The Book Bag: Release Day! A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop ~ My Thoughts #ANotSoDistantShore @Ev

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Ev

on the release today of

A Not So Distant Shore!

A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop

Sail Away Series, Book 4 of 9

Friendship Fiction, 124 pages

Published February 15, 2023 by Winding Path Books

Set sail to new adventures and escapes with eight best-selling authors in the exciting Sail Away series!

Addison Abbott’s mom used to joke that her only child came out of the womb with a to-do list clutched in her tiny red fist—and it probably wasn’t much of an exaggeration. For as long as Addie can remember, she’s been a planner. It’s even her job, for Pete’s sake—helping other people hit their goals through her coaching business. Thus, no one is more shocked than she is when her carefully engineered life is swamped.

The first leak springs when her mom passes away, although it’s not unexpected. That leak becomes a gaping hole when Addie’s adult children both move overseas. She’s not in danger of completely going under, however, until her husband of twenty-five years leaves her for another woman, something she never would’ve predicted in a million years, let alone planned for.

Addie has experienced big storms before—but this is the first time she can’t pull the cord on her own life raft. Lost in a dark ocean of grief and insecurity, she forgets about the anniversary “surprise” she’d booked for her and her husband: a Mexican Riviera cruise.

When she gets an email reminder days before her sailing, her wounds are freshly opened. She goes anyway, alone. After all, it fits her revamped, if unwelcome, life plan to accept her new reality and build a new life for herself.

In the turquoise waters of the Riviera, Addie is surprised to find kindred spirits—including her favorite mystery writer—new hope and, as scary and unpredictable as it is, a second chance at love. Even more shocking, she realizes that while having a plan is always good, it’s what you do with the unexpected that really shows what you’re made of.

Join Ev Bishop, USA Today Bestselling author, as she brings the latest book in the Sail Away series, a heart-healing story about the power of friends to be a life preserver when you’re drowning, helping you reach solid shore once more.

My thoughts about A Not So Distant Shore ~

(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 line—"Addison Abbott's cozy home office, with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and huge picture windows that let in an abundance of light, was usually her happy place. Today, however, it held no sense of comfort or peace."

Addie's life is a mess. And now she has to deal with a cruise that she had planned as an anniversary surprise for her and her husband to enjoy—the husband who recently left her for another woman. She goes alone hoping that maybe she'll find herself and to make some sense of her life.

Addie perseveres and embarks on the cruise, not expecting to find love and acceptance, but just hoping to get through the days, and nights. She learns a lot about herself and how to relax to enjoy the people and events all around her.

I am loving this series as each one is a chance for me to experience a cruise while also becoming involved in each of the character's lives. Each story is a quick, but very enjoyable, read that allows me to escape my life for a bit and take a little mini vacation. I know you'll enjoy the getaways as much as I do.

I received a copy of A Not So Distant Shore from the author and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Ev Bishop is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author, who believes in the power of fiction to transform lives, knowing we both lose ourselves—and find ourselves!—in good stories.

Best known for her small-town contemporary romance series, River’s Sigh B & B, readers describe her books as “full of humor, love and wisdom,” set in places “where breathtaking scenery and the magic of love are the best medicine for the soul.”

In addition to writing novels—her favorite length of story because she always has so much she wants to fit in!—Ev was a columnist with the Terrace Standard for almost twenty years and is a prolific scribbler of . . . other things. Her articles, essays, short stories, and poems appear in a variety of publications, and she also writes under the pen name Toni Sheridan.

When Ev’s nose isn’t in a book or her fingers aren’t on her keyboard, you’ll find her with her family and dogs or playing outside, usually at the lake or in the middle of a forest somewhere.

She loves any and all garden-related talk and work, cooking (and eating!), and making all sorts of random things—especially out of upcycled or reclaimed items. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ev

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon

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Get ready to set sail on the trip of a lifetime! Eight amazing authors have come together to create this fun series, each book set on a cruise ship but with individual stories and characters. I have read a few of these authors, and love them already. Some are new-to-me authors but I'm excited to give their books a try.

Welcome Aboard contains the prologue to each story so the reader can get a taste of the story before it comes out. I have to admit that I am intrigued by all of them and can't wait to read all of the stories. Some of the characters have already grabbed my heart.

You can snag Welcome Aboard for free right now. Check it out and then sit back and wait in anticipation for each release, like I will be. I know it's going to be fun!