Where Wild Peaches Grow- ARC Book Review

Title:- Where Wild Peaches Grow –

Author:- Cade Bentley

Date published:- will be published on 30th August 2022

No. of pages:- 297 pages

Genre:- Literary

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control.Nona “Peaches” Davenport, abandoned by the man she loved and betrayed by family, left her Natchez, Mississippi, home fifteen years ago and never looked back. She’s forged a promising future in Chicago as a professor of African American Studies. Nona even finds her once-closed heart persuaded by a new love. But that’s all shaken when her father’s death forces her to return to everything she’s tried to forget.Julia Curtis hasn’t forgiven her sister for deserting the family. Just like their mother, Nona walked away from Julia when she needed her most. And Julia doesn’t feel guilty for turning to Nona’s old flame, Marcus, for comfort. He helped Julia build a new life. She has a child, a career, and a determination to move on from old family wounds.Upon Nona’s return to Natchez, a cautious reunion unfolds, and everything Nona and Julia thought they knew—about themselves, each other, and those they loved—will be tested. Unpacking the truth about why Nona left may finally heal their frayed bond—or tear it apart again, forever.

This is a story between two estranged sisters–Nona known fondly as “Peaches” and Julia. Nona left the small town of Natchez after feeling betrayed by her former lover Marcus and moved to Chicago, working as a professor .. When her father dies, Nona returns back to the small town. Julia meanwhile wasn’t very welcoming as Nona left Julia when she needed the most and wasn’t forgiving.

The writing was really great and the story is told between Nona’s and Julia’s perspectives. The description of the Natchez town felt like I was actually in the small town with the characters. Initially, maybe it was just me, the first portion of the story was slightly confusing but as I started reading, it got interesting. I do like the setting of the other characters and how they are all connected to both Nona and Julia in some way–Marcus who was Nona’s lover and Julia’s husband, Jayden, and all the other characters. I also like the funeral scene the most. The only thing is, maybe again it’s just me, I don’t understand why Nona was called peaches and the connection it has with the peaches tree. The ending was really great.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book–a story about two estranged sisters and how their relationship grew towards the end. Worth 4.5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Light Through The Vines – ARC Book Review

Title:- Light Through The Vines

Author:- Fiona Valpy

Date published:- will be published on 1st September 2022

Publisher:- Lake Union

No. of pages:- 220 pages

Genre:- Literary

Rating;

Plot:- 3.5/5

Writing:- 3.5/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

In this tale of fresh starts in the Escape to France collection from bestselling author Fiona Valpy, Gina has lost everything. Can a crumbling old cottage offer her a new life, new love—and new hope?

Gina’s London life lies in tatters: she has lost her father, her steady job as a wine buyer and her suave but unfaithful boyfriend. When she also suffers the loss of her beloved aunt, a silver lining dawns in the shape of an unexpected legacy: Aunt Liz has left Gina her beautiful, if slightly ramshackle, house in the heart of Bordeaux wine country. With nothing left to lose, Gina takes a chance on a fresh start.

Throwing herself into her new life in the beautiful French countryside, Gina discovers the warmth of a close-knit—sometimes too close-knit—rural community and the exhausting exhilaration of the grape harvest under the late-summer sun. But just as she is beginning to feel like she belongs in her crumbling but charming home, she uncovers a long-hidden secret that makes her question the one person she used to trust the most. While she’s worrying that this is a sign to pack her bags and run, a storm blows a hole in the roof, and Gina finds herself with nowhere else to turn except her neighbour’s capable son for help.

Before long Gina finds herself admiring handsome Cédric for more than just his stonemasonry skills…But everyone she’s ever held dear has left her or betrayed her. And as the grapes ripen on the vine, can Gina find her way to forgiveness, and could it finally be time for her to open her heart to love again?

Fiona Valpy spent seven years living in France, having moved there from the UK in 2007. She and her family renovated an old, rambling farmhouse in the Bordeaux winelands, during which time she developed new-found skills in cement-mixing, interior decorating and wine-tasting.

