As a member of a book club, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by a book actually called The Book Club. Mary Alice Monroe lists her own book club in the acknowledgments, and notes that the characters are nothing like the people in her book club. The characters are also nothing like the people in…
If you’re hungry for a light, funny read with likable characters, a smidgen of romance, and a dash of mystery and adventure, Sis Boom Bah is a tasty morsel, but at $24.00, it’s kind of an expensive little treat. This is the story of the Peltz sisters – never married Deborah and thrice-divorced Sharon. Both…
Ah literary fiction! Quality books in beautiful covers! The blurb on the back of Lost in Translation makes it sound like a romance novel, but the stunning art work and handsome binding let you know it is something better. Right? This is a book you can be proud to read on the subway or keep…
Grieve with me. Patricia Gaffney is going mainstream. Make no mistake – The Saving Graces is emphatically not a romance. Don’t let that stop you, though, because Gaffney’s written a beautiful story of four women and the friendship that sustains them through trials, tears, and laughter. These women, living in the Washington, D.C. area, comprise…
Shattered Silk tells the tale of a woman regaining her self esteem after a very bad marriage. There is also a little bit of mystery and a very tiny pinch of romance in the book. As a matter of fact, the romance is so subtle, if you blink while you are reading, you might miss…
Susan Bowden’s Homecoming is a contemporary tale of Tessa Hargrave’s coming home to the English countryside after spending her adult life estranged from her family. She’s nearly forty and her beloved Uncle Stephen is dying and wants to see her again. Though it will mean facing her aunt and cousin twenty years after they made…
Kristin Hannah’s latest, her first in hardcover, is definitely more mainstream fiction than genre romance, despite the fact that one of its main components is a strong love story. At its core, it’s the story of self-discovery. It’s a beautifully drawn portrait of a woman going backward before she can go forward, once her world…
Cloud Nine is a beautifully written book. It’s also horribly, horribly depressing. It has a tender romance, but no happily-ever-after. If you are a big fan of the multi-hanky read, you may enjoy this tearjerker. If you’re not, then don’t walk, run, in the opposite direction. Sarah Talbot has just come through chemotherapy for a…