Book Review: This Time Could Be Different, by Khristin Wierman

Guest review by Becki Bayley

Madeline’s feet pounded along the dirt path as Green Day’s “Horseshoes and Handgrenades” roared in her ears. She’d started running along this trail a few weeks before. But today she wasn’t paying attention to the sunlight cascading through the dark trees or the smell of fresh leaves.

“I think you might also want to examine how anger fits into your stories,” Olivia had said cryptically after they’d made no progress on Madeline’s issues with having what she wanted. Madeline had felt herself stiffen. “Anger can be scary.”

Madeline’s body tightened even more. “I’m not afraid of it.”

“Were you allowed to safely express anger as a child?” Madeline studied the sandbox. “Anger is information. Usually, to alert you that someone is invading your space somehow, forcing a story onto you that’s in opposition to who you really are.” Olivia seemed to pause to let that sink in. “When we’re allowed to express anger – when it’s allowed to move and we’re able to keep our story, our boundaries intact – the anger sails away, leaving us feeling lighter. When it’s trapped, it festers. And flares up at the smallest things.” Madeline continued to stare at the sand.

Madeline is truly exploring what she wants from her life, but Emma is also learning where she wants to be and what she’s willing to do to get there. 

Official synopsis:

A compulsive overachiever, Madeline lives by the credo that easy is synonymous with mediocre—which is why, at forty-nine, she’s a senior vice president at a prominent bank, frantically adheres to a five-step nightly face cream regimen, and panics anytime she’s a foot away from her phone. Madeline works alongside her best friend, Emma—a master juggler of her own career, marriage, and motherhood to a fourteen-year-old daughter who speaks only in baffling acronyms. The path ahead for both women is brimming with opportunity. There’s only one problem: Madeline is miserable.

Seeking purpose in her life while trying to unravel the source of habits she wants to change, Madeline reluctantly agrees to try yoga, meditation, and other wacky suggestions her new-agey therapist tosses her way. She feels as if she’s risking everything—but in doing so, she just might unlock a world more fulfilling than she ever could have imagined.

Madeline is admirably practical. She is the girl boss who is getting stuff DONE. And then she meets Rob, and he shows her she could be happy. Being as practical as she is, she recognizes that she does not know how to be happy in a relationship, and she enters therapy with Olivia. Best. Choice. Ever.

Emma has navigated both her career and a personal life. While working with Madeline for quite a while, she’s also gotten married and had a child. Now she strives to be a good mother, and still have a competitive career. As Madeline’s best friend, she thinks she has a better handle on her faults, but also wants her to be happy.

Olivia offers Madeline excellent (well, EXPERT) advice about reviewing her past, and rewriting the stories that set her expectations of life. Madeline is an excellent pupil and views therapy as something else to be successful at. 

The story could almost have been a memoir instead of fiction, and it was easy to imagine parts of the characters as recognizable people. The book earned 5 out of 5 stars. Even without Madeline’s traumatic past, her therapist’s advice seems like the sort that could improve anyone’s life. This engaging contemporary story is recommended for women (especially) who enjoy self-help stories, career vs family stories, and mostly happy endings. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a Gemini who enjoys crisp fall days, feeling the sun on her skin, and sleeping without an alarm waking her in the morning. Her dream job is not to need a job. Check out what she and her family are up to on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

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Book Review: Trouble the Living, by Francesca McDonnell Capossela

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

The Mississippi Man’s eyes were a glint of glass in the dark. Damon, I corrected myself. I knew it wasn’t right to call him whatever I wanted, like I was some kind of God.

His long, thin fingers extended a cigarette to me. I shook my head.

“Of course,” he said. “The director’s daughter doesn’t smoke.” The Ds rolling off his tongue, the dirtiest of letters.

“Not ‘of course,’” I said. “Not all daughters become their mothers.”

He looked out across the street, exhaled fumes like car exhaust. There was a piece missing from his nose, on his right nostril, like a chink in armor. I thought of Achilles being dipped into the River Styx by his heel, his only vulnerable part.

On the other side of the one-way street was a parking garage where the woman always waved away Mom’s money. But I knew that an ex-con, down on his luck, parking a borrowed car there before a job interview wouldn’t be as lucky. That’s how it always is; when you’re up, people raise you higher. When you’re low, they rub in the dirt.

Bernie knew that she and her mother only had each other. But how had she learned that at such a young age, and what if they even had secrets from each other?

Official synopsis:

It’s the final years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and Bríd and her sister, Ina, try to maintain a stable life in a divided country. Pushed by her mother’s fanaticism and a family tragedy, Bríd joins the IRA and makes a devastating choice. Frightened and guilt ridden, she flees, leaving behind Ireland and her family for America.

