Release Day! Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews ~ My Thoughts #SummersAtTheSaint @mkayandrews @StMartinsPress

Happy Release Day!

Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews

Women's Fiction, Mystery, 448 pages

Published May 7, 2024 by St. Martin's Press

Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrew’s warmth, humor, knack for twists, and eye for delicious detail about human nature, Summers at the Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.

  

My thoughts about Summers at the Saint ~~

(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 first time Traci Eddings saw the Saint she was six or seven."

Summers at the Saint is another perfect summer read from one of my favorite authors. There was just enough romance with plenty of drama, suspense, and danger to keep me turning the pages. And the cast of characters was outstanding!

Traci has her hands full, trying to maintain the family property after her husbands death, keeping the customers happy, dealing with problem staff, and wanting a childhood friendship to be the way it used to be. So many secrets and drama to unravel!

I always get so caught up in MKA's novels, so much that I never want to leave. Summers at the Saint is no exception. I loved my stay at the Saint and the people I met. I didn't want to leave, I didn't want the story to end. I love this story and highly recommend it. You really need to add it to your summer reading list!

I received a copy of Summers at the Saint via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.

About the author

Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels (including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Release Day! Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews ~ My Thoughts #BrightLightsBigChristmas @mkayandrews @StMartinsPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Mary Kay

on the release today of

Bright Lights, Big Christmas!

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews

Christmas, Fiction, 288 pages

Published September 26, 2023 by St. Martin's Press

From Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of The Homewreckers and The Santa Suit, comes a novella celebrating love and the warm, glittering charm of the holiday season.

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.

In the weeks leading into Christmas, Kerry quickly becomes close with the charming neighbors who live near their stand. When an elderly neighbor goes missing, Kerry will need to combine her country know-how with her newly acquired New York knowledge to protect the new friends she’s come to think of as family,

And complicating everything is Patrick, a single dad raising his adorable, dragon-loving son Austin on this quirky block. Kerry and Patrick’s chemistry is undeniable, but what chance does this holiday romance really have?

Filled with family ties, both rekindled and new, and sparkling with Christmas magic, Bright Lights, Big Christmas delivers everything Mary Kay Andrews fans adore, all tied up in a hilarious, romantic gem of a novel.

My thoughts about Bright Lights, Big Christmas ~~

(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—"Kerry Clare Tolliver couldn't remember a time when the smell of a Fraser fir tree didn't make her smile."

I love MKA's stories and I love when the holiday books start popping up in my reading queue. Reading Bright Lights, Big Christmas was the perfect way to kick off my Christmas reading. A beloved author's wonderful holiday story. Win, win! 

Kerry has to go help the family's Christmas tree farm business in the big city. Not what she was really wanting to do with her life but her family needs her, so she does it. Her meeting and making friends with all of the quirky people of the neighborhood is what made me love this story so much. She discovers that there are people who truly care for each other in this big, scary place. 

I loved the relationships that developed within the story, so much love and friendship found among strangers. As always with a MKA story, I become totally engrossed with the storyline and the wonderful, caring characters. I loved this story and know I will be thinking about it long after I finished it. This was the perfect start to what I hope is more enjoyable Christmas reading for me. I highly recommend Bright Lights, Big Christmas!

I received an ARC of Bright Lights, Big Christmas via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Mary Kay Andews is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels (including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Release Day! The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews ~ MyThoughts #TheHomewreckers

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Mary Kay

on the release today of

The Homewreckers!

The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

Contemporary Women Fiction, 448 pages

Published May 3rd, 2022 by St. Martin's Press

Summer begins with Mary Kay Andrews, in this delightful summer listen about flipping houses, and finding true love.

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at 18; married the boss’s son at 20; and was only 25 when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It's a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.

Filled with Mary Kay Andrews's trademark wit, warmth, junking trips, and house porn, The Homewreckers is a summer beach delight. 

My thoughts about The Homewreckers ~~

(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—"The wind howled and shrieked and the waves slapped angrily against the seawall, huge, looming masses of clouds all but blotting out the pale yellow crescent moon. Rain was blowing in now, too, razor-sharp shards slashing at her bare legs."

I have never read a book by Mary Kay Andrews that I didn't end up just loving. She writes wonderful, exciting stories that just carry me away into her new world.

