Do you ever worry that your family might be a bit "off"? Read this and never give it a second thought because the Morgans can make nearly any family look like The Brady Bunch. Embarking on a cross-country excursion with her estranged siblings in order to fulfill her grandfather's dying wishes and to receive a sizable inheritance, our narrator Beth assures us from the get-go that this won't be your traditional family road trip. And things start to go off the rails pretty quickly from there. With unexpected plot twists, a questionable narrator, and an ending that no one could possibly see coming, Samantha Downing crafts a refreshing, entertaining, and unique domestic mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Style, class, panache, radiance…these are just a few words to describe Grace Kelly, who was so aptly named. Kerri Maher takes us on a fictionalized account of Kelly's life, though she is so thorough, so well-researched, that is difficult at times to remember that this was not an elegant work of non-fiction. From her days as a Hollywood starlet on the brink of cinematic glory, to her illustrious life of service as the Princess of Monaco and all that a life of royalty entails – the luxurious to the stifling – Maher spins a wonderful story that allows us a window into the life of America's Princess. Any fan of American royals or the golden age of Hollywood would love this book!
Four and a half shining stars and a huge thank you to Book Browse, Kerri Maher, and Berkley Publishing for supplying me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a unique premise from the get-go: a happily-married woman has been having dreams of another man for years. No harm, no foul. They are only dreams. The twists begin when she runs into him in real life. Oh, and secondary twist? He's been having dreams of her, too. The out-of-the-ordinary play upon an alternate lives yet "everything happens for a reason" theme, as if you could almost see where the characters might have ended up if they had made different choices, was very appealing. Each character is battling their own internal struggles. And while not being too heavily focused on any one of the minor players, their problems are linked and fleshed out for the best possible understanding of each person. And for good reason, when the ending in revealed. It was gasp-inducing and tear-jerking with a twist ending that I (gratefully) did not see coming. This may have been my first Colleen Oakley novel but it certainly won't be my last. In fact, I wanted to re-read it the second I closed the cover.

Five heart-wrenching stars and a huge thank you to BookBrowse, Colleen Oakley, and Berkley Publishing for supplying me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"In a man's world, women are the perfect spies."

What an exceptionally fitting tagline for Lara Prescott's enthralling novel set in the Cold War era! Told from multiple points of view, this story takes us from the deceptive calm of typing pool of the CIA to the warm hearth of Boris Pasternak's cottage as he and his muse discuss his latest masterpiece, Doctor Zhivago, unaware of the fate that would befall them because of it. The women of this story are far and above the masterminds, the moving forces, and the backbone of everything that transpires. It was absolutely a stunning page-turner of historical fiction, meticulously researched, and characters so masterfully fleshed out that you forget the "fiction" aspect entirely. When I closed the final pages, I was not ready to leave Olga, Sally, Irina, and the typists behind, despite the satisfying endings. Definitely one of my favorite reads of 2019!

Five heart-wrenching stars and a huge thank you to Book Browse, Lara Prescott, and A. A Knopf Publishing for supplying me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When divorce is eminent and the best interests of the children are paramount, the bird's nest custody agreement seems to be a solid decision. Everything is going exceptionally smoothly…until you arrive at your home to see another family moving in, all your worldly possessions missing, and your estranged husband and your children are nowhere to be found. Such is the start of the exceptional tale of Fiona Lawson and her soon-to-be ex, Bram. I thoroughly enjoyed the innovative layout of this novel, as Fi's portion is told as a podcast and Bram's is told as a Word document. There were moments while reading this that I audibly exclaimed "No way!" The twists and turns were wholly unexpected and moved the story along thoroughly yet swiftly to a satisfying conclusion. I give this book four and a half stars for an inventive storyline unlike anything else I've read recently and realistic characters (some of which you'll love, some you will hate, and some will have your feelings turning on a dime!). This would also make a fantastic movie, in my opinion. A huge thank you to BookBrowse, Lousie Candlish, and Berkley Publishing for providing me with a paperback copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Old money. New money. Very little money. All three are enmeshed, entangled, and some even ensnared on one island off the coast of New England, where "The Families", as the upper echelon are known, use the area as their seasonal playground, sometimes at the expense of the Portuguese fishermen and their families who depend upon the surrounding water for their livelihood. Co-existing on this island together looks simple from the outside, but things on Winthrop Island are rarely what they seem. Expertly volleying between different time periods to weave the stories of the Schyulers, the Fishers, the Vargases, and the Medeiros, Beatriz Williams shares with readers the world of Winthrop Island, first at a wedding that blends two families together in joy and renewed hope, but it is short-lived as soon after, a murder tears that same family apart for decades. I was captivated by the characters from the first page. I wanted to know their secrets (I just had no idea how many there would be!) and understand where all of the puzzle pieces fit. As entrenched in the story as I was, I still would have never guessed what would ultimately unfold in the final pages, tying everything together and leaving the reader shaking their head with satisfaction and understanding. I highly recommend this book and give five stars to the story in which "The Have Nots" possess far more than the "The Haves" could ever dream. If you like historical fiction, beach reads, are a fan of the movie "Mystic Pizza", or stories with interesting twists, than this is for you! A huge thank you to BookBrowse.com and William Morrow Publishing for this Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.