Years later, her guilt and tragic history still buried, Bríd is an overprotective mother raising her sensitive daughter, Bernie, in Southern California. Growing up amid a different kind of social unrest, Bernie’s need for independence and her exploration of her sexuality drive a wedge into their already-fragile relationship. When mother and daughter are forced to return to Northern Ireland, they both must confront the past, the present, and the women they’ve become.

As they navigate their troubled legacies, mother and daughter untangle the threads of love, violence, and secrets that formed them—and that will stubbornly, beautifully, bind them forever.

This was a beautifully told story of Bernie and her mother. While Bernie does not have any real stories about her mother’s past, and her mother answers Bernie’s questions differently each time, she knows her mother carries a deep sadness that likely drives her periodic bouts of incapacitating depression. Bernie has learned to recognize when it’s coming, work through it, and sometimes raise herself while trying not to cause any more worry for her mother.

Several current traumas for Bernie and her mother bring their real lives - and all their secrets—to light. In traveling back to Ireland and confronting Bernie’s mother’s past, they’re both forced to identify and learn who they truly are. It feels like little is known about the troubles in Northern Ireland except by those who were there, and then it’s all-consuming. This book gave a great portrayal of a family living through it.

This compelling family drama earned 4 out of 5 stars. It could be readily recommended to those who appreciate learning about other communities, parts of the world, and dramas involving family relationships and loyalties. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link—currently FREE for Kindle Unlimited members}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who also shares on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Good Bride, by Jen Marie Wiggins {ends 11/26}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Marcus nods then turns to Ruth, his voice light. “I know a lot of people have already asked you this, including myself, but I have to ask again. You’re absolutely sure what you saw out there – and you’d only had one drink. One glass of red wine?”

“Yes – but like I said – it was dark and the power went out. He was there…and then when the lights came back – he wasn’t.”

Everyone gets quiet and Marcus stares at Ruth as he waits, finally standing. “I’m sure I don’t have to say it, but technically, according to police procedure, you’re supposed to be my number one suspect. Last one to see him, last one at the scene…”

“What?” Ruth’s voice cracks. “Why would you say that? Why would I –” She looks around the room as it tilts.

Ruth and Teo are hoping to start their lives together with a beautiful wedding that can revitalize the little Gulf Coast town where Ruth and her sisters grew up. Kayla is happy for her wedding  planning business to get a boost after a hurricane has nearly destroyed the town.

Official synopsis:

One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild as well as bring Ruth’s estranged family back together.

Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications. With tensions rising between the family and the bridal party, long-buried secrets come to light, and accusations start flying. Things officially spiral out of control when the oceanfront rehearsal dinner is rocked by a series of gunshots, and a high-profile guest goes missing. As the investigation gets underway, it turns out that everyone has something to hide.

This book is packed with plenty of family drama! From the obvious wedding, to a divorce, a pregnancy, and teen shenanigans coming back to cause complications, everyone has their own chaos to navigate even before a family member goes missing and is presumed dead.

Several of the characters know of each other since childhood, as happens a lot in a small town. While the current family drama of one of three sisters getting married in their hometown—which is still rebuilding after a hurricane—would be action enough, there’s also back-story with their estranged father, their wedding planner, and oh yeah, protests and politics surrounding the post-hurricane rebuilding.

The story is told from the perspective of each of the sisters, Ruth’s fiance, the sheriff, and the wedding planner. The varied viewpoints really show how everyone’s focus is different, and their secrets are coloring everything that is happening.

This was a fun story to untangle, and the epilogue was especially appreciated to tie things up. The book would be recommended for those who enjoy family dramas, small coastal town stories, and wedding planning. It earned 3 out of 5 stars.

{click here to pre-order via my Amazon Affiliates link - the book releases on 12/10/24}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who also enjoys providing joy for her family, reading, and eating chips with dip. See more of what she’s up to on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Good Wife!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Tuesday, November 26th, at 11:59pm ET, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

The Good Bride, by Jen Marie Wiggins

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Blindspot in America, by Elom K. Akoto {ends 10/23}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

The days went by fast, and Kamao and Lindsey only had a week and a half left to spend in Ghana. Mama Agatha and one of her maids set up the breakfast table. Kamao was the first to join them just as they were finishing up. 

“Good morning, Mama,” he said.

“Good morning. Where is Lindsey?”

“She’s in the bathroom getting ready; you know how women are, taking their time.”

Kamao grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the breakfast table, but Mama Agatha slapped the back of his hand. “Be a gentleman; I taught you better. Don’t you know how to be a gentleman and wait for your woman?” Kamao rubbed the back of his hand and quietly sat down, ashamed of himself.

“Why do you like Lindsey so much, Mama?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“She’s nice,” Mama Agatha said, still busy setting up the table.