All of these inspirations, along with a love for the place, the people and their history, have found their way into the books she’s written, which have been translated into German, Norwegian, Czech, Slovenian and Turkish.

Fiona now lives in Scotland, but enjoys regular visits to France in search of the sun.

Gina moves to France and inherits her aunt’s house in Bordeaux. She finds out that many years ago, her aunt Liz used to have an affair with her father, way before her father married her mother. Meanwhile, Gina meets handsome Cedric and as Gina is a bit insecure, she kind of has been distrusting people.

What I liked about this book is I liked reading about the beautiful scenic descriptions of Bordeaux France, that made me feel like I was in France with the main character. . Also this is a quick read and so if you are lookingto read a quick read historical or literary fiction, then this book is recommended. I also enjoyed reading about the wine making process in the story.

But the story is far predictable as I predicted most parts of the story. Other than that, it was beautifully written. Worth 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Girl In Your House – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Girl In Your House

Author:- Georgina Cross

Date published:- will be published on 2nd September 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

No. of pages:- 304 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

All it takes is four words to shatter everything: “Your sister is dead.” Someone set fire to her house and my niece is the only survivor. With trembling hands, I reach for the window and rip open the blinds. Everything remains quiet. But deep down I know: they’re coming after me next.

When I left my parents’ home in Kentucky, I never thought I’d see my sister again. For years we kept a terrible secret and eventually it tore us apart.

But when I get the call to say that my sister has been killed and my teenage niece Hannah is coming to live with us, I leave the past behind. Hannah is family and I need to keep her safe. I know what could happen to her if I don’t.

When my niece arrives, she bonds with my daughter Cassie instantly. But then I hear a scream from the girls’ bedroom. And in the garden, someone has lit a fire. It’s a warning.

Then the note arrives. “I’m coming for you.” In that moment I know that if I want to keep us alive, we have to leave everything behind.

Someone from my past won’t let me forget what I did all those years ago. They will stop at nothing. But are they closer to me than I could have ever imagined?

Author of ONE NIGHT and NANNY NEEDED with Bantam, Penguin Random House, and author of THE STEPDAUGHTER, THE MISSING WOMAN, and THE GIRL IN YOUR HOUSE with Bookouture, Hachette Publishing.

This was such a gripping psychological thriller that kept me on the edge all the time!

Tara receives the most horrible news. Her estranged sister, Beth had died in a fire and someone had put the fire in her house. The only survivor of the arson was Beth’s sixteen-year-old daughter Hannah. Now Tara, knows that she will be next. As she and her daughter Cassie is preparing to welcome Hannah into their new home, Tara must keep the secret that she and Beth promised to keep, all those years ago…a secret that may be connected to the fire…

This was really fast paced from the start to the finish. I couldn’t simply put the book down as I yearned to know what is going to happen next. The story is told mainly in Tara’s POV and towards the middle of the book, you get to know the secret that Tara and Beth had been hiding after all those years. There were some twists and turns which actually made the whole book interesting and the ending was clearly unexpected that I was actually surprised at this unexpected twist–did not really see it coming! Overall, this book kept me on the edge and there was so much family drama in this book and the twists that will keep you guessing till the end.

Overall, this is a fast paced unputdownable thriller that will put at the edge of your seat–worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Ugly Love – Book Review

Title:- Ugly Love

Author:- Colleen Hoover

Date published:- August 14th 2014

Genre:- Romance

No. of pages:- 315 pages

Rating:

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

International and #1 New York Times bestselling author of romance, YA, thriller, women’s fiction and paranormal romance.

I don’t like to be confined to one genre. If you put me in a box, I’ll claw my way out.

My social media username is @colleenhoover pretty much everywhere except my email, which is colleenhooverbooks@gmail.com

Founder of www.thebookwormbox.com charity and Book Bonanza.

I think I am beginning to read a lot of CoHo books and this is my fifth Colleen Hoover book that I have read.

