We meet three wonderful characters in 1944 London.

Charlie Matters who wears tattered clothes, too-small shoes, who lies to his grandmother, who quit school, and steals things.

Molly Wakefield who just returned home to her well-to-do neighborhood after being with a family in the country to avoid the London bombings.

Ignatius Oliver who befriends both Charlie and Molly, who owns a bookstore, and who Charlie stole from.

How do they become friends? What brings them together?

These three unlikely characters were brought together because they all needed someone.

The book focused on friendship and people taking care of each other.

The storyline was quite engaging, and I loved Charlie Matters for his scrabbly, trying-to-stay alive-and-out-of-the-workhouse personality and also for some of his honest deeds.

Charlie’s Grandma was wonderful as well - I think she knew all the things Charlie was up to.

Molly and Oliver were just lonely, wonderful people.

If you need a heartwarming, but heartbreaking read at times, this is it.

There is even a bit of a mystery along with short, pull-you-in chapters. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have been asked to ghostwrite a book about an orphanage and what happened there even though my first book was not a success?

Alex always had an interest in history and researching.

Researching Coram House about the abuse and specifically the drowning of Tommy, a child at the orphanage, and Sarah who was pushed out of a window, was difficult with no one wanting to give out much information when interviewed.

Based on a true story, Alex delves into what really happened to Tommy and Sarah, and then a body and another body is found.

What do these two incidents have in common?

Is this death connected to Tommy's all those years ago and Alex’s “digging?”

It looks as if writing a book is turning into everyone who is being investigated turning up murdered.

Will she be able to write this book or will she be the next body to be found?

Is she getting too close to what really happened with all the people she is researching?

Well written, engaging, and heartbreaking, Coram House is an outstanding debut with its detail and storyline.

A good twist at the end. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ooooo…this is good.

What is the Lingate family hiding?

Why do they come back to Capri every year?

The family goes back to make sure nothing new has been found out about Sarah's death.

Did someone kill Helen's mother, Sarah Lingate, or did she have an accident?

Helen lost her mother on the family's vacation in Capri when she was very young, and it has always been recorded as an accident, but was it?

Helen was always kept under strict guard as she grew because the family was afraid she would say something about the incident.

As they do every year, the family is back in Capri and have their assistant Lorna with them.

She and Helen had become friends, and Lorna knew all about how Helen grew up.

What is going to happen this time?

Will Lorna be under scrutiny and close watch now that she is with them? Will she be safe? She isn’t family, but does it matter?

What about the necklace Sarah wore? How could it have been found after thirty years?

And...who sent the necklace to the family at their villa?

What does all this mean?

Find out in this book that details Capri perfectly and makes you want to go there or go back.

And...find out about the secrets and lies kept by this wealthy family.

You won’t want to stop reading - and just wait for the twists. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Set during the McCarthy era, we meet three women.

Melanie has been blacklisted because she was seen with a producer that they think is a communist.

Eva is a Polish housekeeper for Melanie.

June lives next door to Melanie and is taking care of her brother-in-law who won’t come out of his house because of an accident he caused a while ago.

The odd thing is that June won’t let anybody see Elwood, and it’s a puzzle where an agoraphobic person would go.

Elwood must be there because Melanie hears a typewriter clicking.

How will these women - all with secrets - become connected?

A Map to Paradise started out slowly for me, but once the background information of each character was revealed and their predicaments were revealed, I enjoyed a thoughtful, well-researched read. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What happens when the love of your life appears after thirteen years, but you are married and still grieving the death of your child?

In 1955, Beth and Gabriel had an intense relationship that ended up broken because she found out he was with another woman.

in 1968, Gabriel and his son move back into the family home next door to Beth and Frank, and the feelings resurface.

Beth finds it difficult to resist seeing and being with Gabriel. Her husband Frank isn't blind to what is going through Beth's mind.

He can see how they react to each other.

What will happen with this love triangle and with all the events that occur?

This actually isn't a romance - this dual timeline read is filled with emotion, characters you won't forget, and events that will tug at your heartstrings.

The book was a bit slow at first, but the writing, the pull of the characters and their lives, and the tension, twists, and surprises make this book one you will not soon forget.

Tissues needed - especially in the ending pages. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

We meet Louise who delivered packages to prisoners of war during World War II and Helaine who was a prisoner in the Levitan department store taken over by the Nazis that housed goods stolen from Jewish homes.

The prisoners had to sort through all of the goods, and the German officers would stop by to buy it.

Louise now has a husband and twin children and works in a secondhand store. One day she found a necklace that she recognized as one similar to the one her friend Franny had.

How did the necklace happen to be in a box with other items that came to the second hand shop with the name Levitan Department Store on the outside?

Could it be the same one?

