Excellent author...everything flowed smoothly...too bad history wasn't as smooth and kind.

The book was about when France was occupied and specifically Vél d'Hiv when the French police were instructed to carry out the horror at the camps by the Germans...July 16, 1942, was the roundup of Parisian Jewish Citizens.

It makes you cry and hope that history won't repeat itself.

Linden wondered why his mother organized a family get together in Paris for his father’s 70th birthday since his father didn’t like Paris.

In addition to his dislike of Paris, Paris was having torrential rainfall with threats of flooding. The rain and flooding continued throughout their time in Paris and throughout the book with worries it would be as bad if not worse than the Paris floods of 1910.

THE RAIN WATCHER brings together this family of four from Venozan, London, and San Francisco - no spouses or children - just the four of them. We meet Linden from San Francisco who never got along with his father, Tilia from London who is unhappily married for the second time, and Paul and Lauren their parents.

All the characters seemed to have something to hide, but you warmed up to them as the book continued.

The children had grown up in Venozan after their parents met when Lauren was on a vacation in France more than 30 years ago. It was a whirlwind romance that had Lauren never going back to the states.

The family was still indifferent as always as they gathered together for breakfast and the rain continued to pour down. Lauren insisted they were in a non-flood area of Paris and should continue with their celebration plans.

Their celebration was wonderful until something tragic happened at the restaurant and Lauren became ill as well.

Besides being part of family issues and seeing how people interact, there was a lot of interesting information about photography. Linden was a famous photographer with a photo of his father taken years ago that made him famous. There is also wonderful information about plants and gardening and Paris.

THE RAIN WATCHER is beautifully written and pulls you into the story line with Ms. De Rosnay’s marvelous storytelling skills and details about every situation.

If you like rainstorms and family drama, this book will be of interest. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NETGALLEY and in print in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The American Library in Paris 1939 then to a small town in Montana 1983.

Odile is a librarian at the American Library in Paris as the war breaks out. Lily is a teenager in Montana whose mother passed and is having trouble at school.

Both women find solace in each other after Lily finally meets her elegant neighbor from Paris.

THE PARIS LIBRARY moves back and forth and allows us to see into the lives of both characters.

Odile has the perfect job until it was necessary to provide books in secret.

Lily has the perfect life - well almost perfect - until her mother dies, but Odile helped her through this time and Lily helped Odile to not be so alone.

I enjoyed how the staff at the library was like a family itself and how the library delivered books to soldiers and others who couldn’t enter or were forbidden to enter the library. I never knew this happened.

Both Lily and Odile were very likeable characters. I truly enjoyed watching Lily grow up.

THE PARIS LIBRARY will appeal to all bookworms, romantics, and historical fiction fans.

It is heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, and despite the heartaches most of the characters were lighthearted and positive.

Once you get to know the characters, you will cry with them, wish them well, and not want them to leave you alone as you close the last page.

This book is about friendship, the love of books and libraries, regrets, giving advice, and forgiveness.

Ms. Skeslien Charles' research is impeccable. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What is the mystery behind a tiara obtained in Russia?

This mystery is the main focus of the book.

We meet mother and daughter in different years.

Sofiya is a nurse in an infirmary for wounded soldiers during the war in Russia in 1915. She takes care of one of the soldiers and falls in love. She also has many secrets her daughter, Isobelle, wants to find the answers to.

Her daughter, Isobelle, finds a tiara hidden in the wall of her mother’s bedroom, and Isobelle's curiosity begins the search for answers of why and how it got there.

THE LAST TIARA goes back and forth with background information of Isobelle’s mother and Isobelle’s present-day search in 1948.

I wasn’t really thrilled with the mother’s story. It was difficult to get interested in even though it was this background information that was needed to solve the tiara’s mystery.

I did enjoy Isobelle’s search for the mystery of the tiara.

My only complaint is that even though THE LAST TIARA had a good story line, it was quite wordy.

I struggled through some of the chapters, but the ending brought my rating from a 3/5 to a 4/5.

The unraveling of the mystery is worth wading through the extra wordy chapters.

Fans of art, the history of Russia and its royal family, and their jewels will enjoy this book.

And how about that gorgeous cover? 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Julie saw Umberto at the back of the room as she was leaving the stage. She knew this wasn't going to be good news because he wasn't smiling like always. "Aunt Rose has died" were the words that tumbled out of his mouth. As sad as Julie was, she also knew there would be something even more distressing....she had to face her twin sister Janice. Janice was four minutes younger than Julie, but she always upstaged her no matter what, and there was always conflict when Janice arrived on the scene.

