Susan Coventry's Blog, page 38

Currently Writing

I'm currently writing my third book which may be called A New Chapter.  In this story, Emma is a bookstore owner (my dream come true) who has recently divorced.  She's certainly not looking for a new relationship but then a handsome man from her past shows up at her bookstore out of the blue.  Zack assures Emma that all he wants is her friendship, but, well, you know how these things go... Stay tuned for further updates!

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Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Lilac Girls is an engaging historical fiction novel based on real people and incidents at the Ravensbruck concentration camp during WWII.  This story follows the lives of three different women as they are immersed in the horrors of war.  Caroline is a wealthy New Yorker with a penchant for charitable causes.  During the war, she hosts several fundraisers to aid French families and orphans who have been displaced due to the German occupation.  Kasia, is a Polish teenager who becomes involved with the Polish resistance movement.  She ends up being arrested and sent to Ravensbruck, an all-female "work camp" for Jews and political prisoners.  Herta is a German doctor, who gets assigned a post at Ravensbruck, where she conducts life-threatening medical experiments on the prisoners, including Kasia.  When the war is over, Kasia is one of the "lucky ones" who survived the concentration camps, although she is never free of her mental and physical wounds.  Herta is given a twenty-year prison sentence but is freed after only five years and starts up a new medical practice.  Caroline shifts her focus to helping the survivors of the Holocaust, particularly the women from Ravensbruck.  I have read countless novels on this subject and Lilac Girls ranks right up there with the best of them.  The story is riveting, heart-breaking and eye-opening. Woven throughout the horror are themes of love, friendship and renewal.  I highly recommend this book to readers who are interested in WWII fiction.

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Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Sweet Little Lies is book 1 of the new Heartbreaker Bay series by one of my favorite romance authors, Jill Shalvis.  This is the story of Pru, a San Francisco tour boat captain, and Finn, a hunky pub owner.  Pru and Finn are connected by a painful incident in their past, however only Pru is aware of the connection.  Her attraction to Finn is instant but she tries to fight it so he doesn't find out the truth.  Eventually, her hormones take over and they become intimately involved despite her best efforts.  I really liked the character of Finn who was a strong yet sweet hero in the story.  So many of the leading men in romance novels are rough Alpha-males that it made for a nice change.  There are also a lot of interesting side characters in this novel, that I'm sure we'll see in future books.  Overall, Sweet Little Lies was a light and sexy read, written in true Shalvis style.  If you love "happy" romance novels and haven't read her yet, I highly recommend her books.

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See You Then On Sale!

Good news!  The kindle version of my debut novel, See You Then, is on sale for $0.99 for a limited time only.  If you've been wanting to read it, now's the time.  Ready, set, save!

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Starring You and Me is Now Available!

My second contemporary romance novel, Starring You and Me, is now available on Amazon in Kindle format.  Here is an excerpt and a link to the book on Amazon.

 

 

And then he was kissing her.  Hands started roaming: his up and down her spine as he pulled her closer; hers through his still-damp hair.  Nikki was very aware that the only material between them was her thin cotton pajamas and his towel, which was becoming looser from all their jostling.  As their kiss intensified, so did their movements.  Nate’s large, warm hands slid up the back of her pajama top to caress her smooth, soft skin.  Nikki’s endorphins kicked in, and she lifted herself off his chest and tore her lips away long enough to demand, “Shirt.  Off.”

 

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After You by Jojo Moyes

After You is the sequel to Me Before You, the best-selling book and current motion picture.  **Spoiler Alert**; if you haven't read the first book, you may want to wait to read this review.  In this touching follow-up story, Louisa attempts to move on without Will. Things start out rough when she takes a bad fall, but this also leads her to Sam, a handsome paramedic who responds to the scene of her accident.  Even though Will is gone, his presence is still felt, especially when Louisa encounters a young girl claiming to be his daughter.  As Louisa slowly begins to heal her future seems brighter, which is exactly what Will wanted for her.  If you loved Me Before You, you will probably enjoy After You as well.  Even though the relationship between Louisa and Will is missing, Louisa is such a strong character that she makes for a good story all on her own.  By the end, I was rooting for her and Sam to get together, because I just wanted Louisa to be happy!  Both books tell such a vibrant, heartfelt story, that they rank high on my list of favorites.

