Poison by Galt Niederhoffer ~ My Thoughts

Poison

Poison by Galt Niederhoffer
Print and e-book, 320 pages
Published November 21st 2017 by St. Martin's Press

Poison is a literary psychological thriller about a marriage that follows minor betrayal into a bubbling stew of lies, cruelty, manipulation, and danger.

Abigail and Benjamin Borden have achieved family nirvana. With three kids between them, a cat and a yard, a home they built and feathered, they seem to have the Modern Family dream. Their family, including Abigail’s two children from previous relationships, has recently moved to Seattle—a new start for their new lives. Abigail and Benjamin have stable, successful careers, and they are happy. But trouble begins almost imperceptibly. First with small omissions and white lies that happen daily in any marital bedroom. They seem insignificant, but they are quickly followed by a series of denials and feints that mushroom and then cyclone in menace.

With life-or-death stakes and irreversible consequences, Poison is a chilling and irresistible reminder that the closest bond designed to protect and provide for each other and for children can change in a minute.

     

My thoughts about Poison ~~

(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—"This story takes place in a home, if such a concept can be trusted, a home in which a family lives and loves one another. In this home, the family wakes every morning and goes to sleep every night together. They cook, they eat, they sleep, they play. Everyone gives and everyone takes. Family is the ultimate symbiosis."

I've kind of been on a psychological thriller genre reading binge lately and Poison is one of the best ones I've read recently. This book had me so on edge and fearful for the main character. Her husband is a conniving evil man and she's a complacent victim, until she's not.

There are so many twists and turns and just when you think you know what's going on, the author takes the story and the characters in a different direction. The people you thought you could trust, aren't the people that you think they are.

Poison is a roller-coaster ride to the very end! 

I received a copy of Poison from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the author

Galt Niederhoffer is a writer and producer. She is the author of The Romantics and Love and Happiness, and has produced over thirty indie films, twelve of which were selections and award-winners at the Sundance Film Festival. She has produced films that won the Audience Award, Screenwriting Award, Directors Award and Cinematography Award at Sundance. Niederhoffer has also been published in Vogue, New York Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar. She lives in New York City.

Connect with Galt

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day! Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagán ~ My Thoughts

Happy Release Day!! 

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagán
Print and e-book, 254 pages
Published: February 27th 2018 by Lake Union Publishing

From bestselling author Camille Pagán comes a hilarious and hopeful story about a woman on the verge of a nervous breakthrough.

At fifty-three, Maggie Harris has a good marriage and two mostly happy children. Perpetually anxious, she’s also accumulated a list of semi-reasonable fears: falling air conditioners, the IRS, identity theft, skydiving, and airbag recalls. But never once did Maggie worry that her husband of nearly thirty years would leave her.

On the day Adam walks out the door, everything that makes Maggie secure goes with him. Only then does she realize that while she’s been busy caring for everyone else, she’s become invisible to the world—and to herself.

Maggie cautiously begins to rebuild her life with a trip to Rome, a new career, and even a rebound romance. But when a fresh crisis strikes and an uncertain future looms, she must decide: How much will she risk to remain the woman she’s just become?

    

My thoughts about Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties ~~

(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—"It's an age-old story: woman meets man, man woos woman, woman spends her best years believing their love is the everlasting kind."

I loved this book! It is a story that probably quite a few of us have been able to relate to at some point in our lives, even for maybe just a little bit. Haven't we all felt somewhat invisible and unappreciated at times?

Maggie's no-good husband, Adam tells her one day that he 'wants a different life.' What the heck? Maggie thought their marriage and their lives were doing just fine. He ups and leaves her and she tries to get on with her life, suddenly realizing that she has no identity—she has been part of a couple for so many years.

There are so many great characters in this book. There's Maggie, of course, as we watch her stumble though her 'new life', and Rose, Maggie's mother-in-law. I loved their relationship and how Maggie didn't give up on Rose, even though Rose's son gave up on Maggie. And then there's Jean, the carefree, adventurous women that Maggie meets on the plane on her way to Rome. Jean takes her under her wing and gives Maggie advice on how to figure it all out.

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties is an entertaining, thought provoking, and memorable story that captured me from the start. I can highly recommend it as a very enjoyable read!

I received an ARC of Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

I’m the author of Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties (out 2/27/18), Forever is the Worst Long Time, The Art of Forgetting, and the #1 Kindle bestseller Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, which was recently optioned for film. My novels have been translated into twelve languages.

In another life, I was a health editor at Real Simple and Fitness magazines; these days, I write for publications like Fast Company, Forbes, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parade, Time, and others.

When I'm not at my computer, you'll find me with my nose in a book, running after my two kids, or planning my next trip (most likely to Puerto Rico, where my husband was born and raised). Visit me at www.camillepagan.com. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Camille

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 26, 2018

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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Whew! What a week and weekend. Weather-wise, we got about 6 inches of snow on Thursday and then another 3 or so on Saturday. Times like this, I am so grateful that we live in a townhouse and that the shoveling is done by someone else. 

