Jencey's Corner

Thank you to William Morrow for a copy of THE GIRL IN THE CASTLE by Santa Montefiore.  I was given this copy in exchange for an honest review. Santa Montefiore is an international best-selling author of many novels.  If you are missing Downton Abbey then I think this novel is the ticket to what you have been missing! A great story that will have you turning the pages to the end. Synopsis:  Kitty is the youngest child of Lord and Lady Deverill.   Her mother Lady Deverill. has no interest in her youngest daughter.   Kitty is left in the custody of her governess who she escapes as soon as she can.  She goes to play with her friends Jack and Bridie.   As the years go by Kitty, Jack, and Bridie go their separate ways.   Bridie ends up in the States.  Jack and Kitty fight for independence of Ireland.  What will fighting for Ireland cost both Kitty and Jack? How does America change Bridie?  How will Kitty move forward without him? My Thoughts:  I loved this novel!  It is my fir

Thank you to Library Thing and Velvet Morning Press for giving me a copy of  Christmas Actually  in exchange for an honest review. Who doesn’t love the Christmas season? What are your favorite memories of those times growing up? Are they funny memories or sad? This novel will definitely lift your spirits. Synopsis: This novel is an anthology. There are stories that include a Christmas dinner gone awry. An artist who sets out to learn a new skill of speaking French . A woman who decides her smile deserves an upgrade. Another women who decides to give love a second chance. Then there are other stories included. My Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this novel. I felt that many of the stories are written well. A couple could not keep my interest beyond the first page. The settings included varied depending on the author. I thought the one in England was the most interesting of the set of stories. It is interesting to read a story about how another country celebrates Christma

Merry Christmas!  Colleen Coble shares this story from her Aloha Reef series.  Will this be the perfect addition to your Christmas?  So let’s meet the characters of the Aloha Reef series. Synopsis: Bane and Leia are preparing for their upcoming wedding.  Nothing could be better than a wedding at Christmas time.   Will this wedding take place?  Leia has a sister that has special needs.  When she goes missing will she be able to trust Bane?  When the kidnapper makes his next move and wants the wedding canceled.  Will this be the final straw for Leia and Bane?  Or will they find more to celebrate? My Thoughts: I enjoyed this story.  There are great plot points throughout the story.  It is a short story.  The reader will be kept guessing till the end.  I enjoyed learning about Hawaiian culture.  I feel that readers will find this series worth catching up on.   The only negative for me is that this story was so short.  Rating: 4/5 Please visit Colleen on her F

Have you ever had that from the past boyfriend that continues to haunt you in present day?  The guy that you just cannot stop thinking about. What if that relationship had turned out differently? Would it impact the present? Beth Harbison explores relationships that are complex in her novel There is Always Something There To Remind Me.      Synopsis: There are two stories throughout the novel.  One takes place in the past.   The reader will learn about Erin’s relationship with Nate her boyfriend. What happens with their relationship to cause the present events? Then in the present Erin lives around the D.C. area with her daughter Camilla. Erin also has been seeing this guy who is also single but a widower with a daughter the same age as Camilla.  One night they go out and he pops the question to marry him.  What will her answer be?  Meanwhile Erin's work as an event planner leads to the next big event.  She is planning this big sweet sixteen birthday party.  Her client is

I had the honor of meeting Meg Waite Clayton at the Decatur Book Festival for her book The Race for Paris .  I hope to share that soon as well.  Today we are considering one of Meg’s past novels The Four Ms. Bradwells .  This is a story of friendships that formed long ago.  The story is set against the Washington D.C.  Political scene. Ms. Clayton explores how the choices we make affect others both personally and professionally. Synopsis: The Ms. Bradwells met in Law school in Constitutional Law in Michigan.  In their first class in professor named Mia, Betts, Ginger, Laney, and Mia the Ms. Bradwells. They have been friends for a long time sharing in one another’s joys and heart breaks.  Now Betts is about to be confirmed for the Supreme Court. She is attending a hearing for confirmation in front of a Senate Subcommittee.  When she is asked about the death of Trey Humphrey that happened years ago one weekend.  Who killed him? Each Ms. Bradwell has a secret about what happened

