Summer of Love by Kerri Maher

 Book Excerpt:

"It's the summer of 1967, and the counterculture revolution is in full swing in San Francisco. Every street is alive with the music of Jim Morrison and Dionne Warwick, and in view of the Golden Gate Bridge, young people come together, waving anti-war signs and shouting for equal rights. No one is more attuned to messages of love and peace than Winnie Hartley, who has just graduated from UC Berkeley and is determined to use poetry to capture the ever-shifting world around her. When she reconnects with her high school boyfriend, an aspiring musician, their creative bond further fuels her work, and it feels like her life is finally taking off.

Meanwhile, miles up the winding coast, her sister Miranda stays close to home, throwing herself into running the family business, Hartley Vineyard. She's determined to make California wine that rivals the French. But change is in the air this wild and heady summer, and each sister will make choices that set their lives hurdling down paths neither would have imagined.

Fifty years later, Dawn Hartley stays as far as possible from her family's famous vineyard, until a work assignment requires her to research the bestselling Vineland novels penned by a famously anonymous author. Determined to discover the identity of this mysterious writer—who seems to know things no one should about her family—Dawn embarks on a soul-searching journey along the windswept coast of California to uncover her family's secrets even as she's keeping a big one of her own."

Title:  Summer of Love

Author:  Kerri Maher

Publisher:  Berkley

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

"Summer of Love" by Kerri Maher

My Review:

'Summer of Love' is a well-written and emotionally engaging novel. It addresses important topics such as relationships, alcohol, and recovery through the experiences of two sisters, Winnie and Miranda, their mother, and a niece [Dawn]. The Northern California vineyard setting is also particularly enjoyable.

The story offers thoughtful themes that linger long after you finish the book.

Crash Into Me A Novel by Robinne Lee

 Book Excerpt:

"In a complicated marriage and raising her children in Los Angeles's toxic playground of privilege and power, Cecilia Chen is struggling to find her real self among the many labels assigned to her: wife, mother, artist, daughter.

Until the moment she crashes–literally–into the Anouk Ferrand. It's been twenty years since she last encountered the enigmatic model on a photo shoot in Mexico.

And it's this chance second meeting that will upend Cecilia's life.

Seeing Anouk again forces Cecilia to revisit their brief time together and question where she truly fits in. Can the renewed intensity of her explosive physical and emotional entanglement with Anouk finally give her an answer?

Heartbreakingly real and emotionally layered, Crash Into Me illuminates the unexpected detours that change our lives forever."

Title:  Crash Into Me

Author:  Robinne Lee

Publisher:  St Martin's Press

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Four

Review:

'Crash Into Me' by Robinne Lee

My Review:

'Crash Into Me' is a compelling novel that sustains the reader's interest throughout. The narrative deeply engages readers in the lives of Cecila Chen and Anouk Ferrand, effectively building anticipation for their reunion after twenty years.

I recommend this book for its nuanced examination of complex marital relationships and its insightful portrayal of love's resilience in the face of adversity.

Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds: God, Where Were You? by Lakisha Johnson

 

Book Excerpt:

"Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds. That's all it took to change Skylar Parks' life forever.

After walking away from a three-year relationship, thirty-six-year-old Skylar Parks makes a quiet promise to God that she'll trust Him completely. She recommits her heart, surrenders her plans, and pours herself into rebuilding her life.

But in three minutes and twenty-seven seconds, everything changes. When a man she trusted violates her in a way that doesn't just wound her body, it shatters her sense of safety, her identity, and her faith in the God she believed would protect her.

Now, sleep is replaced with anger, and her prayers turn into arguments with the God she once trusted. Because while her faith whispers, " Trust God, her pain screams, " Where were you?

Torn between bitterness and belief, Skylar must decide if she'll hold on to God in the midst of her pain or let go of the faith she once clung to."

Title:  Three Minutes and Twenty-Seven Seconds:  God, Where Were You?

Author:  Lakisha Johnson

Publisher:  Twins Write 2

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

'Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds:  God, Where Were You? by Lakisha Johnson

My Review:  

'Three minutes and twenty-seven seconds: God, Where Were You?' is a great book that you won't want to put down. The characters, situations, scriptures, and sermons make you want to keep reading to find out what happens to Skylar.

Wild Reverence: A Novel by Rebecca Ross

Book Except:

" Set in the world of the gods first introduced in Divine Rivals, #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Ross delivers a sweeping, beautiful adult novel filled with tension, romance, and dark secrets.

True love is more divine than any ruthless god.

Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.

Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life—begging the goddess he had befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who had long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved."

Title:  Wild Reverence

Author:  Rebecca Ross

Publisher:  Saturday Books

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

'Wild Reverence' By Rebecca Ross

My Review:

'Wild Reverence' was an enjoyable read that may bring a few tears. The story offers poetic writing, yearning, and a magical system that keeps the reader turning pages until the end.

