Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review – Looking for Peyton Place by Barbara Delinsky

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I first read Looking for Peyton Place. It was the summer of 2007. I had just finished reading my latest book on the beach, and my mom had what was Barbara Delinsky’s latest novel in her bag. I had never read (or heard of) Ms. Delinsky before, but it was the middle of a summer afternoon on the beach and I was looking for something to read so I started it.
It turned out to be one of my favorite books, and I’ve actually read it more than once. I was instantly drawn into the story by Ms. Delinsky’s incredible storytelling through excellent character development, attention to detail, and intertwining subplots.


Grace Metalious claimed her controversial novel, Peyton Place, was fiction, but the residents of Middle River, New Hampshire knew differently. It was about them; it was about their town. Over a half century later, the residents were still on edge.

Annie Barnes always related to Grace Metalious. Now a well-known author herself, Annie returns to her hometown of Middle River. Her mother has recently passed away and her sister is suffering from symptoms similar to what her mother had. Annie is looking for answers, but the townspeople are reluctant to talk as they are convinced she’s back to write an exposé about them just like Grace did over 50 years ago. To further complicate the situation, initial hints are pointing towards possible mercury poisoning from the local paper mill, owned by the Meades, one of the wealthiest and therefore, most powerful families in town. However, as Annie continues on her quest for answers she finds an unlikely ally in James Meade, who happens to be looking for answers himself.

As I said before, I loved this book. Ms. Delinsky’s attention to detail and character development is in a class by itself. As Annie drives into Middle River around midnight one summer night, you’re right there in the passenger seat with her, and as she investigates for her cause, you not only meet the townspeople but you actually feel like you know them. The residents’ lives are intertwined through history, and the subplots surrounding the story are so carefully written it’s difficult to put the book down. But what’s most impressive is that the main plot line is not lost in the midst of the characters and details; it’s enhanced. Barbara Delinsky is a storyteller in every sense of the word as she takes you on the tale of looking for Peyton Place.

Looking for Peyton Place on Amazon

 As you head to pool or beach or lake this weekend and you’re looking for a book to read as you relax over the weekend, download Looking for Peyton Place. I think you’ll enjoy it!

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Book Reviews – Summer Rental & Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

A couple of years ago, I was browsing through Goodreads as I prepared for vacation looking for a few books to put on my Kindle.  I stumbled upon an author I had never read before, Mary Kay Andrews.  Two of her books, Summer Rental and Spring Fever, had good reviews so I downloaded them for the flights.  I’m so happy I did because I thoroughly enjoyed both of them and I’d recommend them to anyone looking for a good dose of romance and chick lit!

Summer Rental

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie are three women in their mid-30s who have been best friends since grade school. They decide to rent a house on the Outer Banks for the month of August as a girls getaway. Throw in Ty, the good looking landlord, and Maryn, a woman on the run from her troubles, and there are twists and turns along the way.

Summer Rental on Amazon

Spring Fever

Small southern town, old love resurfacing, long standing family business at risk of a corporate takeover – it may sound cliché for chick lit, but Spring Fever is anything but.  There are twists that keep you guessing and romance that makes your heart flutter.  It’s the perfect book for a couple relaxing afternoons by the pool or on the beach. I definitely enjoyed Spring Fever more than Summer Rental.  I love storylines with past relationships coming back around.  Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me, but I feel the pang of nostalgia as I read and to me, there’s nothing better!

Spring Fever on Amazon

I hope you check out both Summer Rental and Spring Fever!  Mary Kay Andrews has most definitely become one of my favorite authors.  In fact, one of her newer novels, The Weekenders, is on my list for the summer.  I hope to share my review of that book soon!  I hope you enjoy Spring Fever and Summer Rental as much as I did!