“Her mother died when she was little. She had taught her well, from what she told me. But she was raised by her father after mother passed away.”

“Then her father had taught her well too,” Mama Agatha said.

Kamao is so basically good, but the world is trying to force him to accept that not everyone has such a kind heart and straight moral compass.

Official synopsis:

Kamao is the son of a prominent Ghanaian academic and incumbent minister of health and is devoted to all that America symbolizes. After immigrating to the United States in pursuit of higher education and the American Dream, he becomes unwittingly entangled with American politics when he meets Lindsey McAdams, the daughter of an influential, anti-immigration senator. As the couple’s feelings grow, so too does the senator’s animosity toward Kamao. Despite support from fellow immigrants Lazo, Ayefumi, and Dania—who follow American Dreams of their own—Kamao soon finds himself drawn into intrigues hidden from the American public that make him question himself and his adopted country. When Kamao is implicated in a murder, Lindsey’s loyalties are tested, Dania must decide if she is willing to risk her own future and security for the sake of justice, and Kamao discovers how far he’ll go to fulfill his American Dream.

Kamao has spent his whole life dreaming of living in America. When he finally is accepted to college and moves to begin his dream, his first roommate in his first week makes him question whether it’s meant to be. But he presses on, confident that most people are still good.

His optimism seems well placed going forward, as he meets a beautiful classmate, and they both fall swiftly in love. Unfortunately, his heart is too far gone when he realizes that Lindsey’s father is a renowned anti-immigration senator. In the way perhaps only young people have such unassailable confidence, they’re both sure their love can conquer all. 

While Kamao’s main interest is his happy life with Lindsey, he also continues to help others in the community of immigrants who have come to feel like his family in America. They all experience struggles, but their faith in the American dream never wanes. 

The prologue of the book tells readers that Kamao ends up in prison, but the story truly needs to be read to uncover how something so awful happens to such a good man. The book earns 4 out of 5 stars and serves as an amazing illustration of the struggles of life in America when one is in opposition to those with privilege. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is the wife of a racecar guy and the mother of two amazing kids. See what they’re up to on her Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Blindspot in America!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, October 23rd, at 11:59pm ET, and winner will be chosen the next day and notified via email, and must respond within 24 hours, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. and Canada residents only, please.

Good luck!

Blindspot in America, by Elom K. Akoto

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Book Review: Malibu Burning, by Lee Goldberg

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Three Weeks Ago

The blue Ferrari 488 Spider was the perfect car for taking the hairpin turns on Latigo Canyon Road, heading south into the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. But the Beverly Hills rental car company wouldn’t have been pleased knowing how fast and dangerously Danny Cole was driving on the two-late, ridge-line road, where one tiny miscalculation could send him plunging off a cliff.

Then again, Danny thought, they could hardly be surprised. Who rented a Ferrari with any intention of driving slowly? Nobody. The point of a Ferrari was to drive fast and be seen doing it, to express your daring, your virility and your wealth, which was exactly why he chose the car for the character he was playing today.

Danny Cole really found his calling in life as a con man. The good guys and the bad guys alike respect his plans and know he has much higher likelihood of success than most conmen or officers pursuing them.

Official synopsis:

Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend.

As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles’ history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of a new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US marshal, suspect that someone set the massive blazes intentionally, a terrifying means to an unknown end.

While the flames rage out of control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware that Sharpe and Walker are closing in. But when they all collide in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them against an unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno.

The way the pieces came together and the investigation used the strengths of veteran investigator Sharpe and experienced detective Walker was fascinating. Neither of them would have solved it single-handedly, and they both grudgingly came around to accepting that and becoming better partners for each other.

While Sharpe and Walker were the central characters who will keep this new series evolving, the other characters were also well-developed and engaging. Cole and his crew of bad guys were also interesting and unique. As a character-driven story with an intricate but thoroughly explained plot, this book earned 4 out of 5 stars. As an author, Lee Goldberg does not disappoint. The book could be enthusiastically recommended to those who enjoy thrillers, police procedurals, and California stories. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys reading and writing. Although it’s been a while, she also remembers a fondness for stitching and crafting. Check out what she’s up to with and without her family on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

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Book Review: The Reunion, by Kit Frick

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

ADDISON

It’s not until I’ve changed into my pajamas and settled in bed with the remote that it occurs to me to wonder how the frog got all the way beneath the sheets, which had been so carefully spread up by room service. I’m not scared of frogs; I think they’re cute. But there was definitely a momentary freak-out, before I realized what was moving. Was someone trying to scare me?

If so, it had to be one of my cousins. No one else has a key to this room. 

Then again, anyone could have slipped a key card out of one of our beach bags and used it for a few minutes. The room’s been empty since Mia went next door and Natalia went down to the hot tub, and before that, it was probably unoccupied for most of the afternoon.