The Homewreckers swept me up from the intense prologue. Then I settled into the main story, a story about a woman who restores houses, a television show based on her newest restoration project, and some crazy chemistry between a few of the characters. Kind of what you'd expect from your typical women's fiction story. The wham—insert intenseness that ends up rocking everyone's world! Then this wonderful love story with angst becomes a page-turner that I can't stop reading. 

MKA has been called the Queen of Summer and she definitely keeps that title with this book. The Homewreckers is the perfect book to kick off your summer reading adventures. Prepare yourself to be immersed into Hattie's world and let the renovations begin!

I received an ARC of The Homewreckers from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.

About the author

Mary Kay Andews is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels (including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Be sure to check the sidebar for my current giveaways!

Release Day! The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews ~ My Thoughts #TheSantaSuit #NetGalley

Happy Release Day!!

Congrats Mary Kay

on the release today of

The Santa Suit!

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

Christmas Women's Fiction, 224 pages

Published September 28, by St. Martin's Press

From May Kay Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author of Hello, Summer, comes a novella celebrating the magic of Christmas and second chances in The Santa Suit.

When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?

Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.

My thoughts about The Santa Suit ~~

(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 lines—"'There it is!' Ivy Perkins pointed at the weather-beaten sign hanging from a dented mailbox nearly obscured by a stand of overgrown dead shrubbery. 'Four Roses Farm, Punkin. See it?'"

I love holiday stories. I look forward to reading some every year. And I love Mary Kay Andrews' stories. Put those two elements together, MKA and Christmas, and I know I am going to be in my happy place! 

The Santa Suit is magical and everything I want in a holiday story—great characters, love, growth, and a wonderful, loving community that opened it's arms to a stranger. I loved my journey to the Four Roses Farm and loved watching Ivy embrace the spirit of the place and get into the joy of the season. 

This is a book that you will definitely want to enjoy this holiday season. The Santa Suit is a feel-good tale that will take you on an escape to a delightful place. I highly recommend it!

I received an ARC of The Santa Suit via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels (including The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways! 

This OR That #Giveaway Week 21 ~ Love at First by Kate Clayborn OR Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews #LoveAtFirst #SpringFever

 

I have sooooo many books! 

The This or That 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. It's a way for me to cull my collection and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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I'll bet you thought I had fallen off of the face of the earth. Or....maybe nobody missed me? 😏

Anyway, our family has been dealing with the declining health of my MIL and she ended up passing away last week. She just celebrated her 90th birthday in May so it wasn't unexpected but it happened quickly. And then we had to deal with getting rid of her 90 years of accumulated stuff. Oh my! So I was busy with all of that and pretty much offline for a couple of weeks. 

But I'm back and here we go again with another 

This OR That Giveaway! 

Good luck!

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Love at First is a sweet, emotional, character-filled story that I just loved. You can read my thoughts here.

Love at First

by Kate Clayborn

ARC ~ Pub date February 2021

Sixteen years ago, a teenaged Will Sterling saw—or rather, heard—the girl of his dreams. Standing beneath an apartment building balcony, he shared a perfect moment with a lovely, warm-voiced stranger. It’s a memory that’s never faded, though he’s put so much of his past behind him. Now an unexpected inheritance has brought Will back to that same address, where he plans to offload his new property and get back to his regular life as an overworked doctor. Instead, he encounters a woman, two balconies above, who’s uncannily familiar...

No matter how surprised Nora Clarke is by her reaction to handsome, curious Will, or the whispered pre-dawn conversations they share, she won’t let his plans ruin her quirky, close-knit building. Bound by her loyalty to her adored grandmother, she sets out to foil his efforts with a little light sabotage. But beneath the surface of their feud is an undeniable connection. A balcony, a star-crossed couple, a fateful meeting—maybe it’s the kind of story that can't work out in the end. Or maybe, it’s the perfect second chance...

A sparkling and tender novel from the acclaimed author of Love Lettering, full of bickering neighbors, surprise reunions, and the mysterious power of love that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Hogle, and Emily Henry will adore.

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You can never go wrong with a story by MKA. I know I'm in for a treat when I start one of her books. Spring Fever is another great read! You can read my thoughts here.

Spring Fever

by Mary Kay Andrews

Mass market paperback ~ Pub date June 2012

First husbands

Annajane truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason. They've been divorced for four years, she's engaged to a terrific new guy, and she's ready to leave the small North Carolina town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding. But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe this happened for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back...

