Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

Setting: London Genre: British Mystery Publisher: Berkley Release Date: June 27, 2017 Fiona Barton returns with a new mystery. This one's set in London and spans a few decades. The Child involves the discovery of an infant's body in the garden behind an old house that's being removed. Kate, a journalist, wants to turn this discovery into a human-interest story. It's her hopes that a family whose infant disappeared from the hospital four decades earlier may finally have the closure they seek. There's far more to this story than Kate could ever know as she starts interviewing the families who once lived in this neighborhood. As she continues to uncover the past, startling truths will be revealed. Essentially, The Child is told by a few different narrators. The switches are seamless, and you shouldn't have a hard time keeping track of the who's who aspect. The key narrators are Kate, who wants to write a story that really tugs at the heart. There

Setting: Long Island and NYC Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Simon & Schuster Release Date: July 11, 2017 Sunshine Mackenzie is riding at the crest of a wave. She's a successful cookbook author, vlogger, and about to get her very own culinary show. That wave of success comes crashing down in horrid fashion when someone hacks into her account and exposes her for what she really is - a woman from Long Island who can barely cook. That's just the start of the revelations. Soon, the secrets that come out have Sunshine's husband, friends, and associates turning their backs on her. She flees to her hometown in Long Island to lick her wounds and come up with a way to climb out of the ashes. Is it okay to admit that even though Sunshine's faults were of her own doing that I wanted to climb into the book and smack her hacker around? I was so mad for her, which was odd considering it was her lies that got her into the mess. Hello, Sunshine was so engaging an

Setting: Las Vegas Genre: Romantic Suspense Publisher: MIRA Release Date: June 27, 2017 Sharon Sala's Race Against Time  does have suspenseful moments, but I think the focus is far more on relationships and the will to survive. I have read many of Sala's books over the years, and this one, while good, didn't grab me as much as her other novels. Quinn O'Meara's had a rough upbringing in foster care. The only saving grace was a boy named Nick. As an adult, Quinn keeps to herself. She never expects to come across a toddler at the scene of a fiery wreck, nor does she expect to have someone shooting at her as she grabs the baby and races off into the night. At the police station, Nick Saldano is shocked when a woman comes in with a young child tucked safely into her jacket. Even more surprisingly, that woman is "Queenie," the one person he truly cared about during his years in foster care. Quinn's unknowingly put herself in the middle of a hum

Setting: Chicago Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Swerve Release Date: May 30, 2017 Part of the Wild Wedding Series, Black Tie Optional  is a steamy romance involving a playboy millionaire and a woman desperate to get him to help fund her charity. The pair doesn't get along at all. Olivia Ramsey needs money to help save the bats. She'd do anything to secure a donation from Coleman Grant III. One night in Vegas leads to a very impromptu one night stand that turns into an unusual proposal. Cole needs to marry someone if he's going to keep control of the family business. If Olivia agrees to marry him and remain his wife for three months, he'll happily give her the money she needs. Marrying your enemy is hard. Falling for the enemy is harder. I admit that I didn't like Cole's character at first. He was a womanizer with no redeeming qualities. It was funny that by the end of the book I adored him. He turned into a character I didn't want to le

Genre: Mystery/Psychological Thriller Publisher: HQN Release Date: June 1, 2017 I have such mixed feelings about Zoe Carter's book. The setting was fine. Pace and writing were solid. I hated the characters though. While I felt compelled to keep going, the more I read the novella, the more I hated them. Sarah married into an uber-wealthy Hamptons family. Since having a child, she's not trim enough for her husband or his parents. Her in-laws are also not happy that they've never met her family. With her son's christening coming up, they insist that she invite her family. That sets the stage for Sarah's discontentment with the family she's married into. It's clear she's hiding something, but who knows what. It all culminates with a cryptic email that reveals someone knows what she's hiding and that person is ready to share it with the world. Take it to the Grave drove me nuts. I found myself bored with Sarah's sister's chapters. I

Setting: Haven Point Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: HQN Books Release Date: June 27, 2017 Katrina Bailey's back in town for her sister's wedding. Once the wedding is over, she's leaving for South America once more. She's determined to adopt the young orphaned girl down who's become Kat's pride and joy. Money is the one thing that's making the adoption harder than Kat imagined. After his mother dies, Bowie Callahan becomes his younger brother's guardian. He didn't know he even had a brother, and this wealthy computer mogul has absolutely experience being a "dad," let alone being a "dad" to an autistic young child. When his brother bonds with Kat during a shopping trip, Bowie offers her thousands of dollars if she'll help care for him while she's in town. It's an offer she can't refuse. It isn't long before Bowie and Kat fall for each other. The romance is doomed, however. Kat's not in Hav

