Thank you, BookBrowse, for the opportunity to read this amazing novel, The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson.

Based on a true story of the Bond Dance Hall Explosion in West Plains, Missouri, the author envisions the devastation and agony of one small town and its community in way that allows the reader to imagine they were there.

The disaster takes place in 1928 but is looked at in the rear-view mirror by a young girl doing an internship at the local paper in 1978.

The characters are rich with emotions like fear, remorse, guilt anger and blame. The story pivots from 1928 to 1978 allowing survivors to unravel their consciences of many long-kept secrets. I could not help but become invested in each of their lives.

I highly recommend taking the journey to Possum Flats (aka West Plains ) to discover the true meaning of community and the human spirit.

As an historical fiction reader, I enjoy books that introduce me to people or events I didn’t know of. This book taught me about Frances Perkins one of the most outstanding women in U S Government.

With her usual attention to detail, research and exceptional writing Stephanie Dray has brought Ms Perkins to my attention and surely to many who will read this book.

We often take things for granted and social security is one of those things. We have Ms Perkins to thank for her diligence in pursuit of making it a reality. I’m sure no one is aware of the battle she waged to have it become a bill. The sacrifices she made in her personal life for the sake of others were monumental. What a truly incredible woman she was.

I think Madame Secretary should be read by everyone but especially those of us who are enjoying the benefit of social security. The author has done an amazing job; one I believe Frances Perkins would approve of.

Thank you BookBrowse for giving me the opportunity to read this incredible book.

The Continental Affair written by Christine Mangan surprised me in several ways. I was extremely confused by the story’s timeline. For each forward chapter there was another that took the story backwards. For most of the book, I felt like I was missing something. I honestly suspected that Henri and Louise were reliving a past life. I guess I have a very good imagination and I engaged it to envision a completely different story. Due to this, I was a bit disappointed in the actual tale.

The author did write exquisitely about the many cities and countries that the characters visited. It was clearly well researched. I wanted more than a travel log.

Henri and Louise each held their own secrets many of which were predictable.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it even though I think it could have been so much better.

I really enjoyed reading The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick. I was sad when I finished. I really wanted more.

While extremely reminiscent of Eat, Love Pray, it stood on its own as a solid story. The characters were enchanting and easy to connect with. I truly felt like I could envision Italy in all it's glory. I could almost taste the food.

It would be wonderful if there was a sequel to this book because I felt the ending left room for more. The only negative would be that the ending felt rushed. I turned a page and the story was over.

Well, it's been three days since I finished Last House Before the Mountain and three days for me to decide what I want to say in this review. The reason for this delay is simply I don't know what to say. Let's start here. I didn't like or dislike the book.
War is awful and many things occur that are memorable and even forgivable. What Maria, Josef and their family and community experienced was not surprising. It was disturbing.

For me, I felt that the story was more a confession than an accounting of life during war. Unlike many who have read this book before me, I do not feel that Maria was a naïve, helpless victim. She played off her beauty and appeal to men. She did not ask for trouble but she surely put herself in unhealthy situations. Often, she expected her children to be buffers. This greatly upset me and made me lose all respect for her.

I never understood Josef and because he was always "making deals"; I knew he couldn't be trusted. Each of the children had their own issues. They all seemed to be dysfunctional as adults.

This review may put me in the minority but it's my honest impressions.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to continue following Aaron Falk with Exiles. Jane Harper has once again done an incredible job of writing a poignant and suspenseful novel. As with all the others (The Dry, Force of Nature, etc), she has written a detective story that isn't mundane and expected.

I've become a fan of Aaron Falk and equate him a bit to Alex Cross in the Patterson novels and Cormoran Strike in the Gailbraith series. All these "detectives" have complicated lives that play into all their crime scenarios. I like it.

Falk's investigations are always different than the previous one. The common thread, of course, is Australia and his job with AFB. New and exciting characters are introduced in each book; many who enhance Falk's character.

I highly recommend diving in this series. You won't regret it and will come away feeling pretty excited about Australia mate !!!!

Have you ever been so moved that you took to action? In Take My Hand, (inspired by true events) Civil Townsend becomes the catalyst for one of the biggest cases in American courts. This outstanding book holds no punches when relating another American tragedy propelled by Racism.

The author did an amazing job at identifying all the issues, portraying all the feelings and delivering the facts to readers like myself who were unaware of the events in Mobile, Al.

That this book should surface now as history is somewhat repeating itself is incredible. I was struck by the powerful feelings it evoked in me as I read. I kept asking myself "how" and "why" but at the same time thinking "yet" and "again".