Then the weekend—we went from having no plans (other than reading by the fireplace) to having pretty much back to back company starting Saturday morning. Our daughter stopped over in the morning and ended up staying most of the day. She did bring me my favorite beverage from Starbucks so that was a wonderful treat. Yay! And then we were asked to have a last minute sleepover with our 3 yo grandson. How can we say no to that? I didn't get the reading done like I'd planned but hey, that's okay when family's involved. 

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

What I'm currently reading

Let Me Lie
by Clare Mackintosh
I love her stories!

Evanthia's Gift (The Gift Saga #1)
by Effie Kammenou 

(audio-book)

What I recently finished

Best Day Ever

by Kaira Rouda

A--Mazing!!

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship
by Jeffrey Zaslow
Be sure to enter my GIVEAWAY to win a copy!!

What I am going to read next

The Recipe Box
by Viola Shipman
I love this author and can't wait to dive into this one.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Romance is in the Air ~ Last Chance Giveaway!

 

I hope you have enjoyed the Romance is in the Air Promotion! There are $500 in Giveaways as part of this event. Be sure you have entered all 17 giveaways!

Be on the lookout for our next clean author event "Love in Bloom" which will take place in April. 

 

Links to ALL GIVEAWAYS

Giveaway Details 

$25 in Paypal Cash or a $25 Amazon.com eGift Card 

Ends 3/13/18 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via PayPal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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The Girls from Ames was my book club pick this month. I have an extra copy to give away to one of you. It is a story of 11 girls who remain friends into adulthood. It was a wonderful story demonstrating the love and support that women friends can and do provide to one another. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

The Girls from Ames

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow
Paperback, 352 pages
Published April 6th 2010 by Avery

The instant New York Times bestseller, now in paperback: a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of eleven girls and the ten women they became, from the coauthor of the million-copy bestseller The Last Lecture. 

As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life's challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds. 

The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. The Girls from Ames demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women's lives-their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters-and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them. With both universal events and deeply personal moments, it's a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by. 

    

About the author

Through his Wall Street Journal column and bestselling books, Jeffrey Zaslow has told the stories of some of the most inspirational people of our time.

The Last Lecture, written with Randy Pausch, has been translated into 48 languages, and was #1 on best-seller lists worldwide. Five million copies have been sold in English alone, and the book has remained on The New York Times best-seller list for more than 112 weeks.

In 2011, Jeff collaborated with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, veteran astronaut Mark Kelly, on their memoir, GABBY: A Story of Courage and Hope. The book was launched with a cover story in People magazine, and an hour-long ABC TV special hosted by Diane Sawyer. GABBY debuted near the top of the New York Times bestseller lists for both hardcovers and e-books.

Jeff’s 2009 book about female friendship, The Girls From Ames, spent 26 weeks on The New York Times list, rising to #3. People magazine named it one of the “Ten Best Books of the Year.” Lifetime Television is adapting the book for a movie.

Also in 2009, Jeff coauthored Highest Duty, the memoir of Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger, who famously landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. Highest Duty debuted at # 3 on The New York Times list.

Jeff’s final book, The Magic Room: A story about the love we wish for our daughters, was published in January 2012. The nonfiction narrative is set at a small-town Michigan bridal shop, and looks at the lives of a handful of brides (and their parents) who’ve journeyed to the store’s “Magic Room.”

Jeff died on February 10, 2012, at age 53 in a car accident while on tour promoting, The Magic Room. ~ Goodreads

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Romance is in the Air ~ Jessica & James: A Love Story by Kimberly Montpetit ~ 99¢ Sale, an Excerpt, and a Giveaway!

Jessica & James: A Love Story

by Kimberly Montpetit

A feisty ballerina with a broken heart. A minister-in-training whose faith can work miracles. Can two strong-willed people find true love and a match made in heaven?

Jessica & James: A Love Story is a boxed collection of two romances set in Snow Valley, Montana—the saga of rising star ballerina Jessica and the sparks that fly between her and gorgeous James Douglas, the new pastor in town.

This collection includes new chapters, and a Brand New Bonus Wedding novella!

Suffering with a broken heart, Jessica has struggled to forgive herself for that fateful night when her childhood love was killed in a car accident. After staying away from home for years, she finally returns for Christmas and meets James Douglas who is unlike any minister-in-training she’s ever known. James can not only dish back Jessica’s finely tuned sarcasm but understands grief all too well, turning Jessica’s world and her faith upside down. Is she ready to take another risk on love?

Living 2,000 miles apart proves difficult and Jessica and James' love is tested in a myriad of ways, but James can’t get the spitfire Jessica out of his mind. When she comes home to Snow Valley to accept an inheritance with her male ballet partner in tow, James and Jessica's passion for each other takes on a new edge.

Clean romance with heart, and a surprise wedding you won't see coming.

A Great Love Story for everyone!

