July - Diana - THE ISLAND by Lilly Mirren

THE ISLAND by Lilly Mirren

Amazon.com: The Island (Coral Island Book 1) eBook : Mirren, Lilly: Kindle Store

still free on KINDLE as of 6/9/23

Beatrice is starting her life over after her husband broke the news of his affair moments before their anniversary party and vow renewal.

His revelation derails her. Her children have left home and she’d always imagined she and her husband would travel and grow old together. But now she’s unsure of where her life is headed.

With nowhere left to turn, she goes home to Coral Island to visit her estranged father. She stays in the old beach cottage from her childhood years and uncovers a hidden roll of fifty-year-old undeveloped photos. Who put them there and why?

Will she find answers & purpose on the island, rekindling old friendships and rediscovering a long-lost love? Or will she be driven back to the city and her failed marriage?

June - Janice - THE GIRL YOU KILLED

THE GIRL YOU KILLED by Leslie Wolfe

The Girl You Killed: An addictive, heart-stopping psychological thriller (Leslie Wolfe Collection) - Kindle edition by Wolfe, Leslie. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Free on Kindle Unlimited, $3.99 to buy on Amazon (not sure about library)

“When an author spins a story that draws you in and keeps you drawn in until you finish the book, you know you will enjoy reading anything written by that author!” – Diane ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Andrea Brafford’s life is nearly perfect. A passionate marine biologist, happily married to Craig, the man she loves, recently moved into a home commensurate with their success to enjoy a life many others only dream about, in one of Houston’s most desirable suburbs. But only a few months later, a trial that dramatically polarizes their town names Craig Brafford as a defendant in the murder of his young wife, shattering the serenity of the peaceful community.

Andi’s name is on everyone’s lips, her relationships exposed and torn to shreds in a highly publicized case that has everyone’s eyes glued to the internet. Andrea’s life remains a mystery that investigators and public opinion equally fail to solve. Was she the happy, devoted wife she'd made everyone believe she was?

Only she could answer that question.

May - Jan - MAID

 MAID by Stephanie Land

At 28, Stephanie Land's dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer quickly dissolved when a summer fling turned into an unplanned pregnancy. Before long, she found herself a single mother, scraping by as a housekeeper to make ends meet.

Maid is an emotionally raw, masterful account of Stephanie's years spent in service to upper middle class America as a "nameless ghost" who quietly shared in her clients' triumphs, tragedies, and deepest secrets. Driven to carve out a better life for her family, she cleaned by day and took online classes by night, writing relentlessly as she worked toward earning a college degree. She wrote of the true stories that weren't being told: of living on food stamps and WIC coupons, of government programs that barely provided housing, of aloof government employees who shamed her for receiving what little assistance she did. Above all else, she wrote about pursuing the myth of the American Dream from the poverty line, all the while slashing through deep-rooted stigmas of the working poor.

Maid is Stephanie's story, but it's not hers alone. It is an inspiring testament to the courage, determination, and ultimate strength of the human spirit.

April - Linda -NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT by Kristen Higgins

The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back. Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There's only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left fifteen years ago doesn't necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments. With a tough islander mother who's always been distant, a wild-child sister in jail and a withdrawn teenage niece as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was, Nora has her work cut out for her if she's going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family. Balancing loss and opportunity, dark events from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise...and the chance to begin again. 

MARCH - Frances - WEST WITH GIRAFFES

WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Lynda Rutledge

Once in a great while, a book hits my desk that is so full of memorable characters and scenes that I can’t wait to see it publish! Such was the case with West with Giraffes, the historical novel based on the incredible true story of an unlikely pair transporting two giraffes across the country during the Depression. The author was inspired by the event, which she discovered while working on a nonfiction piece about the San Diego Zoo, and this book contains so many charming details, I felt like I was along for the ride.

I’ll never forget Woody, the young Dust Bowl survivor, and his curmudgeonly older boss. The challenges they endure on the trip end up teaching young Woody indelible life lessons about fate, love, and life. From truck breakdowns to circus con artists, from meeting the woman of your dreams to visions of life in California, this is the kind of laugh, cry, tell-a-friend read that you long for. Grab a blanket and a cup of tea, and enjoy this wild road trip.

February-Nancy - PENSION FOR MURDER

PENSION FOR MURDER by Kate Maclean

She’s young at heart but feeling her age. When she smells foul play, can an octogenarian catch a killer and prove she still has what it takes?

Virginia Walker fears losing her independence. Mortified to learn she forgot to pay $10K in property taxes, the eighty-year-old spitfire finds herself fighting foreclosure. So when a resident dies under mysterious circumstances at her best friend’s retirement community, she vows to solve the crime and collect a house-saving reward.

Frustrated that everyone else believes the victim’s death was natural, Virginia pushes her investigation into several embarrassing gaffes. But just as she’s ready to admit she was wrong about some of her clues, two of her suspects turn up dead.

Can Virginia stop the homicidal spree before the only roof she needs is six feet under?

Pension for Murder is the humorous first book in the Breeze Village cozy mystery series. If you like eccentric sleuths, charming casts, and surprising twists, then you’ll love Kate Maclean’s delightful whodunit.

January - Diana - February 28th - TAHOE MOON

 TAHOE MOON by Todd Borg

A Young Girl Is Left At A Hotel
Tahoe Detective Owen McKenna is heading to a meeting when he finds a lost, deaf girl. McKenna learns that the girl, Camille Dexter, is 8 years old. Her grandfather, Charlie Dexter, left her to wait for him, but he has disappeared.
The Girl's Grandfather Is Found Dead
McKenna calls Sergeant Jack Santiago. They discover Dexter's body crushed by a recently-cut tree. The cause of death appears to be suicide. But as McKenna investigates, the details don't make sense, and he learns of other apparent suicides that are suspicious.
McKenna's Girlfriend And The Young Girl Are Almost Killed
McKenna's girlfriend Street Casey is driving with Camille Dexter when someone runs them off a steep mountain road. They miraculously survive.
A Killer Is After The Girl
When McKenna finds a common thread to all the deaths, that connection leads to the girl, the only person in the group who's still alive. McKenna thinks he knows the killer's identity, the meanest, most twisted man he's ever met. But before McKenna can find him, the man kidnaps Camille...