Susan's Review of Love Lessons in Good hope by Cindy Kirk

Charlotte McCray has been on her own a very long time. She knows what she wants and she wants her new partnership with Marigold Rallis to succeed. Which means work has to be her focus.

Organic farmer, Adam Vogele, is not the kind of man who normally would catch her eye. But his easy smile, strong arms and sizzling good looks prove impossible to resist. It was an amazing night that left Charlotte breathless…and pregnant.

Adam spent his childhood without a father and is determined to put everything on the line for his child, and his child’s mother. As they learn more about each other, Charlotte battles falling in love with a man and a lifestyle not in her plans.

When an old flame shows up with an intriguing offer, Charlotte must decide whether to return to the fast-paced life she left behind, or embrace this new chapter she’s writing in Good Hope.

Gladys Bertholf is the matriarch of Good Hope and is the town’s matchmaker and she’s determined to find a match for Charlotte McCray. At first, I wasn’t too sure about Adam Vogele, Gladys’ choice for Charlotte. I wondered if a career oriented city girl find love with an unpretentious farmer. Cindy Kirk surprised me with a fabulous, heart felt story for this couple.

Charlotte McCray is at a crossroads both personally and professionally. An exciting business opportunity motivated Charlotte to return to Good Hope. Charlotte and Marigold Rallis have formed a partnership. They are opening a salon and day spa in Good Hope. Charlotte is conflicted; she wants her new business to succeed but longs for a child of her own.

At first glance, Adam Vogele and Charlotte appear to be total opposites. Adam and his father own an organic farm. A well-respected member of the Good Hope community, Adam is unpretentious, passionate about organic farming and enjoys a warm relationship with his father.

Adam and Charlotte share a passionate Fourth of July and conceive a child. The conflict between Charlotte and Adam was spot on. Charlotte wanted to raise the baby by herself while Adam wants to be his child’s father. Both characters had very different childhoods and these experiences shaped their opinions. Charlotte’s parents divorced and had second families—she was an outsider. Although Adam was raised by his step father Stan, he never knew his biological father.

Adam’s father Stan was one of my favorite characters in this story. He has known a great love and he encourages Adam to put family first and explore his own feelings for Charlotte. I adored Adam because he put his unborn child first; he wants his child to know that he is loved by both parents. And Adam truly understood that Charlotte’s past experiences made it hard for her to trust anyone. He gave Charlotte space and time to sort through her feelings.

Love Lessons in Good Hope has all the feels. Cindy Kirk blends the importance of family and friendship in this emotional story. At first glance, Charlotte and Adam may appear to be very different people. Loved the couple’s honest conversations as their relationship changed. Fin Rakes and Charlotte have an important talk about friendship. Charlotte realizes that she needs to let people in—to share her feelings—and this changes her attitude towards Adam and Good Hope. She realizes she wants her child, a family and friends. I loved that Charlotte realized that friendship and family could not be taken for granted—an important love lesson¬-¬--and Adam was the one who held her heart.

If you are looking for a feel good read that’s about love, friendship and babies—then Love Lessons in Good Hope is the perfect book for you!

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by the author

Read Susan's Review of Baby Dreams in Good Hope HERE!

I Dared The Duke by Anna Bennett

I Dared The Duke

by Anna Bennett

★★★★★

Anna Bennett is a new author read for me.

A reading group that I follow was having a

special event. Anna Bennett was the 

featured author. 

I found that my library had a few of her

stories. I am not particular about reading 

a series in order. I Dared The Duke was 

available right away. Even though it was 

the middle book in the Wayward Wallflowers

series, I chose it. 

I thoroughly enjoyed it. You never know with

a new writer. But it was a fun and busy story.

I had not pegged who the bad guy was 
before the end.Which I love!! 
There was more romantic, family

and getting to know each other than crisis

reading. Which I love!! And the grumpy, 

lonely Duke of Blackshire falls in love with

Miss Elizabeth Lacey before he can blink. 

Which I love!! I guess you may be getting the

idea that I loved this book. 

The most fun part is that I won a book 

from Anna Bennett during that evenings

event! Not only did I just get a book in 

the mail from her but a very nicely 

wrapped book with some swag! I have

not read the won book yet. But I am glad

to have it. I can certainly recommend

I Dared The Duke. 

I borrowed this copy from the library.

Review by Lisa Hutson

Susan's Review of Perfectly Famous by Emily Liebert

As a mother and a famous author, Ward DeFleur has it all. She lives in a beautiful estate in picture-perfect Connecticut, along with her teenage daughter, Stevie, where nothing can go wrong. Until, one night, when Stevie is brutally murdered and Ward’s entire world is shattered. Consumed by panic and grief, Ward vows never to put pen to paper again.

Enter Bree Bennett.

Bree is a recently-divorced, former-journalist-cum-housewife, desperate to fill her days with something other than Pilates classes and grocery shopping. So she decides to start writing for the town newspaper. What begins as Bree’s effort to tell Ward’s tragic narrative turns into a fixation with finding her favorite author. Unfortunately, Ward doesn’t want to be found. Even worse, Stevie’s killer is still on the loose…

A chance encounter connects journalist Bree Bennett with author Ward DeFleur. On paper, the two woman have a lot in common; both have 16 year old daughters, live in the same town and both of them write for a living. The well-defined, complex characters and the fast-paced plot drew me into the story immediately.

Emily Liebert tells the story of bestselling author Ward DeFleur and Journalist Bree Bennet from the first person viewpoint by alternating chapters. I enjoyed this narrative choice because I was able to understand each characters feelings and motivations. This technique also heightened both the tension and the mystery elements in this page turner. Ward DeFleur is a bestselling author who vanishes after her daughter is kidnapped and dies. Ward disappears without a trace. Bree feels a connection with Ward and decides to tell Ward’s story.

The author creates outstanding female characters in this book. Loved Bree’s relationship with her mom and best friend Maggie. Bree’s mom is hilarious. She cares for Bree by trying to fix her up on dates with her friend’s sons. And she advises Bree to update her Facebook page with a photo with makeup. A subtle way of saying Bree needs to step up her image to find her next husband. Maggie is Bree’s true north friend-they share everything. Maggie is a psychologist and understands Bree’s need to move on emotionally. The push pull relationship between teenage Chloe and Bree was spot on. I understood Bree’s desire to reinvent herself after her divorce. She’s no longer someone’s wife; and her cookie baking and carpool days are behind her.

I figured out who was out to get Ward early on in the novel and I was patiently waiting for Bree to put the puzzle pieces together. I was invested in Bree’s desire to find Ward and to tell her story. The mystery of Ward’s disappearance held my interest—how can someone disappear in this age of the internet and social media?

In my opinion, the last few chapters seamed rushed and didn’t resonate with the feel of the book. I felt that the conclusion was more dramatic than suspenseful. The last page came out of nowhere and I have had a hard time believing the resolution.

Would I read another book by this author? Yes, I would. I enjoyed the fast paced suspenseful storyline and thought the characters of Bree, Maggie and Chloe and Ward were complex yet, very relatable.

Reviewed by Susan Gorman

ARC provided by Net Galley