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Book Review – Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Despite a lot of positive reviews, I was slightly hesitant to read Emily Giffin’s first novel, Something Borrowed. The whole premise of the book, the main character sleeps with her best friend’s fiancé, isn’t exactly the storyline I usually go for. However, back in the spring of 2011, the movie version was set to be released and I had heard a lot of positive feedback from friends so I decided to take the plunge and read it. I’m so glad I did. Unlike other novels with an affair at its core, Ms. Giffin did a stellar job of turning the tables and made the reader sympathetic to the cheater or at the very least open to her situation.

Meet Rachel and Darcy. They’ve been best friends for years. Rachel is the perpetual good girl, who’s worked hard for everything she has in life, and Darcy, well, she’s that girl you know and sometimes scratch your head in wonder about how everything in her life has always fallen into place. However, on the eve of her 30th birthday, Rachel finds herself in bed with Darcy’s fiancé. While Rachel resigns herself to thinking it was a one-time, drunken mistake, the fling soon becomes a full blown affair. To make matters worse (as if it could), Rachel is not only Darcy’s best friend she is her maid of honor.

As the story follows Rachel, Darcy, and Dex, that’s Darcy’s fiancé, and their friends through the summer, the lines of right and wrong get blurred. As easy as it is to say cheating is wrong, Ms. Giffin makes a subtle but strong case that there are “no moral absolutes.”

When I first read Something Borrowed, I was 29, which was essentially the same age as Rachel and Darcy so I found myself relating to them and laughing alongside of them throughout the entire book. One of my favorite scenes was the night of Darcy’s bachelorette party. Darcy spent the night at Rachel’s apartment because she wanted to relive the days of childhood sleepovers. If you ever had a best friend that was like a sister to you, you’ll relate and feel the bond between Rachel and Darcy. They truly have a history filled with good memories, and that’s what makes Rachel’s situation all the more difficult and intriguing.

The focal point of the novel is a heavy one, but the story itself is another segment of growing up. We grow up learning right from wrong, but the truth of the matter is life isn’t black and white. Sometimes it takes us until we’re 29 going on 30 to fully learn the lesson and realize that there are always tough decisions to make. And of course when it comes to matters of the heart, sometimes, we learn that a man should never be something borrowed.

Something Borrowed on Amazon

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Summer Reading Time!

At the end of the month, it will be Memorial Day weekend and I don’t know about you, but this warm weather we’ve been having has me thinking about the beach!  As I’ve been posting for the past few weeks, starting Thursday, May 25th I’ll be emailing a weekly newsletter with book review of some great summer reading books!  If you haven’t signed up yet, make sure you do by clicking here.

In the meantime, I thought I’d tell you about one of my favorite book series, The Callaways by Barbara Freethy.  The series revolves around a large, firefighting Irish Catholic family in San Francisco.  Jack and Lynda Callaway have the stereotypical his, hers, and ours family – his four boys, her two girls, and their set of fraternal boy girl twins.  Each book follows one of their now adult children.  While the ending of each book may be a bit predictable, there are twists and turns, mystery and suspense, and romance and passion thrown into each story.

On A Night Like This

So This is Love

Falling for a Stranger

Between Now and Forever*

All a Heart Needs

That Summer Night

When Shadows Fall*

Somewhere Only We Know

Each book is a standalone story, but one of my favorite parts about the series is that each subsequent book gives you little updates on how characters from previous books are doing.  I grew so fond of the series that I was a little upset when I finished book #8, but there’s good news!  Ms. Freethy has continued the series with the Callaway cousins.  I’ve read the first few and they’re just as good!  If you’re looking for books to put on your summer reading list, The Callaways series by Barbara Freethy is a must!

P.S. – Asterisks represent my favorites.  If you read the series, I’d love to know if you liked it and which books were your favorites!

Book Review Newsletter

Get your summer reading list ready!

I make it no secret that one of my favorite things to do in the summer is relax on the beach with a good book. It’s rejuvenating to escape reality for a little bit while I listen to the waves crash against the sand and smell the sweet salt air! I don’t know about you, but sometimes, the hardest part is finding the right book. I hope I can make that a little easier for you this summer! Starting Thursday, May 25th, I’ll be emailing a weekly newsletter featuring book reviews for some great summer reading books!