It was pouring down rain the day they buried Aunt Rose. As soon as she was buried and they were leaving the gravesite, Janice demanded to see the will right then. The attorney did have the will and showed it to both girls, but nothing had been left to Julie...everything was left to Janice.

Julie was devastated, but then Umberto said he had something that her mother had left for her....a key, a passport, and a letter. The letter wanted Julie to go to Italy, but Julie knew she couldn't go to Italy because she had been thrown out of the country when she was 18. Umberto had another means to get her to the country she was born in and to carry out her mother's wishes that Aunt Rose kept secret until she had passed away. Julie had no desire to go to Italy, but Umberto insisted...who couldn't resist a trip to Italy...mama mia :)

Julie Jacobs aka as Giulietta Tolomei was on the plane to Italy the next day and met Eva Maria, an Italian citizen. She informed Giulietta that she knew her family and that her family and Giulietta's family were rivals back in the Middle Ages. Eva Marie took her under her wing and insisted that her grandson show Giulietta the town of Siena and keep her safe.

The next day Giulietta went to the bank with her key. The bank manager had known Giulietta's father, and he took Giulietta to the safety deposit box with the matching key. What Giulietta found was her family and frightening and wonderful adventures. The key, the box her mother left her, and the story of Romeo and Juliet is the novel's main theme with lots of mystery and intrigue surrounding them.

This book is outstanding...the storyline, the descriptions, the characters, and Italy.

I loved how the book went back and forth from the 1300's to present day using the story of Romeo and Juliet as the main plot and how the main characters unraveled family and life-long mysteries....you will love the present-day characters Julie and Janice Jacobs also known as Giulietta and Giannozza Talomei.

I couldn't put it down. I loved "being in Italy" again, and could just see the buildings and all the quaintness of the country and the city of Siena. The web page Random House set up for the book adds to your interest because the pictures go along with the pages of the book.

I can't see how it wouldn't be liked...it is a book you won't want to miss. It has something for everyone...history, romance, mystery, betrayal, life in the 1300's in Italy, ancestors, middle-age family feuds, suspense, and a great author. Ms. Fortier did a superb job with her novel.

It is absolutely wonderful right up to the last page. You will not want it to end. What an extraordinary novel. ENJOY!!

Who can you believe?

Four boys accused of rape and put on trial and stories that don’t match Jodie's the victim.

Jodie has a facial deformity that even her mother can’t face and continually brings it up as the reason they live in poverty. Her mother is cruel.

As you read and follow the trial, you don't know who to believe.

I trusted and believed Jodie, but didn't like her friend Nina. She seemed shady and not loyal to Jodie.

Not sure if I believed the boys.

I felt bad for Zara, the case worker and attorney, because the public ridiculed her along with her client.

You won't want to stop reading because you want to find out what really happened and who was telling the truth. TAKE IT BACK is a tense, high interest, well-written thriller.

There are some sensitive and cruel situations, but this thriller has a non-stop pulse to it.

TAKE IT BACK is a very powerful, thoughtful book that will stay with you. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who is cousin Olivia? Rebecca remembered visiting her a few times when she was a child, but her mother didn’t mention her too often.

Finding letters from cousin Olivia addressed to her mother pleading for help had Rebecca on her way to Olivia’s house.

What a mess she found. The house was in shambles, Olivia wasn’t there, her finances were very bad, and Rebecca finds a hidden tunnel in the basement which had been used during the war along with other secrets from WWII.

We go back and forth from present day to 1943 and find out about Olivia...she is some character. The bird she has is even more upsetting than what Rebecca found out about Olivia.

It took a few chapters to get into the book, but it’s worth the wait.

I loved all the secrets of the house and Olivia’s life, and I loved Rebecca’s perseverance.

THE SEA GATE has great characters, pull-you-in writing, and a story line that will keep you turning the pages to a marvelous revelation of the secrets and an unraveling of Olivia and her life. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

The locals have never forgotten the tragedy that most people believe was Kiernan’s fault because he shouldn’t have been in the caves when the storm surged.

Kiernan had been with his girlfriend in the caves, and Kiernan was blamed for the the death of his brother and the father of seven-year-old Liam for risking their lives to save him. A local teenager also disappeared during the storm.

Just what was the intrigue of those caves?

Twelve years later Kiernan has come back to Evelyn Bay to help his parents pack up their house because his father has dementia and needs to be in a home.

A few days after Kiernan and his family arrive, tragedy strikes again on the same beach.

Will this current investigation be more thorough than the one many years ago that never did solve the disappearance of the local teenager?

Will it bring up things that were kept hidden?

