The Book Bag

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Release Day! Ticket to Ride by Kay Bratt ~ My Thoughts #TicketToRide

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Kay

on the release today of

Ticket to Ride!

Ticket to Ride by Kay Bratt

(Hart's Ridge #15)

Saga Fiction, 304 pages

Published March 19, 2026 by Red Thread Publishing Group

When a young woman disappears after leaving rehab, the small town of Hart’s Ridge is thrown into turmoil.

As the search widens, whispers emerge of other girls who vanished under eerily similar circumstances. Families who once trusted the system now fear it. Every answer uncovers a darker question, and every lead pushes the case closer to secrets powerful people would do anything to keep buried.

Then tragedy strikes closer to home—Someone near and dear to Taylor and Sam is missing. With her family fractured and time running out, Taylor is forced to confront dangers on two the predators luring vulnerable girls and the shadowy forces determined to silence anyone who gets too close.

Gripping and emotional, Ticket to Ride is a story of betrayal, resilience, and the unbreakable bond of family when innocence itself is under attack.

My thoughts about Ticket to Ride ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First lines—"The wood-paneled courtroom smelled faintly of disinfectant and despair."

Whew! This story had me on the edge of my seat most of the time. How intense! As Taylor and Sam race against time to find their missing family member, others are on the run from the authorities, hoping to not be charged with a crime they didn't commit.

As the story moves forward, will the good guys win and the bad guys get what's coming to them? I felt like the whole story was a race against time. I love that about Kay's stories. There is plenty of drama to make me want to keep reading, and sometimes I can't read fast enough. This series is so, so good! I am fully invested in the lives of Taylor and her family members.

The Hart's Ridge series is an amazing set of stories, with memorable characters and interesting plots. I highly recommend Ticket to Ride, as well as this whole series—it just keeps getting better and better.

And the author just keeps writing this series. Yay for us!!

Book #16, Working Class Hero, is expected to be released on July 8, 2026, 2026!

I received an ARC of Ticket to Ride from the author and this is my honest opinion.

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Read my thoughts about Hart's Ridge, Lucy in the Sky, In My Life, Borrowed Time, Instant Karma, Nobody Told Me, Hello Goodbye, Starting Over, Blackbird, Hello Little Girl, So This is Christmas, Every Little Thing, Now and Then and Tell Me Why

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About the author

Kay Bratt; Writer, Rescuer, Wanderer

As a writer, Kay used writing to help her navigate a tumultuous childhood, followed by a decade of abuse as an adult. After working her way through the hard years, Kay emerged a survivor and a pursuer of peace--and finally found the courage to share her stories. She is the author of more than a dozen full length books, with ten of those published by Lake Union Publishing. Kay writes women's fiction and historical fiction, and her books have fueled many exciting book club discussions. Her works have been translated into German, Korean, Chinese, Czechoslovakian, and Estonian.

As a rescuer, Kay currently focuses her efforts on animal rescue and is the Director of Advocacy for Yorkie Rescue of the Carolinas. As a child advocate, she spent a number of years volunteering in a Chinese orphanage, as well as provided assistance for several nonprofit organizations that support children in China, including An Orphan's Wish (AOW), Pearl River Outreach, and Love Without Boundaries. In the USA, she actively served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children in Georgia, and spear-headed numerous outreach programs for underprivileged children in the South Carolina area.

As a wanderer, Kay has lived in nearly three dozen different homes, on two continents and in states from coast to coast in the USA. She's traveled to Mexico, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Philippines, Central America, Bahamas, and Australia. Currently she and her soulmate of more than 25 years enjoy life in their forever home on the banks of Lake Hartwell in Georgia, USA.

Kay has been described as southern, spicy, and a little sassy. Social media forces her to overshare and you don't want to miss some of the antics that goes on with her and the Bratt Pack.

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and then buckle up and enjoy the ride. You can find a full list of her published works at www.kaybratt.com -- To be notified when new books are released, please sign up for my monthly email newsletter at www.kaybratt.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Kay

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Release Day! Escape to Passignano by Normandie Fischer ~ My Thoughts #EscapeToPassignano

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Normandie

on the release today of

Escape to Passignano!