All you have to do is click the link below to sign-up!

http://www.dkhamiltonauthor.com/newslettersignup/

Book Review… Take a Chance on Me

Several years ago, I was searching for new books by authors I hadn’t read before.  Every so often that winter, I took a trip out to the local Borders (gosh, I miss that store!) for a latte and a round of book browsing.  Like most of my choices for leisure reading, I was looking for a book with that certain element of “fluff.”  I found Take a Chance one Me by Jill Mansell.  She has since become one of my favorite authors to read.

My Review:

Set in England, Cleo’s and Abbie’s – two sisters aged 15 years a part – lives are turned upside down by the secrets the men in their lives kept from them. Cleo believes she has finally found “the one” only to find out he has been anything but honest with her. While Abbie discovers her husband has been keeping a secret that rocks her marriage to its core. To make matters worse for Cleo, her teenage nemesis, Johnny, is back in town and grating on her nerves more than ever. (Or is he really? 😉 ) With a long string of supporting characters, Cleo and Abbie discover to get to that place in life for which you yearn, sometimes you just have to take a chance.

While I enjoyed Take a Chance on Me, I have mixed emotions about it. There were a lot of characters. I really mean a lot of characters. At first it was hard to keep track of them, and then as the story progressed, I felt like I didn’t get to learn enough about any of them. However, the other side of that is, I was really impressed with Mansell and her ability for intertwining the lives of more than 7 characters together. The pieces of every character’s story fit together. It wasn’t my favorite book, but it’s definitely be a good read for the beach or pool….or even a rainy day by the fire!

Book Review…Lake News

If there’s one thing I’ve really appreciated over the past two years, it’s when a reader takes the time to not only read, but also write a review about my book. So I’ve decided to periodically write reviews of some of my favorite books and share them with you.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

I was cleaning off my bookshelf a couple weeks ago, and I stumbled upon one of my favorite books, Lake News by Barbara Delinsky.  I’ve actually read it a couple of times since I bought it the summer of 2008 to read on a long, 10 hour flight to Hawaii.  I had previously read Looking for Peyton Place by Delinsky and loved it so I was looking forward to reading Lake News as well.  I wasn’t disappointed, and I liked the book so much that I’ve read it a couple of times since then.

Lily Blake and John Kipling are both from Lake Henry, New Hampshire, and both left after high school to create lives for themselves away from their small, New England hometown.  However, through the twists and turns of their lives, they both find themselves back in Lake Henry.  Lily, a music teacher and piano lounge singer in Boston, flees to her small hometown after being accused of having an affair with a newly appointed Cardinal, and John, a former reporter with a mysterious past and trust issues of his own, is the editor of the Lake Henry weekly newspaper.

Although he’s a former member of the Boston media, John is outraged at the lies and invasion of Lily’s privacy.  Together, they build an alliance and work through their trust issues as Lily prepares to take on the Boston media to clear her name.

While the overall storyline may seem generic, Delinsky’s attention to detail, character development, and intertwining subplots sets this novel apart from the norm.  As the reader, you travel to New Hampshire; you feel the damp air getting colder with the onset of fall; and you can almost see and hear the loons (birds with a very unique call) that make Lake Henry their home from the spring through November.  But more importantly like in all of her novels, Delinsky has the innate ability to use these details to enhance her story rather than confuse or bore her audience.

Delinsky’s book always have a permanent place on my bookshelf.  Her characters are old friends that I like to revisit on those cold, winter nights by the fire and also on those sunny, hot summer days on the beach.  So if you’re looking for a great book to read while you cuddle up by the fire this winter, read Lake News and visit Lake Henry, New Hampshire.