Will this new tragedy bring the guilt and regret back to the surface and have everyone reliving the first tragedy?

THE SURVIVORS took a bit to connect with, but once you figured out who was who, what the town and the people who lived there were going through, and the magnitude of the first tragedy, the tension ramped up.

There were a lot of characters and quite a few that could have been the person who was responsible for the second death on the beach. Ms. Harper kept that a well-hidden secret.

I had a few people in mind, but was kept guessing until the end.

This was my first book by Ms. Harper, and she definitely keeps your interest with the subtle hints about the characters and who the responsible person could be as well as where the story line is going.

Her descriptive writing pulled you right into every place the characters were and into every situation.

I enjoyed trying to figure out the undertone of the town as well as the mystery.

THE SURVIVORS is an excellent mystery with revelations you won’t see coming. 4/5

This book was given to me by BookBrowse and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Who can you believe?

Four boys accused of rape and put on trial, and stories that don’t match Jodie's the victim.

Jodie has a facial deformity that even her mother can’t face and continually brings it up as the reason they live in poverty. Her mother is cruel.

As you read and follow the trial, you don't know who to believe.

I trusted and believed Jodie, but didn't like her friend Nina. She seemed shady and not loyal to Jodie..

Not sure if I believed the boys.

I felt bad for Zara, the case worker and attorney, because the public ridiculed her along with her client.

You won't want to stop reading because you want to find out what really happened and who was telling the truth.

There are some sensitive and cruel situations, but this thriller has a non-stop pulse to it.

TAKE IT BACK is a tense, high interest, well-written thriller.

TAKE IT BACK is a very powerful, thoughtful book that will stay with you. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who started the fire that killed three people?

Someone knows but isn’t telling. Then there is another fire.

??Ann Lindell a retired policewoman who moved to the country for some peace and quiet finds out that it isn’t all that peaceful in the country.

Even though she isn’t a policewoman any longer, she feels compelled to look into the investigation. ??What’s funny is that someone who didn’t identify himself called her at the police station and asked for her after the first fire.??

The investigation moves on and one of the suspects is found dead after a second fire. With that lead being gone now, their investigation starts again and down a different route.??

I really liked Ann even though Sammy took up most of the book’s investigation time.

THE NIGHT OF THE FIRE was a different read and a bit slow for me because of the setting and the names of the characters, but it was interesting.??

I did like the mystery and the unraveling of it, but not sure I would read another in this series.

I may have been a bit lost since it was the first one I read in the series, but I did like most of the characters, and the writing is well done.??

Thank you to St. Martin’s for giving me a chance to get to know these characters. 3.5/5

Strangers telling each other their deepest secrets starts the ball rolling as we find many characters with secrets, characters who tell lies, characters who are manipulative, and characters who aren’t who they seem.

Martha and Selena meet by chance on the train coming home, and they exchange secrets.

Martha is having an affair with her boss.

Selena saw in the nanny camera that her husband was having an affair with the nanny.

Martha replied by saying that maybe the nanny will disappear, and then the nanny does disappear.

Selena doesn't reply but regrets telling her secret.

What do all of these characters have to do with each other and with the events that have been happening?

There are quite a few characters to keep straight and characters that cross paths, but how do they all fit in and connect?

CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 is truly addictive. It is one surprise after another.

You won’t want to put it down because of the writing and the cunning, who-do-you-believe characters and the who-could-think-of these things that are happening.

Make sure this book makes it into your TBR for this fall. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Becky Farwell was brilliant in math and made money during high school tutoring friends either for money, clothes, or shoes.

Her life wasn't easy, though. Her mother had died, and she was left taking care of her ill father so she felt she couldn't go to college.

What she did do was help her father with his failing business and work as the town's treasurer.

She does some shady things with the town's money because she had developed a love and obsession for art, and you know art is expensive.

We follow Becky from her high school days to her days as an art connoisseur which got her into terrible debt to the town as she skimmed money from the treasurer’s office accounts into a personal account.

I actually liked her even though she was doing things not on the up and up. Becky was a determined woman when it came to her art and what she wanted.

THE TALENTED MISS FARWELL is an enjoyable read simply because you can't believe what she is doing.

The writing is fresh and pulls you in. A wonderful book for a debut.

Art aficionados and any reader who just needs something different will find this book enjoyable. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful history lesson and beautifully written book.

I have never heard of these ships that took female prisoners from England to Australia to work off their sentences and who were charged with crimes of no consequence such as stealing a spoon.

We meet Evangeline who was a governess accused of stealing a ring that the son of the person she worked for gave her and who suffered through her months in a filthy prison then on the boat to Australia.