My eyes travel to my phone, still facedown on the nightstand, then to the closet door, envisioning the laundry bag at the back, the wooden cigar box tucked inside. Has someone on this trip figured out that I’m hiding something? Is someone intentionally messing with me?

Everyone at the Mayweather’s reunion/engagement party has secrets that are vital to them, but most of them are so busy protecting their own interests that they’re misjudging the rest of their family.

Official synopsis:

Eleven Mayweathers went on vacation. Ten came home.

It’s been years since the fragmented Mayweather clan was all in one place, but the engagement of Addison and Mason’s mom to the dad of their future stepbrother, Theo, brings the whole family to sunny Cancún, Mexico, for winter break. Add cousin Natalia to the mix, and it doesn’t take long for tempers to fray and tensions to rise. A week of forced family “fun” reveals that everyone has something to hide, and as secrets bubble to the surface, no one is safe from the fallout. By the end of the week, one member of the reunion party will be dead—and everyone’s a suspect:

The peacekeeper: Addison needs a better hiding place.

The outsider: Theo just wants to mend fences.

The romantic: Natalia doesn’t want to talk about the past.

The hothead: Mason needs to keep his temper under control.

It started as a week in paradise meant to bring them together. But the Mayweathers are about to learn the hard way that family bonding can be deadly.

Addison and Mason (the twins) have a secret with Natalia which permanently fractured the trio they thought could withstand anything until three years ago. Natalia’s little sister Mia just wants everyone to have a good time! Besides being a reunion trip, they’re also supposed to be welcoming Austin and Theo to the family. Austin is marrying Addison and Mason’s mother, and Theo is the same age as Addison, Mason, and Natalia.

The formatting of the story was interesting, with some chapters told as flashbacks from different characters, interspersed with news announcements and interviews from after the mysterious death that essentially ends the book (except for the epilogue).

Some of the revelations at the end were a little too succinct, and some parts gave more questions than answers. Overall the book earned 3 out of 5 stars and would definitely be recommended to those who like a tangled thriller, family drama, and somewhat unpredictable characters.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a reader and a writer. She enjoys making plans, spending time with her family and friends, and making progress on big projects. See what they’re up to on her Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Hedgerow, by Anne Leigh Parrish {ends 10/9}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

She came home exhausted to find Henry reading, listening to the radio, or drinking and playing solitaire. Alistair wasn’t due back for another week and Edith had been preparing their meals. She’d arranged for their laundry to be picked up at the apartment – Alistair usually dropped it off weekly at a place a few blocks away. She asked for groceries to be delivered, too. She just didn’t have time to shop.

That Henry was useless in domestic matters was no surprise. All his life other people had handled things for him. Even in London during the war he’d had Alistair. But she was infuriated that he expected her to put in hours at the store and then wait on him at home. He said he was happy for them to dine out every night until Alistair returned. She said she didn’t always want to go out. Sometimes, it was nice to stay home and put her feet up.

“You’re right, poor dear. Let me make you something. I’m sure I can find my way around the kitchen well enough,” Henry said.

Edith seems to have gotten herself out of one marriage that wasn’t a good fit only to be falling into another.

Official synopsis:

In the long-awaited sequel to Anne Leigh Parrish's An Open Door, Edith Sloan navigates life after leaving her dull, demanding husband, Walter, for Henry, a well-off British peer. The bookstore she owns on Harvard Square, The Turned Page, thrives under her management, and prospects for a publishing venture take shape. As 1949 comes to an end, and with her sights trained on a new decade, Edith struggles with stifling social conventions, unreliable men, and an unforeseen circumstance that might ruin everything.

While the book is a sequel, it was easy to read and understand without the previous story details. Edith is in the middle of her divorce from Walter, and co-habitating nicely with Henry, the man who bought a bookstore for his then-wife and Edith to run together. The wife soon returns to England, but Edith is only too happy to keep overseeing the bookstore alone. 

Edith and Henry may be a little more than friends while living under the same roof, but she’s always been very careful not to mislead him—she does not love him and doubts she ever would. Eventually he confesses that he knows this, but still wants her to be his wife anyway. She decides she sees no good reason not to accept his proposal.

Unfortunately, none of the characters were very likable, and the choices they made were making them even less likable as the book went on. It was a generally pleasant read, and would be enjoyed by those who might appreciate Henry and his butler’s British background or fiction based in the late 1940s in the U.S. Overall, the book earned 3 out of 5 stars.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliate link}

Becki Bayley likes reading, napping, and looking at 50s styles. Check out what else she’s been up to on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Hedgerow!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, October 9th, at 11:59pm ET, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

The Hedgerow, by Anne Leigh Parrish

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