Review ~ The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

The Fifth Witness
Author ~ Michael Connelly
Publisher ~ Little, Brown & Co
Publication Date ~ April 5, 2011

About the book ~ 

In tough times, crime is one of the few things that still pays, but if defense attorney Mickey Haller was expecting an uptick in business during the economic downturn, the reality is a different story. Even people needing legal representation to keep them out of jail are having to make cutbacks, it seems. In fact, the most significant part of Mickey's business right now is not about keeping clients out of jail but about keeping a roof over their heads, as the foreclosure boom hits thousands of people who were granted unrealistic mortgages in the good times and now face being kicked to the curb in the bad times.

Lisa Trammel has been a client of Mickey's for eight months — his very first foreclosure case, in fact — and although so far he's managed to stop the bank from taking her house, the strain and sense of injustice have taken a toll. The bank recently got a restraining order to prevent her from protesting against their practices. Now, a high level bank employee, Mitchell Bondurant, has been found dead in the bank's parking lot and Lisa is about to be indicted for murder.

For Mickey, it's back to what he does best on the biggest stage of all, but if he thought defending Lisa Trammel was going to be a walk in the park, he'd be wrong. Not only is he about to learn some startling truths about his client, but also about himself, and by the time the verdict is in, Mickey's whole world will have been turned upside down. 

My thoughts ~ 

Favorite line from the book  ~ "I was thinking of going to Matthew McConaughey with this. He'd be excellent. But who do YOU think could play you?" -- A producer asking Mickey Haller

The criminal cases may have dried up, but there is no shortage of legal work for Mickey Haller. With the economy the way it is, handling foreclosure cases is where the business is these days. Although he has no shortage of clients, they aren’t the clients he would like to have. His heart still belongs in criminal law. But you have to work with what you have. The one good thing is, in traveling from client to client, he works out of his favorite office – the back of his Lincoln.

Lisa Trammel used to have it all: the beautiful home, the devoted husband, and the darling child. Now she is at her wits end. Her husband has left her, she is a single mother supporting her young son, and she is about to lose her beautiful house to foreclosure. She firmly believes that something is amiss and hires Mickey Haller to save her house, hoping he will find some sort of loop-hole, manipulation, or illegal action that can stop this insane action. In her anger, despair, and frustration Lisa starts a group to fight against the injustices of foreclosures. She pushes things a bit to far and ends up with a restraining order against her, barring her from going within one hundred feet of the bank that holds her mortgage.

Mitchell Bonderant is in charge of the mortgage department and deals with foreclosures on a daily basis. He certainly has his hands full, with thousands of people defaulting on their mortgages and facing the loss of their homes. But he also has his own demons to face, holes he has dug for himself that he needs to get out of quickly. Lisa Trammel is not the only one who has issue with Mitchell.

Then Mitchell is found dead in the parking garage of the bank, his head bashed in, and his briefcase open. Is this a random robbery/murder or has Mitchell crossed the wrong person? When eye-witness reports put Lisa within a block of the bank, she is soon arrested for his murder. She vehemently denies her innocence. However, there is some definitive evidence of her guilt and some circumstantial. The question is how reliable is any of it?  Now Mickey goes from foreclosure lawyer to defense lawyer, returning him to the place he loves almost as much as the backseat of his Lincoln – the courtroom.

Mickey quickly puts his team to work: Cisco, the hard-hitting, investigator, Lorna, an ex and extremely efficient secretary, and Bullocks, his fresh-out-of-law-school associate. Together they work to wade through all of the evidence in an all-out effort to clear their client. It’s not an easy battle though. Mickey is up again a tough-as-nails prosecutor, an annoying, “manager-type” that seems to weasel his way into Lisa’s life and the case, and an every-growing mountain of evidence against his client. And there is nothing that will stand in his way from providing his client with the best defense possible, not even the threats, or the beat-down he takes.

Step by step, Mickey and his team work through the evidence. Disputing virtually everything the prosecution brings to the table taking us all the way to the stunning, didn’t-see-that-coming conclusion. Michael Connelly deals with an issue that is on the forefront of everyone’s mine today – foreclosures. With the economy struggling, this is something that millions of people are dealing with. He does a great job of explaining things in such a simple manner, that even those not completely familiar with how the process works will be able to understand. It’s great to see the struggles that Mickey continues to have in his relationships with his exes, the growth that Bullock shows as the new associate, and to have Mickey return to the back seat of his Lincoln. The Fifth Witness has more twists and turns than a Halloween maze. Michael Connellly will take you for a ride you will never forget.

 

 Other books in the Mickey Haller series ~

  

The Lincoln Lawyer

 The Brass Verdict: A Novel  (Mickey Haller & Harry Bosch)

 The Reversal (Mickey Haller & Harry Bosch)