We meet Hazel a midwife and girl who knew how to heal with herbs who was on the transport ship with Evangeline, and they became fast friends as Evangeline taught her to read.

The horrible conditions and abuse these women had to endure is appalling, but the friendships made and the closeness of the women on the boat was wonderful.

In another story line, we meet Mathinna who was taken from her family by an aristocrat and his wife to live in their home. They cared nothing about how Mathinna felt to be all alone because they liked to “collect” things.

All three women suffered immeasurably in the lives they led and in situations that are mesmerizing but heartbreaking.

Ms. Kline has done impeccable research and enlightened us about this time in history and had me looking up Mathinna, the prisons, and Hobart Town.

Another outstanding read with beautifully flowing writing and definitely a book you won’t want to miss.

I didn’t want to stop reading and looked forward to returning to the book. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher and Book Browse in exchange for an honest review.

A small town, a perfect town, a town with secrets, and a town with the not so perfect residents they think they are.

The night Jenny Kramer is attacked is the night that the town gets turned upside down along with her family. Jenny's father is obsessed with finding her attacker, and the town can't believe something like this could happen in Fairview, Connecticut.

The horrible attack on Jenny brought about a decision her parents ?had to make concerning a drug that would erase Jenny's complete memory of the attack.

Mr. and Mrs. Kramer were at odds about the drug, but they did agree to go ahead with the treatment.

Along with the treatment comes a psychiatrist, Dr. Forrester, who administered the treatment as well as the doctor who provided therapy for the entire family.

The author definitely expands the reader's knowledge about psychiatric therapy? as Dr. Forrester interviews Jenny, her family, and a character named Sean.

We the reader follow the investigation and question who really is the attacker.

ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN is a powerful, amazingly written read. The story line is highly developed, carried out in an organized fashion, and gives the reader a lot to think about.

You will be frustrated at first because you don't know who the narrator is, but it becomes apparent and is revealed a few chapters in.

By chapter 18 you will be biting your fingernails and be on the edge of your seat with the suspense, possible findings, and seeing how cunning and evil some of the characters are.

Reading ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN was a definite treat on an intellectual level, and the approach to the book's subject was unique.

ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN was a tense, stay-with-you psychological thriller and will make you wonder if folks are really who they appear to be. 4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

Who wouldn’t want to own a bookshop? That is a dream job.

Natalie, Blythe’s mother, did follow her dream, but at times her dream was at the expense of her daughter.

A tragedy left Natalie with her mother gone, her beloved grandfather to care for, and a bookshop that her mother left deep in debt.

Since Natalie grew up with books, she wanted to try something else in her life instead of her successful, tedious job and took over the bookshop that had been in the family for three generations.

Natalie knew the ancient bookshop is where she should be, and she found more than books in this bookshop.

THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP has the reader following Natalie with her decisions about the bookshop and her life.

You’ll fall in love with the bookshop and all the characters.

Who doesn’t love a book that has a bookshop in it?

THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP is a sweet read focusing on family, life choices, and choosing what makes you happy.

If you need a feel good read, be sure to add this book to your must-read list for the summer.

THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP has it all: love, books, and anything sweet and heartwarming that you can think of.

ENJOY when you read it. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Izabela and Bill were destined to meet, but did Izabela realize what she was getting herself and Bill into when she rushed the marriage and escaped the farm she had known for her entire life?

Izabela immediately fell in love with Bill when she saw him in a group of British prisoners who came to help on the farm during WWII. Her plans were to marry Bill, find her father and brother, and join the resistance, but the Germans had other plans for them.

We follow Izzy and Bill as they escape the farm, travel in the night, sleep in the day, become captured, and endure the prison camp.

They were sent to Lamsdorf Prison where Izzy had to hide that she was a woman. Surprisingly the men in their hut actually helped to hide her.

THE PRISONER'S WIFE which is based on true events was very tense, very well written, and very well researched.

You will feel the terror and pain the prisoners endured in the camps and on the historical Long Walk from Poland to Germany. The characters were resilient, loyal, unbelievably strong, and easy to like.

Historical fiction fans will be completely absorbed in this book that gives yet another look at what suffering went on during WWII.

THE PRISONER'S WIFE is a beautiful but heartbreaking book.

A MUST READ!! 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dealing with problems in her own marriage and now having to deal with defending a friend for a murder that Lizzie knew he didn't commit was not what Lizzie was looking forward to.

Lizzie was friends with Zach in college and knew he wasn't capable of murder, but did you really ever fully know someone? The married couples in this book definitely didn't know each other and had secrets from each other and from friends.

