FIRST LINE FRIDAY!

| susandyer1962

Happy Friday & welcome to First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower. I’m so excited to be doing these posts again. The book I’m featuring is one I am reading this weekend!

FIRST LINES:

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As the youngest daughter of a country music legend, Raegan Farrow longs to establish an identity away from the spotlight and publish her small-town romances under a pen name. But after her dream is dashed when she won’t exploit her mother’s fame to further her own career, she hears a rumor from a reliable source regarding a tell-all being written about the Farrow family. Making matters worse, the unknown author has gone to great lengths to remain anonymous until publication.

Raegan chooses to keep the tell-all a secret from her scandal-leery sisters as they embark on a two-week, cross-country road trip at their mother’s request and makes it her mission to expose the identity of the author behind the unsanctioned biography. But all is complicated when she discovers their hired bus driver, Micah Davenport, has a hidden agenda of his own–one involving both of their mothers and an old box of journals. As they rely on each other to find the answers they seek, the surprising revelations they unearth will steer them toward their undeniable connection and may even lead them down the most unexpected of paths.

Thank you for stopping by and have a fantastic Friday!☕📚☕

BOOKS FROM THE BACKLOG!

| susandyer1962

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. Hosted by Carole’s Random Life

This week’s neglected book:

Why I haven’t read it yet? I have four book cases over flowing with unread books. I can’t read them all, but if I feature A book here, I’m moving it up on my TBR mountain!🤦‍♀️

FROM GOODREADS:

Everyone in Painters Mill knows the abandoned Hochstetler farm is haunted. But only a handful of the residents remember the terrible secrets lost in the muted/hushed whispers of time—and now death is stalking them, seemingly from the grave.

On a late-night shift, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called to the scene of an apparent suicide—an old man found hanging from the rafters in his dilapidated barn. But evidence quickly points to murder and Kate finds herself chasing a singularly difficult and elusive trail of evidence that somehow points back to the tragedy of that long ago incident. Meanwhile, Kate has moved in with state agent John Tomasetti and for the first time in so long, they’re both happy; a bliss quickly shattered when one of the men responsible for the murders of Tomasetti’s family four years ago is found not guilty, and walks away a free man. Will Tomasetti be pulled back to his own haunted past?

When a second man is found dead—also seemingly by his own hand—Kate discovers a link in the case that sends the investigation in a direction no one could imagine and revealing the horrifying truth of what really happened that terrible night thirty-five years ago, when an Amish father and his four children perished—and his young wife disappeared without a trace.

And, as Kate knows—the past never truly dies . . . in The Dead Will Tell by Linda Castillo

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful Thursday!🍪📚🍪

REVIEW: CAROLINA MOONSET BY MATT GOLDMAN

| susandyer1962

MY REVIEW:

CAROLINA MOONSET is the first book I have read by Matt Goldman, but it will not be my last. I found his writing to be amazing, engaging, unique, and totally believable! The twists and turns will have you holding your breath and not being able to put this amazing story down. Hang on tight people! It is one crazy and emotional rollercoaster of a ride.

What an intense story CAROLINA MOONSET is. Once you start reading, you aren’t going to be able to stop. Joey Green, a divorced forty five year old father of two, travels from Chicago, Illinois to Beaufort, South Carolina to help his mother take care of his dad, Marshall, who is seventy five and has recently been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia.  Joey’s father hallucinates due to his dementia and these cause alarm for Joey as the hallucinations hint at secrets. Then someone is murdered, and the police have come knocking on the Green’s front door! You aren’t going to believe where this heart pounding story goes!

CAROLINA MOONSET is a real page-turner. I couldn’t put it down until I knew what had happened. Fans of psychological mysteries will enjoy this one. CAROLINA MOONSET is so well written, that even though it jumps back and forth between the present and the past, it is still easy to follow. As Joey investigates to prove his father’s innocence, he learns about several secrets from the past that teach him things he never would have believed. It is a suspenseful tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final pages. I did not want this perfect story to end. I highly recommend CAROLINA MOONSET!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

FROM GOODREADS:

Both suspenseful and deeply moving, Carolina Moonset is an engrossing novel about family, memories both golden and terrible, and secrets too dangerous to stay hidden forever, from New York Times bestselling and Emmy Award-winning author, Matt Goldman. Joey Green has returned to Beaufort, South Carolina, with its palmettos and shrimp boats, to look after his ailing father, who is succumbing to dementia, while his overstressed mother takes a break. Marshall Green’s short-term memory has all but evaporated, but, as if in compensation, his oldest memories are more vivid than ever. His mind keeps slipping backwards in time, retreating into long-ago yesterdays of growing up in Beaufort as a boy. At first this seems like a blessing of sorts, with the past providing a refuge from a shrinking future, but Joey grows increasingly anxious as his father’s hallucinatory arguments with figures from his youth begin to hint at deadly secrets, scandals, and suspicions long buried and forgotten. Resurfacing from decades past are mysteries that still have the power to shatter lives–and change everything Joey thought he knew. Especially when a new murder brings the police to his door…

Thank you for stopping by and have a terrific Thursday!🌻📚🌻

CAN’T – WAIT WEDNESDAY

| susandyer1962

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here.