I hope this book and this author get a lot of attention. Dolen Perkins-Valdez is as brave and courageous as her character Civil. As This book needs to be read by everyone and shared again and again so that it's powerful message ignites women everywhere to stand up for what's right and just and fair.

I was a school administrator for many years and there was a teacher who would often ask her class "what would happen if everyone did what they want?". 'A Theater for Dreamers' embodied that question to the max.

At the beginning of this wild ride of a read, I was totally turned off and confused. Characters coming and going, changing, moving here and there, sleeping together and then not sleeping together, WHOA!!! Why keep reading???? Simply because it was enchanting and captivating and full of surprises right to the very last page.

The biggest surprise to me was that it was all real. I know that I requested to receive a copy to review but I had forgotten why when the book arrived. I'm really glad that I did because I read the book completely unaware and in awe. The best got even better when I came to realize it was real people and a pretty real story.

I highly recommend 'A Theater for Dreamers', open your mind to the wonder of it and enjoy.

I am feeling very conflicted about Of Women and Salt. I read a portion of it over a few days time and then sat with it until I finished. I think I realized that the only way to read it is in one sitting. The reason I feel this way is because it is written in a nonlinear manner that left me confused and frustrated. Not until I read it continuously did I begin to appreciate the story. That being said, it is an overwhelmingly powerful tale of struggle and acceptance.

Women, mothers in particular, are complex human beings. If you are a Cuban woman, an undocumented woman, an addicted woman, or a ravaged woman, as the female characters here, you are indescribably complex.

Garcia has depicted suffering and strength in raw form. Nothing is sugar coated or softened. Nothing is left to the reader's imagination. Emotion pulsates in every written word and beats in every character's heart and ultimately the reader feels it too.

I'd definitely recommend this novel but I'd strongly suggest it be read in one uninterrupted read. It will make an exceptional book club discussion evoking compassion and controversy.

I have read and enjoyed Alvarez's books before but none were as impactful as this. She authentically portrays all the emotions one feels after losing someone they truly love. I believe that anyone who has had a current loss will appreciate her approach to understanding how difficult a period of life it is.

Her approach to the present day suffering of immigrants in this country gives insight to how awful it is for the migrant trying to survive. To date, I haven't read anything written from their point of view.

She struggles with many issues and thinks to herself that it would be easier to just not get involved. I am sure that many in society today are taking the same approach. Afterlife makes the reader think about not what is right or wrong but about what is important and humane.

I highly recommend Afterlife not to just the grieving reader but to the socially confused one as well.

In the past month I have read two books about Grace Kelly. The previous book presented the same facts but was part of a parallel story within the same book. I didn't care for it at all.

Today, I finished The Girl in White Gloves and I know far more about Grace Kelly now than I did before basically because this book was solely about her. I didn't care for this book either.

While the author kept her story focused on Grace Kelly's life, I felt it moved too slowly to keep me interested. I am not a fan of biographies; this read like an academic biography. Her movie career was short and speaks for itself. I rather hoped for a more personal approach and I just felt it was rather sterile and matter of fact.

I certainly would encourage anyone who enjoys biographies to read The Girl in White Gloves. Sadly for me it was just ordinary and a bit underwhelming.

It has been my pleasure to read Cartier's Hope. The very beginning was questionable for me. Usually, I am all in or all out by the first 50 or so pages. Things actually started to click for me by page 71 but after that it became very enjoyable. The characters are a mix of stereotypical types along with a few unique ones. The author certainly did a good job educating the reader about gems and some of the information was pretty fascinating. As a jewel lover myself, I understood the mindset of those who coveted the beauty and opulence of beautiful stones. I certainly recommend this to those who love historical fiction with a mix of romance and mystery; Cartier's Hope has it all.

What a privilege it has been to be able to read American Princess before it's in bookstores. One of the things I like the most about books is learning about people I otherwise wouldn't know about. Honestly, I knew nothing about Alice Roosevelt. This book has delivered her story including all its blemishes. With today's politicians I often wonder what it's like in their real lives. Thornton tells it all. I imagine the reality is that life is life even for those in the White House.

Thornton does say in the end that she had to merge some events and omit some in order to write a manageable read. She does hit all major events , however, I would have enjoyed a bit more about Alices life during World War II. There seemed to be a gap from Alices trip to Europe and the outbreak and duration of the war. This would be my only criticism.