Zach and Amanda lived in a posh neighborhood. It was a life Amanda didn't grow up with. In fact, Amanda grew up impoverished. Did her childhood have something to do with her being murdered?

We see glimpses of Amanda before she met Zach and we always see Amanda as meek, but pleasant. We also feel her fear each time she gets a call that only has heavy breathing in the response to her hello. She knows who it is, but we are kept in the dark.

A GOOD MARRIAGE dragged until one-third of the way, but once secrets became revealed, the investigation got underway, and the characters confessed, the interest and tension definitely picked up.

If you like books with twists, turns, secrets, and surprises from all angles, you won’t want to miss A GOOD MARRIAGE. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Having to leave your newborn at a Foundling until you could afford to keep the child seemed to be the norm in the 1700's for poor families.

Going back to get your child after you saved half a year's wages to pay for the child’s keep for six years and find out someone else had claimed to be you and taken your child was more unbearable than leaving your child the first time.

Bess was devastated when she found out someone had taken her daughter. When she questioned the governors of the Foundling, they had no answer, but her second try at finding something out had her introduced to a doctor who was going to try to help her.

Meeting with the doctor at a Sunday service allowed Bess to see a small child who she knew was her daughter. Seeing the child's mother was a shock - Bess knew who she was, and knew that this woman's daughter was surely her own daughter.

The following day, Doctor Mead proposed something extraordinary and unheard of to the child's wealthy mother, Alexandra. Because she kept everything locked up, secretive, and never went outside the house except for Sunday services, Alexandra wasn't sure of the doctor's suggestion to hire a nursemaid.

We follow Bess and Alexandra as Bess serves in her household and is loved by Charlotte more than Charlotte loves Alexandra.

Women's fiction fans and those who enjoy learning of the life styles of the wealthy and their privileges as well as the poor at that time should enjoy this book.

Life in this era was perfectly described by Ms. Halls along with her pull-you-in writing.

THE LOST ORPHAN has mystery, historical fiction, a main character with agoraphobic problems that stem from an incident in her childhood, secrets, and to what lengths a mother's love takes her. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For eighteen years Rose Gold was told by her mother that she was ill with some disease that no one could figure out.

Her mother, Patty, took her to many doctors and actually told the doctors what tests to try.

When a doctor got suspicious, she took Rose Gold to a different doctor.

Little did Rose Gold and the doctors know that her mother was actually poisoning her to make herself look like super mom who saved her daughter.

It all caught up with Patty one day, though, when Rose Gold figured it out, and Patty was put on trial and sent to prison.

Five years later, Patty is out of prison. Surprisingly Rose Gold picked her up and has her stay with her.

We follow the story line as we hear about Rose Gold’s childhood, the background of her mother, and present day.

What does Rose Gold have in mind by having her mother stay there with her and especially since she now has a child of her own?

Can she trust her mother?

Will she so easily forget what her mother did to her?

Can Patty forget so easily that her daughter sent her to prison?

Will the town forget what she did to her daughter?

The big question, though, is who is the better/biggest liar, the most dangerous, the most cunning, or the most evil?

DARLING ROSE GOLD is a tense, chilling book, but is very well written. You won’t want to put the book down.

If you like psychological thrillers, you will enjoy DARLING ROSE GOLD. This book was every bit a thriller as well as a read that will keep you wondering what these two characters will do next. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carly left college for a "few" days so she could head to Fell, New York, to see if she could find anything out about how her Aunt Viv died or where she might be.

Viv disappeared from The Sun Down Motel where she worked in 1982 and was never found.

When Carly arrived and checked out The Sun Down Motel, she couldn't believe her aunt would even think of working there.

It was a creepy, out-of-the way place, but Carly surprised herself and took a job there on the same shift that her aunt worked.

Carly saw strange things and knew she should leave, but she stayed. She had to find out what happened at this motel and what happens now at THE SUN DOWN MOTEL.

We follow Carly as she investigates and as Viv’s story is told back in 1982.

Besides the creepy town and motel, we meet ghosts, creaky doors, weird guests, odd sounds, and no way to contact anyone not on the hotel grounds.

We learn about the hotel and the murders that took place in the town of Fell as well as the connection to The Sun Down Motel.

Each chapter got stranger and stranger as the motel seemed to come to life and have a life of its own.

If you enjoy tense, creepy, spooky story lines that include unsolved murders from years ago, THE SUN DOWN MOTEL will be your perfect read.

Be careful with the motel you choose, and especially do not stay at a motel that has anything remotely close to the name of this motel.

The entire book and the ending are twisty and brilliant. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.