About the author ~ 

     Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing — a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.
     After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat.  In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler,
had written.
     After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles, was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly followed up with three more Bosch books, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde, and The Last Coyote, before publishing The Poet in 1996—a thriller with a newspaper reporter as a protagonist. In 1997, he went back to Bosch with Trunk Music, and in 1998 another non-series thriller, Blood Work, was published. It was inspired in part by a friend's receiving a heart transplant and the attendant "survivor's guilt" the friend experienced, knowing that someone died in order that he have the chance to live. Connelly had been interested and fascinated by those same feelings as expressed by the survivors of the plane crash he wrote about years before. The movie adaptation of Blood Work was released in 2002, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.
     Connelly's next book, Angels Flight, was released in 1999 and was another entry in the Harry Bosch series. The non-series novel Void Moon was released in 2000 and introduced a new character, Cassie Black, a high-stakes Las Vegas thief. His 2001 release, A Darkness More Than Night, united Harry Bosch with Terry McCaleb from Blood Work, and was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Los Angeles Times.
     In 2002, Connelly released two novels. The first, the Harry Bosch book City Of Bones, was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times. The second release was a stand-alone thriller, Chasing The Dime, which was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Los Angeles Times.
     Lost Light was published in 2003 and named one of the Best Books of 2003 by the Los Angeles Times. It is another in the Harry Bosch series but the first written in first person. To celebrate its release, Michael produced the limited edition jazz CD, Dark Sacred Night, The Music Of Harry Bosch. This CD is a compilation of the jazz music mentioned in the Bosch novels and was given away to his readers on Michael's 2003 book tour.
     Connelly's 2004 novel, The Narrows, is the sequel to The Poet. It was named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Los Angeles Times. To accompany this Harry Bosch novel, Little, Brown and Company Publishers released a limited edition DVD, Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly's Los Angeles. In this film, Michael Connelly provides an insider's tour of the places that give his stories and characters their spark and texture.
      His 11th Harry Bosch novel, The Closers, was published in May 2005, and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. The Lincoln Lawyer, Connelly's first-ever legal thriller and his 16th novel, was published in October 2005 and also debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This book introduced Mickey Haller, a Los Angeles defense attorney who works out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car. The movie adaptation, starring Matthew McConaughey as Haller, was released in 2011. This is the second film adapted from a Connelly novel.
     Crime Beat, a non-fiction collection of crime stories from Michael's days as a journalist, was released in 2006, as was the Harry Bosch novel, Echo Park, released in October 2006. The Overlook, Michael's 18th novel, was originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine. This Harry Bosch story was published as a book with additional material in May 2007.
     Michael's 19th novel, The Brass Verdict, was released in October 2008, and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It introduces Lincoln lawyer Mickey Haller to LAPD Detective Harry Bosch in a fast-paced legal thriller. Michael's 20th novel, The Scarecrow, was first released in May 2009, and reunites reporter Jack McEvoy and FBI Agent Rachel Walling for the first time since The Poet. It too debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Michael released a second book in 2009, the 15th Harry Bosch novel, Nine Dragons. In this story, Bosch goes to Hong Kong to find his missing daughter. It is the most personal Bosch story since The Last Coyote.
     In October 2010, The Reversal was released and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This book has Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch working together on the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. The Fifth Witness, a Mickey Haller novel, was released in April 2011.
     Connelly's books have been translated in 36 languages and have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award  (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain) .
     Michael was the President of the Mystery Writers of America organization in 2003 and 2004. In addition to his literary work, Michael was one of the creators, writers, and consulting producers of Level 9, a TV show about a task force fighting cyber crime, that ran on UPN in the Fall of 2000.
     Michael lives with his family in Florida.

FTC Full Disclosure ~ The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.

Review (ARC) ~ Inside By Brenda Novak

Inside
Author ~ Brenda Novak
Publisher ~ Mira
Pages ~ 400
Publication Date ~ June 28, 2011
Source ~ NetGalley

About the book ~ 

Dangerous to know...

Virgil Skinner served fourteen years for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s finally been exonerated, but he can’t escape the gang he joined in order to survive. They’ll do anything to keep him from telling what he knows. And if they can’t get to Virgil they’ll go after his sister and her kids.

The California Department of Corrections needs someone to infiltrate another gang, one that’s taking control of the state’s most notorious supermax. Virgil agrees to do it under an alias—in exchange for his sister’s protection.

Chief Deputy Warden Peyton Adams is opposed to having Virgil in her prison. How will she protect him if things go bad? Besides, she’s far too attracted to him; she might even be falling in love with him. That makes her all the more desperate to keep him safe—and it gives him someone else to lose.

My thoughts ~ 

Peyton Adams steps into a world filled with drugs, violence, gangs, and mayhem every single day as Deputy Chief Warden of the Pelican Bay Prison. And she loves it. But she knows that things aren’t perfect and that changes need to be made. She strongly believes that she is going to be the one to make those changes, especially the perception that Pelican Bay is one of the headquarters for gang violence. Peyton has a vested interest in implementing changes in the prison system. Years ago, just a few weeks shy of his release date, her father was stabbed to death in prison. It was a murder that should never have happened. Since then, she has made it her mission to correct what is wrong with the prison system.

Gangs in prison are like snow in February; you know it exists, yet you hope they’ll disappear. These gangs rule with an iron fist, they take no prisoners (no pun intended), and they are extremely violent. Two of the largest gangs at Pelican Bay are The Neustra Family and Hell’s Fury. Hell’s Fury is rumored to be behind the hit on a judge. The only way to bring down this gang is to try and put someone in the inside. 

Rick Wallace, an associate director with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has his eyes on the big prize, the top job. And he doesn’t particularly care who he steps on to get there. He has devised a plan, Operation Inside, where he will put, (what prisons officials believe to be) an undercover operative into the system in order to ferret out the person who ordered the hit on the judge. Peyton is far from thrilled with this plan, but Rick doesn’t care all that much what she thinks. He knows that the success of this operation will bring the accolades he believes he so rightfully deserves. 