I have been asked at Writer’s Corner to share an honest review of the application Litsy . It is a new application or app for readers.   Think of this app as Instagram meets Goodreads.  The app invented by Todd Lawton and Jeff Leblanc.   So what was this application used for? “As an independent bookstore owner, Amy is aware of how much effort goes into finding books and getting them on the shelf. During her last book tour, she used her social media platforms to discuss the books she found and the bookstores/booksellers where they can be purchased.   As one of Litsy’s first subscribers, Amy quickly realized it was the perfect platform to highlight the books that independent bookstores are championing; along with the booksellers who make these discoveries and share them with their patrons. Amy’s getting the community involved by requesting their support by visiting their favorite independent bookstore, give a shout-out to a book through a blurb or post and include the #getindie has

It is time to catch up with the ladies of Ten Beach Road.  This series started with book one Ten Beach Road . The four ladies found one another:  Avery, Nicki, Maddie, and Kyra as victims of a Ponzi scheme.  Their story continues in this next book four Sunshine Beach by Wendy Wax. Synopsis: Kyra and Dustin have a home at the Ten Beach Road house.  Stephanie is finally starting over since the divorce with Will the rocker.  Avery is still grieving over the loss of her mother Deirdre the interior designer.  Nicki and FBI agent Joe are progressing in their relationship.  What will their next renovation project be?  Kyra and Dustin stumble onto this hotel on the beach.  This would be their biggest renovation project yet.  Maddie’s ex-husband Steve appears for a visit with thoughts of reclaiming his wife.  Will he be successful?  Who will be Deirdre’s replacement? My Thoughts: I loved this novel!  It was great to catch up with the characters that I have gotten to know so wel

Who loved the Paris Wife by Paula McLain?   The Paris Wife was Hadley Hemingway's story. Zelda Fitzgerald was also part of her story. Therese Anne Fowler explores Zelda's story in Z A NOVEL of ZELDA FITZGERALD.  How did she meet Scott Fitzgerald?  What was she like as a person?  Synopsis: Zelda is from Birmingham Alabama.  Her father was one the most well-known judges of that time. She is their youngest of the family and most spoiled.  The rules seem to never apply to her.  Out with friends she meets young Lt. F. Scott Fitzgerald.  They seem to hit it off.  They first met during the waning years of World War I.  Once the war was over and Scott goes back to New York what will happen to their relationship?   Zelda wants to marry Scott but is not sure he will meet the financial requirements.  Once this problem is solved then it is off to married life and trips to Europe.  Scott wants to go over to France so he can feel inspired to finish his novel.  What happens when he m

This year during the Decatur Book Festival St. Martin’s Press had a booth there.  I was so excited.  Sorry no picture!  I enjoyed meeting the people from St. Martin’s Press at the booth.  The novel that I picked up from this visit is Pretty Is by debut author Maggie Mitchell.  This novel is in the thriller suspense genre. Synopsis: Lois and Carly May are both survivors from a childhood kidnapping.  Both women survive the experience but their lives take different paths.  Lois keeps up with Carly May after name change to Chloe Savage while surfing the internet.  Chloe is now an actress out in Hollywood.  She is a working actress who left her hometown in Nebraska and her family.  Her father makes choices that push Carly May onto her path to become an actress.   Her next script will be for an adaptation of a popular novel. It is written by Lois using her pen name Lucy Ledger.  This novel is a fictionalization of Chloe and Lois’s experience with their kidnapper.  Lois is a colleg

Nancy Thayer is another writer that often writes about Nantucket Massachusetts. She known for her fabulous beach read novels.  This novel is a light read to focus on the bond of sisters.  What would one daughter do to have a relationship with her sisters?  They are in fact half-sisters.  They have to live in a house on Nantucket for the summer. Synopsis: Jenny is anxious to share the house on Nantucket with her half sisters Meg and Arden.  There is one problem she has not relationship with either half-sisters.  Their father Rory Randall chose her over her two sisters or so she thought.  There was a theft at the house and Arden is blamed and her sister Meg by association.  The women come to the house to fulfill the clause in the will.  Will each sister find what she is looking for?  Will the truth from the past come out? My Thoughts: I enjoyed this story.   Readers will too!  The issues between the sisters resolved pretty easily.  My favorite sister in the group is Meg.  Me