I enjoyed this book so much, I didn't want it to end. Thornton did say her next book would be about Jackie Kennedy. I absolutely can't wait.

Our House was a thrill to read in every sense of the word. To be honest, even though I had requested the book to review when it arrived I had forgotten what it was about. So as I started to read it and get involved I really didn't know where it was headed. I was shocked when the plot became obvious. I really hadn't seen it coming.

It was at this point in the story that I couldn't and wouldn't put the book down. The author did an amazing job in weaving together a thrilling, suspenseful, amazing story that is riveted with surprises right to the very last page.

I highly recommend this novel and predict we will see it in the movies one day too. I will be the first one buying a ticket.

Well, I finished. There was a time when I actually thought I'd abandon it. I have read several of her other books and enjoyed them; I cannot say the same for this book.

There were several reasons why I didn't care for the Summer Wives. I thought that the time frames, though identified, were irregular and confusing. Miranda shifts gears from past to present and then somewhere in the middle too often.

The story itself was contrived and predictable and often unbelievable. It was extremely hard for me to get involved and even harder for me to read.

All in all a very disappointing novel from an author I have previously enjoyed.

This is a very timely book. There was a lot of news coming from Cuba today. While this novel starts after the death of Fidel (present day) much of it relates the Cuban history from Batista to Fidel. It gave the reader a very good impression of what it was like to live in Cuba during these very tough times. There was a romantic component both on the present day telling and in the reliving of the past. While I enjoyed this novel, I think I could have done with a bit less of the history. It seemed very heavy at times.

Overall I would recommend the book especially to historical fiction readers. It checks all the boxes and delivers well. It appears there is a sequel in the works. I'm not so sure I'd be interested.

I knew when I was making notes in the middle of the book that something wasn't right. Usually, I'm so involved at that point that I don't write notes. While the idea of the story was basically a good one, I found the writing irritated me. In particular, she often had two characters speaking about the third as if the third wasn't in the room. The character herself kept commenting on it with, "I'm right here". Maybe it was deliberate to mimic the way we often speak around someone who has Alzheimer's. It was done often so I am not sure if it was making a point or a writing style. Either way, it drove me nuts.

I've rated it average because of the story. It was a clear depiction of suffering with and through Alzheimer's. I did however, realize the answer to one of the secrets almost immediately. For me that's never a good thing.

I have read everything Joshilyn Jackson has written and I cannot find one that I favor; I love them all. The Almost Sisters is as good if not better than all others. I inhaled it.

This time she has done a very good job at incorporating present day racial tensions into her story by creating a story that incorporates family values, regional values and contemporary ills. Of course, she is always the voice of the "Second South" as she calls it.

It is extremely interesting that a lot of her message was delivered via the comic book heroes she creates. This is certainly a different approach for her and frankly one that I wasn't too excited about. I think the story was powerful enough without this added measure.

All in all, I loved the book and highly recommend it to everyone.

It's been a long time since I've read a book by Anita Shreve. The Stars are Fire reminds me that her books are always well written and very much worth reading.

In this story, as in her others, she has characters that are well developed and engaging. Here she has taken a moment in history, the fires on the coast of Maine in 1947 and developed a compelling story of love,loss , strength and self-discovery. The scenes are captivating and so well delivered that I swear I smelled the smoke.

I would highly recommend The Stars Are Fire. It surely will not disappoint. I read the book in one day. The Stars Are Fire will be for me a reminder to seek out more by Anita Shreve since I always enjoy what she writes.

Thank you BookBrowse for the opportunity to read News of the World by Paulette Jiles.

I can honestly say the premise of the story was intriguing. Children kidnapped by Indian tribes and raised by their captors being returned to their birth families presented a new angle to write about. The author clearly researched her story and the facts regarding the time period are on point as well as the reactions of the kidnapped children.

While I enjoyed learning about these situations, I had major issues with the writing. Firstly, maybe I am too anal about grammar but I cannot understand why authors choose to eliminate quotation marks. It distracts me from what I am reading. Furthermore, it makes it difficult to follow any and all conversations. It becomes a monologue. BORING!!!!

Some other things I did not care for were the heavy historical references. There was a need for some of it to set the time, place and surroundings. I would have enjoyed more emotion. I needed a bit more of a connection to the characters. Lastly, I strongly dislike a story that is predictable, the ending was clear to me by the 25th page.

I am sorry but the feeling I was left with after finishing this book was that I had just sat through a pretty bad western. Perhaps a reader who lives in the regions described in the story would better appreciate this book. The effort was lost on me.