Simeon Bennett (real name Virgil Skinner) is the man that Rick Wallace is placing inside Peyton’s prison. Believed to be an operative of Department 6 (see the Hired Gun series), he himself was in a prison many years ago, and Rick feels he has the “prisoner mentality” needed to infiltrate Hell’s Fury. But when Peyton doesn’t buy his cover story, she does some digging and finds out that Virgil has just spent the past 14 years in a prison for a murder he didn’t commit. However, he did commit certain acts that could keep him in prison if he doesn’t help Rick out. He is also is hoping that this job will help him break free of his ties to the gang, The Crew, that he had to join when he was incarcerated in order to keep himself protected and safe. Since The Crew hasn’t heard from Virgil since his release, they firmly believe he is going to turn on them and begin to hunt him down so that they can take him out before he spills their secrets. What they don’t realize is that even though he is working with the DOC, and despises being part of a gang, he still sees them as family. Family would never turn on family. Now Virgil must do whatever it takes to keep his real family (sister, Laurel, niece, Mia, and nephew, Jake) alive and away from the deadly clutches of The Crew.

From the second that Peyton and Virgil meet the attraction is white hot. You can feel the pheromones coming off their skin. There is no denying the desire they feel for each other. But a prisoner/warden relationship, no matter what the circumstances the prisoner is incarcerated for, is a major no-no. Additionally, is the challenge that they come from two different worlds, and once this case is over he will disappear into the Witness Protection Program with his sister and her family, and she will still be the Deputy Chief Warden. But as the preparations for him to enter the prison get under way the death toll also rises and the stakes get higher, and Virgil and Peyton can no longer fight their attraction to one another. The soon realize they must work together, both inside and outside the prison walls, in order to save themselves and those they love. 

I LOVED Inside. It has the perfect combination of drama, intensity, love, mystery, and sex. The characters are likeable, and you’ll find yourself cheering for them right from the start. Despite only knowing each other for such a short time, Peyton and Virgil will have you rooting for them to get together, to find each other, and to give into their passion. If you’re the type that finds the whole meet, fall-in-love, and be-together-forever in a three-day-time-period impossible, than this book is not for you. But if you’re a fan of the intense, white-hot, know-from-the-second-you-meet-someone passion that is true to the romantic suspense genre, than make sure to pick up a copy of Inside, because this book defines it to a T.

 

Click the title to pre-order your copy TODAY ~ Inside

About the author ~ 

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer. 

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, the Write Touch, the Award of Excellence and the Beacon Award for Published Authors. 

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. She juggles her writing career with her children’s softball and soccer games, field trips, carpool runs and homework sessions.

When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually working on her annual fundraiser for diabetes research—an on-line auction held at her website May 1st – May 31st. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

Visit Brenda at her website

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Brenda's Other Books ~

Review ~ Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

Friendship Bread: A Novel
Author ~ Darien Gee
Publisher ~ Ballantine Books
Publication Date ~ April 5, 2011

About the book ~

An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.

One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

My thoughts ~ 

Julia &  Mark ~ A young couple with a beautiful five-year-old daughter, Gracie. But the joy of having this adorable, spunky, bright, energetic child is masked by the pain they still feel, five years later for the loss of their adored ten-year-old son, Josh. Julia continues to struggle with day-to-day living, finding it difficult to move past the death of her son. She barely has enough energy to get out of bed and get Gracie to and from school, never mind make any effort when it comes to the rest of her family, her friends, or her marriage. Mark hasn’t been able to fully mourn as he should for his son as he has spent all his focus on helping Julia through their loss and worrying about her. Will he give in to the temptation of the beautiful new woman working for him, or will his love for his wife - despite the lack of affection and attention - be enough to keep him faithful?

Hannah & Philippe ~ They have just bought a sweet bungalow in this small town looking to settle down. Hannah was a cellist & Philippe a violinist with the Symphony. As a child prodigy, Hannah has been playing the cello since she was six. All of those years have caused her to have terrible back pains and have forced her to retire. However, Philippe has no desire or need to stop playing, or for that matter, to be with Hannah. Now Hannah must decide if she wants to fight for the man she thought she loved, or if she’s strong enough, for the first time in her life, to be on her own.

Livvy & Tom ~ Having lived large, they are now experiencing the pitfalls of the declining economy. First Tom’s car is repossessed, and then he loses his job. Just about the same time as when their journey into parenthood is about to begin. BUT, even though Livvy wants nothing more to be a mother, a tragic accident in her past leaves her with feelings of guilt and doubt. If she couldn’t save one of the things that meant the most to her in this world, how could she protect her own child? Can she move past these feelings of guilt and embrace what should be the happiest time of her life?

Madeline Davis ~ She is a widow without a family of her own. She never really loved Chicago. Not the cold weather or the people. But something draws her to this quaint little town, and the next thing she knows, she is signing on the dotted line, buying a Bed & Breakfast. She turns it into Madeline’s Tea Salon. Things are quiet and slow, and Madeline wonders if she’s made a mistake in opening it. Could this be another mistake in her life that she may live to regret? Or will she be able to find the strength to reach out and make amends with someone in her past?

Edie & Richard ~ She is a journalist who writes feel-good stories for the local paper, with dreams of that “big” story that will get her name out there. She has moved to this small town to be with her boyfriend, Richard, the local GP. Will she be happy here in small town America, or does she need the bright lights of the big city?

Avalon, Illinois is typical small-town America. Everyone knows everyone. While life is simple and somewhat uncomplicated, there are still secrets, hopes, regret, and pain. Sometimes with little hope of ever moving on. Until one day when a plate is left on the porch of Julia and her family. A plate with a few slices of bread, something that looks like mush in a bag, and instructions on how to make the Amish Friendship Bread (you have to mix/squish the bread for X amount of days, add ingredients in on day X and then mix/squish for a few more days – baking on the 10th day. Then you take and separate three cups and keep the fourth for yourself – always having a starter). Julia wants nothing to do with it, but Gracie begs her to make the bread, and so sets in motion a chain of events that will affect not only these main characters, but everyone in their entire community. Can this little bag of mush bring together these women as friends and confidants? Will this act of baking and sharing be the prompt that all of these women and their families need to move forward in their lives, to accept the tragedies of the past and find hope in their future?