Escape to Passignano by Normandie Fischer

(Carolina Coast Stories #7)

Women's Christian Fiction, 468 pages

Published March 19, 2026 by Sleepy Creek Press

A Southern Widow, an Italian Doctor, and a Missing Child: Lost in Italy

CAN DREAMS BE TRUSTED WHEN LIFE FEELS LIKE A NIGHTMARE?

Sophia chose to honor her deceased husband’s wishes by visiting his hometown of Passignano sul Trasimeno in the Umbrian region of Italy. She’s trying to find the peace he promised, really she is, while she studies his language and sips caffè with a view of mountains and lake. Only, things begin to happen involving a red-haired child who speaks of things she cannot know—and the child’s father whose very presence challenges that peace.

Dr. Luca Moretti still wrestles with guilt three years after the death of his wife and older children. Overwhelmed by grief, Luca gave the care of his toddler daughter, Noemi, to his sister. It was supposed to be temporary; it wasn’t. Now, Luca wants Noemi back.

When his sister flees, taking Noemi into hiding, Sophia joins forces with a desperate Luca to piece together dreams and voices and supernatural nudges to retrace Noemi’s steps. It’s going to take trust, though, something in short supply for both Luca and Sophia. They’ll have to learn to trust in one another, and, more importantly, to trust in God—that a God who would allow such pain really does mean to work it all out for good. For Noemi. For the two of them. And for a troubled woman from North Carolina who enters their orbit with her own demons, demons God uses—and dispels—as He wills.

My thoughts about Escape to Passignano ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First lines—"Everyone said the first step was the hardest, and by "everyone" Sophia meant all those pushers of advice who'd phoned or shown up at her door or sent her books."

It's been awhile since this author took us on an adventure to her Carolina Coast series. I know I was more than ready for another one. This time we leave the Carolinas and travel to Italy. I loved my little mini vacation across the sea.

Sophia travels to Passignano, her husband's homeland, after he passes away after a long illness. She feels this will help give her some peace with his death. After all, Peter's sister still lives there. What better way to keep his memory alive but to be with someone else who loved him. What she didn't expect was how easily she would become entrenched in the community and with the people she met.

But, as we all know, the world is a small place so when she runs into people she knows from her past, their lives and their drama spill over into hers. I loved that characters I already knew became a part of this story as well. I loved the characters (most of them anyway) that Normandie created for this story, especially the precocious little girl Noemi. I fell in love with her from the second she was introduced. And that chance meeting between Sophia and Noemi was more like destiny than chance.

As with all of Normandie's other stories, Escape to Passignano is filled with beautiful scenery, interesting characters, and an amazing storyline. I loved my trip to Italy and loved everything about this story! Highly recommend.

I received an ARC of Escape to Passignano and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Normandie had the best of several worlds: a Southern heritage, access to schooling in the DC area (which meant lots of cultural adventures), and several years of sculpture studies in Italy. It might have been better for her if she'd used all these opportunities more wisely, but it's possible that the imperfect and the unwise also add fodder for the artist and the writer.

She writes Southern women's fiction and romantic suspense from her waterfront base in coastal North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, her aging mother, two dogs and two cats.

Connect with Normandie

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Book Blitz! Secrets of the Midwife by Ann Ormsby ~ Excerpt and #Giveaway! #SecretsOfTheMidwife @ormsbywrites @XpressoTours

Secrets of the Midwife by Ann Ormsby
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: March 18th 2026
Genres: Women’s Fiction

Anabel Leigh has spent years pouring herself into her career, polishing her image, and protecting her fragile heart after too many losses. But everything changes when a stranger presses a baby into her arms in a crowded New York park and vanishes. The child’s golden hair and trusting eyes stir a deeply personal longing Anabel thought she’d buried forever.

What begins as a surreal moment unravels into a storm of headlines and police questions.

Savannah Maas knows the truth. She’s hiding on a farm in Georgia, living by a different code—one forged from secrets, desperation, and choices that blur the line between compassion and crime.

As the world closes in, each woman struggles to keep her dreams from crumbling. For one, receiving the baby is a miracle. For the other, the handoff is a devastating mistake.

