Tag Archives: St. Martin Press

The Mother-in-Law

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Author: Sally Hepworth
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  Someone once told me that you have two families in your life – the one you are born into and the one you choose. Yes, you may get to choose your partner, but you don’t choose your mother-in-law. The cackling mercenaries of fate determine it all.

From the moment Lucy met Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana is exquisitely polite, but Lucy knows, even after marrying Oliver, that they’ll never have the closeness she’d been hoping for.

But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice, the matriarch of a loving family. Lucy had wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was ten years ago. Now, Diana has been found dead, leaving a suicide note. But the autopsy reveals evidence of suffocation. And everyone in the family is hiding something…

From the bestselling author of The Family Next Door comes a new page-turner about that trickiest of relationships.

Ope’s Opinion: The family dynamics in this story are amazing.  The back and forth from past to present really gave you the inside perspective to each character and how they got where they are now.  It really let you see how the past influenced the present.

Along with all the family relationships and drama, there is a mystery to figure out. Hepworth made me want to keep reading – one more page, one more page…. next thing I know, I was at the end – which was not what I was expecting.  I did like that she told us where they all were ten years later – a nice wrap up.

The Wartime Sisters

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Author: Lynda Cohen Loigman
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings


Goodreads:  Two estranged sisters, raised in Brooklyn and each burdened with her own shocking secret, are reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. While one sister lives in relative ease on the bucolic Armory campus as an officer’s wife, the other arrives as a war widow and takes a position in the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” Resentment festers between the two, and secrets are shattered when a mysterious figure from the past reemerges in their lives.

Ope’s Opinion: I am not usually a historical fiction reader, but my daughter ( Kristin ) said this is worth the read.  So I took her advice and I am really glad I did.  The story hooked me from page one.  The characters each have great stories and their perspectives are interesting.

Having two daughters, being a sister myself and seeing my mom and aunt’s relationship – I could really relate to this sister story.  Seeing the story unfold from both the sisters gave you great perspective as you read.  The secondary characters were as strong and well developed as the two main characters.

This was obviously set during WWII, but the relationships were timeless.

Out Now

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If you like drama, different points of view, and secrets revealed,
pick this book up today!

Goodreads: 

A gripping domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse and Kerry Fisher.

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park – and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread – and they’ll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.

Thank you Goodreads for sending this book to me!

The Family Next Door

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Author: Sally Hepworth
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery
Source: Goodreads

Goodreads: 

A gripping domestic page-turner full of shocking reveals, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Amanda Prowse and Kerry Fisher.

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street.

Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers.

But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park – and returned home without her.

As their obsession with their new neighbour grows, the secrets of these three women begin to spread – and they’ll soon find out that when you look at something too closely, you see things you never wanted to see.

Ope’s Opinion:  The chapters are written in each characters voice and perspective.  It was clear who was talking, there were just a lot of people to keep track of in the beginning.  After each persons personality became clear, it was easier to follow the story lines.

It did feel a bit like a soap opera.  They all lived on the same street, they all had drama going on and they all put on happy faces outside of their homes.  Then the lies and secrets started being revealed and the fake faces came off. There were a few twists, but the biggest one was a surprise to me ( a really good one ).  I guessed totally wrong.

The end was good, not wrapped up in a neat bow ( more realistic ).  I liked it.  Could there be more to come for this group of people?

Thank you Goodreads for sending this book to me.

The Silent Sister

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Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she’s in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing mystery from international bestselling author Diane Chamberlain.

Ope’s Opinion: Although I figured some of the mystery and secrets before they were revealed, I enjoyed the whole story. It was an awesome story with lots of twists.  It read fast because I kept wanting to see if it was going to go where I thought it was going.  There were surprises right up until the end.

Hearing the story from both Riley and Lisa points of view moved the story along really fast.  I kept wanting Riley to know what I already knew!  It was fun to see her discover the secrets.  I thought the way she found out different information seemed realistic.  She had different sources for different secrets.

I enjoy Diane Chamberlain’s writing and I will definitely read another one by her.