Chrissy for Every Free Chance.   Please email me as soon as possible!   I will see Alyson tomorrow night and can get your copy signed.   My email address is jenceyg@gmail.com

Novak’s latest “digital box set for a cure,” ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, is a contemporary romance collection of stories featuring her own Rita-nominated novella “A Dundee Christmas” as well as stories by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber and romance favorites Bella Andre, Melody Anne, Violet Duke, Marie Force, Heather Graham, Laurelin Paige & Kayti McGee, Jane Porter, Melanie Shawn, RaeAnne Thayne, Melinda Curtis, Anna J. Stewart and Scarlett York. The set sells for only $9.99 (less than $1/story) and is up for pre-order now wherever e-books are sold. The box will be released November 1st and will only be available through December 31st. For more information, visit  Brenda Novak's   website .  About the Books: “5-B POPPY LANE” by Debbie Macomber Come visit with Helen Shelton, her granddaughter Ruth and Ruth's husband, Paul. They'll offer you a cup of mulled cider and the story of how they met. “KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE” by Bella Andre

Thank you Alyson Richman  for sharing a copy of The Velvet Hours .  I look forward to reading it and sharing your novel with us.  A review from Writer’s Corner is coming soon!   I first met Alyson when her novel The Lost Wife appeared in Penguin’s Read for Pink.  Her novels are all very interesting reads.  There is always a little truth in fiction.  She writes with such vivid detail the plight of the Jews during World War two.  Let’s learn a little about The Velvet Hour .  Synopsis: From the international bestselling author of   The Lost Wife and   The Garden of Letters , comes a story—inspired by true events—of two women pursuing freedom and independence in Paris during WWII. As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother’s treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she’ll ever return. An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impove

Since the title of my first novel is Confessions of a Wedding Musician Mom , you might not be too shocked to hear that I am a mom myself. (I also happen to be a wedding musician. But the book is a complete work of fiction. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.) Writing a novel when you have kids -- in my case, three homeschooled kids -- is a bit of an interesting challenge. I started writing the rough draft during swim team season. During the kids' morning practices, I sat off to the side and wrote beginning character sketches and a scene-by-scene outline. During the evening meets, when I wasn't volunteering, I was sitting on the bleachers scribbling into composition notebooks (yes, I wrote the rough draft by hand) in between munching on my concession stand pizza. When summer swim team season was over, I needed to figure out a new writing schedule. Fortunately, all three of my kids were in a musical that fall, and at evening rehearsals I would shoot over to P

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a copy of Under a Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn.  I was given this copy in exchange for an honest review.  Who likes vacations?  I know I do.  I would also say cancer sufferers love vacations even morel.  What would be your favorite destination?  I know that I have been wanting to travel out west again. This time I plan to visit Maui.  So I invite you to come with us to Maui! Synopsis: Carissa is an office manager for a busy medical practice in Portland Oregon.  One morning she walks into work to find that a meeting has occurred.  What did the doctors meet about?  It does not take long for her to find out.  Dr. Walters comes to see her and lets her know that she is let go from her job.  He hands her a key and says that he will fill her in on what the key is for tomorrow after she finishes packing up her office.  Once home she is also having conflict with her husband Richard.  His psychiatry practice is what upsets Carissa.   He tells he

The next novel in our Pink Escape series is When Light Breaks by Patti Callahan Henry.   This story asks the question can the past change the future?   Is it worth investigating?  Follow along this story set in South Carolina. Synopsis:  Kara Larson is a manager for the country club.  She works with Pros on the golf tour.  She met her fiancé Peyton through her work with the PGA.  She feels that she has everything she ever wanted.  Then the benefit fundraiser comes along that will follow the tour stop of PGA.  Shelly needs a band for this event.  Then there is Mave's story of her first love.  Kara keeps up her visits to this lady to fulfill her Junior League committment.  One night her fiancé suggests this band that is very popular.  The main members of the band are Jack and his brother.  Shelly and Jack grew up together in her old neighborhood.  Will this band solve all her problems?  Will this change her future? My Thoughts:  I enjoyed this novel.  Patti Callahan Henry h