Did not like

The House on Biscayne Bay was written in the style of a gothic mystery. It is about two families who live in the magnolia estate of Marbrisa decades apart. They both experience unexplained mysterious deaths, love, infidelity, and greed. I have read other selections by this author and have enjoy them as I did this one. I would like to thank BookBrowse for the ARC.

I found the story very interesting and informative. I, however, did not enjoy the writing style. I found it very simplistic as women's fiction can be.

This is a charming book about the life of Cassandra Austin, the beloved sister of
Jane.
The book tells of Janes' young life until her passing entwining the lives of the
Austin sisters and brothers as they grow into young people, becoming married, and have families.
Another story is told of Cassandras search for letters between Jane and Eliza, a family friend, as well as Cassandra and Eliza. Cassandra was helping pack up the home of the deceased Eliza along with her daughters.
This was a memorable read that was well written with memorable phrases such as "Her love of fiction has spread from the page and into our lives" and "To surrender ones books, well: It is to surrender part of one's soul"

"Music helps flowers bloom.."

This is a lovely story about a mother's love during an untenable situation.
This novel takes place against the background of Poland in 1941 and the
horror experienced by a mother and her five year old daughter.

I enjoyed the well worded descriptions of the surroundings these two
innocents were forced to experience. It was particularly profound when
They developed there own form of sign language in an attempt to not be
discovered by the Nazis.

Although the yellow bird is a part of their life, I did not feel it warranted the title.

Overall, it was a well written book that I truly enjoyed.

This all encompassing novel covers the topics of family, suicide, death, blackmail, homosexuality, abortion, uncover reporters, aliases, love, theft, fraud, women's rights, police brutality, high society, underprivileged, and superstitions.
Although I truly enjoyed this novel, it just had too much going on. It is well written and contains some historical aspects as well as being, at times, a romance novel.
I enjoyed receiving this ARC in return for a fair review.

"If blue is the color of paradox, and red the color of life and death and the passion between the beginnings and endings, then yellow is the color of what is most precious…and is the color of fear"
This jewel of a story uses color to describe feelings and events during the time of fascination and fear in Paris prior to Hitler. But even more powerful is the story of two fashion icons of the time, Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel. Love, hate, fear, loyalty make this artfully written book a real page turner.

This is perhaps the best Historical Fiction book I have read. It tells the story of two young girls who, because of family nationalities, end up in an internment camp in Texas. It continues to follow their lives until they meet up decades later.
The writing in this selection is powerful and brings to life the characters and settings making the reader truly feel as if they were in the midst of the story.
It is clear that the author did a lot of research into this time period of the camps that is rarely written about or studied in The United States.

There are strong themes of family, friendship and loyalty throughout the book.
I highly recommend this book to any reader who enjoys a great interesting and informative read.

"....the happiness blueprint. But I don't think there is one. We find happiness, if we find it at all, on accident."

"Happiness" is Heather Harpham's journey through a more than difficult and challenging chapter in her life. Her story is fraught with troubles so overwhelming that it is amazing that she had the strength to work through them and come to where she is.

The writing style is easy to read and quite lyrical at times. It was hard to get through reading about all the medical issues her child had to face but she did a great job in relating each issue. Not to even mention the man she loved who fathered the baby. At times I really disliked him, but in the end he pulled it together. I enjoyed the book, however had to put it down on occasion because I was so sad!

I doubt I would have chosen this to read this selection on my own, but I would have missed a very inspirational journey this writer shared with the readers.

This book retells a very sad part of history here in the United States; the era of
McCarthyism. The author covers this time of fear and panic as it effects one family in a small town in South Dakota with excellent descriptive writing.
As the book proceeds, this same writing bogs down the flow of the story. I felt a strong connection to Cal and Betsy but that is about all. The story drug along through a good bit causing me to loose interest. The ending of the story was rushed and felt very contrived. I did enjoy parts of the story which is why I gave it the rating of three stars.

Falling is an easy read, but wasn't a page turner for me. The characters were developed nicely and realistically; you either loved them or not as was the authors intent. There could have been more chemistry between the characters which would have given the story a little more depth. It was a sweet love story with several twists and turns toward the last of the book that kept me interested. This was definitely a Chick Lit book which is really not my cup of tea. (Pun intended)

This book has it all! It is a sensuous love story, historical fiction, and mystery. It has witches (mystics), art, jewelry making, family and country loyalty, as well as centering on family relationships. I fell in love with the characters and settings due to the rich descriptions of the author. The love story that is at the center of the book was very unique keeping me well engaged until the very end. As a second book in a series, it reads well as a stand-alone reading. The author also resolves all the issues and does not leave you hanging having to read her next book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely choose to read MJ Rose again.

One caution before you read this selection; make sure you have plenty of time because it is a page turner. The author is truly skilled at developing the characters and the interaction between them.
This story that begins with a strong love between two sisters-in-law that eventually turns to resentment and animosity. Emotional decisions made with compassion soon turn out to be regrettable.
Two brothers begin their young lives sharing a two story house with their new wives and growing families and business. Abe and Mort have quite different personalities. Abe took care of sales and the guys in the warehouse. Mort felt that the only thing that really mattered was the numbers and strove for consistency in his life. These traits, of course, carry over into the relationships with the wives and families. It is interesting to see the children's character develop as a result of how different the fathers were and the situations/obstacles they lived with.
Early on you discover what happened and how quickly it happens. From this point the reader just needs to sit back and enjoy the very well crafted story.

"There are millions, trillions, or quadrillions, I guess, of different versions of ourselves living out the consequences of our choices." This is the main in theme of this very entertaining novel.

This is an easy, quick read with quite a few of quotable statements made mostly by the main character, Hannah. Hannah has come to a point in her life that she needs to make some real choices in her life. And thus begins the story; who should she go with, which turn should she take?

I enjoyed the way the story wraps up how her choices turn out. I also found the characters very likable, or not as the case may be. This is a great summer read that I will definitely recommend.

This book was written from quite a different point of view than any I had read before...a fish as he plunges 27 floors of an apartment building. The author does an amazing job of describing the building and all the tenants as Ian has a glimpse of each of the lives as he plunges to what was sure to be his death.
This was not a book that I couldn't put down, but each time I picked it back up I became more engrossed in the story line.

What I found most enjoyable was the final chapter where the characters are all summed up even into what was to happen in the future. It was nice to enjoy full closure. The only part that was a little odd was that of Ian the fishes outcome.

"You'll never regret bringing a Lily Pulitzer dress to a summer weekend."
It's all about what you wear, who you know, and where you're seen. Evelyn, the main character, works hard to accomplish what she feels is the ultimate mark of success.

The writing style of the author begins with much flourish which reminds one of Edith Wharton from more than a century ago. She then reverts to a more Nora Roberts style only to return to Edith Wharton at the close. It was a quick read that really captures the reader ever wanting to find out Evelyn's next success or misstep. The characters are well developed loving and hating many of them simultaneously. I enjoyed the book very much finding it quite similar to experiences of my past.

The main characters, Ben, Caroline, Charlie, and Bub entered into an unknown area just as I did reading a new genre of Horror Suspense. I enjoyed the book and found the writing to be very fluid and descriptive ("Only the long purple tendrils of loosestrife and orange thatches of butterfly weeds broke the monotony of the rolling grass.") Some of the scenes were a bit gory for me but necessary for the mood of the book. It was difficult to put this book down especially with phrases such as "he got the disconcerting sense of being watched". Who or what was in the woods? I did not care for the ending of the book as it changed gears to a quite different tone. The characters were very likable and I cared what the outcome was for them.