Genre: Suspense Publisher: Park Row Books Release Date: June 27, 2017 I love Mary Kubica's novels. They always hook me into the story and hold me entranced until the final word. Every Last Lie was no different, until the ending anyway. I'm still trying to really decide how I feel about the ending. As her newborn son is not in the mood for an outing, Clara Solberg stays behind with him while her four-year-old daughter, Maisie, and her husband, Nick, go off to Maisie's dance class. The last words Clara says to him are "get Chinese." He's killed in a crash on the way home. Clara is not convinced the police are right, however, when they blame Nick's speed for causing the crash. Maisie is having horrible nightmares about a bad man and is suddenly terrified of black sedans. Could Nick have been forced off the road? With the police not investigating as Clara wants, she decides to start asking questions on her own. Who is this "bad man" and

Genre: Horror/Gothic Publisher: Lake Union Release Date: June 6, 2017 Part gothic and very much a horror story, The End of Temperance Dare is rich in atmosphere and setting. I had a few things figured out early into the story. Some of it was a complete surprise. This is a slightly creepy story that won't make you want to keep the lights on, but it does a stellar job at making you want to keep reading. Eleanor "Norrie" Harper is at a turning point. Her career as a reporter ends, and she's ready for a change. She applies for the job of director at a local artist's retreat and never expects she'll get the job. Somehow, she does and heads to the former sanatorium to get situated before the next batch of artists arrive. On Norrie's very first day, the matriarch of Cliffside Manor commits suicide. She leaves Norrie a mysterious note saying it's up to Norrie to solve the mystery. This brings out her investigative reporter side. With the

Setting: Butternut Lake Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: June 20, 2017 After years building a company in Seattle, Cal Cooper is back in Butternut Lake. His sister is overjoyed. Cal moves into the family cabin and settles in to deal with the aftermath of his divorce. He never expects to fall for another woman so quickly. Billy Harper is doing all she can to keep her family apart. Her son is falling in with a bad crowd now that his grandfather is dead, and the single mom is having a rough time getting through to him. What Luke wants is to know his father. Billy has no idea how to make that happen. Luke's father vanished before she could tell him she was pregnant. It was her parents that have helped her for so many years. After meeting Cal, Billy realizes that she may be falling head over heels. It's not the right time to start a relationship, but can she really turn her back on what could be the second best thing to come into her life

Setting: California Genre: Suspense Publisher: Bantam Release Date: June 13, 2017 Just a year ago, Linda McDonald agreed to become the principal at Guadalupe Middle School, a school plagued by students who struggle with gang violence, dysfunctional home lives, truancy, and most recently the disappearance of a young girl. Linda decides a career day that brings the community, teachers, and students together is a great way to turn a new leaf. What Linda never expects is for many secrets to come to light on one tragic day. Not only is Linda hiding things, but her husband's past threatens to unravel. The prodigy basketball player has a secret addiction. A friend of the missing girl is convinced he can learn the truth regarding her disappearance. Even the janitor is hiding something. Before the career day is over, lives will be changed forever. I found Lockdown: A Novel of Suspense to be a bit of a struggle. I liked the characters, but there were so many of them. You have t

Genre: Children's Picture Book Publisher: Chronicle for Kids Release Date: June 13, 2017 I Wrote You a Note  is a cleverly written story that finds a note traveling from animal to animal before reaching its destination. As the story opens, a young girl is saying, "I wrote you a note. Did you find it?" Readers then see the picture of the back of the note as it goes on its adventure. Along the way, the spider finds a rather handy use for the note, as does the turtle, mouse, dragonfly, and many other creatures. Will the note make it to the intended recipient? What's in the note? The illustrations are cheery and include bursts of color with more calming blues and grays. The story is easy to read and engaging. I can see children repeating the key phrase of "I wrote you a note." It's a story that offers up new ideas and repetition that makes it perfect for beginning readers.

