jbronderbookreviews

The Friends We Keep (Mischief Bay – 2) by Susan Mallery

(Excerpt from Goodreads) After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can’t wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband’s crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own.

Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn’t as painful as it should’ve been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time’s the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love?

My Review

4 stars

This is the second book in the Mischief Bay series but don’t worry, you don’t need to read The Girls of Mischief Bay first. This story is about Gabby, Hayley, and Nicole. Gabby’s twins girls are about to start school and she cannot wait to go back to work. But it seems that every times she tries her husband is needling her and siding with her step-daughter instead of looking at the big picture.

Then there is Hayley. She desperately wants a baby and can get pregnant. The problem come trying to carry to term. She is obsessed with having her own baby and can’t see what her husband is trying to tell her. Finally, there is Nicole. She has just divorced her husband and finds someone else that is new and exciting.

This is a good story about three women with different events going on in their lives. I had a different opinion for each woman. I felt for Gabby, here she is ready to get out and work again but it seems that Andrew just doesn’t want her to be anything but stuck in the house with the kids. And the issues with the step daughter and ex, all I’m going to say is she is a better person than me.

I admit that I lost my patience with Hayley. She is just so obsessed with having a baby that she doesn’t see anything else and comes across as selfish. I’m sorry to say that Nicole’s story didn’t really interest me that much. This is a good story and I think a lot of people will like it. If you like contemporary romances you will like this book.

To purchase The Friends We Keep make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, and Susan Mallery’s website.

I received The Friends We Keep for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Fey by C.S. Feldman

­­­(Excerpt from Goodreads) Nessa Donnelly never expected to see her estranged and eccentric father again, but a phone call summons her back to her hometown and to the hospital in which the elder Donnelly lies in a comatose state for which his doctors have no explanation. Bit by bit, long-buried family secrets emerge, and Nessa begins to realize that those secrets were kept hidden from her for a reason.

And she is also not as alone in his house as she thought she was…

My Review

4 stars

Nessa has received a call about her father being very ill so she returns home to take care of him. The hard part is through her life her father has kept her out of everything him and her brother did so there is a bit of resentment. But Nessa discovers a strange wall in the forest behind her father’s house and a strange creature going through her father’s study. She is quickly introduced to the fey and quickly learns that they are making him sick and she will have to suspend her disbelief and anger to try and save her father’s life.

Nessa has not had a bad childhood but it has been lacking. Her father clearly kept her away from the stonework and her brother and father worked. It hurts worse when she learns that her brother died the year before and her father didn’t tell her. Then when she discovers the Eye in the wall her world takes a turn for the worse.

I love stories that include the darker aspects of the fey and this one fits right into that category for me. Everything flowed well and I couldn’t wait to see how the story was going to turn out. The only thing that felt off for me was the very beginning as Necca was packing to leave and the interaction with her husband. Something seemed disjointed with the rest of the story. Having said that, this is a great book and I hope that there will be more to follow.

To purchase Fey make sure to check out Amazon and Goodreads.

I received Fey for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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