Matilda and Vincent were authentic in their romance. Pick up this read to see what it took for them to find their way back to each other. Be ready for a good love story.

Coming Home by Kennedy Ryan

 Book Excerpt:

"They got everything they wanted...but never had each other.

Touré Wallace and Niomi Spencer were close friends at Finley College, the prestigious HBCU they attended. The attraction that simmered between them every semester was a question they never got to ask or answer before soaring ambitions launched them to opposite corners of the world. Both chased their dreams of grit and glamor as high-profile journalists. They got it all...except a shot at being more than friends.

Years later, Touré is an award-winning investigative journalist, and Niomi is America's most popular morning-show host, but they both feel like something's missing. When their alma mater recruits its most famous alums for an interview during homecoming, every look, every touch is electric. The air hums with what could have been, and they're tempted by what they could have right now, if only for one weekend. Have they traveled the world, chasing something special, when all it took was coming home?"

Title:  Coming Home

Author:  Kennedy Ryan

Publisher:  Scribechick Media LLC

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Four

Review:

'Coming Home' by Kennedy Ryan

My Review:  

'Coming Home' tells the story of Toure and Niomi as they get a second chance at love. The book wraps up on a hopeful note, with a college reunion and centennial celebration bringing everything together.

This short novel is a good pick for anyone looking for an uplifting, well-organized romance.

Forever Carly: A Second Chance Holiday Romance (Second-chance Series Book 1) by Michele Sims

 Book Excerpt:

"Secrets, deceptions, and lies.

Michele Sims, the multi-award-winning author of the Moore Family Saga is back with a second chance romance novel.

Carly Rivers, a small town girl with big dreams to become a renowned expert on historical African American communities unexpectedly encounters her college sweetheart, Mason Moore, after ten years apart in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mason has transformed his family’s business into an international conglomerate.
Both are rising from the ashes of a failed marriage."

Title:  Forever Carly: A Second Chance Holiday Romance

Author:  Michele Sims

Publisher:   Green Books Publishing, LLC

Series:  Second Chance Book 1

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating: Five

Review:

'Forever Carly: A Second Chance Holiday Romance (Second-chance Series Book 1) by Michele Sims

My Review:

'Forever Carly' is a well-crafted second-chance romance featuring Carly Rivers and Mason Moore, who reconnect after ten years apart as former college sweethearts.

Both Carly and Mason married others, but those relationships ended. When they meet again, they discover a renewed connection. Their journey is complicated by challenges posed by their exes, but the story explores themes of forgiveness, redemption, and hope. 'Forever Carly' is recommended for readers seeking an uplifting romance.

The Children A Novel by Melissa Albert

Book Excerpt:

"Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.

In one, she and her brother, Ennis, live in the wooded shadow of their family's isolated Vermont farmhouse; in the other, the pages of their mother’s world-famous Ninth City books, where their magical adventures have made them household names. In reality, Guinevere's childhood isn't the enchanted idyll her mother’s readers imagine: she and Ennis are growing up near-feral, unwashed and underfed, escaping each day to the wild woods they’ve made their playland. As Edith Sharpe’s books explode into epic popularity, the threats of a rural childhood give way to the escalating perils of fame—until the night it all goes up in flames, leaving Edith’s series unfinished and her children the sole survivors.

Now an adult coasting on her mother's name, Guinevere is mid-promotion for a ghostwritten memoir when her estranged brother, an artist who has until now spurned his family's legacy, announces an upcoming installation titled, simply, Mother. As rumors swirl around a death connected to his last show, unsettling recollections from Guinevere’s childhood begin to surface. Her public facade starts to crack, forcing her to confront the questions she's spent the last twenty years running from: What really happened the night of the fire? And what dark history lies behind their mother’s fantasy world?

The Children is wise to the mythic weight childhood memories gather over time, and the way our most beloved stories grow up with us. It's for anyone who's ever revisited an old favorite and found its pages cast in a darker light, the line separating magic from reality blurring as we discover the books that once comforted us carry shadows of their own."

Title:  The Children

Author:  Melissa Albert

Publisher:  William Morrow

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Four

Review:

'The Children' by Melissa Albert

My Review:

The Children is a captivating exploration of a dysfunctional family. The story follows siblings Guinevere and Ennis as they navigate a life altered by tragedy. After a fire destroys their home and claims the lives of everyone except them, the narrative shifts between the present and the past, keeping readers engaged and intrigued.

The novel skillfully intertwines elements of literary fantasy, family legacy, grief, magical realism, and sibling relationships, providing a rich and diverse reading experience. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the digital review copy.