Second chances

But there are secrets afoot in this small Southern town, and soon Annajane discovers that change can bring out the worst in people-even her own friends and neighbors-and uncover family scandals. Happiness could be hers for the taking...and the life she once had with Mason could be in her future. But first Annajane must find out what she's really made of, and what really matters most.

"A winsome love story and compelling family drama; an idyllic small-town setting and surprising twists and turns."-Booklist

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

This OR That #Giveaway Week 16 ~ Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews OR Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks #SummerRental #LiesLiesLies

 

I have sooooo many books! 

The This or That 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. It's a way for me to cull my collection and give someone else the chance to enjoy these treasures.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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

Did you miss me (and the giveaway post) last week? 😏 Sorry about that. I was in Florida visiting my son and his family. They moved in October and went from being 60 miles away to 1800 miles away. 😢 It was great seeing the three little kiddos again 😍😍😍 and we spent several afternoons at different beaches. I can't wait to go back. 

Isn't this sunset just beautiful?

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Summer Rental was my first book by MKA. I love her stories and always snatch up her newest one. You can read my thoughts HERE.

Summer Rental

by Mary Kay Andrews

Hardcover ~ Pub date June 2011

Sometimes, when you need a change in your life, the tide just happens to pull you in the right direction…

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia--whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?

Mary Kay Andrews' novel is the story of five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.

Summer Rental is one of Library Journal's Best Women's Fiction Books of 2011

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Lies, Lies, Lies was the first book I read by Adele Parks and it drew me in. She's definitely one of my must-read authors now. You can read my thoughts HERE. 

 

Lies, Lies, Lies

by Adele Parks

ARC ~ August 2020

Daisy and Simon’s marriage isn’t what it seems…

After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. They’re a happy little family of three.

So what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes—Daisy’s used to it. She knows he’s just letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And their happy little family of three will never be the same again.

In Lies, Lies, Lies, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks explores the darkest corners of a relationship in free fall in a mesmerizing tale of marriage and secrets.

Don't miss Just My Luck from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks!  

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The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews ~ My Thoughts #TheNewcomer #NetGalley

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews 

Contemporary Women's Fiction, 442 pages

Published May 4th 2021 by St. Martin's Press

The New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads delivers her next page-turner for the summer.

Letty Carnahan is in trouble. She’s on the run from New York City; she has her four-year-old niece, Maya in tow, and her sister was found dead in the entry hall of her glamorous townhome. Letty believes she knows who did it: her sister’s awful, money-grubbing ex-husband, Eli Wingfield.

Letty can't forget her sister Tara's insistence: "if anything bad ever happens to me--It's Eli. Promise me you'll take Maya and run. Promise me."

But run where? The only clue Tara has left behind is a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Certain that the police and Tara's ex are hot on her trail, Letty leaves her own life behind without a backwards glance, knowing she will somehow get justice for Tara, and sets out for her destination--The Murmuring Surf.

The Surf, as regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit but quarrelsome group of retirees and snowbirds who regard this newcomer and her adorable niece with suspicion and more than a little curiosity. There's a No Vacancy sign swinging from the neon motel marquee, but the motel's longtime owner Ava DeCurtis takes Letty in, offers her a room and eventually a job, much to the disapproval of Ava's cynical son Joe, a local police detective whose every instinct tells him that Letty is a dangerous fugitive, possibly even a kidnapper and murderer.

As Letty tries to settle into her new life and help heal Maya's trauma, she's preoccupied as her late sister's troubled past and connection to the motel are revealed, all while trying to deal with the attractive detective's unwelcome advances. Is Joe a would-be suitor? Or a cop determined to betray her confidence and put her behind bars? 

My thoughts about The Newcomer ~~

(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 lines—"It was still dark when Letty pulled into the parking lot. The car bumped slowly over the rutted oyster-shelled pavement and she turned around to check on Maya, grateful that the child was finally asleep."

I love picking up one of Mary Kay Andrew's books because I know that I am going to be in for a treat and will be escaping into a wonderful world for a time. The Newcomer offered just the escape that I was looking for. What a fun, exciting story full of interesting, quirky characters. And there was plenty of drama and tension as well. 

I have loved all of MKA's stories and this one is right up there at the top of the list as one of my favorites. I loved everything about it and highly recommend it!