Louise travels to France and meets her old heartthrob but he disappears and she continues to try to solve the mystery of the necklace and to find out what really happened to her friend Franny.

Will she find out about the necklace or simply find what prisoners housed in the department store endured and were forced to do?

We learn of Heleine’s fate, her eventual arrest because she was Jewish, and her time in the department store.

If you have read Pam Jenoff’s books, you know you will be reading a marvelous, well-researched historical gem with a pull-you-in storyline and with characters you will love and be able to feel their every emotion. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

We meet Hilde and Hannah.

Hilde's husband was killed in the war and is now working for a film crew who will be making a propaganda film about Theresienstadt - a Nazi camp that spouts a wonderful, peaceful city for the Jewish people and where they are treated well.

In reality, it is a Ghetto, a work camp, and a prison that was a a stopover before being sent to death camps.

Hannah is a prisoner in Theresienstadt and tries to thwart the efforts of the Germans since she is living in squalor, working for nothing, and eating watered down soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When Hilde arrives, she sees her friend Hannah.

Will friendship win out to thwart the fake news about the camp or will the Nazi’s lies and deception win?

Hannah was a very likable character whereas Hilde was not. Hilde was self centered - Hannah suffered a lot and had compassion.

The Girls of the Glimmer Factory brings to light the horrors of this misrepresented camp but focuses on courage, friendships, and the will to live. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A 2024 FAVORITE!!

We meet Madeline both past and present.

In the past, we meet Madeline as she starts work at her dream job of being a dressmaker. William, who also works there, figures out that she is very talented.

Present day, we see Madeline living in an apartment where no one pays attention to any of the residents, but one day Jayne notices Madeline’s apartment is in horrible condition. There is no food. It’s dirty. It’s messy. It smells.

She has to help this sweet woman who apparently has dementia and keeps repeating that she is looking for her husband William and waiting for him to come home.

A surprising thing is that Jayne found a room in Madeline’s apartment called the memory room where there are dresses with a note pinned on each dress explaining some event in Madeline’s life. The most amazing dress is one that belonged to Princess Diana and one that Madeline designed and made.

Jayne must find out what all this means and how she and her neighbors can help Madeline with her memory. She has no family that the neighbors know of to help.

THE MEMORY DRESS is a sweet, but heartbreaking read with a look at how dementia robs a person of their life and one that you will not want to put down as you follow Madeline and Jayne and as Jayne unravels the life of Madeline.

Each one of the characters is so lovely and ones you would hope to encounter in your life.

Historical fiction fans, fans of Princess Diana, and fans of fashion as well as those who enjoy some twists and turns in a character’s life will enjoy this book.

I enjoyed another book by Ms. Beer, THE LAST DRESS FROM PARIS. Be sure THE MEMORY DRESS is in your want to read list along with some tissues. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Can that really be Irving living in the same retirement complex as Augusta?

Irving was Augusta’s first love, but he broke her heart and married another.

Augusta worked in her father‘s pharmacy, and Irving was the delivery boy.

Sixty years later even though they loved each other for that long, they never had contacted each other.

Can they rekindle their love?

We follow Irving and Augusta in two timelines. The 1920s and then the 1980s.

When Augusta knew she wanted to be with Irving after all these years, she decided to try the love elixir she and her aunt made years ago to see if it would work again.

Can she do it?

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern is a book that will have you missing the heartwarming characters because of Ms. Loigman’s fabulous storytelling skills.

It is not a romance but a story of decisions made, family, and the regrets of poor communication.

It is another gem you won’t want to miss, and is a “do your heart good”? read. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

College friends meet at the Hitchcock Hotel owned by their friend Alfred.

They haven’t seen each other for sixteen years.

Why did Alfred invite them?

They were never really close, but most have a secret from college and/or their life since college.

Will these secrets come out?

Is this going to be a friendly get together or a sinister one?

A lot of strange things begin to happen including all of their cell phones gone missing, but when a body shows up, who did it and who is it?

THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL started out to be a book I didn't think I was going to continue with but so glad I did.

The slow start had too much background, but wow did it turn out to be a good one.

Lots of secrets, untrustworthy, conniving, unlikeable characters, and a well-crafted plot. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Dad would never commit suicide.

He was young, healthy, happy, and successful.

We have to find out if someone was with him the night he slipped and fell to his death on the rocks that he could walk over in his sleep.

Sam and Nora, who have been estranged, go on a search together for answers about their father’s death.

Someone is hiding something.

As Sam and Nora reconnect and look for the why, they realize that their father and other family members had secrets. And....perhaps that's why their father kept the three families he had from three marriages separate from each other.

THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM wasn't that engaging, and it was difficult to know which character was speaking.

