Jencey's Writer's Corner

Thank you to Harper Collins for giving me a copy of Secret Sisters in exchange for an honest review. I had the opportunity to share Joy Callaway’s debut novel The Fifth AvenueArtists Society . I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share Secret Sisters. Joy writes historical fiction and once again she takes from a part of her own history. Secret Sisters tells the story of how female fraternities began in the United States.  Many of us now would know the female group as sororities. Synopsis: Whitsitt College is one of the few colleges in the Midwest that include women as students. These women are allowed to pick their majors, but not without persecution from the male students and faculty. Most of the women at the college choose the divinity major. These women also have their own social gatherings and are not inclusive of the other women. What happens when a woman chooses a major outside of divinity? This question was asked by a group of women led by Elizabeth Carring...

This time we are visiting the lake house just outside of New York City. This lake house is located in upstate.  A Week at the Lake     is a stand-alone novel by Wendy Wax.  She shares her same style with three friends that are facing a huge secret. Synopsis: Emma has invited her two friends Mackenzie and Serena to the lake house. These friends have spent a week at the lake for years together; until recently when Emma decided to distance herself from her friends. Why? Emma is harboring a secret that includes the three friends and her daughter Zoe. She plans to reveal the secret at the lake house. The plans change when Emma has a disagreement with Zoe. When Emma decides to go after her daughter she is struck by an oncoming vehicle. Will the secret  be revealed? What impact will this have on Serena, Mackenzie, and Zoe? My Thoughts: This novel is interesting, but it was not my favorite. The other two titles  shared recently One Good Thing and ...

Please welcome Ronald H. Balson back to Writer’s Corner.   He will be sharing his new book The Trust . It is the fourth book in the Liam and Caroline series.   If you loved Karolina’s Twins then you will most certainly want to check out his latest book.   What will happen next? Synopsis:   When his uncle dies, Liam Taggart reluctantly returns to his childhood home in Northern Ireland for the funeral―a home he left years ago after a bitter confrontation with his family, never to look back. But when he arrives, Liam learns that not only was his uncle shot to death, but that he’d anticipated his own murder: In an astonishing last will and testament, Uncle Fergus has left his entire estate to a secret trust, directing that no distributions be made to any person until the killer is found. Did Fergus know, but refuse to name, his killer? Was this a crime of revenge, a vendetta leftover from Northern Ireland’s bloody sectarian war? After all, the Taggarts were dee...

We welcome Hanleigh Bradley and her novel Broken Rules to Writer's Corner.  She joins us from Broken Rules and she has kindly allowed us to feature and excerpt from this novel:  across the ocean. Hanleigh has other novels available through Amazon.  Today we will focus on Aurora Lou is laughing, and it’s kind of infectious. I give her my biggest smile, before glancing down at my empty glass and then up at the bar where my eyes land on a guy. He’s watching me, or maybe not. He might be watching Tallulah. Yeah, he’s probably watching Tallulah. He’s gorgeous. He’s got dark, messy hair. The sort of hair Tallulah would say just screams at you to run your hands through it. His eyes are immense, I feel like they are piercing into my soul from across the room but that’s impossible. He’s not even looking at me. He’s looking at Tallulah or someone behind me, but I can’t help but blush because there is a chance that he’s looking at me. Historically, if this sort of thing ...

Karen White is known for her beach books of the summer. This time the readers are given a more contemporary story line with a little history, in The Night The Lights Went Out. It is a different kind of story. It is one full of gossip, blogging, and the secrets of a small town. Synopsis: Merilee Talbot Dunlap has recently divorced her ex-husband and is ready to start her life a new in Sweet Apple Georgia.  She and her kids move into a house on Sugar Prescott’s property. Sugar has lived there forever and is not keen on starting a friendship with Merilee. Yet circumstances seem to throw them together anyway.  Her kids start school at a private school her ex-husband’s parents paid for Merilee begins a friendship with one of the mother’s Heather. She works on her committees and their daughters become friends. There is also this mysterious blog that seems to chronicle closely Merilee’s life since her divorce. It also questions her relationship with Heather. Who is this mys...

The ladies of Do Over were asking, and waiting for the network to answer this very question. We revisit with some of our favorite characters Maddie, Kyra, Dustin, Nikki, and Deirdre; in Wendy Wax’s book The House at Mermaid Point . Get your tools, some sunscreen, and luggage and head to the Isle of Mermaid Point. Synopsis: Maddie, Kyra, Dustin, Avery, Nikki, and Deirdre prepare for their next assignment with Do Over.  It is a reality television show they are all under contract to Lifetime network. The head of the network Lisa Hogan enjoys humiliating them in some way during each assignment. The Maddie and the rest of the group thought this would be a home improvement show rather than reality television. William Hightower has just left rehab.  His son informs him that changes will be made to his father Wild William Hightower’s life. The plan is for William’s residence to become a bed and breakfast for him to earn more income.  They sign on with the idea of partici...

Thank you to Dutton Publishing for giving me a copy of The Giving Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. I was given this copy in exchange for an honest review. I received no financial compensation. Synopsis: Sarah and Sylvia and the other Elm Creek Quilters are getting ready for the Quiltsgiving.  This program is where quilters come to make quilts to give to project Linus.  This year’s groups of quilters are Karen, Pauline, Jocelyn, Michaela, Linea, and Mona.  The readers learn why each quilter came to this Quiltsgiving and their circumstances.  What will each of them take away?   Will they be able to finish their quilts in time?  My Thoughts:  I enjoyed the book but was also disappointed.   I requested it because I read The Wedding Quilt for a website that I reviewed for at the time.  I thought this was a good way to get into the Elm Creek Quilters series.  The Giving Quilt made the readers feel like they are classm...