The main characters in the book are Julia, Hannah, Livvy, Madeline, and Edie. But throughout the book are chapters about other members in the community, like Mark the therapist, Clinton the copy machine tech, Clyde the pharmacist, and A.A. the bike shop owner. While some readers may find these chapters unnecessary and detracting away from the central characters and their stories, I enjoyed them. They showed us not only what the concept of the Friendship Bread stood for, how it affected not only Julia, Hannah, Livvy, Madeline, and Edie, but how it affected the community as a whole. And when another tragedy befalls a neighboring community, we see how this one simple act of kindness, of sharing your Amish Friendship Bread starter, can bring everyone together to pay it forward and change the lives of many. Friendship Bread is a beautiful story of old loves, new friends, and the repairing of tattered relationships. It should be read slowly ~ savored like your favorite desert.

Click HERE to read an excerpt

Darien Gee divides her time between Hawaii and the West Coast. She lives with her husband and their three children. Her next novel set in Avalon will be available in 2012.

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Review & Tour ~ The Provence Cure For The Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted: A Novel
Author ~ Bridget Asher
Publisher ~ Bantam Dell
Publication date ~ March 29, 2011

Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbott, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for mending hearts since before World War II.

There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother’s “lost summer” when Heidi was a child. As three generations collide with one another, with the neighbor who seems to know all of their family skeletons, and with an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and healing amid the vineyards, warm winds and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal Heidi’s heart, too?

My thoughts ~ 


Heidi has a gift for making beautiful pieces of art in her bakery. She is a well-known, talented pastry chef. But she has lost her desire to create. Along with her car keys, lids to the toothpaste and jelly, friends, checkbooks - and the most important thing in her life, her husband. It’s been two years since Henry died in a car accident, and Heidi still hasn’t found her way back to the land of the living. She’s not sure if she ever will, or even if she wants to. But she knows that she needs to, if not for herself, than for her son Abbott. A little boy who loves to hear “Henry stories”, worries a great deal about his mom, and has developed some OCD tendencies in the wake of his father’s death. 

Up until her teens, Heidi would spend each summer at her family home in Provence, along with her mother and sister. There they would laugh, play with the boys next door, enjoy the simple life, and hear the stories of the home. They heard of the magic wonders that occur in this beautiful spot, the love that is found, and the miraculous healing of the heart. They hear of the great fire that literally stopped at their doorstep, and of their great grandparents, who could never have children - that is until they visited this beloved spot and were then blessed with the family they dreamed of, yet had given up on. Then one summer, Heidi’s mom went to Provence alone, needing time to sort through some personal issues of her own and hoping the magic healing powers of the house will soothe her aching heart. 

Despite the joy of her sister’s wedding, Heidi still cannot get passed her grief. She tries to put her pain aside to celebrate with her sister, but arriving late for the bridesmaid’s toast doesn’t help matters. However, she does feel useful when helping to deal with Charlotte, her sister’s soon-to-be step-daughter. A sixteen-year-old young woman struggling with being a teen, her father getting remarried, finding her own identity, and keeping a secret of her own. When a fire occurs at the Provence house Heidi’s mother is beside herself. That house means so much to her. But not as much as her daughter and grandson’s happiness. So along with Heidi’s sister, they concoct a plan for Heidi, Abbott, and Charlotte to go to France to oversee the renovations from the fire, and to maybe find some of the magic that the house possesses.

Heidi arrives in Provence and immediately gets off to a rocky start. Not only is their rental car broken into and all their possessions stolen, but then it breaks down. Julien, the son of their neighbor and one of the boys Heidi played with as a child comes to their rescue. There definitely seems to be an attraction between the two, but both are dealing with tremendous amounts of pain, and neither one is looking for love. Can either one move past their hurt and move on with their lives, experiencing love, friendship, tears, and laughter for the first time in a long time? Will the secrets that are revealed bring this family closer or tear them apart? Will anyone experience the magic this house presumes to possess?

The Provence Cure For The Brokenhearted is a story full o f hope, promise, and the love one feels for someone even after they are gone. It’s about families finding each other, about secrets being told, and about coming home again. It’s a story about believing in oneself, hope for the future, coming together, and dealing with the past. The Provence Cure For The Brokenhearted is a tender-hearted love story that tackles moving on from grief and opening up to love again.

About the author ~ 

Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott also writes under the pen names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode. She has published sixteen books over the last ten years.


Her latest novel, The Pretend Wife, written under the pen name Bridget Asher, was published in June 2009. Her first Bridget Asher novel, My Husband’s Sweethearts has sixteen overseas editions. In spring 2011, Random House will publish The Provence Cure for the Broken-Hearted, with another Asher novel under contract.

She lives in Florida with her husband writer David G.W. Scott and their four kids, and is an associate professor at Florida State University’s Creative Writing Program.

In 2006, Baggott and her husband co-founded the nonprofit organization Kids in Need – Books in Deed, that focuses on literacy and getting free books to underprivileged children in the state of Florida.

Connect with Bridget on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and on her blog.

Review ~ Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross

Eyes Wide Open: A Novel
Author ~ Andrew Gross
Publisher ~ Harper Collins
Publication date ~ July 1, 2011

About the book ~ 

Jay Erlich is a successful and respected surgeon and dad enjoying a romantic twentieth wedding anniversary on the beach when a call comes with the shocking news that his twenty-one year old nephew has been found dead at the bottom of a famed landmark cliff, ruled a suicide. Years before, Jay’s older brother Charlie, a wayward child of the Sixties, set out for California, where he fell under the sway of a charismatic, but deeply disturbed cult figure. A horrible tragedy ensued, lives were destroyed, but as the decades passed, Charlie married and raised a family, living a quiet, secluded life in a Central California beach town, under the radar. But the demons from his past have never completely disappeared.

