Reviews by Maureen C

Order Reviews by:
The Names
The Names: A Novel
by Florence Knapp
Amazing Debut (8/12/2025)
This is a beautiful debut novel. The premise of this book is can a name define who you will be?

Have you ever judged a person by a name? Maybe you knew someone by that name and didn’t like them.

What is in a name? We are going to find out.
Cora is abused wife and sets out to …more
Real Americans
Real Americans: A Novel
by Rachel Khong
Compelling Saga (4/15/2025)
This is the story of three generations of the Chen Family. The first part is told by Lily who was born in the US on Long Island, NY. Lily starts out as an unpaid intern in 1999 and meets Matthew who wines and dines her. Matthew is an heir to a huge pharmaceutical company. …more
Nesting
Nesting: A Novel
by Roisín O'Donnell
Emotional Read (3/13/2025)
This is a heartfelt story of a young woman trying to make a better life for her children.
Ciara Fay is dealing with emotional and verbal abuse very day of her life. She has finally had it. Her home is not a safe place for her two young daughters. She grabs the clothes on the …more
Maya & Natasha
Maya & Natasha: A Novel
by Elyse Durham
Compelling (2/12/2025)
A compelling debut novel. This is the story of twin sisters, born in Russia. Daughters of a famed prima ballerina, who has an untimely death. Their mother‘s friend takes the girls in. They are raised to be ballerinas. They enter the Vaganova Ballet hoping to follow in their …more
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
by Chanel Cleeton
Captivating Story (2/6/2025)
Loved this story. This is a beautifully written heartfelt novel. It is written in three timelines.

1900 Eva is a teacher who is offered the opportunity to travel to Hartford University for the summer. It is part of a cultural exchange program. Eva has been trying to write a …more
Babylonia
Babylonia: A Novel
by Costanza Casati
Captivating (1/13/2025)
This is a beautifully written story of Semiramis, a motherless child who becomes Queen of the Assyrian Empire. Semiramis becomes an orphan, when her mother takes her own life. She is adopted by a shepherd, Simmas, but is mistreated. Eventually Semiramis grows into a young …more
The Briar Club
The Briar Club: A Novel
by Kate Quinn
Captivating Story (1/10/2025)
Thanksgiving 1954, Briarwood House, Washington D.C. “If these walls could talk well, they are certainly listening.” Briarwood house is an old boarding house for women only. It has seen three wars, ten presidents, and countless tenants. But never a murder.
There are a cast of …more
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
by James McBride
Compelling Story (11/30/2024)
This is a beautifully story. It is set in 1930’s in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in a dilapidated neighborhood called Chicken Hil. Jewish immigrants and Afro Americans live there together.

The story starts in 1972 when a skeleton is found in an old well along with a mezuzah . …more
Like Mother, Like Mother
Like Mother, Like Mother: A Novel
by Susan Rieger
Beautiful Story (10/31/2024)
This is the story of three generations of very strong women. This is a complicated story, the characters are well developed each with their own story to tell. Is a thought-provoking novel that will get you thinking about motherhood. Would you follow the path? Perfect book …more
The Rose Arbor
The Rose Arbor: A Novel
by Rhys Bowen
Historical Fiction Mystery (8/9/2024)
I haven’t read many books by Rhys Bowen but this one was very intriguing. It is very well written in two time lines. A tale of mystery, suspense and secrets that kept me turning the pages.

1968 London, Liz Houghton is a newspaper reporter, when a young girl goes missing.
This …more
The Frozen River
The Frozen River: A Novel
by Ariel Lawhon
Inspirational Historical Fiction (7/9/2024)
This book is inspired by the real diary of midwife Martha Ballard in the 18th century in Hallowell, Maine. She kept a diary of recorded births and deaths and daily activities.
In 1789 Martha as a trained midwife is summoned to examine a body and determine cause of death, of …more
West with Giraffes
West with Giraffes: A Novel
by Lynda Rutledge
Wonderful Adventure (6/16/2024)
This is a heartwarming story of Woody Nickle’s adventure. He is now 105 years old and is writing about his adventure when he was 17. There was a hurricane in 1938 in the north east. Giraffes were on board a ship to be transported to the San Diego zoo. Two giraffes survived …more
Only the Beautiful
Only the Beautiful
by Susan Meissner
Interesting Historical Fiction (6/4/2024)
Another wonderful novel from Susan Meissner. This book is about a topic I knew little about, Eugenics. It was shocking to discover during WWII what Hitler was doing to the young children and to realize that this was happening in the U.S.
This novel was written in two story …more
  • Page
  • 1

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Cover Girl
    by Amy Rossi
    Find them early enough, and they will always be her girls.
1
2
PrevNext

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Too Old for This
    by Samantha Downing

    A retired killer's secret is at risk when a visitor arrives—her only option? Another murder.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Possession of Alba Díaz
    by Isabel Cañas

    When a demon awakens in a Mexican mine, a young woman must seek help from the one man she shouldn’t trust.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Magician of Tiger Castle
    by Louis Sachar

    The author of Holes returns with a magical adult debut about forbidden love and a kingdom on the brink of collapse.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    When the Cranes Fly South
    by Lisa Ridzén

    A powerful debut about an elderly man’s fight for independence, and an emotional tale of love, family, and redemption.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    This Here Is Love
    by Princess Joy L. Perry

    Three people—two enslaved, one indentured—struggle to overcome the limits and labels of their painful shared pasts.

    Read the Reviews
1
2
3
4
5
PrevNext
Win This Book
Win All the Men I've Loved Again

All the Men I've Loved Again by Christine Pride

Christine Pride's solo debut explores a woman's love triangle in her 20s that unexpectedly resurfaces in her 40s.

Enter

Book
Trivia

  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

I N R S

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.