Heart-stirring and suspenseful, Secrets of the Midwife is a story of hope, resilience, and the unexpected ways love finds us.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

iBooks | Kobo

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EXCERPT

I am sitting in the little park situated between the town clerk’s office where happy couples come rushing down the steps, laughing and kissing after tying the knot, and the family court where some of them will end up, when things go badly. As I eat my lunch, I chuckle to myself at the irony of these two tall, brick buildings facing each other like powerful gods who already know our fate, providing what we need when we need it.

The thick scent of the candied hazelnuts cooking in a nearby vendor cart wafts over me in the cool April breeze. I pull the collar of my trench coat up around my neck and tighten the knot in my silk scarf. Collecting the wrapper from my sandwich, I put it back in the brown paper bag as my eyes catch a stooped old woman pushing a double stroller with two girls in it.

The one closest to me is a baby with golden blonde hair. Maybe a little more than a year old. I can’t take my eyes off her. The other girl has thick brown hair and looks to be about four years old. They make their way down the path to me, and then, without warning, the older girl unbuckles herself, jumps out of the stroller, and runs into the crowd.

The woman yells at her to stop, but the girl keeps running, weaving between the people walking through the park. After unbuckling the smaller child, the woman picks her up and thrusts her into my lap.

“Hold her,” is all she says before she runs after the other girl, leaving the stroller behind.

I look down at the small face staring up at me. The child does not seem afraid, relaxed even. She explores my face as a growing tension rises in my chest. Groaning in frustration, I stand up, holding the baby in my arms, shifting her weight to my hip, and desperately search the crowd for the woman or the other little girl. They’re gone. My first inclination is to go after them, but after a few steps I stop. What am I doing? I’m holding a child who isn’t mine in the middle of a public New York City park. My armpits grow wet with sweat, and I loosen the scarf around my neck.

Wondering what to do, I go back to the bench and sit down. Without thinking, I smooth the girl’s wavy blonde hair, tucking a piece behind her tiny ear. Time passes and the woman does not return. Panicking, I’m afraid to leave the bench because I want the woman to know where to find me. Assuming she’s coming back. The baby rests her head on my shoulder, and her beautiful blue eyes study me. Without disturbing her, I raise my arm, pull up the sleeve of my coat, and look at my watch. It’s getting late. I have to go back to work.

Twenty minutes pass. Without hope, I stand up again and look for the woman. The lunchtime crowd is starting to grow thin, and I am beginning to feel desperate. After pulling my cell phone out of my bag, I call 911 and the operator says she will send a patrol car.

The minutes tick by slowly. The wait is agonizing. Finally, a squad car pulls up, and I watch as two officers get out, walk to the gate, and scour the park. A man and a woman. They look so young, fresh-faced with heavy equipment hanging off their belts. They see me, and I stand up with the girl who is starting to feel heavy in my arms.

When they reach me, the male officer asks, “Did you call 911?”

“Yes. I was just sitting here, and a woman wearing a scarf and a long skirt gave me this baby.” I stammer knowing how incredulous it sounds.

The officers stare at me, then at the baby.

Finally, the female officer takes a pad out of a box on her belt. “What’s your name?”

“Anabel Leigh.”

“Where do you work?”

I tip my chin in the direction of my building. “Right there.”

“No. What’s the name of your employer?” she asks with annoyance.

“Oh, sorry. C&W Communications.”

“Okay. So, what did the woman look like? Where did she go?” She continues to question me.

“Yes, I need to go back to work. Will you take her?” I try to peel the baby away from my shoulder.

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About the author

"Ormsby has a wonderful eye for character and detail, as she fleshes out a keenly observed portrayal of small-town life." ~ Kirkus Review

The Recovery Room was a winner at the 2014 Paris Book Festival.

Ann Ormsby is a freelance writer with a master's degree in journalism from New York University. Her writings on reproductive freedom and other public policy issues have appeared in The Newark Star-Ledger, The Huffington Post, njspotlight.com The Westfield Leader and The Alternative Press. Her short stories have appeared in The Greenwich Village Literary Review, Every Day Fiction and hackwriters.com.

Connect with Ann

Secrets of the Midwife Blitz Giveaway

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Release Day! Life: A Love Story: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg ~ My Thoughts #LifeALoveStory

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Elizabeth

on the release today of

Life: A Love Story!