It was interesting how Nora and Sam unraveled the mystery, but it was still confusing, and I wasn't anxious to get back to the book.

I also would like to know what decision the children made...it was left hanging in the air. 3/5

Annalisa Vega was assigned to The Lovelorn Killer case that re-surfaced after 20 years.

The killer's newest victim, Grace, is a member of a group called The Grave Diggers that researches cold cases.

Grace also is the member who had the most information on each of The Lovelorn Killer cases and was close to solving the mystery.

The police thought this killer was long gone, but when he kills again and also contacts Annalisa, leaves a noose with her favorite stuffed animal in a church, and also leaves a noose for another member of The Grave Diggers, the hunt for the killer becomes personal for Annalisa and more intense.

This is the first book I have read by Ms. Schaffhausen and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Her detailed, easy-to-follow writing style kept me glued to the pages with the tension mounting as Annalisa found the killer and was in danger herself.

Ms. Schaffhausen has marvelous, well developed characters…loved the debut character, Annalisa Vega.

GONE FOR GOOD is an excellent thriller that kept me guessing and has a satisfying, surprise ending.

Thriller fans won’t want to miss this book. 5/5

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

We meet Annie in 1890 - an Irish immigrant who worked as a housemaid in a wealthy household.

She was tricked by one of the male members of the family she worked for. He took a ring out of his aunt’s jewelry box while visiting, gave it to Annie, and denied giving Annie the ring when she was accused of stealing it.

Annie was arrested and sentenced to one year in San Quentin with 20 other women inmates.

We follow Annie as she lives through the awful conditions and treatment in the prison.

Then we meet Judy In 1972 as she has left her husband and is struggling to stay away from Tony and find a job.

Judy finds a photo of Annie inside a book at a photographer’s shop where she gets a job and makes it her mission to find out more about Annie.

Judy also attends meetings she learned about from a librarian as she was doing research on Annie. The meetings focus on the how residents protest against the demolition of areas of San Francisco that the city deems an eyesore. The problem, though, is that the residents have been living there for almost their entire lives.

Annie will pull at your heart strings as you suffer along with her because of the accusation and while she is in San Quentin.

Judy will have you hoping she finds what she can about Annie, hoping she can keep her husband at bay, and hoping she is able to help the residents.

Ms. Jaeger’s descriptive writing and amazing research pull you in immediately.

You won't want to put the book down because you want to know if Annie survived and if Judy was successful in finding herself and finding Annie's full story.

The Incorrigibles is another marvelous read you won’t be able to put down because of the characters, their stories, and especially if you are a fan of historical fiction. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

We meet Annie in 1890 - an Irish immigrant who worked as a housemaid in a wealthy household.

She was tricked by one of the male members of the family she worked for. He took a ring out of his aunt’s jewelry box while visiting, gave it to Annie, and denied giving Annie the ring when she was accused of stealing it.

Annie was arrested and sentenced to one year in San Quentin with 20 other women inmates.

We follow Annie as she lives through the awful conditions and treatment in the prison.

Then we meet Judy In 1972 as she has left her husband and is struggling to stay away from Tony and find a job.

Judy finds a photo of Annie inside a book at a photographer’s shop where she gets a job and makes it her mission to find out more about Annie.

Judy also attends meetings she learned about from a librarian as she was doing research on Annie.

The meetings focus on the how residents protest against the demolition of areas of San Francisco that the city deems an eyesore. The problem, though, is that the residents have been living there for almost their entire lives.

Annie will pull at your heart strings as you suffer along with her because of the accusation and while she is in San Quentin.

Judy will have you hoping she finds what she can about Annie, hoping she can keep her husband at bay, and hoping she is able to help the residents.

Ms. Jaeger’s descriptive writing and amazing research pull you in immediately.

You won't want to put the book down because you want to know if Annie survived and if Judy was successful in finding herself and finding Annie's full story.

The Incorrigibles is another marvelous read you won’t be able to put down because of the characters, their stories, and especially if you are a fan of historical fiction. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ohhhh..this is a good one!!

Hazel’s father died, and in addition to the shock of his death was the shock that he left the family home ONLY to her and not her brothers. That caused a good deal of bad feelings.

While she was home for the funeral more shocking things happened.

One of these things had to do with their mother who had taken every penny out of her husband's bank accounts, any jewelry in the house, and anything else of value and just left without notice or any trace of her when Hazel was sixteen.

Things seemed to have gone the wrong way after their mother left and since the years that Hazel had left Mirror Lake.

Or had things always been going the wrong way for Hazel in this small town and with her family and she hadn't realized it?

How could Hazel have missed all that had been going on while she was growing up and especially for the past few years?

What else could happen?

What else would be revealed?

Who really knew what happened and knows what is happening now?