Genre: Children's Picture Book Publisher: Chronicle for Kids Release Date: June 6, 2017 Teach your children a large selection of important words relating to things you see within a house. In Welcome to My House , children meet Olga. She lives on the second floor of a pale green apartment complex. When you follow her inside, you'll tour the different categories of items and rooms in her house while learning about the different objects. There are things you rest on, things in the kitchen, and items used for hobbies. You'll come across items that get lost in the house and those that are used for cleaning. In Olga's house, she has a wardrobe. She has a ladle in the kitchen. Head outside and there's an inflatable pool. Each item is shown in a picture with the word below. It's a great resource for teaching a child to identify what a word looks like and how it's spelled. When you reach the end of the story, you soon learn that Olga may not be who you thin

Setting: San Francisco Genre: Cozy Mystery Publisher: Berkley Release Date: June 6, 2017 Once Upon a Spine is clearly not the first in the series, so I did it again. I am glad that despite this late introduction to all the characters, I never felt like I'd missed pertinent details. I am intrigued and want to read other books in the series, however. Brooklyn's future in-laws and parents are all coming for a visit at the same time. It's hard enough preparing for what could be a very stressful week of visitors, but there's also the squabble between the brothers at Brother's Bookstore over what could be a very rare copy of Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. On top of that, the local shoe repair guy is killed in what first appears to be a tragic accident but is actually another murder. With a killer on the loose, Brooklyn and her fiance, Derek, start investigating the neighborhood's shop owners. They need to figure out who wanted the shoe repair guy dea

Setting: England Genre: Mystery/Suspense Publisher: MIRA Release Date: March 21, 2017 Five years have passed since Jar's girlfriend killed herself. The problem is her body was never found, and he's convinced he just saw her in a train station. Jar soon is being followed. When Rosa's aunt finds an encrypted file on her hard drive that she thinks may be Rosa's diary, she gives it to Jar. Police also want that hard drive, so Jar really must be careful as he tries to unravel the truth. Is Rosa really alive or is it simply his subconscious refusing to let her go? Find Me leads the reader on some decent twists. I bounced between thinking Jar was losing his grip on reality to wondering if Rosa really could be alive and then back again. The more the story advances, the harder it is to decide what's real and what could be all a hallucination. I hate to use the word, but the book was a bit of a trip. When the truth is revealed, I started thinking back to things I

Setting: New York and Lawrence Mill, Mississippi Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Release Date: June 6, 2017 Haley Harrigan caught my attention with Secrets of Southern Girls  and launched her way onto my "Authors to Watch" list. This book is a gripping mix of romance, mystery, and women's fiction. I felt drawn to the characters and their lives in the sleepy town of Lawrence Mill. Julie Portland may have left Lawrence Mill far behind, but the memories surrounding her best friend, Reba's, death still haunt her. Especially the secret that she's kept hidden from those closest to her, and that's her role in Reba's supposed suicide. Ten years have passed and Julie has her own daughter and life in New York City. When August, Reba's former boyfriend, appears and asks Julie to return to Lawrence Mill and help him find Reba's diary. The last thing Julie wants to do is go back and face the secrets she keeps hidden, but s

Setting: Jordan Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Penguin/GP Putnam Release Date: June 27, 2017 Military wives Cassie and Margaret are in Jordan after their husbands receive assignments bringing them to the Middle Eastern country. Cassie knows the drill and understands the rules. As she has more experience, she's asked to help Margaret learn safe behaviors in the country. Margaret sees her move to Jordan as being a way to explore a new country and experience everything there is to experience. The story starts with a car crash. As a woman driver, Margaret is blamed as the cause. She must go pay the fine. She asks Cassie to watch her toddler while she takes care of it. Cassie is shocked when Margaret never returns. As the women's husbands are currently in Italy, it's up to Cassie to care for the young boy while also trying to figure out what happened to Margaret. A hidden diary may offer all the clues Cassie needs to discover that Margaret was not wh

Genre: Non-Fiction/Health and Beauty Publisher: DK/Random House Release Date: October 11, 2016 Essential Oils: All-Natural Recipes for Your Mind, Body, and Home is a must-have book for your cookbook/self-help shelf. I have already found this book so helpful in dozens of situations that I am buying myself a permanent copy. The book starts by discussing the benefits of essential oils and how they're made. It goes on to explain the different uses, such as aromatherapy or a topical serum. From there, you learn about the different essential oils that you'll find in stores and the benefits to each. You'll learn about lavender oil's healing properties and lemon oil's mood-lifting ability. Recipes come next. Learn how to make a soothing massage oil to help you relax and unwind after a stressful day. Make your own batch of homemade bath bombs or a hair conditioner that uses lavender, lemon, cypress, and coconut oil. As I've mentioned in another blog, I have