Life: A Love Story: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg

Friendship, Fiction, 191 pages

Published March 17, 2026 by Random House

A warm, intimate novel that reminds us of the richness that can be found all throughout our lives—by the New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv and Open House.

As ninety-two-year-old Florence "Flo" Greene nears the end of her life, she writes a letter to Ruthie, the woman who grew up next door to her, describing the items Flo is leaving Ruthie in her will. But as it goes on, telling surprising stories about those “little” things Flo will leave behind (What could possibly be the worth of a rubber band kept in a matchbox tied up in red ribbon?), an unforgettable portrait of the life she has lived emerges.

The letter starts off as an autobiography in things, but it turns out to do much more than ultimately, it will transform Flo and those around her. In the time she has left, Flo decides to take herself up on tiny dares. She encourages Ruthie to reconsider her impending divorce by sharing a startling, long-buried secret about her own perfect-seeming marriage. Flo has never had a pedicure before now, and as long as she's going to a beauty parlor, she arranges to have a blue streak put in her hair, too. And as these adventures lead her to make new friends, Flo helps them, too, find the fulfillment that living a full life has led her to understand.

Full of Elizabeth Berg's characteristic mix of warmth, humor, and poignancy, A Love Story is a reminder that whatever your circumstances, as long as you're alive, you can keep on investing in life. The joy will inevitably follow.

My thoughts about Life: A Love Story ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First lines—"Dear Ruth Eimers, My name is Teresa McNair, and I am Florence Greene's neighbor and friend."

Elizabeth Berg is another one of my favorite authors. I know going into one of her stories that I am going to be blessed with interesting, unforgettable characters and beautiful words and thoughts that will forever stick with me.

Life: a Love Story is one woman's reflection on her life as she nears the end of it. She's writing a letter for a dear friend explaining all of the little things in her home that mean so much to her but would just be throwaways to someone who didn't know the history of the objects.

This beautiful story made me pause and reflect about the life that I've had and the history of my life that will be lost when I am gone. Told with Elizabeth's usual humor and heart, Life; a Love Story, reminds us that we should savor every moment and live life to the fullest each and every day. I loved this love story and highly recommend it!

I received a ARC of Life: A Love Story and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on December 2, 1948, in a hospital that has been torn down, which I’m pretty steamed about. When I was three years old, my father reenlisted in the Army, and I spent my growing up years moving around a lot—twice, I went to three schools in a single academic year. You can understand my dilemma when people ask me where I’m from. My usual answer is “Um…..nowhere?”

I’ve loved books and reading from the time my mother began reading to me, and I’ve loved writing ever since I could hold a pencil. I submitted my first poem to American Girl magazine when I was nine years old. It was rejected, and it took twenty-five years before I submitted anything again. Then, I entered a contest in a magazine and won. I wrote for magazines for ten years, then moved into novels and haven’t stopped yet. I usually do a book a year. I’ve won a number of awards, which are listed elsewhere in the interest of false modesty.

Before I became a writer, I was a registered nurse for ten years, and that was my “school” for writing—taking care of patients taught me a lot about human nature, about hope and fear and love and loss and regret and triumph and especially about relationships–all things that I tend to focus on in my work. I worked as a waitress, which is also good training for a writer, and I sang in a rock band which was not good for anything except the money I made. I was a dramatic and dreamy child, given to living more inside my head than outside, something that persists up to today and makes me a terrible dining partner. I have two daughters and four grandchildren. I live outside of Chicago with my dogs Gabigail Starletta Buttons and Austin “Ponyboy” Bumper, and my cat, Lily La Clawster. The animals would like you to know they had nothing to do with choosing their names. I am in a relationship with a wonderful man, who makes a good life better. ~ Author's website

Connect with Elizabeth

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Substack

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Monday, March 16, 2026

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? March 16, 2026 #IMWAYR

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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This is two weeks worth of reading for me. I wasn't able to post last Monday for a lot of reasons. Life might be getting back normal now, we'll see.

We just survived a major blizzard over the weekend. We, of course, didn't get the massive accumulation of snow that was predicted but the wind made everything treacherous. At one point both interstates (N-S, E-W) through the state were closed to travel. Yikes! So glad we didn't have anywhere we needed to go. A big pot of chili was simmering on the stove all day yesterday. Chili just seems to go with cold, snowy days, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week.

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading