On Thursday 13 October 2016, I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Martin at Books on Beechwood in Ottawa for the launch of the fifth installment in the Sgt. Windflower series, A Long Ways from Home. He graciously offered to sign my books and urged me to eat the food that was spread out on a table nearby. It was really nice meeting him in person after reviewing several of his books! His…
Category: Review
Lauren Weisberger
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The Singles Game by Lauren Weisberger
Charlotte (Charlie) Silver is a professional tennis player on the rise who dreams of winning a Grand Slam. After a disastrous game at Wimbledon, she decides to hire a new coach, Todd Feltner, a living legend in the tennis world even though his methods are borderline abusive. Thus begin a rigorous training, a strict diet and an image makeover. Soon, Charlie ranks among the best in the world, goes to exciting parties,…
Phaedra Patrick
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The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
Arthur Pepper has lost his wife Miriam a year earlier, and his grief is still very raw. He rarely goes out and spends his days vigorously cleaning every corner of his house, talking to his plant and avoiding his well-meaning neighbor Bernadette. When he finds a mysterious charm bracelet in his wife’s wardrobe, his curiosity is picked, and he sets out to discover the stories behind each charm. His quest will…
Emma Cline
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The Girls by Emma Cline
It’s the summer of 1969. Evie Boyd is 14 and lives in Northern California. Her parents have recently divorced, and she feels lonely and abandoned. When she meets a group of young women in a park, she envies their apparent happiness and freedom. She is instantly drawn to Suzanne Parker, a glamorous and mesmerizing girl. Evie spends more and more time at the group’s commune, a dilapidated ranch run by their charismatic leader, Russell Hadrick. These young…
Lisa Beazley
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Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
Cass lives in New York City with her husband, Leo, and their twin sons. She used to work for a magazine that folded, and now she’s a full-time mom. Her sister, Sid, lives in Singapore with her husband and children, and tries to adjust to life as an expat. When Cass and Sid reunite for Christmas, they decide to start an experiment: write letters to each other for one year. No…
Jeannette de Beauvoir
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Deadly Jewels by Jeannette de Beauvoir
Martine LeDuc is a publicity director for the city of Montreal. When Patricia Mason, a doctoral student at McGill University, tells her that the British crown jewels were stored in the Sun Life building in Montreal during World War II, and that some of the gems might have been stolen, Martine has no choice but to investigate to avoid a PR disaster. Soon they find a skeleton and 3 jewels in…
Jacquelyn Mitchard
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Two If by Sea by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Frank Mercy is an American expat in Brisbane, Australia, when his wife and unborn child perish in a tsunami. A former police officer, he is a volunteer first responder and helps rescue the survivors of the flood. Among them is a mysterious young boy whom Frank feels compelled to protect and care for. He decides to bring the 3-year-old back to the States with him, but he soon realizes that the…
Carol Drinkwater
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The Forgotten Summer by Carol Drinkwater
Jane and Luc have been married for several years. Jane is a shy translator from England, and Luc is a passionate French documentary filmmaker. They share their time between London and the South of France where Luc’s mother is running a wine estate. When he suddenly has an accident, Jane discovers that her husband had a few secrets of his own. Now she has to piece her life back together, while…
Review
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The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie
As a child, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson meets a gypsy that tells her she will one day be the king’s mistress and a very powerful woman. As she belongs to a modest bourgeois family, this prediction seems very outlandish, but her mother believes it and makes sure Jeanne gets the proper education of a lady. With a little help from her godfather’s connections at court, Jeanne manages to meet Louis XV, and they start a…
Lisa Lutz
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The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
Frank Dubois is lying dead at the foot of the stairs, and his wife Tanya is weighing her options: should she call the police, get rid of the body, or run away? Since she has already been running from the law for the last decade, she decides to leave, assumes a new identity and drives South without looking back. As she travels across the US, she meets Blue, another woman trying to escape from her past. They…