I am not going to say much about this book as I am sure some of you have read it. Let me put this way–there’s so much hype on this book like It Ends With Us. I do like the story. It talks about heart break, loss of a baby, and the struggles of falling in love. I do like the chemistry between Tate, a nurse and Miles, an airline pilot. I do like how Hoover had written Miles’ POV in a form of a poem. However, I read this book and was really engrossed into this book that I simply couldn’t put the book down. Miles’ relationship with Rachel, then Tate was well written, which explained Miles’ insecurities of falling in love which in the end he eventually works out his past and insecurities. There were too much of steamy sex scenes that I found myself just skimming at those pages.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book–worth 4.5 stars!

The Guest House – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Guest House

Author:- Robin Morgan – Bentley

Date published:- will be published on September 13th 2022

No. of pages:- 343 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE.
WHATEVER THE COST…

Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby.

With a few weeks to go, they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines. The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Barry and Fiona, the older couple who run the guesthouse. They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves.

The next morning, Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. Both their mobile phones and car keys have disappeared. Even though it’s a few weeks early, Victoria knows the contractions are starting.

The baby is coming, and there’s no way out.

Robin Morgan-Bentley was born and grew up in London. After studying Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge University, he went on to work for Google before moving to Audible, where he has been working since 2014.

His debut thriller, The Wreckage, was nominated for the CWA Dagger John Creasey New Blood Award, the CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Award and Capital Crime’s Debut Book of the Year Award.

Robin lives in Buckinghamshire with his husband and son.

Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby. They go to a small guest house located in a small village and befriends an elderly couple who runs the guest house, Barry and Fiona. But on the night, Victoria gets contractions and as Jamie is trying to take Victoria to the hospital, they find that the guest house is locked. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be found and all their car keys and phones are nowhere in sight. Now the baby is coming and there’s no way out.

This was actually a gripping psychological thriller. The first part of the book was OK and the story divides between the past when the events inside the guest house is taking place to the present where Jamie and Victoria are trying to get on with their lives with Jamie trying to find ways to get back his son. There were some couple of twists and turns along the way many of them were unexpected and there were different POV’s–mostly Jamie’s and Victoria’s perspectives. The ending was a complete unexpected ending and overall in this book, I felt like I was watching an interesting thriller book that is going to put me on the edge of my seat. There were some parts, particularly the first few chapters were slightly boring but it got more interesting towards the middle of the book.

If you like a dark thriller with a little family drama in it, then this one is for you–worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Foghorn Echoes – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Foghorn Echoes

Author:- Danny Ramadan

Date published:- will be published on 1st September 2022

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Genre:- LGBTQ Fiction

Rating:

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

A deeply moving novel about a forbidden love between two boys in war-torn Syria and the fallout that ripples through their adult lives.

Syria, 2003. A blooming romance leads to a tragic accident when Hussam’s father catches him acting on his feelings for his best friend, Wassim. In an instant, the course of their lives is changed forever.

Ten years later, Hussam and Wassim are still struggling to find peace and belonging. Sponsored as a refugee by a controlling older man, Hussam is living an openly gay life in Vancouver, where he attempts to quiet his demons with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Wassim is living on the streets of Damascus, having abandoned a wife and child and a charade he could no longer keep up. Taking shelter in a deserted villa, he unearths the previous owner’s buried secrets while reckoning with his own.

The past continues to reverberate through the present as Hussam and Wassim come face to face with heartache, history, drag queens, border guards, and ghosts both literal and figurative.

Masterfully crafted and richly detailed, The Foghorn Echoes is a gripping novel about how to carve out home in the midst of war, and how to move forward when the war is within yourself.

Danny Ramadan (also known as Ahmad Danny Ramadan) is a Syrian-Canadian author, public speaker, storyteller and an LGBTQ-refugee activist. His English debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, continues to receive raving reviews.

The book is positively reviewed by Quill and Quire, Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, Globe and Mail among other publications. Released in May 2017, The Clothesline Swing was named among the Best Books of 2017 by the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. It was longlisted for Canada Reads 2018 and Shortlisted for the Evergreen Award 2018. It’s also a finalist for the Gay Fiction Category in the Lambda Awards.