Find out in this tense family drama that reveals secrets and more missing characters.

Ms. Miranda certainly knows how to weave a storyline that keeps you turning the pages with a surprising, reveal-all ending.

You won’t be able to put DAUGHTER OF MINE down. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own

How could a mansion with such a beautiful name - Marbrisa - be the scene of murders?

Peacocks screaming and dying and then construction workers and guests found dead.

1918 - Robert and Anna came from New York to Florida after the Great War, built an outlandish mansion, but it didn’t make them happy.

A drowning at their lavish party didn’t help with things. But was it an accident or murder?

1940 - Years later Carolina and Asher bought the house, fixed it up, and Carolina’s sister, Carmen, came to live with them after their parents died.

Another death happens and Carmen worries about her safety, especially since Asher controls her estate until she’s 21.

We follow both storylines as the mansion seems to be the center of attention and drama and as we meet characters that keep and tell secrets.

A marvelous Gothic-style read with undercurrents of menace that you can’t figure out if the menace is coming from a person, place, or thing.

Don't miss this one!! 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It’s the 1960s.

What became of girls who found themselves pregnant and with no support?

We meet Lorraine Delford, an only child, a girl who was going to be valedictorian of her senior class, a girl who wanted to be an astronaut, a girl who did not want to be the typical mother, teacher, or secretary.

All her dreams were slashed when her boyfriend told her “if you want to keep it, you’re on your own.”

THE GIRLS WE SENT AWAY has a main character that you will love from the minute you meet her.

You will cheer for her and for her dreams, but your heart will break when she has to deal with her pregnancy and a mother that has always been critical and unsupportive especially when she needed her the most.

Lorraine gets sent to a home for wayward girls not really knowing her fate.

Ms. Church has written another heartwarming, but heartbreaking book that you won’t want to put down.

Ms. Church’s writing is pull you in and makes you feel the emotions of each character as well as the sentiments and feelings of this time in the 1960s.

Don’t miss this well-researched, poignant heartwrenching, fabulous, tissues-needed book. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own

It is post World War II, and we meet Fanny Fabricant, her husband, Max, and their daughter Chloe. Fanny was the lucky one because her husband came back from the war. She wasn’t lucky for too long, though, because her life changed one night.

We follow Fanny as she goes to work much to the gossiping of other women at this time because women didn't work, but she had no choice.

THE TROUBLE WITH YOU dragged until mid point, caught my interest after that, but it still wasn’t a book I was anxious to get back to even though Ms. Feldman’s writing and research were well done.

My favorite character was Chloe…she was so sweet and innocent. Fanny was a well-thought-out character and one ahead of her time. I enjoyed following Fanny and was hoping for the best for her in the social attitudes of this era.

The ending was satisfying, and the book will be enjoyed by historical fiction fans and women’s fiction fans. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Escaping a raging Australian bush fire wasn’t the only horrendous thing Allison had to endure in her life.

Something else from her past was waiting.

When she felt it was safe to leave her home, she found a dead woman sitting in her driveway with Allison‘s address written on a slip of paper.

Allison has no idea who this woman is, but it is the address of where Allison used to live.

We follow Allison as she tries to figure out what meaning this has, and she constantly feels someone is watching her.

Did she really know this woman? What is going on?

How are Allison and this woman connected?

We find out as Allison relives the past and lets us know what’s going on currently.

Her abusive boyfriend is trying to find her because he said she has something that he wants.

Allison knows nothing about what he could want, is frightened, runs, and tries to solve this on her own without giving all the information to the police.

RADIANT HEAT was somewhat confusing because of all the back-and-forth in time right in the same paragraph or chapter, but the writing was very good and the tension, the intrigue, and the underlying fact that something was going on that I needed to know kept me reading, even though it took until about 50 to pull you in.

It is worth the wait, but be aware there is domestic violence. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A lot is going on in this small lakeside resort town which has a woman sheriff and only two other police officers - one being her son Eli who has PTSD from his time in Afghanistan.

Eli only has the job because of his mother, and he tries to medicate himself with alcohol.

When Eli is asked to check on a cabin that has a radio blaring, he finds no one inside, but finds something worse - a dead child in a boat.

The autopsy indicates that the child was hit over the head and also injected with drugs.

Another interesting part about finding the child is that he was with another resident of the campgrounds during the day, but now she is missing.

We follow the investigation and hope Eli can help solve the murder and redeem himself and get some help with his problems.

NORTHWOODS was a bit confusing at first, but once the investigation got going, my interest picked up.

There were a few people I had in mind as the murderer and kidnapper and a few surprises, but I never suspected the real murderer.

Also addressed was PTSD and how it affects those suffering from it. Also addressed was alcohol abuse.

Enjoy if you read this well-written debut. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.