Indie Author Book Review – Antiques and Murder

Last weekend, I started my search for books by indie authors, and I stumbled upon Antiques and Murder by Elle Griffin. It was a quick, easy novella to read.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Living in a small town can make it hard to find a date. So, when a sexy new neighbor turns out to be a blast from the past, twenty-nine year old Jemma-Leigh is more than ready to give it a try, not even nosy neighbors and a meddling mother can stop her. When a customer from her antique shop is found murdered, people suspect her new man. Determined to prove his innocence, she sets out to uncover the truth. Can she navigate the murky waters of family, love and murder? Will she find the killer before the killer finds her?

This is a novella of approx. 20,000 words.

My review:

There’s something about small town, southern charm that just puts a smile on my face when I read a book. When that is coupled with likable characters, some steamy romance (not just due to the southern heat), and a little mystery, all the makings for a good story are there.

Jemma-Leigh is charismatic and immediately likable, and Dawson is completely swoon-worthy. I hope this novella is the start of a series because I’d love to visit the streets of Camden, Georgia again!

 

I’m still searching for my next book.  Who are your favorite indie authors? I’d love to hear about them and put their books on my list!

Who are your favorite indie authors?

Good morning and Happy Valentine’s Day!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been researching and trying to find new ways to market and promote my book.  As always, I find that self-publishing isn’t for the faint of heart!  (Well, I already knew that!)  But I also found that the most successful indie authors were able to reach a lot of readers and built their success on reviews.  So I started thinking that while I’m still trying to find the best way to reach potential readers, I want to help fellow indie authors too.  I’m going to start reading at least one book by an indie author each month and post reviews here on my blog, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Now, here’s where I need help.  Who are your favorite indie authors?  What is your favorite book by an indie author?  I’d love to hear about your favorites as I create my list!

Have a great day!

Book Review…A Total Waste of Makeup

Have you ever read a book and years later you still think about it and it makes you laugh and smile?  That’s exactly what happened to me after I read A Total Waste of Makeup by Kim Gruenenfelder.  It’s been four years since I downloaded it to my Kindle to read on the beach, but I’ve been thinking about it and laughing ever since!

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Charlize “Charlie” Edwards certainly knows, in theory, what it takes to lead a successful and happy life. She owns a nice house in Silverlake, LA’s trendiest neighborhood. She has glamorous and loyal friends who accompany her to the hottest clubs in town. And she works as the personal assistant to Drew Stanton, Hollywood’s sexiest movie star. But she’s also turning 30, chronically single, and faced with serving as maid of honor at her younger sister’s wedding. Charlie finds herself struggling to juggle the chaos of wedding planning (while wondering if she’ll ever wear the white dress herself), her all-consuming job for lunatic boss Stanton, and a serious crush on Jordan, a photographer on the set of Drew’s latest feature–a man who might actually return her feelings. A page-turner from start to finish, A Total Waste of Makeup puts a fresh face on women’s fiction.

My review:

Charlize “Charlie” Edwards lives the happy, single, carefree life in LA.  She has famous friends, lives in one of the trendiest neighborhoods, and she works as the personal assistant to one of Hollywood’s sexiest stars.  However, as she turns 30 and prepares to be the maid of honor for her younger sister’s wedding, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever be able to find Mr. Right.

Yes, the theme is predictable like most chick lit books, but Gruenenfelder is hilarious!  As Charlie narrates her story, she’s also writing a book of advice for her great niece one day (because she’s convinced she’ll never have children or grandchildren of her own).  At times the advice is very poignant, and at others, it is laugh out loud funny.  In fact, they’re so funny that I have to share two of them…

“God has a sense of humor.  Don’t believe me?  Just look at a zebra, and tell me what was going on in his mind that day.”

and

“Never ask a single person if they’re ‘seeing anyone special,’ an unemployed person if they’ve found a job, or a married couple when they’re planning to have children.  You’re not making conversation.  You’re starting someone on the road to Prozac.”

Slightly cynical?  Yes, but both made me laugh out loud and I think of both of those lines from time to time and I still laugh.  In fact, the second one just gets funnier the older I get!  Sometimes, the truth is just funny!

If you’re looking for a light book with some humor, I definitely recommend A Total Waste of Makeup.