I am so in love with this book!  For anyone that loves books, reading, bookstores or libraries, this is the perfect book to gift.  It was truly inspiring to hear the stories of so many different book lovers and see the commonalities we all share.  

I was able to read about independent book store owners, book sellers, librarians, employees at all levels of Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million as well as Canadian booksellers.   Their unique experiences combined with their enthusiasm for what they do and the people they serve was heartwarming.  

This book is uplifting and inspirational.  I truly believe any one that loves reading will fall in love with this book and all of the wonderful stories of fellow bibliophiles.   Highly recommend for all readers!

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I so enjoyed Joy Callaway's book The Grand Design and fell in love with her descriptions of the Greenbrier Resort, so I was immediately drawn to What the Mountains Remember hoping for another chance to immerse myself in a historic resort, the  Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina.   

I loved so many things about this book, from the descriptions of the famous Henry Ford Vagabonds excursions to the glimpses into the construction of the Grove Park Inn as well as the details about the sanatoriums in Asheville being used to treat tuberculosis.  The novel was a true historical fiction lovers delight!  

The characters are well developed and the storyline kept me engaged.  I look forward to reading more books by Joy Callaway in the near future.  I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I am so intrigued by the Greenbrier and its history that this book immediately appealed to me, but there is a much richer story between the pages.  

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier features multiple narrators from the same family at different points in their lives.  There is Sol, a young Jewish immigrant trying to make his way in America and find the life he has dreamed of for so long.  Then there is Sylvia, who is married to Sol's son but isn't in love with him.  She is a young mother but only wants to go to Palestine to reunite with her family.   We also meet Doree, Sylvia's daughter, who as a young woman is looking toward what her future holds and what she wants for her life.  Finally, there is Jordan, who has just started working as a reporter when he receives a tip to look more closely into the Greenbrier and its history.  All the members of the family have some tie to the Greenbrier through the years so Jordan is hopeful to learn more about what might be hidden there.

The author makes every character's story come to life and the pacing is spot on.  I enjoyed the family dynamics as well as the suspense as to how the story would unfold.  This book filled my desire for learning a little more about the Greenbrier while also enjoying the multiple generation narrative that took place.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

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When 20 year old Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears someone say "Women can be heroes," it was a like a lightbulb went on inside.   She decides to take her nursing skills to Vietnam  as part of the Army Nurse Corps.  What she endures while she is there, combined with forging lifelong friends and some love interests, forever changes the course of her life.  The Women delves deep into the battlefields of Vietnam while also chronicling Frankie's return home and the years of adjustment that followed.  

Truly immersive and so well written, The Women is an outstanding book of historical fiction.  It sheds light on a unique time in our history and also the amazing service of those who served in the Vietnam War, nurses and soldiers alike.  This story will stay with me for some time and I am thankful to have read it.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  
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This book had me from the first chapter.  I fell hook, line and sinker into this story and all the twists and turns.  It was my first book from this author and I can't wait to read more of her work.  

Camden McTavish grew up in lavish Ashby House where his adopted mother Ruby ruled supreme.  Camden has left all of that behind and lives a simple life with his wife Jules, until his uncle's death prompts his return to the estate and the remaining McTavish family members with their own agendas.  

I loved how this letter was told from different view points, letters and news stories.  I truly was guessing until the last page.  Highly recommend!

​I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The President's Wife provided an interesting glimpse into the lives of Edith Bowling Wilson and Woodrow Wilson.  I was not familiar with much of their stories and learned so much about Mr. Wilson's presidency as well as their courtship and lives together.  

This was the first novel I had read by this author and it should strike a chord with fans of Marie Benedict as it sheds light on a woman in history whose impact may not have been truly explored.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The River We Remember was just the book I needed to read right now.  Set in 1958 in a  small town in Minnesota, Jimmy Quinn's body has just been found and Sheriff Brody Dern now finds himself with tasked with figuring out how Jimmy Quinn met his end.  There are many people in Jewel, Minnesota that have an ax to grind with Jimmy but could his death simply have been an accident.  

This novel is full to the brim with fully developed characters, many flawed but at the same time beautiful.  The author gracefully handles what attitudes might have been toward those who were different at that time in history.  You really feel like you come to know everyone in the small town and learn more about who they are protecting or what their motivations are.  It's an absolutely beautifully written book and I love when a plot unfolds that I wasn't expecting.   I also appreciated the epilogue and felt it was the perfect resolution.  

Highly recommend this book for an engaging escape that will have you trying to figure out what happened to Jimmy Quinn and exactly who is hiding what or protecting whom.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I absolutely loved The Maid by Nita Prose.  The characters were all so unique and the plot was carried out perfectly.  So when I had the opportunity to read The Mystery Guest and delve back into those characters I had come to love, I couldn't wait.  The Mystery Guest brings us back into the world of Molly the Maid as yet another person has mysteriously died at the Regency Grand Hotel, and we soon learn that Molly herself has a connection to the deceased.  

I really loved how The Mystery Guest gave us a glimpse into more of Molly's backstory, while continuing to develop the investigation into the death of author J.D. Grimthorpe.  Molly the Maid is such a unique character whose voice is both at times insightful and humorous.  I really hope more of Molly's adventures are on the way.

While you could read this book as a standalone, I would recommend reading The Maid first to have a greater appreciation for the characters, and quite simply because The Maid was just so good.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I've been a big fan of Steve Berry ever since reading his first book The Amber Room years ago so I was excited to see him start this new spinoff series for his character Luke Daniels.  Luke has appeared in several Cotton Malone novels so this new book The 9th Man offers readers a better look into his character.  

Luke Daniels gets a call from a former friend/flame and rushes to her aid, only to find himself embroiled in a much bigger problem than he first imagined.  The implications of what Luke discovers have far reaching consequences.  Like any Steve Berry novel, there are many different locales and this book is full of the fast paced action I've come to expect.  I am definitely looking forward to more Luke Daniels novels and to see how his character continues to develop.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I thoroughly enjoyed The Personal Librarian by these two authors so of course I could not wait for their new book The First Ladies.  The First Ladies is a historical fiction novel about the friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune.  I was astonished that I had never heard about Mary McLeod Bethune after reading about all her many accomplishments in this book.  Probably one of my favorite things about these two authors is how they draw attention to women whose critical contributions to our world have been lost to history or ignored.  

​The First Ladies