I received an ARC of The Newcomer via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels (including The Newcomer; Hello, Summer; Sunset Beach; The High Tide Club; The Weekenders; Beach Town; Save the Date; Ladies’ Night; Christmas Bliss; Spring Fever; Summer Rental; The Fixer Upper; Deep Dish; Blue Christmas; Savannah Breeze; Hissy Fit; Little Bitty Lies; and Savannah Blues), and one cookbook, The Beach House Cookbook.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, she earned a B.A. in journalism from The University of Georgia. After a 14-year career working as a reporter at newspapers including The Savannah Morning News, The Marietta Journal, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent the final ten years of her career, she left journalism in 1991 to write fiction.

Her first novel, Every Crooked Nanny, was published in 1992 by HarperCollins. She went on to write ten critically acclaimed mysteries under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. In 2002, she assumed the pen name Mary Kay Andrews with the publication of Savannah Blues. In 2006, Hissy Fit became her first New York Times bestseller, followed by twelve more New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestsellers. To date, her novels have been published in German, Italian, Polish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Dutch, Czech and Japanese.

She and her family divide their time between Atlanta and Tybee Island, GA, where they cook up new recipes in two restored beach homes, The Breeze Inn and Ebbtide—both named after fictional places in Mary Kay’s novels, and both available to rent through Tybee Vacation Rentals. In between cooking, spoiling her grandkids, and plotting her next novel, Mary Kay is an intrepid treasure hunter whose favorite pastime is junking and fixing up old houses.  ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways! 

Book Spotlight #Giveaway! Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews #SunsetBeach

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

I love Mary Kay Andrews' stories. I read this one when it came out in 2019 and gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! You can read my thoughts here. 

And since winter has arrived in South Dakota (UGH!!), I thought it would be good to feature a summer, beachy book. Here is the view from our front door earlier this week. And this is BEFORE the 2-5 inches of new snow they are predicting for this weekend. We'll see. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews

ARC, 432 pages

Published May 7th 2019 by St. Martin's Press

Pull up a lounge chair and have a cocktail at Sunset Beach – it comes with a twist.

Drue Campbell’s life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn’t seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, a flamboyant personal injury attorney, shows up at her mother’s funeral after a twenty-year absence. Worse, he’s remarried – to Drue’s eighth grade frenemy, Wendy, now his office manager. And they’re offering her a job.

It seems like the job from hell, but the offer is sweetened by the news of her inheritance – her grandparents’ beach bungalow in the sleepy town of Sunset Beach, a charming but storm-damaged eyesore now surrounded by waterfront McMansions.

With no other prospects, Drue begrudgingly joins the firm, spending her days screening out the grifters whose phone calls flood the law office. Working with Wendy is no picnic either. But when a suspicious death at an exclusive beach resort nearby exposes possible corruption at her father’s firm, she goes from unwilling cubicle rat to unwitting investigator, and is drawn into a case that may – or may not – involve her father. With an office romance building, a decades-old missing persons case re-opened, and a cottage in rehab, one thing is for sure at Sunset Beach: there’s a storm on the horizon.

Sunset Beach is a compelling ride, full of Mary Kay Andrews' signature wit, heart, and charm. 

About the author

Mary Kay Andrews is the pen name of American writer Kathy Hogan Trocheck, based in Atlanta, who has authored a number of best-selling books under the Andrews pen name since 2002.

Trochek graduated from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree in 1976. She worked as a reporter at a number of papers, and spent 11 years as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before leaving to write fiction full-time in 1991. She published ten mystery novels under her own name between 1992 and 2000, and switched to the Andrews pen name in 2002 to author Savannah Blues, which marked a change in her style to more Southern-flavored themes. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

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Book Spotlight #Giveaway! The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews #TheHighTideClub

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

I read and reviewed this book when it came out and loved it! You can read my thoughts here. Mary Kay recently released Hello, Summer, another great beach read. My thoughts about that book are here.

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The High Tide Club

The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
ARC, 480 pages
Published May 8th 2018 by St. Martin's Press

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations.

When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found.

About the author

Mary Kay Andrews is the pen name of American writer Kathy Hogan Trocheck, based in Atlanta, who has authored a number of best-selling books under the Andrews pen name since 2002.

Trochek graduated from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree in 1976. She worked as a reporter at a number of papers, and spent 11 years as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before leaving to write fiction full-time in 1991. She published ten mystery novels under her own name between 1992 and 2000, and switched to the Andrews pen name in 2002 to author Savannah Blues, which marked a change in her style to more Southern-flavored themes. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Mary Kay 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!