He also translated Rafi Badawi’s 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think, and published two collections of short stories in Arabic.
As an LGBTQ activist, he has been involved in coordinating online and on the ground efforts to support Queer and Trans identifying refugees from Syria to immigrate to Canada. Danny runs the annual fundraiser An Evening in Damascus to support those efforts. Since May 2015, he has raised over $100.000 to support a total of eight other LGBTQ-identifying Syrian refugees; and participated in efforts to ensure safe passage to 24 Syrian Queer and Trans refugees to Canada.

His public speaking and storytelling made him a regular presenter in conferences, conventions and storytelling events across Canada. He was a keynote speaker at QMUNITY’s IDAHOT Breakfast, the Liberal Party Convention, Six Degrees Conference, among others. His TEDx talk has gathered thousands of views on YouTube.

He was appointed Grand Marshal for the Vancouver Pride Parade 2016; he was awarded the StandOut Award for his social activism, the RBC’s Top Immigrant in Canada award, and the Bonham Centre Award for Excellency. Ramadan lives in Vancouver since his arrival to Canada in 2014.

This is a touching story about two teenage boys Hassam and Wasim, set in Syria at a time when Americans invaded Iraq. Hassam and Wasim they fall in love and while they were kissing, Hassam’s father caught them and eventually lead to his death. The two boys became estranged afterwards. Now ten years later, Hassam lives in Vancouver, Canada and is openly gay while Wasim still lives in Syria living through the war. The story tells about the lives of these two boys at a time when war erupted in Syria and Hassam’s life as a refugee in Canada.

I have to say, I do like how the story divides between Damascus and Vancouver so the reader will able to get to know both the characters well. I do like how Wasim forms a relationship with a ghost woman named Kalia while living in the abandoned house and how he shares all his secrets with Kalia. Wasim also struggles with his marriage to Rima and his relationship with his child. I actually enjoyed reading those parts. I also liked Hassam’s lifestyle in Canada, how he lives a free life as a gay man. The author had beautifully written the story, making the story whole realistic so we would know what it is really like, living as a gay man in Syria. I also like the author’s style of writing and how it draws the reader into the story. This is one of the unique books I have read and the ending was great as both the boys moved on with their own lives. Truly an emotional and heartbreaking story that will capture the reader–worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Manhattan Girls – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Manhattan Girls

Author:- Gill Paul

No. of pages:- 416 pages

Date published:- will be published on August 16th 2022

Publisher:- Avon

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

NEW YORK CITY 1921: The war is over, fashions are daring, and bootleg liquor is abundant. Here four extraordinary women form a bridge group that grows into a firm friendship.

Dorothy Parker: renowned wit, member of the Algonquin Round Table, and more fragile than she seems. Jane Grant: first female reporter for the New York Times, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leach: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.

Their romances flourish and falter while their goals sometimes seem impossible to reach and their friendship deepens against the backdrop of turbulent New York City, where new speakeasies open and close, jazz music flows through the air, and bathtub gin fills their glasses.

They gossip, they comfort each other, and they offer support through the setbacks. But their biggest challenge is keeping their dear friend Dottie safe from herself.

In this brilliant new novel from the bestselling and acclaimed author of Jackie and Maria and The Secret Wife, readers will fall right into Jazz Age New York and into the inner lives of these groundbreaking, influential women.

Gill Paul is the bestselling author of eleven historical novels, many of them describing real women she thinks have been marginalized or misjudged by historians. They include THE MANHATTAN GIRLS, about Dorothy Parker and three friends navigating life, love and careers in Prohibition-era New York, like a 1920s version of Sex and the City; THE COLLECTOR’S DAUGHTER, about Lady Evelyn Herbert, the first person to enter Tutankhamun’s tomb in modern times; JACKIE AND MARIA (retitled THE SECOND MARRIAGE in the UK) about Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy’s rivalry over Aristotle Onassis; two bestselling novels about the Romanovs – THE SECRET WIFE and THE LOST DAUGHTER – as well as WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, which was shortlisted for the 2013 RNA Epic Novel of the Year award, NO PLACE FOR A LADY, shortlisted for a Love Stories award, and ANOTHER WOMAN’S HUSBAND, about links you might not have suspected between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana. Her novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Toronto Globe & Mail and kindle charts, and been translated into twenty-one languages.

Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A HISTORY OF MEDICINE IN 50 OBJECTS, and she speaks at libraries and literary festivals on subjects ranging from Tutankhamun to the Romanovs.

Gill lives in London, where she is working on her twelfth novel, and she swims daily in an outdoor pond.

This is the first time I am reading Gill Paul’s novels and I have to say, I actually did enjoy reading this book.

The story is set in 1920’s New York–the Jazz era, the Prohibition era, the great boom and is just after the First World War. The story is based on Dorothy Parker, based on the real life Dorothy, and her friends, Winifred, Jane and Peggy. Jane is the first female reported of New York Times, Winifred is a Broadway actress and Peggy is a brilliant novelist. These four women are friends and form a bridge group and the story tells about the lives of these four women and how their friendship between them grows stronger and of couse their love life.

As this is based on the true story, the author takes the reader to the 1920’s era and as a reader you can get a glimpse of what the 1920’s lifestyle was really like. It was the time when women wore flapper dresses, the alcohol was prohibited, various gangs were formed and of course scandalous lives that shows us how men are still in control of the society. As a result, I actually enjoyed the author’s writing. The story is told from each of the friends’ perspectives, detailing about their careers, working in a men dominated world and of course their love life. I actually enjoyed reading Winifred’s story as I found her story more interesting. I have to say, the author did a good job of researching about the life back in 1920’s.

This book actually is like the 1920’s version of Sex and the City–taking place in Manhattan New York. I actually enjoyed reading this book–worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue

Louis Armstrong – Fireworks

Duke Ellington – Jubilee Stomp

Betsy Byre – Sleepwalk

The Family Compound – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Family Compound

Author:- Liz Parker

No. of pages:- 286 pages

Date published:- will be published on August 23rd 2022

Publisher:- Lake Union

Genre:- Family Saga

Rating:

Plot:- 3/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

A compassionate and insightful novel about family, broken dreams, and holding on to everything in life that matters.

Five cousins must band together to decide the future of their shared inheritance—the family’s sprawling property in Stowe, Vermont—but with each at a different place in life, reaching a unanimous decision seems unlikely.

Penny struggles with depression and craves stability in an unstable world. Halsey is divorced, raising her child, and contending with an unexpected realization about herself. Irresponsible William can be counted on only to fall in love as capriciously as he falls out of it. And both Laurie and Chris are floundering after betrayals—hers professional, his personal. With little in common except childhood memories, the five face impossible choices. It’s going to take sacrifice, compromise, and a plan for moving forward they can all agree to. Until then, the fate of the Nolan family compound is as uncertain as their paths in life.

As five lives in flux converge and tensions run high, the cousins will have to rely on each other if they’re to have any hope of preserving the past. From the author of All Are Welcome comes a novel about a family legacy worth fighting for.

Liz Parker is a literary agent at Verve Talent & Literary and the author of All Are Welcome. She has written for the New York Times’ Modern Love column and lives in Los Angeles with her wife, Sarah, and their three dogs. For more information visit http://www.lizparkerwritessometimes.com.

If you like a novel based on family saga, then this book might be great one for you.

This is a story of five cousins, Laurie, Penny, Chris, Halsey and William coming into terms with land and two homes left for them after their parents died. Each of these characters have their own personalities–Laurie had been fired from her position as a lawyer in a law firm, Halsey is newly divorced and discovers something about herself, and Penny is seem to be suffering from depression. The story is maily told in Laurie’s, Penny’s and Halsey’s perspectives.

At first, the book did not really get into me and at a point, I was kind of bored with the book. But by 30%, the book suddenly grew into me and soon, I want to know what is going to happen to the land and also to the cousins. The book also mainly talked about the relationships between the cousins, how estranged they were with each other. The pacing grew by the 50% of the book to the point when suddenly I was interested in the ending and wanting to know what is going to happen next.

