The Divorce Papers

Twenty-nine-year-old Sophie Diehl is happy toiling away as a criminal law associate at an old line New England firm where she very much appreciates that most of her clients are behind bars. Everyone at Traynor, Hand knows she abhors face-to-face contact, but one weekend, with all the big partners away, Sophie must handle the intake interview for the daughter of the firm’s most important client. 

After eighteen years of marriage, Mayflower descendant Mia Meiklejohn Durkheim has just been served divorce papers in a humiliating scene at the popular local restaurant, Golightly’s. She is locked and loaded to fight her eminent and ambitious husband, Dr. Daniel Durkheim, Chief of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, for custody of their ten-year-old daughter Jane—and she also burns to take him down a peg. Sophie warns Mia that she’s never handled a divorce case before, but Mia can’t be put off. As she so disarmingly puts it: It’s her first divorce, too.

 Told through personal correspondence, office memos, emails, articles, and legal papers, this playful reinvention of the epistolary form races along with humor and heartache, exploring the complicated family dynamic that results when marriage fails. For Sophie, the whole affair sparks a hard look at her own relationships—not only with her parents, but with colleagues, friends, lovers, and most importantly, herself. 

I have been a fan of epistolary novels so this book got my attention. Despite the style, it is easy to get to know and care for the characters. This is much more than a story about divorce, it is about relationships between family, friends and co-workers, loss, forgiveness and moving forward . At times I skimmed through some of the legal documents as I was interested in the interactions between the characters. Even thought this is mostly Sophie's story, - her growth as a lawyer, friend, and daughter - Mia was my favorite character and she had me laughing out loud many times.  An engaging, entertaining debut novel.

Author: Susan Rieger
Published: March 2014
Pages: 480
Genre: Literary Fiction
Source: Crown Publishers
Finished: 3/23/14


This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Danielle and Crown Publishers and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

The Doll

Born to missionary parents in lawless Africa, taken under the tutelage of gunrunners, and tortured by one of the jungle’s most brutal men, Vanessa Michael Munroe was forced to do whatever it took to stay alive and has built a reputation on doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

On a busy Dallas street, Munroe is kidnapped by an unseen opponent and thrust into an underground world where women and girls are merchandise and a shadowy figure known as The Doll Maker controls her every move. While trusted friends race to unravel where she is and why she was taken, everything pivots on one simple choice: Munroe must use her unique set of skills to deliver a high-profile young woman into the same nightmare that she once endured, or condemn to torture and certain death the one person she loves above all else.

Driven by the violence that has made her what she is, cut off from help, and with attempts to escape predicted and prevented, Munroe will hunt for openings, for solutions, and a way to strike back at a man who holds all the cards. Because only one thing is certain: she cannot save everyone.

Vanessa Michael Monroe is one tough lady that I would want in my corner! She is smart, strong, and a survivor. There is no let up in the action as I breathlessly turned the pages wondering how (or if) she was going to escape this villain. This is a stand alone novel, but do yourself a favor and get to know this intriguing character from the beginning.

Author: Taylor Stevens
Published: June 2013
Pages:  352
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Source: Crown Publishing
Finished: 6/18/13



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Jessica and Crown Publishing Group and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

Break The Skin

Laney—a skinny, awkward teenager alone in the world—thinks she’s found a kindred spirit in thirty-five-year-old Delilah. Until the police come to ask Laney questions and she finds herself reconstructing a story of suspense, deceit, and revenge; a story that will haunt her forever.

Seven hundred miles away, in Texas, Miss Baby has the hardened heart of a woman who has been used by men in every possible way, yet she is desperate for true love. When she meets a stranger, a man who claims he can’t remember his real name or his past but who seems gentle and trusting, Miss Baby thinks she may have finally found someone to love, someone who will protect her from the abusive men who fill her past.

But Miss Baby and Laney are connected by a terrible crime, and, bit by bit, the complex web of deceptions and seemingly small misjudgments they’ve each helped to create starts to unravel—all the way to the shocking, tragic climax.