When Jay, to help his grieving brother, heads out West, he begins to suspect that his nephew’s suicide may not have been what it appeared at all. At first against his will, and then determinedly, Jay delves into his brother’s dark past—a labyrinth of secrets, terror, and lies buried in the Sixties, with sons fighting against fathers, broken music dreams, mental illness, and a thirty year old vendetta from an infamous killer as real today was it was back then. With eyes wide open, Jay puts his “happy” life at risk to uncover the truth, a quest that goes beyond the edge of madness and a family brought to the edge. . . straight into the depths of evil.

Drawing on two, real-life experiences from his own life, the tragic suicide of his young nephew and an encounter years ago with a cult-killer who’s name has become synonymous with terror, Gross has crafted a richly personal, yet utterly terrifying tale of two brothers, one successful, the other wayward, trying to bridge the gap that has torn them apart.

My thoughts ~ 

There is nothing more tragic, more heart-wrenching than the death of a child. Nothing.

There is no doubt that Evan Erlich is sick. The signs are certainly there. After a particularly violent outburst where Evan tries to kill those he loves, he is admitted to the psych ward. But just three short days later he is deemed better, no longer a threat to himself or others, and after stating he doesn’t want to return home, he is released to what is supposed to be a state-funded residential treatment facility. Not long after his release, Evan’s body is found on the rocks at Morro Bay. It appears that he took his own life by jumping from the top of the big rock.

Charlie & Gabriella are Evan’s parents and deeply mourning his death. They realize that Evan was sick, and apparently took his own life, but they are still looking to place blame somewhere. Whether it be the hospital who let him go too soon, the inappropriate facility the state put him in, or even themselves for passing on their mental health issues on to their only child.

Dr. Jay Erlich lives in New York with his wife, Kathy, his son, Max, and his daughter, Sophie. Charlie is his younger brother, and Evan was his nephew. When he gets the call about Evan’s death he rushes out to California to be with his brother and sister-in-law, and to give them all the support he can. While he has always been financially supportive of Charlie, he hasn’t necessarily always been emotionally there for him. He’s hoping now he can make that up to him. He soon realizes that things aren’t necessarily what they appear to be, and vows to help his brother get to the bottom of things.

When you think of Russell Houvnanian and the Riorden Ranch, think of Charlie Manson and Helter Skelter. The Riorden Ranch was owned by the ex-husband of a woman Russell became involved with. It became a place where drifters, druggies, and the like hung out. A place for those with no other real place to go. Years ago, Charlie actually lived at the ranch. A time he won’t speak about. After being involved in a mass killing, similar to the one Charlie Manson organized, Russell and his followers are locked up. Some for the rest of their lives, and some not long enough. 

The more Jay digs into the death of his nephew, the more things don’t make sense. Who was the woman seen walking up the rocks with Evan that fateful night? Where is his missing sneaker? What does the infinity keychain found among his belongings have to do with anything? What is the connection between Evan and a retired police detective he was seen with, who was recently murdered? He tries to convince Don Sherwood, the coroner’s detective assigned to the case to see that this may be something other than a suicide, but he feels like he’s talking to a brick wall. And the more Jay digs, the more he puts both his life and his family’s at risk. There is definitely someone out there who wants him to back off. And just when you think the book has come to its stunning conclusion, the author teases you with enough information to think that just maybe, it’s not quite over yet.

Eyes Wide Open is full of murder, mystery, sadness, family, and forgiveness. But what truly makes this book stand out is that Andrew Gross has written an amazing, and extremely personal novel with Eyes Wide Open. The emotions that pour out of Jay, Charlie, and Gabriella are so raw, so real, that you can actually feel them coming off the pages of the book. You can literally feel how much each of those affected by Evan’s loss are truly hurting, because the author felt this hurt himself. Eyes Wide Open is not your typical Andrew Gross book. This is a very personal story for him. He took the basis of his own family tragedy and turned it into a remarkable story that will make you hold your loved ones closer, think about what is most important in your life, and be more compassionate for those that may not be as perfect as you are. This story will stay with you for a long time to come.

 

Instead of a bio (from Andrew's website)

 OKAY, SO I WASN'T ALWAYS A THRILLER WRITER

Who was? I actually did major in English at Middlebury, but after an MBA from Columbia, and a stint at the Leslie Fay Companies, a women's clothing firm started by my grandfather, I went into the sports apparel field. I ended up president of HEAD Ski and Tennis (to brag: we grew to #1 in America in both businesses while I was there) and later, le coq sportif, a French sports fashion line. It was one-too-many turnaround situations or more precisely--one that didn't turn around, that hastened my writing career.

SO HOW'D YOU MEET JAMES PATTERSON?

Truth is, he called. Out of nowhere. An editor had given him the manuscript of a novel I was hoping to publish, HYDRA. At that point, I would have been elated if my gate guard (we live in a gated community) dialed in with a little praise. Jim said he had read the book and asked if we could meet for breakfast. He said he had several projects he wanted to write and not enough time to do them. I had the incredible foresight to say yes.

SO WHAT'S IT LIKE TO WORK WITH PATTERSON?

