Showing posts with label Mary Alice Monroe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary Alice Monroe. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe ~ My Thoughts #OnOceanBoulevard #NetGalley

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On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe
Beach House #6
Print and e-book, 384 pages
Published May 19th 2020 by Gallery Books


The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests returns at long last to her beloved Beach House series in this breathtaking novel about one family’s summer of forging new beginnings against the enduring beauty and resilience of the natural world.

It’s been sixteen years since Caretta “Cara” Rutledge has returned home to the beautiful shores of Charleston, South Carolina. Over those years, she has weathered the tides of deaths and births, struggles and joys. And now, as Cara prepares for her second wedding, her life is about to change yet again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the storied Rutledge family is also in flux. Cara’s niece Linnea returns to Sullivan’s Island to begin a new career and an unexpected relationship. Linnea’s parents, having survived bankruptcy, pin their hopes and futures on the construction of a new home on Ocean Boulevard. But as excitement over the house and wedding builds, a devastating illness strikes the family and brings plans to a screeching halt. It is under these trying circumstances that the Rutledge family must come together yet again to discover the enduring strength in love, tradition, and legacy from mother to daughter to granddaughter.

Like the sea turtles that come ashore annually on these windswept islands, three generations of the Rutledge family experience a season of return, rebirth, and growth. “Authentic, generous, and heartfelt” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author), On Ocean Boulevard is Mary Alice Monroe at her very best. 


My thoughts about On Ocean Boulevard ~~

(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 lines.)

First line—"The Lowcountry was spread out far below as she soared in the sky."

Well, you know summer is right around the corner when there is a Mary Alice Monroe book to read. I haven't read all of her books..... yet, but I have loved the ones that I have read. And this one was fabulous. I loved my trip back to the beach house. It felt a little bit like being on vacation but then I was also there among friends who needed to work through some things.

I also enjoy learning about the sea turtles, which is a passion of the people on the island and Mary Alice herself. Their life cycle is fascinating to read about.

On Ocean Boulevard will definitely put you in the mood for summer and the beach, with the interesting story-line and the great cast of returning characters. It's like catching up with old friends, and at the  perfect summer vacation spot. Check it out! 

I received a copy of On Ocean Boulevard from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Mary Alice Monroe

Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of 23 novels, including On Ocean Boulevard, which is the sixth installment of the Beach House series.

More than 7.5 million copies of her books have been published worldwide, and she’s earned numerous accolades and awards, including: Induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; the Southwest Florida Author of Distinction Award; South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction, and the prestigious Southern Book Prize for Fiction. Her bestselling novel The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.

Monroe is captivated by the beauty and fragility of the wild habitat around her. In particular, the coastal southern landscape became a strong and important focus of many of her novels. Monroe immerses herself in both academic research and hands-on/volunteering to learn about a species or conservation issue. Then, she uses the knowledge and experiences working with animals and the wildlife experts to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature. Bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds, and loggerhead sea turtles are among the wild species she has worked with and woven into her novels.

Monroe is an active conservationist and serves on the South Carolina Aquarium Board Emeritis, The Leatherback Trust, The Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, Friends of Coastal Carolina and Casting Carolinas Advisory Board. She is especially proud to be a twenty year plus state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team, the group that first sparked her love for loggerhead sea turtles, and is the inspiration of her Beach House series.

Monroe has also published two children’s books, which complement the environmental themes she’s known for in her novels. Monroe’s first Middle Grade book, The Island, will be a 2021 release. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Alice
*********************

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Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Release Day! Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe ~ My Thoughts

Happy Release Day!! 

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Echo Moon

Beach House Reunion by Mary Alice Monroe
Series: Beach House #5
Print and e-book, 400 pages
Published May 22nd 2018 by Gallery Books

Whisking you back to the shores of her bestselling Beach House series, Mary Alice Monroe weaves together a tale of the struggles and triumphs of the historic Rutledge family of Charleston, South Carolina. Beautifully wrought and rich with keen insight, this is an illuminating tale of new beginnings, resilience, and one family’s enduring love.

Cara Rutledge returns to her Southern home on the idyllic Isle of Palms. Everything is comfortingly the same, yet each detail is rife with painful memories. Only through reconnecting with family, friends, and the rhythms of the lowcountry can Cara release the hold of the past and open herself to the possibility of a new love, career, and hope for the future.

Meanwhile, her niece Linnea, a recent college graduate who doesn’t know where her life will take her, leaves her historic home in Charleston, with all its entitlement and expectations, and heads to her aunt’s beach house. On the island, she is part of the freer, natural ocean lifestyle she loves, rejoining the turtle team, learning to surf, and falling in love. Remembering the lessons of her beloved grandmother, Lovie, the original “turtle lady,” Linnea rediscovers a meaningful purpose to her life and finds the courage she needs to break from tradition.

In this heartwarming novel, three generations of the Rutledge family gather together to find the strength, love, and commitment to break destructive family patterns and to forge new bonds that will endure long beyond one summer reunion.


Congratulations Mary Alice
 on the release today of
Beach House Reunion!

My thoughts about Beach House Reunion ~~ 

(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 lines.)

First line—"All roads lead home. That thought mingled with the soothing sound of Debussy as Cara descended from the majestic highlands of Tennessee toward the sultry lowcountry of South Carolina."

I really love reading Southern fiction and this one was a real pleasure to read. Beach House Reunion is only the second book by Mary Alice Monroe that I have read and the first book of her five book Beach House series. I loved that I could jump right into the story, five books in, and not feel like I had missed a thing. I can only imagine how much more I would've loved this book if I had started to meet the characters from the beginning.

