One of my favorite authors, Sarah Addison Allen's soon-to-be-released book First Frost does not disappoint. Claire Waverly returns in this book and is questioning her Waverly gift. Her sister Sydney is dealing with her daughter Bay getting older and having her heart set on a boy...the son of Sydney's high school sweetheart who broke her heart. The family bands together when unity is threatened and the magical realism that this author does so well is throughout the book. The apple tree and Claire's house are characters in their own right and this was the perfect book to read around Halloween, with the weather getting colder. I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse, in exchange for a honest review.

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I enjoyed the author's book The Comfort of Lies and the book was just as good. In this novel, Maddy and Ben have a marriage that is struggling due to Ben's anger issues. Those reach a high point when his angry driving plays a role in causing a car accident, which leaves Maddy in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. Maddy eventually comes out of the coma but her road to recovery--of her words and emotions, of her marriage, of her life--is one that is not easy.

I enjoyed Meyer's writing. She told this story in alternating viewpoints of Maddy, Ben and their oldest daughter Emma. This fleshed out these three important characters more to readers and made them even more engaging. Meyer is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse, in exchange for a honest review.

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This novel was an excellent read. It detailed the dysfunction of the Bird family--father Colin, mother Lorelei, children Meg, Bethann, Rory and Rhys--and all the fallout that stemmed from that dysfunction. Lorelei was a hoarder and her disorder got worse and worse as time went on and the children grew up and left the family home. The children were definitely not without their own issues and each character in this book was a complex one. The writing was wonderful; the characters described in such vivid detail that they were all larger than life. This was my first book by this author but I will definitely read more by her. I received a review copy of this book from BookBrowse in exchange for a review.

I loved Horan's first book, Loving Frank, and was excited to read this one. Again, Horan's writing style is complex and interesting. She brings these people to life through her writing. I found the love story between Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny to be real and memorable. I enjoyed this read.

This book reminded me of Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson. Marta's mind seemed to be playing tricks on her all of the time--things seemed to be memories but she couldn't be sure if they were real or not. The book had good twists and turns.

A contest is being held where the winner would be given a dream home. The winner's name is Janine Brown. The only problem? There were two Janine Browns who entered the drawing. Janey, was entered into the contest by her Aunt Midge, is a shy woman who loves to cook. Nean is a down-on-her-luck sort of con artist who sees a way out if she wins this home. Both arrive to the dream house. Janey is the true winner and she and her Aunt Midge decide to let Nean stay for a while. After that, their lives take a very different turn from their normal way of life.

This book was a good read. Janey and Nean were interesting characters, though I did want to slap Nean several times throughout the book. Aunt Midge was quite the character; she reminded me of Grandma Mazur from the Stephanie Plum books. This book was a mix of culinary tidbits, romance and a look at life.

I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse in exchange for a review.

This was a historical fiction book about Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary. Mary was believed to spread typhoid through her cooking, though she never showed symptoms of the illness herself. This book details how the Department of Health took Mary into custody and forced her to live on Brother Island in isolation for years. It details the court case to get Mary her freedom to leave the island and what happens to her as she returns to the "real world". Mary is portrayed as an intelligent yet stubborn woman. This book also talks of her relationship with her companion, Alfred, who has a host of issues of his own.

I found this book interesting. I find it amazing that this woman was isolated on an island for so many years. The medical tests that she was put through were intrusive and degrading. Yet, there were enough people she cooked for who took ill that makes the belief that she was a carrier have some credibility. I enjoyed this read.

I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse in exchange for a review.

Hildy Good is a descendant of Sarah Good, Salem witch. Hildy's curse is alcoholism. Her family stages an intervention and sends her to rehab. Little do they know that after rehab, Hildy drinks alone at night from the bottles in her cellar, while declaring herself alcohol free. But Hildy cannot pull off this farce forever, and it eventually all catches up to her. Along with Hildy's story, the novel also details an affair between Peter and Rebecca, the trials of a couple with an autistic son and the other happenings of the small town.

I liked the writing of this book. Leary is good at description of both character and setting. Hildy was a character that I went back and forth between liking and hating. Liking won out in the end. The book was a bit slow in the middle but quickly accelerated and kept my interest until the end.

I received a copy of this book from BookBrowse for review.

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Grace and Adam move to the cottage once owned by his grandparents on the Yorkshire moors. Grace is not really thrilled with the setting but she has no idea what is to come. Adam mysteriously disappears after going on a walk with their infant daughter Millie. Millie is found safe in front of the cottage but there is not a trace of Adam. Grace returns to the cottage months later to finalize things and to see if she can find any answers to the burning question: what happened to Adam?

This book had good twists and turns and I did not really see the ending coming. The characters were interesting and complex. I felt for Grace and wanted her to get some sort of closure about her missing husband. This book was a good mystery and had some hints of romance in it as well. I recommend this book.