Always Something There to Remind Me

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Author: Beth Harbison
Publisher: St. Martin Press
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

Goodreads:  Can you ever really know if love is true? And if it is, should you stop at anything to get it?

Two decades ago, Erin Edwards was sure she’d already found the love of her life: Nate Lawson. Her first love. The one with whom she shared everything–dreams of the future, of children, plans for forever. The one she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Until one terrible night when Erin made a mistake Nate could not forgive and left her to mourn the relationship she could never forget or get over.

Today, Erin is contentedly involved with a phenomenal guy, maneuvering a successful and exciting career, and raising a great daughter all on her own. So why would the name “Nate Lawson” be the first thing to enter her mind when her boyfriend asks her to marry him?

In the wake of the proposal, Erin finds herself coming unraveled over the past, and the love she never forgot. The more she tries to ignore it and move on, the more it haunts her.

Always Something There to Remind Me is a story that will resonate with any woman who has ever thought of that one first love and wondered, “Where is he?” and “What if…?” Filled with Beth Harbison’s trademark nostalgia humor and heart, it will transport you, and inspire you to believe in the power of first love.

Ope’s Opinion:  There was a lot I really liked about this book.  I love the story, the characters were realistic and I like the setting – since we live near DC, I found it fun to picture places I know.  I also liked that we saw Erin’s perspective as a teen and as an adult.

There were something that I did not really like – the repetitive details of sex was not necessary to get the feeling of the relationship between Nate and Erin.  There relationship was intense, I feel like that evident and could have come across without the explicit details over and over again.

The ending was good, but not realistic at all, but I liked it.

Come Sundown

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Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: St. Martin Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  A saga of love, family ties, and twisted passions from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obsession…

The Bodine ranch and resort in western Montana is a family business, an idyllic spot for vacationers. A little over thirty thousand acres and home to four generations, it’s kept running by Bodine Longbow with the help of a large staff, including new hire Callen Skinner. There was another member of the family once: Bodine’s aunt, Alice, who ran off before Bodine was born. She never returned, and the Longbows don’t talk about her much. The younger ones, who never met her, quietly presume she’s dead. But she isn’t. She is not far away, part of a new family, one she never chose—and her mind has been shattered…

When a bartender leaves the resort late one night, and Bo and Cal discover her battered body in the snow, it’s the first sign that danger lurks in the mountains that surround them. The police suspect Cal, but Bo finds herself trusting him—and turning to him as another woman is murdered and the Longbows are stunned by Alice’s sudden reappearance. The twisted story she has to tell about the past—and the threat that follows in her wake—will test the bonds of this strong family, and thrust Bodine into a darkness she could never have imagined.

Ope’s Opinion:  This wonderful mystery has a lot of characters.  At first it was hard to keep up with everyone.  Slowly the major characters became obvious and it was easier to keep track of everyone.  There is also some past and present going on, but it is well mark – you know which time period you are reading.

This definitely has it’s romance side.  There are several couples falling in love with some detailed descriptions of their physical relationship, but that is not the focus of their whole relationships.

I think my favorite part was all the family relationships and how they all loved and supported each other.  It was great to see multiple generations living near each other or together and taking care of each other.  That part was heart warming.

Overall, it is a little predictable and thoroughly enjoyable.

This Just In….

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From MIRA

Published:  December 29, 2016
Publisher: MIRA

Goodreads:  She’s watching you, but who’s watching her?

Lily Gullick lives with her husband Aiden in a new-build flat opposite an estate which has been marked for demolition. A keen birdwatcher, she can’t help spying on her neighbours.

Until one day Lily sees something suspicious through her binoculars and soon her elderly neighbour Jean is found dead. Lily, intrigued by the social divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified, knows that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat.

But can Lily really trust everything she sees?

Also In….

Published:  April 11, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin Press

Goodreads:  On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He’s applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he’s ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable.

But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie.

Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he’s being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil.

Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Justin’s baseball games. But Justin is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans.

Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon’s wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them.

At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it?

Enthralling and suspenseful, One Perfect Lie is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will have readers riveted up to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget.

MORE GREAT BOOKS TO READ!