This week, I’m waiting for…

RELEASE DATE: JULY 16, 2024

FROM GOODREADS:

A bestselling author finds love and second chances in the stacks of a quaint beach town bookshop

Author Shelby Archer found inspiration for her first novel while living on the picturesque shores of Provincetown on Cape Cod. When she comes to the town to celebrate her new bestseller, she is expecting a warm homecoming. But instead she is confronted with the cold shoulders of friends and neighbors who feel exposed and betrayed.

Heartbroken, Shelby tries to move on and focus on her next novel. But then an unexpected call comes: her dear friend who owns the beloved Land’s End bookshop needs help for the summer. Shelby reluctantly returns to the Cape to manage the store.

Back at the beach, Shelby sets her focus on the tiny seaside shop, getting lost in the shelves of steamy romance novels and dusty classics and trying to right the wrongs of her past. With every page turned and every customer served, Shelby comes closer to gaining back the trust of those she hurt. But as her manuscript deadline nears, she is again forced to choose between her own success and a second chance at love and belonging.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!☕📚☕

REVIEW: THE IRISH KEY BY DAISY O’SHEA

| susandyer1962

MY REVIEW:

THE IRISH KEY is the first time I’ve ever read Daisy O’Shea, but it definitely won’t be the last. On Grace’s wedding day, her grandmother, Caitlin, gives Grace the key to her cottage in Ireland in case she ever needs to escape her life. Well, that is exactly what happens when she runs away from her husband who is very controlling. She runs with her five year old daughter, Olivia. When she finally arrives in Roone Bay she can’t believe the condition of the cottage. She is extremely disappointed to see that they won’t be able to live there!

In THE IRISH KEY, the reader will fall in love with Roone Bay. Daisy describes it in such a way that I felt as if I were right there, by the sea watching the boats and listening to the gulls. Grace decides to fix the cottage, which will be a huge task. This is when she meets Sean Murphy, her neighbor and local carpenter. Grace hires Sean to renovate the cottage and he agrees. The renovation will not be a quick one and while it is going on Sean and Grace learn many things about each other. Secrets will be revealed through out the story and some are quite shocking to Grace. One of the secrets Grace hopes to figure out is why her grandmother left Ireland and never returned.

THE IRISH KEY will stay with you for a long time after you finish reading it. I have no idea when I will be able to read another book, but right now I can’t stop thinking about this one. There were several times I found myself desperately wanting to keep reading, to find out what would happen next, but I was afraid to turn the page, scared of the possible fates awaiting these characters. Would Grace ever be able to let go of the hurt and anger she dealt with in her marriage and feel loved once again? Daisy O’Shea has a magical way of telling dramatic stories. THE IRISH KEY will be sure to strike the reader’s heart and compassion for this brave woman who is willing to do anything in an effort to make Olivia feel as normal as possible.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

FROM GOODREADS:

‘Take the key, my pet. I can’t ever go back. The last letter I had from Ireland was clear about that. But one day you may need a safe haven, and it’s the one thing I can give you. Ireland is in your blood, it will keep you safe.’

When Grace arrives tired, tearful and rain-soaked in Roone Bay, the little Irish village where her grandmother Caitlin grew up, she is overwhelmed with longing for Caitlin’s safe, warm arms. The crumbling wreck of Caitlin’s once-beautiful childhood cottage – whose key Grace was given on her wedding day as a secret refuge if she ever needed it – is not the fresh start she’d hoped for. But with her young daughter Olivia to look after and a painful past to hide from, Grace has to stay strong. Plucking up the courage to ask for help from her kind new neighbours – including quietly rugged carpenter Sean Murphy – Grace gets to work making the house habitable. Soon the view of the deep emerald sea has her captivated, Olivia is blossoming, and Sean makes her laugh in a way she’d forgotten she could… As she learns more about her family history, with Sean by her side, Grace’s curiosity unearths only further mystery. What drove Caitlin away from Ireland, never to return? But when Grace uncovers a long-lost letter to Caitlin that reveals the heartbreaking truth, she is suddenly threatened by her own devastating secrets. Grace may have finally found a home for her little family. But when faced with everything she ran from, will the past tear her apart once more? Or will Grace find the strength to stand up for her daughter, her love for Sean, and her new life in Ireland?

This utterly heartbreaking, completely life-affirming story of a family secret that echoes down the generations is perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary and Tricia O’Malley.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sue Lewando was a teacher for several years before migrating to the office environment, where she was PA to the Treasurer of Clarks Shoes, a multi-national company, then, briefly, PA to Susan George, the actress best known for Straw Dogs. Sue had many genre books published (M&B and Virgin), under pseudonyms, and self-publishes her crime thrillers. She was on the committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association in England, for whom she assessed typescripts. She has been a fiction tutor for the London School of Journalism for twenty years. She has two grown-up children, a happy second marriage, and a bundle of cats and dogs. She moved to West Cork with her husband to undertake a farmhouse refurbishment project, foster their joint passion for playing Irish traditional music, and to invest time in their individual academic projects. She recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing at UCC, taking the opportunity to explore diverse writing genres. She works with the Jeremy Murphy Literary Consultancy in the capacity of typescript analyst, ghostwriter, editor, and online publishing advisor. She loves good commercial fiction, and is a devotee of the Oxford comma.

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Daisy O’Shea here: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/daisy-oshea/

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CST1GWV4social

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful Wednesday!🌞📚🌞