Where Hope is Found - Rebecca L Marsh

 

 Blurb 

One tiny moment in time can shatter your whole world.
A family beach vacation turns to tragedy and Marissa must find a way for her and her traumatized eight-year-old daughter, Maisy, to move forward and heal. But memories of what she lost surround her, threatening to take her to a dark place; a place she can never go again.
When her brother extends an invitation for her and Maisy to move in with him on Princess Island, Marissa thinks it might just be the fresh start she needs. But can she really find hope and healing on an island surrounded by the same ocean that broke her heart?

My Opinion

 

Where Hope is Found is the second book from Marsh that I had the pleasure to read. Now I can say that her style involves hard situations and make the reader feel each emotion from start to end.  

The story tell us about a family that have to deal with a hard lost and how Marissa and their family go through it.

All the descriptions that Marsh shows in each page will transport the reader to the situation and you feel like is your grief, your story and your battle.

Where Hope is Found will show you hard but honest emotions and make you feel each of them from your soul.  

 

 

Remember the Butterfly - Rebecca L. Marsh

 Blurb 

Something unexpected changes the course of Jillian’s life.

After witnessing her sister’s murder, she’s been tormented by survivor’s guilt. Her desperate longing for a child compounds her grief, while endless fertility treatments weigh down her soul.

Just when hope seems beyond her grasp, her dream of motherhood comes true. All Jillian’s pain is washed away and joy fills her heart.

But when someone shows up threatening to take it all away, Jillian must choose between holding on to her newfound happiness or giving it all up for the sake of someone she loves.

 

About the author:

Rebecca L. Marsh is an award winning author of women's fiction and a member of the Paulding County Writer's Guild. She grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina and now lives in Dallas, Georgia with her husband and daughter. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family (cats and dog included), watching movies, and reading a good book. Rebecca occasionally makes home-made candy and works on her scrapbooks (she is woefully behind). Rebecca is the author of four novels, When the Storm Ends, The Rift Between Us, Where Hope is Found, and Remember the Butterfly. Purchase Links for the book: Amazon My website (signed paperbacks) My author links: My website Facebook Twitter Goodreads NetGalley (until February 24th)

My Opinion

Fist I want to say a big thanks to Rebecca for letting me be part of this book tour and for writing such a great book.

 

Remember the Butterfly brings up difficult topics that are the reality for most of the women, loss, desperation, abuse, infertility among others.

Marsh introduce all these topics with a sensitive touch without minimizing the harsh reality inside of them.

A family drama from two different perspectives, 2 women, 2 stories, Keeley who lost her mother when she was six, and her father when she was in her teens. Sent to live with her aunt, Keeley struggles to form a bond with her, mainly due to the secrets her aunt is keeping from her and Jillian who comes from a close-knit and loving family.

Marsh writing help us to feel the desperation in these women situations and let us sympathize with them in a deeper way.

Watch For Me - Martin Bodenham

 

Blurb 

Tom Harper, a Vancouver Island realtor, has the client from hell, Ali Page, a beautiful and intelligent young lawyer returning from the mainland to take up a job with an island law firm. Trouble is there’s always something wrong with the properties Tom shows her, always a reason not to commit. Finally, after they find a condo she likes, he receives a text thanking him for his help. Ali signs off: I’m sad we won’t get to spend more time together. Often cold and withdrawn throughout their weeks of searching, Ali’s words seem strangely out of character.

The texts keep coming, increasingly incoherent and disturbing. What does Ali mean by: we have a special connection, and why on earth would she say: I’ll be here for you when you leave your wife? Happily married, Tom cannot understand why a woman not much older than his teenage daughter is suddenly obsessed with him. When he rejects Ali’s unsolicited advances, Tom soon discovers the sinister depths to which a delusional mind will sink to obtain what it wants. Isolated and seemingly abandoned by the police and legal system, this is the story of one man’s struggle to rescue his marriage, his family, and his sanity in the face of overwhelming psychological and physical torment.

My Opinion

This is my first approach with the author and let me tell you that I really want to read his other books now.  

Watch for me is a dark psychological thriller so good that you wouldn't want to let it go even when you finish it.

Tom is a realtor on Vancouver Island, and has the task of finding the ideal property for up and coming lawyer, Ali. 

Ali is the daughter of a couple of friends, so Tom feels he owes it to them to help her out, even when the property she is looking for is not even in the area of his expertise. 

I caved and agreed to act as Ali’s buying agent. One small favor that would change our lives forever. 

This is a very particular story because often stalkers are male and not much books talk about female stalkers, this is a good twist that the author present with a good background to catch the readers helping us to see the injustice for males when they are the victims.

Easy to read as is not long, with a good story that it was build since page one.

There was no word to describe the kind of malevolent mind that could think to go through a person’s garbage to fabricate evidence.  

Love & Other Mushy Stuff - Lyndsey Gallagher

 

"𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆."

𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚋
When it comes to love, sassy psychotherapist Abby Queenan has a hard time accepting her own advice. Jilted at the alter by her childhood sweetheart, she prefers to invest in other people's happy ever afters than strive for her own. When the radio station she works for announces a once in a lifetime competition, she searches for a swoon-worthy famous male guest to feature on her show and up her ratings. Irish rugby legend, Callum Connolly is the classic example of male perfection. He's not looking for 'the one', merely 'the next one'. That is until his teammates bet he can't keep the same woman long enough to attend his best friend's wedding. The two strike an unlikely, but alluring deal. Can Abby finally learn to take her own advice? Or will Callum nail his most elusive touchdown yet?

𝙼𝚢 𝙾𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗
I finished Love & Other Mushy Stuff on Valentine's Day and let me tell you that was the perfect day to read a book like this one.

Lydsey came up with a full of love book that got me hooked the whole reading, with the characters development, their history and situations.

We find Abby, who has a radio show ‘Ask Abby’ which is dedicated to giving love advice, and Callum, an Irish rugby legend and the perfect guy who every girl is in love with. One chapter will be from Abby's perspective and the next one from Callum's point of view, going on through the book.

As you can read by the title, this is a love story but more than love you will find two people afraid of it because of different situations in their live that will not let them fully love until they met the right person to do it.

Of Magpies and Men - Ode Ray

This new entry is very exciting as this is the first A Quintillion Reads blog tour. Thank you @aquintillionreads and Ode Ray for the opportunity of reading this book.

"Benedict could not recall ever receiving a text message from his seventy-something mother before."

Blurb 

Two corpses wash ashore in a picturesque Italian village, the violence that put them there is bound to a long-held secret and two strangers living worlds apart with seemingly nothing in common.  
Benedict Grant a wealthy Londoner, leading a lonely life.  
Marie Boulanger a nurse and single mum, struggling to make ends meet in Marseille. 

My Opinion

I wondered how all of these stories could make sense all together, how the book cover pieces would make sense, once I started reading I was not able to stop until the end.

We find three different and, at first glance, not related stories in different scenarios, however, Ode will make the stories link together in an amazing way.

Starting with two dead bodies and an investigation in course by Detective Giandomenico Paoli, moving seven years back to know the life of Benedict 30 years old and rich in London and Marie with her seven old son in Marseille. Alternating chapters between them.

I loved the way the chapters are not long and you can learn about the characters and their lives, as I said, it might be weird at the beginning not knowing how the stories will be connected but you will be surprised. 

Drama, family problems, secrets, love, mystery, all in one book, in one story that interconnect different characters in different locations 

 

Lazarus Remembered - E.J.Harper

 

 

"Pete, look mate I'm sorry but there's no easy way to say this. Lydia's dying." 

Lazarus Remembered is a drama that develops from the perspective of Pete, who must come back home after receiving a call that Lydia, his mom, is dying and he must say good bye to her after decades of having left that place. 

As we continue the book, we will be presented with flashbacks that provide a deeper insight to Pete's childhood and family secrets. 

This is a really charming audio book that mixes melodies with the narrator's words to create an entrancing atmosphere that makes you feels as you were the one living the experiences in the book. 

 

Snow Dust and Boneshine: The Chronicles of Granny Witch - Grendolyn Peach Soleil

 

Rating: 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄 5/5

Snow Dust and Boneshine was a pleasant surprise from start to finish. This is a short book full of magic and love, perfect for an afternoon reading with a cozy blanket and your favorite beverage.

This story warmed my heart on each page and I enjoyed each part of it, we are on Purgatory Bend where we met Fawna and her parents, she will grow up next to his mamaí Isleen who will teach her how to collect a lot of types of implements that she will need to become a Granny Witch as she have magic in her.

Fawna will have experiences that will help her to understand that magic can help but that it cannot guarantee a certain outcome and not always will work when she wanted it the most. 

Fawna grew up with Dezi, who was her friend for a long time, and he has intentions to marry her, however, she was going through difficult times to even think about marriage.

One day during the winter, Patrick was left in the town to receive medical help, when Fawna tried to help him with his wounds she noticed that Patrick was a vesper, a ghost still in his physical body that needs her help to go the other side, since this can’t happen during the winter, she waits and with the time spent with him she falls in love.   

I received a free copy of this book via aquintillonreads and I am voluntarily leaving an honest opinion review.

Lost in Translation - Audrey Davis

 

 Rating: 🦄🦄🦄🦄 4/5

Lost in Translation starts with Charlotte's family moving to Switzerland from UK due to her husband's job. 

Charlotte is not eager to move to Switzerland, she already have a happy life, her kids Alastair and Robson and husband Dom and Ruth the best friend she will ever have in UK. However this is a really good opportunity for Dom and he already decided for his whole family.

After having a hint of a possible Dom’s affair, his endless meetings and long hours at work Charlotte started to resent his behavior and  notice contradictory excuses adding up all the upcoming changes she shows a great strength. 

This is a love story and as every love story will find drama, crying, happiness and all other feelings that love brings to our lives. 

 
I absolutely loved Ruth, she is my favorite character of the story. On the other hand, we have Dom, who I didn't like from the beginning of the story. 
You will find love, humor, misunderstandings due to language barriers or as we can call it, the words go "Lost in Translation".

I received a free copy of this book via aquintillonreads and I am voluntarily leaving an honest opinion review.  

Salt Heart - K.L Pezzutto

Rating: 🦄🦄🦄🦄 4/5 

This review is about a short novella that I had the pleasure to read this weekend. The story tells us about mermaids, but don't be fooled by the name, these aren't your "Little Mermaid" kind.

 We follow our protagonist Katie, who is the daughter of Halifax's police chief and who investigates the sightings of some humanoid figures that are scaring everyone near Clam Harbour Beach. 

 Despite the warnings issued by her father, Katie wakes up at 2 a.m. due to some insomnia and decides to take a calming walk to and around the beach. 

 The beach calm and deserted as she lays in the sand when she suddenly hears a groan. 

If you want to know what happens in this thrilling short novella, go ahead and check out Salt Heart. I highly recommend it for a short yet fascinating read.