So if you are into family sagas and family dramas, then this book might be one for you. Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

In My Dreams I Hold A Knife – Book Review

Title:- In My Dreams I Hold A Knife

Author:- Ashley Winstead

Date published:- August 3rd 2021

Publisher:- Soucebook Landmark

Number of pages:- 356 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5 stars

Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to her southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent. Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year.

But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession, and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife is an addictive, propulsive read you won’t be able to put down.

Ashley Winstead is an academic turned novelist with a Ph.D. in contemporary American literature. She lives in Houston with her husband, two cats, and beloved wine fridge. You can find her at http://www.ashleywinstead.com.

I have always wanted to read this book and when I got my hands to this book, I was excited. The ratings and reviews are bit good in this book so I was happy that I manage to grab my hands on this book.

Jessica Miller was invited to a college reunion and she meets her friends–Caro, Coop, Mint (her-ex boyfriend), Frankie and Courtney. But ten years ago, while attending college, one of their friends Heather, was brutally murdered. The main suspect had been her boyfriend Jack but as there was no evidence, Jack was let go. Now Heather’s brother, Eric believed that Jack was innocent and one of them was the murderer. Which one actually killed Heather? And Jessica has a secret…

It first started a little boring but by 20% of the book, it got interesting with some twists and turns along the way. The story divides between the present day and the past, from the time Jessica enrolled as a freshman to the senior year in college. The book is realistic in some way as it shows Sorority recruitment and the competition that Jessica faces. Jessica yearned for a perfect life and so it is understandable why she wanted to be successful in her life, as we read on about her character.

By the middle of the book, the story started getting interesting as we realized that nearly everyone, including the main protagonist Jessica could have killed Heather as each had their own reasons to do so. The ending was what actually blew me off that really put me on the edge. I actually enjoyed the ending and it was a satisfied ending in my opinion.

This is the debut book of this author but I couldn’t believe that it was her debut book–the book was well written, packed with twists and turns, an unreliable narrator with a deep secret and that nearly every character in the story is a suspect that makes the reader guess which one of them could be the actually killer. Can’t wait to read more books from this author!

Worth four stars!

Britney Spears – Toxic

Plumb – Cut

Flo Rida – Right Round

Scoring a Spouse – ARC Book Review

Title:- Scoring a Spouse

Author:- Liz Lincolm

Date published:- will be published on 18th August 2022

No. of pages:- 326 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A professional soccer player. An overworked executive. A marriage of convenience. And too many secrets. The first in a brand new series from Liz Lincoln.

Erika Parker-Ward is living the dream–her professional soccer career is on the rise, and she’s got her sights set on making the World Cup team for the US. But all of that could be over in a blink now that Erika’s been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Her plan? Keep the diagnosis hush hush by paying for private medical care, but the cost is threatening to bury her alive.

Nate Simmons owes all his success as a wealthy tech exec to the grandmother who took him in when he was orphaned at two. So when she wants to see him married before she dies of heart failure, he is ready to move mountains to give his beloved Oma her dying wish.

A chance meeting on the road brings these two desperate strangers together, and an evening of commiserating makes a potentially terrible plan seem pretty perfect: A marriage-of-convenience will give them both what they need.

It’s strictly business, and everybody knows you should never mix business with pleasure..

Erika and Nate have plenty of secrets to keep–from the press, and from each other–but the biggest secret of all might be their true feelings.

Erika is in the US Soccer Women’s Team. She has a deep secret–she is suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. And despite her overwhelming medical fees, she didn’t want her team to know that she is suffering from arthritis. Nate is a successful CEO of a company. His grandmother, Oma’s last wish is for Nate to settle down and get married. So by chance, the two meet each other and soon, romance develops between the two.

It started a bit slow to me but gradually the story grew into me. I do like the chemistry between Erike and Nate and the author has done a good job with the chemistry. The front cover of the story is really cute as well and appealing as well. Besides all the love story between Erika and Nate (and steamy scenes), the story does follow the journey of Erika when she is dealing with her diagnosis in arthritis. As someone who just recently got diagnosed with arthrtitis, I can totally relate to Erika’s story.

Overall, I cannot wait to read more from this author–worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.