It was like a combination MFA and MBA rolled into one. He knows what kind of stories he wants to tell, has a keen sense of what will appeal to his readers, especially women, what's vital in a scene for it to succeed, knows exactly when the scene needs more--or generally, less! And he's an even better editor than he is a writer. Hopefully, I've learned a few things from him along the way.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

I figured we'd do one book. It led to six in seven years. The Women's Murder Club Series became one of the leading crime series of all time! My personal favorite was The Jester set in the thirteenth century in France. If you missed it, I really recommend you go back and take a read. Lifeguard had a great, likeable hero with the odds all stacked against him. Judge & Jury, our last together, is coming out July 31, 2006.

HOW DOES A WRITING PARTNERSHIP LIKE THAT WORK?

We alternate every word.

(Jim's line, actually.) To be honest, we always began with a concept and an outline that came from him, which we fleshed out into a detailed chapter- by-chapter outline. (Some chapters longer than in the actual book!) No writer's block here, the roadmap was always there. Every day, I knew exactly where I was going. That call from Jim changed my writing life!

WHAT'S THE SINGLE, MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN A CAREER CHANGE LIKE THIS?

A supportive wife!

And I have one, in Lynn. Never once did she tell me I was out of my mind. (At least, not to my face!)

We live in Westchester County, New York. We have three terrific kids. Kristen's out of college, in the apparel biz, a natural. Matt's in college in D.C. And Nick, a squash player, goes to school in Connecticut. We share our house with a couple of Westies too.

By the way, having a Mom who believes in you all the way is good too!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?

If I had to start with a couple of writerly things... Dog Soldiers, by Robert Stone, All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, (Read it as a search for one's father, not as politics.) Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy & Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

WHAT ABOUT IN YOUR OWN GENRE?

Sorry, Jim anything by Alan Furst or Robert Wilson. They both deserve much wider acclaim. When it comes to classic thrillers, The Wind-Chill Factor by Thomas Gifford and Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry are my favorites.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE?

"Some people think they can and some think they can't and they're probably both right!" Henry Ford

"You can do anything you want in life, anything, if you want to badly enough."
Fred P. Pomerantz. My grandfather.

WHAT IS THE BEST SIDE BENEFIT FROM SEEING YOUR NAME AT THE TOP OF THE BESTSELLER LIST?

A hell of a lot easier commute.

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Andrew's other books ~

FTC full disclosure ~ I received an ARC of this book in hopes I would review it.

Review ~ Long Gone by Alafair Burke

Long Gone: A Novel
Author ~ Alafair Burke
Publisher ~ Harper Collins
Publication date ~ July 1, 2011

About the book ~ 

How well do you know your boss?

After a layoff and months of struggling, Alice Humphrey finally lands her dream job managing a new art gallery in Manhattan’s trendy Meatpacking District. According to Drew Campbell, the well-suited corporate representative who hires her, the gallery is a passion project for its anonymous, wealthy, and eccentric owner. Drew assures Alice that the owner will be hands off, allowing her to run the gallery on her own. Her friends think it sounds too good to be true, but Alice sees a perfect opportunity to make a name for herself beyond the shadow of her famous father, an award-winning and controversial film maker.

Everything is perfect until the morning Alice arrives at work to find the gallery gone—the space stripped bare as if it had never existed—and Drew Campbell’s dead body on the floor. Overnight, Alice’s dream job has vanished, and she finds herself at the center of police attention with nothing to prove her innocence. The phone number Drew gave her links back to a disposable phone. The artist whose work she displayed doesn’t seem to exist. And the dead man she claims is Drew has been identified as someone else.

When police discover ties between the gallery and a missing girl, Alice knows she’s been set up. Now she has to prove it—a dangerous search for answers that will entangle her in a dark, high-tech criminal conspiracy and force her to unearth long-hidden secrets involving her own family . . . secrets that could cost Alice her life.

My thoughts ~ 

Alice Humphrey is looking for the perfect job, working somewhere in the art world. Determined to support herself, she cuts herself off financially from her parents, Oscar Award winning director, Frank Humphrey, and his beautiful wife, former actress, Rose. While attending an opening at a gallery she meets Drew Campbell. Almost immediately he offers her the chance of a lifetime. He would like her to manage the new Highline Gallery that his client, a reclusive billionaire, is opening. She will virtually have free reign to do whatever she wants, with one stipulation: she must showcase the controversial work of a good “friend” of the owner. The work must be shown for a specific period of time, several times a year. After that, the gallery is hers to do with what she wants.

It seems like everyone has a secret. Hank Beckman, an FBI agent, has already been officially disciplined for “stalking” the man he is convinced had something to do with his sisters’ death. He’s been good for the past two months, but now feels the urge to just do one little drive by of the guys place. What could it hurt? But he sees something that doesn’t make sense and he can’t seem to leave it alone. Then there’s Becca Stevenson, your typical teenage girl. Excited with the prospect of the cute boy in school actually liking her, she contemplates sexting with him. But there is also a mysterious someone she is talking to. And then one night Becca doesn’t come home, and her single-mother Joann is devastated. Especially when she learns that her not-so-perfect daughter has been keeping secrets from her. Even Alice’s parents and her brother Ben have parts of their lives they would rather remain hidden. 

Despite the fact that the work being shown at the gallery is a bit on the dubious side, the opening appears to go well. That is until the protestors arrive, picketing outside and claiming that the work being shown is child pornography. That the body images are those of pre-pubescent girls. Alice’s small little gallery soon becomes national news and suddenly her world implodes around her. She cannot get a hold of Drew, the gallery has been emptied, as if it never existed in the first place, and a dead body is found inside. When nothing that Alice tells the police proves true, she becomes suspect number one. Almost as if that role was created for her. Could it have been? Suddenly everything is seeming as if it is just a little too good to be true. 