In reading the summary of this novel, I was very intrigued to find out how two women  with 700 miles between them are connected.  The author does such a great job with the atmosphere of the novel, as soon as you start reading there is such a sense of "something wicked this way comes" that it kept the pages turning.  It is a great study of how far people will go who are craving to be loved, accepted and understood.  There characters are very sympathetic even though they make terrible decisions.  A remarkable read.

Author: Lee Martin
Published: November 2012
Pages: 272
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Broadway Paperbacks
Finished: 12/6/12


This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Danielle and Random House, Inc./Broadway Paperbacks and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

Clean Break

Can you make a clean break from a troubled past and start a new life?

Four lives intersect when Celeste Vanek leaves her husband, Adam. His compulsive gambling and physical threats have poisoned their marriage and emotionally damaged their young son. Celeste moves to a small rental across town, works to gain financial security, and helps her son navigate his fantasy life.

But she quickly finds that starting over is not easy.

Adam demands his family back, and things get out of control. Jake, who witnesses a violent struggle between Celeste and her husband, becomes Celeste’s ally and friend, while struggling with his own emotional and ethical issues. Jake carries a history of failed relationships—one of them with Sara, a married and childless police detective who has a private agenda to pursue when a crime is committed that links these four characters together and changes their lives forever.

At times the book lost my interest. I did not care for the addition of Sara and Jake as they distracted me from Adam and Celeste's story that I thought was more compelling by itself without adding the additional conflicts, which caused me to feel the ending was a bit too contrived.  Not bad, but not great.

Author: David Klein
Published: June 2012
Pages: 384
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Source: Crown Publishing/Broadway Paperbacks
Finished: 8/9/12


This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Jonathan Lazzara and Crown Publishing/Broadway Paperbacks and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

Before Ever After

Three years after her husband Max's death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max–same smile, same eyes, same age, same adorable bump in his nose–he could be Max's long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.

As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem–how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? – Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down–if it is really Max– and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily ever after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.

There were times when this book threatened to lose my attention. I was very interested in Shelley and Max's love story.  My attention wandered during Max's story telling, even when I figured out why he was telling them.  It was well written, but I needed to be in the mood for the magical aspects of the story

Author:  Samantha Sotto
Published:  May 2012
Pages: 304
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Broadway Paperbacks/Crown Publishing
Finished: 7/12/12



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Jonathan Lazzara and Crown Publishing and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D

Summer island vacation with her family was supposed to be a restorative time for Kate, who’d lost her close friend Elizabeth in a plane crash. But when she inherits a trunk of Elizabeth's journals, they reveal a woman far different than the cheerful wife and mother Kate thought she knew. The complicated portrait of Elizabeth — her upbringing, her marriage, and journey to motherhood — makes Kate question not just their friendship, but her own deepest beliefs about loyalty and honesty at a moment of uncertainty in her own marriage. When an unfamiliar man’s name appears in the pages, Kate realizes the extent of what she didn’t know about her friend — including where she was really going when she died.

  Set in the anxious summer after the September 11th attacks, this story of two women —their friendship, their marriages, private ambitions and fears — considers the aspects of ourselves we show and those we conceal, and the repercussions of our choices.

You know as soon as you being reading this book that it is not going to be a happy ever after type of book, but are nonetheless absorbed in the story of two women - Elizabeth and Kate. Elizabeth's story was more intriguing to me. Even though I did not relate to Kate, I felt her need to understand what was asked of her by her friend, but not sure if she really wanted to know it all, along with wondering if she really knew her friend.  A well written debut, perfect for your summer reading.

Author: Nichole Bernier
Published: June 2012
Pages: 305
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Danielle Crabtree/Crown Publishing Group
Finished: 7/6/12



This complimentary review copy was received thankfully from Danielle Crabtree and Crown Publishing Group and in no way influenced my review of this book. These are my personal thoughts and reactions to the reading of the book.