Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

Genre: Mystery/Suspense Publisher: HQN Author: Christina Dodd Release Date: April 24, 2018 Situated on the rugged Pacific Coast is a popular vacation resort. That's where Kellen Adams is currently working as the assistant manager. There are a few things readers need to know though. Some of the information Kellen gives are lies. The truth is that Kellen can't remember an entire year of her life. She senses she's on the run. She knows she has a bullet scar on her forehead. The rest is a blur of memories that linger but don't come in clearly. When the resort's owners go on a much-needed winter vacation, Kellen is left on her own to put all of their training to the test. Things go horribly awry when a body washes up. The body is that of a woman and she's missing her hands. Every guest and worker at the resort is now a suspect. Kellen doesn't know who to trust. She does know that it's up to her to figure out what's going on and stop a killer

Setting: England Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing Author: Sue Watson Release Date: April 24, 2018 The cover design drew me in. The story held my attention. Were there aspects of We'll Always Have Paris that bugged me? Sure. The story itself was charming and heartwarming. It was an enjoyable rainy day read. After a long, happy marriage, Rosie Jackson is starting over. Her husband lost a battle with cancer. She's in her 60s and is on her own for the first time in decades. Her daughters help her run the family florist, and Rosie's surrounded by those she loves. She's content and doesn't see herself needing more. While doing the floral work for a wedding, Rosie is stunned to run into the man who broke her heart so many years ago. It's been 47 years, and Rosie finds herself just as smitten now as she was then. Is there a really a second chance at love after heartbreak? Rosie has two daughters. One of them drove me nuts. One da

Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Gallery Books Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey Release Date: April 24, 2018 This book is the second in the Peachtree Bluff Series. The first novel, Slightly South of Simple , is a book I missed. I can tell you that you don't need to have read it to thoroughly enjoy The Secret to Southern Charm . I do want to go back and see how it all started though. Ansley has spent much of her life doing everything she can for her three daughters. After her husband died on 9/11, Ansley had to start over. She had no money. Today, she's a thriving businesswoman with secrets of her own. Her oldest daughter is trying to restore a damaged marriage. Her youngest is an actress who never seems able to settle down. Ansley would love nothing more than to see Emerson find her true love. It's her middle daughter, Sloane, that has Ansley most concerned. Since learning her military husband is MIA, Sloane has shut down. She won't leave her room or get

Setting: England Genre: Psychological Suspense Publisher: Berkley Author: Mary Torjussen Release Date: April 24, 2018 Hold on to your chair. The Girl I Used to Be takes you on a ride. It spirals, seems to level out, and then plummets to a whole new level of suspense. I loved this story and am thrilled the snow went away so that I could sit outside and enjoy fresh air while reading for a few hours. In college, events changed Gemma Brogan's life. She's moved on. She's happily married with a son she adores. She's a successful real estate agent. When a potential new client comes to her agency, she's happy to show him the houses on his list. He promises to be in touch soon. Days pass and she hasn't heard from him. She figures he was one of those annoying time wasters that sometimes stop in. When she bumps into him at a seminar in London, he tells her he was having problems securing financing for his new place. They meet for dinner and things go badly of

Setting: Great Britain Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Bookouture Author: Dee MacDonald Release Date: April 24, 2018 Connie is 66. She and her husband have settled into a mundane existence. He goes to his golf club all day and calls her to drive him back home after a day of golf and drinking. Her adult children are always calling her up to babysit her grandkids. Connie's tired of giving but never getting. In a rather rushed decision, Connie decides to pack up some things and go find herself. She sets off in her older car on a journey around the U.K. Where she's going and how long she'll be gone is up to her. She knows she won't tell anyone of her plans. She's going to leave notes and leave. She heads off on her adventure. The farther she goes, the more she starts to wonder if she really wants to return to her former life. Is it time for a major change? I think any woman, or even man, who has spent decades caring for a spouse/significant other an

Setting: North Carolina Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Oram Productions Author: Jean Oram Release Date: May 23, 2017 Ginger McGinty is in a tough spot. As a bridal shop owner, she's great at matchmaking, but she's lousy at finding her own true love. She's in North Carolina on business, but the event she wants to get into is for couples only. To promote her business, she needs to find a fiance fast. Logan Stone is a spy, but he cannot let it slip to anyone. When he bumps into Ginger, he's instantly taken by her beauty and personality. Better, she needs a fiance to get into the same event he needs access to. It seems like the perfect match. Soon, Logan realizes that he's falling hard for Ginger. He can't tell her why he's really in town. He also doesn't want to let on that he is the primary caregiver for a teen sister who has down syndrome. His future could ride on how well he completes this latest mission, but Ginger is making it hard