Alice soon understands that it is up to her, and her alone, to prove her innocence. She must figure out what all these random things ~ the mystery artist and his work, the reclusive billionaire, the family lawyer, the protestors, a BMW, the fingerprints of missing teen Becca, in the gallery, the “casting couch” allegations against her father, ITH corporation, the company name on her paycheck, the mystery man Hank is shadowing, and one fateful night years ago ~ have to do with the dead body in her gallery. Will she stick around to face the music or will she be long gone when it’s time to accept the consequences?


Long Gone is Alafair Burke’s first stand-alone thriller and it has no trouble standing on its own two feet. It grabs you from the get go right up until its stunning conclusion. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist knocks you around and you need to rethink your previous conclusions. Ms. Burke has an inherent talent for bringing her readers right into the pages of the book, making you feel as if you are living the story along with Alice and everyone she comes into contact with. Long Gone is an engaging read, with a new protagonist you’ll enjoy getting to know and who you will continually root for, an interesting supporting cast of characters, each with their own six-degrees-of-separation connection to the murderer, a multifaceted plot that constantly surprises the reader. Without a doubt, Long Gone should be on every mystery reader’s must-read list. An engrossing thriller that can hold its own against any other in its genre.

About the author ~ 

A former deputy district attorney in Portland, Oregon, Alafair Burke now teaches criminal law at Hofstra Law School. The daughter of acclaimed crime writer James Lee Burke, she is a graduate of Stanford Law School and currently serves as a legal and trial commentator for radio and television programs, including for Court TV. She lives in New York City with her husband, Sean, and dog Duffer.

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Other books by Alafair ~ 

Review ~ Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

Save Me
Author ~ Lisa Scottoline
Publisher ~ St. Martin's Press
Pages ~ 384
Release date ~ April 12, 2011

About the book ~ 

Rose McKenna volunteers as a lunch mom in her daughter Melly’s school in order to keep an eye on Amanda, a mean girl who’s been bullying her daughter. Her fears come true when the bullying begins, sending Melly to the bathroom in tears. Just as Rose is about to follow after her daughter, a massive explosion goes off in the kitchen, sending the room into chaos. Rose finds herself faced with the horrifying decision of whether or not to run to the bathroom to rescue her daughter or usher Amanda to safety. She believes she has accomplished both, only to discover that Amanda, for an unknown reason, ran back into the school once out of Rose's sight. In an instance, Rose goes from hero to villain as the small community blames Amanda’s injuries on her. In the days that follow, Rose's life starts to fall to pieces, Amanda’s mother decides to sue, her marriage is put to the test, and worse, when her daughter returns to school, the bullying only intensifies. Rose must take matters into her own hands and get down to the truth of what really happened that fateful day in order to save herself, her marriage and her family.

In the way that Look Again had readers questioning everything they thought they knew about family, Save Me will have readers wondering just how far they would go to save the ones they love. Lisa Scottoline is writing about real issues that resonate with real women, and the results are emotional, heartbreaking and honest.

My thoughts ~ 

As a mother, your first instinct is to protect your child – no matter the cost. But what if, in a split second, you are faced with having to make a horrifying choice? Save your child or save three other children. Rose McKenna has to do just that. 

Rose, her husband, Leo, daughter, Melly, and baby son, John, have just moved to Reeseburgh to give Melly a fresh start. Born with a nevus (birth mark) on her face, Melly, a gifted child, was constantly teased by her peers. They were hoping that a new town, new school, and new friends would put an end to all of that. Unfortunately the torment followed them. Melly became the target of Amanda Gigot, the apparent leader of the bully brigade.

Rose wants to see first-hand the anguish her daughter is experiencing at school, so she volunteers to be the “lunch mom.” After a brutal joke is played on Melly, she runs to the bathroom and locks herself in. Rose holds the three girls responsible behind while the other children go out to recess. While trying to explain to them how much their bullying/teasing hurts Melly, an explosion rocks the cafeteria sending them all reeling. When Rose comes to she is faced with a choice no one, never mind a mother, should have to make. Save the three girls she can see or leave them to find their own way out while going to rescue her daughter. Acting on pure adrenaline she leads the girls to the door of the school and races back to save her child.

With the determination of a mother saving her cub, Rose makes her way through the destruction and pulls Melly from the fire. Rose runs out of the building, with an unconscious Melly in her arms, praying she has reached her in time. While there are three fatalities that day, Rose becomes the “Hero Mom”, the mom that raced back into a burning building to save her child. 

The adulations soon turn to harsh accusations when it turns out that one of the bullies, Amanda, is found among the carnage, clinging to life. Rose doesn’t understand what Amanda was doing inside the building. She knows she brought her and the other two girls to the door of the building, hurrying them out with a teacher and her class. So how did Amanda end up trapped back inside? Now no one believes that she helped these girls before her own child. They condemn her for saving her child first. She goes from hero to villain in 2.2 seconds.

The explosion at the school starts a series of events that will permanently alter the lives of everyone involved. Faced with both civil and criminal charges, Rose realizes that the truth won’t be told unless she finds something that proves her version of the events. From the classroom, to an old factory, to the Senate, the road to the truth is a long one. But filled with fierce determination, Rose will stop at nothing to save herself, her reputation, and her family. The raw emotions in Save Me are so intense, so vivid, so palpable, that you’ll be physically aching the same way as everyone involved in this story does. You will find it hard-pressed to put this book down. You’ll find yourself praying that you never find yourself in the position of having to make the choice that Rose is forced to make.

