I liked this book. It is an intriguing story of another world and how a minister from this world would find his message received by the inhabitants of this strange place. His wife is here and he is there. Can their marriage survive? Read this book; you won't be sorry.

Accidents of Marriage
by Randy Susan Meyers

A very good book club book (6/6/2014)

I enjoyed reading this book, although it made me want to cry.
The story is not a happy one, but the book is well written and the story is one that could happen to real people. Ms Meyers knows how to reach ito her character's hearts and makes you care for them.
I will recommend it to my book club, because the discussion should be very interesting.

The Fortune Hunter
by Daisy Goodwin

Beautiful Cover (3/31/2014)

Although loosely based on fact, this story contains every cliche you can imagine..fortune hunter, poor little rich girl, seductrice, loyal friends, buffoons and even a monkey. As I read I felt that I had read this book in a dozen different incarnations. It is not a bad book if you are a true romantic or a 15 year old girl...I am neither.

Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart
by Marci Jefferson

An interesting story (12/29/2013)

If you like historic novels, this is a good fit. I did my own research and found the story to be quite accurate. At times I felt that a little judicious editing would have been good..too many characters with too many names, although the chart in the front of the book helped. All-in-all I enjoyed the book.

Doing Harm
by Kelly Parsons

Wow! (10/26/2013)

"Doing Harm" was one of the best of its kind that I've read for a long while..and kept my interest from the beginning. The fact that the protagonist is a surgeon and much of the plot takes place in a hospital made the story even more exciting.
If you enjoyed "Gone Girl" or "Close My Eyes" or other such books this book is most certainly for you.

The Disenchanted Widow
by Christina McKenna

Belfast 1981 (8/19/2013)

It's Ireland in the midst of the troubles. Bessie's husband is dead and the IRA is after her. She and her young son run off to hide and end up in a small village..interested? The story is a mixture of hope and fear and I read it in 2 days because I had to find out how it ended.

Amy Falls Down
by Jincy Willett

Why would you read this book? (6/8/2013)

An older writer falls and hits her head...does this sound like a book you would want to read? Do go past the description and read it. It is literate and sometimes even funny, but mainly it is a look at what makes Amy be herself. No description I write will do the book justice. It is well worth your time.

Her Last Breath: A Kate Burkholder Novel
by Linda Castillo

A good read! (4/21/2013)

I enjoyed this very well written Amish thriller. I love a mystery that surprises me at the end, and "Her Last Breath" did exactly that. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that it is part of a series and I haven't read the previous books.
I will now.

The Last Girl: A Maeve Kerrigan Novel
by Jane Casey

A good mystery (4/5/2013)

I really enjoyed this book..set in London, it is a police story and mystery. The characters felt real and it was well plotted. My only regret was that I hadn't read her previous book since DC Maeve Kerrigan is a continuing character. I was able to follow but knowing more would have added to my interest. Still, it is a good read!

Close My Eyes
by Sophie McKenzie

Wow! A real roller coaster ride.. (3/30/2013)

If psychological thrillers appeal, this is a must-read. The characters felt real and the twists of plot held my interest on every page from the first to last. It was almost impossible not to read straight through just to see what was to happen.
And what did happen will leave you breathless.

Palisades Park
by Alan Brennert

I loved this book (1/27/2013)

My review has to start with two facts; I'm 80 years old and I live in New Jersey. My memories mixed with those in the book and they made me happy and they made me cry. I never went to Palisades Park but this beautifully written book reminded me of so many things. But you don't have to be a Jersey girl or and old lady to enjoy this book. The story is of a girl with ambition and how she follows her dream. The author has done true justice to her and Palisades Park.

All You Could Ask For
by Mike Greenberg

"Chick Lit" at it's Best (11/5/2012)

Mike Greenberg, sports reporter extraordinary, seems to understand how women think; and he has expressed it in this story of three strong intelligent women handling
their own situations and then coming together to give help when help is needed...to tell more would be a spoiler...read this book and you will understand.

Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane

Evocative of an era (8/1/2012)

The story, set in the Prohibition Era filled with violence, crime and love, this book is not for someone who craves a cozy read. It is a thriller that is often brutal in execution, but never failed to hold my interest. If you want a book that will keep you reading until the end, this is it!

The Innocents: A Novel
by Francesca Segal

Not your average "chick-lit" (5/4/2012)

The story which takes place in a close-knit Jewish community in London is a story of leaving the arms of the extended family and the discovery of the world outside. When I read it, I felt that the author had lived it; or at least something like it. The voices felt very real. I recommend it.

Half-Blood Blues: A Novel
by Esi Edugyan

A really good book (1/28/2012)

1939 Berlin.. Not a good time to be a Jazz band..Hitler has banned the music as degenerate; the times are getting worse. And their star trumpeter is a young black German. Out of this premise the author has written a brilliant book.
The jargon of the jazz men rings true as does the evocation of the war time. I recommend it.

The Face Thief: A Novel
by Eli Gottlieb

Fascinating character study (12/11/2011)

This psychological thriller had me from the very beginning. The story of the beautiful woman who manipulates and uses men and the consequence of her actions was almost painful to read. I felt that the author really knows how to write. It isn't a "fun" book, but I'm glad I read it.

Tides of War: A Novel
by Stella Tillyard

A superb book (10/27/2011)

Stella Tillyard has written one of the best books I've read in a long time. An historic novel can sometimes bog down, this one never did. Her plotting moves through several characters lives and through war and peace but my interest never flagged. The mix of real and fictional characters made the story even more interesting. This book is an excellent read.

Support BookBrowse

Join our inner reading circle, go ad-free and get way more!

Find out more

Top Picks

The Familiar
by Leigh Bardugo

Luzia, the heroine of Leigh Bardugo's novel The Familiar, is a young woman employed as a scullion in...
Table for Two
by Amor Towles

Amor Towles's short story collection Table for Two reads as something of a dream compilation for...
Bitter Crop
by Paul Alexander

In 1958, Billie Holiday began work on an ambitious album called Lady in Satin. Accompanied by a full...
Under This Red Rock
by Mindy McGinnis

Since she was a child, Neely has suffered from auditory hallucinations, hearing voices that demand ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket — Only the Beautiful
by Susan Meissner

A heartrending story about a young mother’s fight to keep her daughter, and the terrible injustice that tears them apart.

About Discuss

Members Recommend

The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton

As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.

Read the Reviews
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson

From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.

Read the Reviews