This was a very moving romance about loss and moving forward with life and forgiveness. It shows how much we can inhibit our growth after a devastating event. Recommend this collection for teens to adults, along with a few Kleenex. Have liked the Snow Valley Series. Wish it was a real place to go and visit for Christmas!

I absolutely loved this book! It is a touching & emotional story about family, friendship, love, and faith. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of Jessica & James. A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE!!!

All those Happily Ever After lovers out there, this is a story for you to grab, snuggle up with a comfy blanket and get lost in the love story of two characters who are not perfect but growing, healing and learning to love and be loved. Be warned that you might just be sucked into it and not want to set it down or to say goodbye to these characters once the final page has been read. I can't recommend this one enough.

More Romance by Kimberley!

Jessica saw him the first time at Snow Valley’s cemetery striding fast across the dead, snow-covered grass. He wore a black wool coat and leather gloves. Not a ski jacket, a man’s long overcoat. His head was uncovered, hair cut just below his ears, a thatch of dark brown tossed across his forehead.

Her breath caught like a thorn in her throat, and her palms grew clammy despite the fact that she’d forgotten her own gloves and the tips of her fingers were turning into icicles.

Was it—no, it couldn’t be. Dread dropped to the pit of Jessica’s stomach. Because if the figure coming toward her was Michael, she was seeing things. Not things—dead people. Which would mean that the séance at Madame LeBlanc’s parlor back in New Orleans was for real.

Narrowing her eyes, Jessica burrowed her chin into her zipped-up coat so it didn’t look like she was staring bug-eyed at the guy.

Picking up his pace, the man grew closer. Should she ignore him? Pretend not to see him? Or run away before he reached her. Perhaps the angle of his body was merely an optical illusion in the whiteness of the snowy scene, the skeletal trees, and the dreary gray sky?

Jessica’s heart went into overdrive, hammering painfully against her ribs. The possible specter looked so much like Michael, come back from the dead; she swore she was having palpitations, maybe even a heart attack.

It couldn’t be him. That was crazy. It meant she was truly losing her mind.

Author Kimberly Montpetit

When she was in Paris, Kimberley Montpetit spent most of her souvenir money at the La Patisserie shops with their beautiful and delicious pastries. She grew up in the fabulous city of San Francisco, loves all things chocolate, and now lives in a small town along the Rio Grande with her engineer husband and three sons.

She once stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland and didn't sleep a wink, sailed the Seine in Paris, rode a camel in the ancient world wonder of Petra, shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

Kimberley also writes Award-winning Middle-Grade novels with Scholastic and epic Young Adult novels with Harpercollins under the name, Kimberley Griffiths Little.

Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 3/13/18

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Romance is in the Air ~ Against the Magic by Donna K Weaver ~ On Sale, an Excerpt, and a Giveaway!

Against the Magic 

by Donna K Weaver

Reese Hamilton has big plans to help make the world a better place and a new job lined up to help her do it. Before starting work, she heads to England for a Regency immersive experience. She doesn’t expect her best friend to invite her heart-destroying brother to join them. Two years hasn’t been long enough for Reese to forget him. Then fae magic rips them back to 1850. It’s a time when women have few rights. It’s also a time when a determined woman could make a difference, with the right man at her side. Reese finds she will have to choose between two men and two times.

Jem Taylor messed up big when he walked away from Reese to pursue his dream job. He hasn’t been able to forget her and jumps at his sister’s invitation. Suddenly hurtled into Victorian England, he has the chance to woo Reese again. But to do it, he’ll have to fight the magic that brought her to 1850 and an Earl with the means to keep her there.

"I don't usually like time travel novels but the humor, banter and the attraction kept me enthralled. A great love story with a little history lesson, a happy ending and a hook." ~ K.B.

"A magical read" ~ Jennifer Soppe

“And where might you be going, Miss Hamilton?” The Earl surveyed the items stacked behind her.

“To your tenant village, my lord.” When his gaze darted to hers, she arched a brow, daring him to stop her.

“My tenants are none of your business.” His voice had turned hard, unrelenting.

“One visit there showed me they have been none of your business either,” she said sharply before remembering he could stop her efforts right now. “My lord.”

The Earl shot her another of his hard glances. “I shall accompany you then.” He waved to the groom. “In the back.” When the young man had vacated the seat beside her, Gareth took his place. He snapped the whip and the horse surged forward. “I have not visited there in years.”

“That was obvious,” Reese muttered. “Do you have someone handle the management of your estate for you?”

“Yes.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “My man of business.”

“You might want to consider hiring a new one then,” she said, “because I’m underwhelmed.”

“Underwhelmed,” the Earl repeated. “I don’t believe I have heard that word before. Is it something you Americans invented?”

“Yankee ingenuity,” she said.

“Yankee arrogance, I would say.”

“Americans don’t have a monopoly on arrogance.” Reese kept her face forward.

 Author Donna K. Weaver

Award-winning author, wife, mother, grandmother, Harry Potter geek, Army veteran, karate black belt, and online gamer girl.

Giveaway Details

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 3/12/18

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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