About the author ~

Lisa Scottoline is the New York Times bestselling author and Edgar award-winning author of 18 novels, including her latest, SAVE ME, and she is President of Mystery Writers of America. She writes a weekly column with her daughter Francesca Serritella for the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Chick Wit" which is a witty and fun take on life from a woman's perspective. The columns have been collected in, Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, which has been optioned for TV, and My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space." Lisa reviews popular fiction and non-fiction, and her reviews have appeared in New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. In her spare time, she teaches a course she developed, "Justice and Fiction" at The University of Pennsylvania Law School, her alma mater. Lisa is a regular and much sought after speaker at library and corporate events. Lisa has over 25 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 32 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

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Click HERE to read the first chapter of Save Me

Her other books ~ 

FTC Full Disclosure ~ I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review ~ A Turn In The Road by Debbie Macomber

A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street)
Author ~ Debbie Macomber
Publisher ~ Mira
Pages ~ 336 pgs
Publication date ~ April 26, 2011

About the book ~

In the middle of the year, in the middle of her life, Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth. They’re driving to Florida for Ruth’s 50th high-school reunion. A longtime widow, Ruth would like to reconnect with Royce, the love of her teenage life. She’s heard he’s alone, too...and, well, she’s curious. Maybe even hopeful. Bethanne herself needs time to reflect, to ponder a decision she has to make. Her ex-husband, Grant — her children’s father — wants to reconcile now that his second marriage has failed. Bethanne’s considering it.... Meanwhile, Annie’s out to prove to her onetime boyfriend that she can live a brilliant life without him! So there they are, three women driving across America. They have their maps and their directions — but even the best-planned journey can take you to a turn in the road. Or lead you to an unexpected encounter — like the day Bethanne meets a man named Max who really is a hero on a Harley. That’s when Bethanne’s decision becomes a lot harder. Because Grant wants her back, but now there’s Max.... From Seattle’s Blossom Street to the other end of the country, this is a trip that could change three women’s lives.

My thoughts ~

When we first met Bethanne Hamlin she had just been separated from her husband Grant and was looking for a way to support herself, her son, Andrew, and her daughter, Annie (see A Good Yarn). It’s now six years later and life seems to have fallen completely in place for Bethanne. Her Parties store is a success, and she and her children are happy. The only thing that appears to be upsetting her apple cart is her ex-husband’s new-found desire to right his wrongs and get back together with her. Bethanne isn’t sure she can move on from the past, if she can forgive and forget, if she can love him like she used to, or if she even wants to. The pressure Bethanne is getting from her daughter for them to reunite isn’t helping at all.

Ruth is Bethanne’s former mother-in-law. Despite the divorce they have continued to maintain their friendship. While Ruth’s life has been both happy and fulfilling, she does have some regrets. But now, years later, she is given the chance to make things right. Her only hope is that after all these years, it’s not too late.

Annie is young, vibrant, smart, driven, head-over-heels in love, and determined to get her mother and father back together. She appears to have it all. She is getting her MBA, she works with her mom, and just knows that her boyfriend Vance is about to propose. Life could not get any better. But then Vance drops a bomb on her and life isn’t so perfect anymore.

Ruth has decided to go to her 50th high school reunion – in Florida. Which everyone thinks is wonderful. It will give her a chance to see some old friends and hopefully make amends. However, no one is happy when she announces that she is planning on driving from Seattle to the reunion – by herself! Everyone agrees that a woman Ruth’s age should not drive cross-country on her own, it’s just not safe. So Bethanne makes the spontaneous decision to go with her. The road trip will give her the time she needs to think about where she wants her relationship with Grant to go, if anywhere. And Annie, feeling dejected, decides to tag along too.

The three women set off together on what will hopefully be the trip of a lifetime. Grandmother, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter spending precious time together. Since Ruth intended to go alone originally, her route was pretty well laid out already. Plans are quickly changed in order for the woman to both explore parts of the family history and have a little fun (hello Vegas!) Then a chance encounter in a diner has Bethanne’s whole world spinning. The second she locks eyes with Max, the rough and tumble biker, she knows there is something undeniable between them. Something she has never felt before, not even with Grant. But she’s just passing through and knows there never will, nor could there be, anything between them. Then they meet again and the feelings Bethanne has for him are just as intense. And she knows he’s feeling the same way. However, it’s quite obvious that her mother-in-law and daughter do not approve of this budding relationship. Especially since they want Bethanne and Grant to reunite.

A Turn in the Road is the story of three generations of women at a crossroads in their lives. Each one must take the road that will bring them to the place they want to be, the place that will bring them the happiness they so richly deserve. Can Ruth be forgiven for her past sin? Can Annie let go of a past love and make room in her heart for a new one? Will Bethanne choose between what is safe and familiar, or what she knows in her heart is her destiny?A Turn in the Road is touted as a “Blossom Street” book due to the fact that the main character is a part of the original books. As much as I enjoyed this book, and I fully understand the meaning behind the road trip, I wish it would have (or maybe future books will) taken us back to Blossom Street – literally. I would love to know, in more depth, how all of the other Blossom Street residents are doing, instead of the little snippets we get at the beginning of the book when Bethanne stops by A Good Yarn to pick up some yarn. The writing is strong, the story flows smoothly, and the characters could very well be your own mother, sister, or daughter. This is a beautiful story of good times spent with family, forgiveness, faith, and finding the love of your life no matter what age you are.

About the author ~

With more than 130 million copies of her books in print, Debbie Macomber is one of the world’s most popular authors. In July 2007 Debbie threw out the first pitch in a Seattle Mariners game at Safeco Field. The prolific author lives in Washington state and winters in Florida with her husband. When not writing, she enjoys knitting, traveling with Wayne and putting on Grandma Camps for her grandchildren, for whom she has built a four-star tree house behind her home in Port Orchard. 

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Other books in the Blossom Street series ~

FTC full disclosure ~ I received this book from NetGalley