This is a wonderful, emotional story as we watch so many of the characters grow, put the past behind them, and move on to discover whatever the futures holds for them. I quickly became a part of their lives and got swept up in their emotions. Parts did bring me to tears, I haven't had a good cry over a book in a long time. I love it when a story touches me to tears.

I am excited to take more trips to the beach house which was just as much of a character in the story as the people were. I am ready to go back to book one to see how it all started.  

I received an ARC from Gallery Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

About the author



New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe found her true calling in environmental fiction when she moved to coastal South Carolina. Already a successful author, she was captivated by the beauty and fragility of her new home. Her experiences living in the midst of a habitat that was quickly changing gave her a strong and important focus for her novels.

Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured books that delve into the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the parallels between the land and life. Monroe’s novels are published worldwide. With the same heart of conservation, Monroe has written two children’s picture books as well.

Her novels have achieved many lists, including the New York Times, USA Today and SIBA. She has received numerous awards, including several Readers’ Choice Awards; the 2014 SC Book Festival Award for Excellence in Writing; the 2015 SW Florida Book Festival Distinguished Author Award; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; and the 2008 South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing. Most recently, Monroe was named by the South Carolina Academy of Authors as a 2018 inductee of the Literary Hall of Fame.

Monroe’s novel A Lowcountry Christmas won a 2017 Southern Book Prize in fiction, awarded by the Southern Indepedent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). In 2011, her novel The Butterfly’s Daughter won the International Book Award for Green Fiction. It was also selected as a finalist for the 2012 Book of the Year by SIBA.

Monroe’s novel The Beach House will be adapted into a Hallmark Channel Hall of Fame Movie, starring three-time Golden Globe nominee Andie MacDowell and premiering exclusively on the network in 2018.

Monroe lives with her family on a barrier island outside Charleston, South Carolina. She is an active conservationist and serves on the Board of the South Carolina Aquarium, The Leatherback Trust, and Charleston Literacy Volunteers. She is a frequent speaker at book festivals, conferences, and private events. Monroe is also a frequent contributor to magazines and blogs.

Connect with Mary Alice


*********************

Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Release Day: A Lowcountry Wedding by Mary Alice Monroe and My Thoughts

Happy Release Day!

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A Lowcountry Wedding 

A Lowcountry Wedding by Mary Alice Monroe
Series: Lowcountry Summer #4
Print and e-book, 448 pages
Published: May 3rd 2016 by Gallery Books

Wedding season has arrived in New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s next novel in the “distinct, complex, and endearing” (Charleston Magazine) Lowcountry Summer series, set against the romantic, charming Charleston Lowcountry.

Nothing could be more enchanting than a summer wedding—or two!—in Charleston’s fabled lowcountry. A centuries-old plantation, an avenue of ancient oaks dripping moss, a storied ballroom, a sand dune at sunset…

Yet when a stranger arrives, a long held family secret could silence the bells ringing for the Muir sisters. Scandals surface, family bonds are questioned, and promises are broken and renewed. In A Lowcountry Wedding Monroe delves into the heart of marriage, commitment, and family ties. Huffington Post calls the Lowcountry Summer series “the perfect beach read and a whole lot more.”


My thoughts about A Lowcountry Wedding ~~ 

Oh my, I so loved my visit to this lowcountry area of Charleston! A Lowcountry Wedding is full of wonderful. loving characters but has just enough family secrets to keep the story interesting. And I loved getting lost in the gentleness of their southern living.  

Believe it or not, this is the very first book by Mary Alice Monroe that I have read. And this story is book #4 in her Lowcountry Summer series. I loved it and did not at all feel like I was missing anything by not reading books 1 through 3. If anything, it made me want to go back and read those previous books because I really found myself caring about the characters in this series and I want to learn more about all of them. 

A Lowcountry Wedding has made me a fan and Mary Alice Monroe and she has now  been added to my list of authors to watch. I can't wait to read more of her stories! 

About the author 

Mary Alice Monroe

New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe found her true calling in environmental fiction when she moved to coastal South Carolina. Already a successful author, she was captivated by the beauty and fragility of her new home. Her experiences living in the midst of a habitat that was quickly changing gave her a strong and important focus for her novels.

Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured books that delve into the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the parallels between the land and life. Monroe’s novels are published worldwide. With the same heart of conservation, Monroe has written two children’s picture books as well.

Her novels have achieved many lists, including the New York Times, USA Today and SIBA. She has received numerous awards, including several Readers’ Choice Awards; the 2014 SC Book Festival Award for Excellence in Writing; the 2015 SW Florida Book Festival Distinguished Author Award; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; and the 2008 South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing.

Monroe was also featured at the National Festival of the Book. In 2011, her novel The Butterfly’s Daughter won the International Book Award for Green Fiction. It was also selected as a finalist for the 2012 Book of the Year by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA).

Monroe’s novel The Beach House will be adapted into a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, starring three-time Golden Globe nominee Andie MacDowell and premiering exclusively on the network in 2016.

Monroe lives with her family on a barrier island outside Charleston, South Carolina. She is an active conservationist and serves on the Board of the South Carolina Aquarium, The Leatherback Trust, and Charleston Literacy Volunteers. She is a frequent speaker at book festivals, conferences, and private events. Monroe is also a frequent contributor to magazines and blogs.
Connect with Mary Alice 



Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

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