I've discovered that Fiona Davis writes the kind of book that I just want to curl up in and stay for awhile.  The Chelsea Girls absolutely gave me all those feelings.

Hazel Riley and Maxine Mead meet when they are both serving as actresses in a USO tour in Naples, Italy.  The events that they witness and become a part of during that tour irrevocably change their lives all while forging a bond between them.  

After the war ends, their paths diverge and it is many years before they encounter each other again at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City.  Hazel is getting ready to mount her play on Broadway based on their experiences in Naples and Maxine manages to secure herself the lead role.  The novel provides insight into the McCarthyism prevalent during the time and also draws back the curtain on how Broadway was effected by it.  I loved learning more about the Chelsea Hotel itself and its history.  One of the things I appreciated the most was how the author kept surprising me with plot turns.  I also particularly enjoyed the way the relationship was depicted between the two women.  It felt real and genuine.  I alternated between sympathizing with Hazel and then relating with Maxine.  The book also excellently portrayed the strength and courage these women showed during that time period.  

This was a terrific five star read for me.  Fiona Davis is quickly securing a spot on my must read author list.  I highly recommend this engaging novel.  

I received this book courtesy of Dutton Penguin Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A few years ago, my family and I were visiting Kansas City and I wanted to go by Rainy Day Books, a wonderful independent bookstore. They were having an author talk and book signing that night for Laura McHugh and her first novel The Weight of Blood.  I hadn't read the book and didn't know anything about it, but decided it would be fun to go.  I'm so thankful that we attended that night because Laura McHugh has quickly gained a spot on my favorite authors shelf.  

The Wolf Wants In is a suspenseful read that will keep you turning pages as you try to determine what factors are at play in the rural town of Blackwater, Kansas.  Sadie Keller just isn't satisfied that her brother died of natural causes.  His untimely death just doesn't ring true to Sadie.  While police try to tell Sadie everyone grieves differently, there seems to be something off about the way her sister-in-law is acting.  As Sadie digs deeper, the questions just keep stacking up and the answers aren't coming.  18 year old Henley Pettit just wants to escape the small town.  Henley thought her mother Misty had finally conquered her drug addiction, but Misty hasn't been home in days and Henley is beginning to worry.  Then a child's skull is found in the woods and the story keeps twisting and turning as the plot thickens.  

I could not read this book fast enough.  Laura McHugh does a great job of truly drawing you into the story and her pacing is phenomenal.  I truly enjoyed this book and it was a five star read for me.  

I received this book courtesy of Spiegel and Grau through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Viola Shipman's previous novels The Charm Bracelet, The Recipe Box and The Hope Chest, have been among some of my favorite summer reads, filled with family, tradition and touching stories.  The Summer Cottage takes its place among them with good standing.  

Adie Lou Kruger has so many fond memories of her days at her family's cottage on Lake Michigan but she finds herself in the midst of a divorce and pressure being placed upon her to sell the property to settle her recently deceased parents estate.  Adie Lou finds that she can't part with the property that easily and sets a course to renovate the Cottage and her life in the process as she tries to leave her old life behind and start new.  

The Summer Cottage follows the journey that Adie Lou and the Cottage itself take.  There are many wonderful nostalgic pieces to the novel and it truly does make you wish for a summer on the lake.  Without giving away any spoilers, I did struggle with some portions of the storyline that dealt with unearthing historic items from the home, as I felt those were a little outside of the plot line, and there were times that I felt the book didn't flow as well as some of the previous books that I have read by Viola Shipman.  That being said, I did enjoy the cottage rules and how those were incorporated into the book.  Adie Lou is a very memorable character and it was interesting to watch her evolve and grow over the course of the novel.

I received this book courtesy of Graydon House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.