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First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

First Comes Love is a women's fiction novel about love and loss within a family.  The story begins with the untimely death of Josie and Meredith's brother Daniel at age 25.  Fifteen years later, the two sisters are still struggling with their loss, yet, instead of connecting them, they have grown further apart.  Josie is an elementary school teacher who is contemplating becoming a single mother with the help of in vitro fertilization.  Meredith is contemplating ending her marriage to Nolan (who was Daniel's best friend), even though they have a daughter, Harper.  The sisters are on completely different paths, however, they are tied together as only sisters can be.  The story was very believable and the moments of sadness are contrasted nicely by humorous and touching moments.  I had a difficult time relating to the character of Josie and I questioned some of her decision-making regarding finding a father for her child. I also felt sorry for Nolan, who seems to get a bum rap in this novel. I have to applaud the author, however, for making me feel these things.  To me, that is the sign of a good story, when it evokes emotions in the reader.  I have read several novels by Emily Giffin and while this one was very good, I would recommend Love the One You're With first.

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If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison

If I Could Turn Back Time is a women's fiction novel that attempts to answer the question what if?  On the night of her thirty-eighth birthday, Ramie Phillips celebrates a little too much and has an accident where she hits her head.  When she wakes up, she's suddenly eighteen again and she's back in her childhood home.  Ramie is reunited with her best friend and high school love, Brendan who she's never forgotten.  Ramie has a chance to do things differently this time around but discovers that she was right where she was supposed to be at age 38.  I was intrigued by the story's premise, but was somewhat disappointed with the execution of it.  There were some touching moments, especially when Ramie interacts with her dad, who died at a fairly young age, and when she describes her feelings for Brendan.  However, there were times when the story felt bogged down by Ramie's confusion over where she was and how she got there.  Overall, If I Could Turn Back Time was just so-so for me.

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Everywhere and Every Way by Jennifer Probst

Everywhere and Every Way is book 1 in the Billionaire Builder series.  In this story Caleb Pierce is the oldest of three gorgeous brothers who own a house-building company.  When southern belle, Morgan Raines hires them to build a custom home for her celebrity client, sparks fly between her and Caleb.  Morgan is insistent that they shouldn't mix business with pleasure, but eventually they succumb to their desire.  I picked this novel up to take on vacation as I've enjoyed several other books by this author.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this one.  I felt like there were too many details about the construction business and not enough about the romance.  I never felt particularly attached to the main characters either so I wasn't overly invested in the outcome.  If you haven't read anything by Jennifer Probst, I would recommend starting with a book from one of her other series.  In her Searching For series, I especially liked Searching for Beautiful, which is a much more steamy romance!

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Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist

Tiffany Girl is a historical fiction novel that I judged for NERFA (National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award).  This was an engaging story about Flossie Jayne, a budding artist who takes a job working for Louis Tiffany, to create a stained glass masterpiece for the 1893 World's Fair.  This was a controversial choice for a woman to make during that time period. Flossie was shunned by many for taking a "man's job" when a woman's duty was to get married and have children. Flossie left her parents' home to live at a boardinghouse in New York City, where she meets and falls in love with a journalist named Reeve Wilder.  At the beginning, Reeve is also scandalized by Flossie's occupation, however, as he gets to know her he can't help but fall in love.  When Reeve writes a series of articles about the boardinghouse characters, using Flossie as his muse, he ends up alienating her and the rest of the house members, and eventually moves out.  The two are separated for over a year but find their way back to each other in the end.  I enjoyed learning about the "Tiffany Girls" as this was based on true events.  The author created a vivid picture of the times and the setting and the characters were well-developed.  My only wish was that Flossie and Reeve wouldn't have taken so long to declare their love!  I highly recommend Tiffany Girl for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of romance.

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