Setting: London Genre: Suspense/Thriller Publisher: Berkley Author: Simon Lelic Release Date: April 10, 2018 It seems a little unreal. Jack and Syd have been trying to find a house in London. Those that they do find don't meet their must-haves or are way out of their price range. When they find a detached home that's filled with the previous owner's belongings, they know they will never land it. Syd is in love with it, however, so they make the offer. Surprisingly, they're selected out of all the offers. After moving in, they start sorting through the items. They're starting to turn the house into a home, but Jack's a little unsettled after two items he finds up in the attic. He opts not to tell Syd. Soon, she befriend's a girl from next door. She bonds with the girl in a surprising way, but she doesn't want to tell Jack why.  It isn't long before both of their lies are bound to catch up. When a body is found behind their home

Genre: General Fiction/Women's Fiction Publisher: Berkley Author: Rebecca L. Brown Release Date: April 10, 2018 Lance Whitcomb, known as the Silver Eagle after a heroic landing, was a truly different man at home. He was verbally and emotionally to his wife and children. They lived in fear of his outbursts. Decades later, Piper is happily married and raising a son. Fred is an unusual child who develops short-lived obsessions on certain things. When he enters into a craze, he must learn everything there is to learn. Things start to unravel for Piper when her father has a heart attack. He was without oxygen until someone found him. Doctor's don't think he'll live, but he makes it through and has months of rehab and healing ahead. Piper's mother walks away. She plans to leave her husband in a nursing home. Piper takes one look at the nursing home and doesn't have the heart to leave him there. Instead, she brings him home at the worst time possible. Her

Genre: Suspense/Mystery Publisher: St. Martin's Press Author: Lisa Scottoline Release Date: April 10, 2018 After Anna  tells the story of Dr. Noah Alderman. He's a single dad. After meeting his soulmate, Maggie, he remarries. His young son is thriving under his stepmother's attention. They're an incredibly strong family unit. As happy as she is, Maggie can't help but want to know her daughter. After postpartum psychosis, Maggie had to walk away. Maggie went through therapy and is fine, but she was never a part of her daughter's life. Anna is now 17. Maggie is delighted when Anna reaches out. Soon, Anna moves into their home. She becomes another piece of their family unit. Noah begins to see things, but Maggie's love has her blinded to the truth. Their strong family unit is now being torn apart. Things take a tragic turn when Anna is murdered and Noah becomes the prime suspect. I wanted to like Maggie. I really did. She was such a great mother t

Genre: Non-Fiction/Discrimination/Racism Publisher: St. Martin's Press Authors:  Arno Michaelis and Pardeep Singh Kaleka Release Date: April 10, 2018 From time to time, there's a book that excites and saddens me at the same time. The Gift of Our Wounds is that book. It's hard to put blinders on in today's political and cultural times. I want to, however. There's my problem. I want to pretend I live in a society where people simply accept each other. Where there is no racism, intolerance, and rabid hatred towards others. I listened to Donald Trump scream "throw 'em out into the cold" when he spoke in my town. If anyone questioned him, the response was to toss them out, sometimes without coats in winter's brutal cold. I feared what was going to happen. I've seen people comment on social media that immigrants need to be tossed out. That Black Lives Matter protestors need to go away. I even saw people post that young adults who were prot

Setting: San Francisco, CA Genre: Paranormal Publisher: Simon & Schuster Author: K.C. Archer Release Date: April 3, 2018 Generally, this isn't a book I would have picked up. I tend to grab books where the cover design catches my eye. I'm so glad I gave it a chance. School for Psychics is a fun, intriguing story that struck me as a little bit Heroes meets Chuck meets Dark Angel . Teddy Cannon has gotten herself in over her head. She owns a Russian mobster a bit of money, which leads her to take thousands from her father's retirement account. Her skills at reading people have her banned from every casino in Las Vegas, but she's desperate. Wearing a disguise she hopes gets her in the door, she's at the Bellagio in order to win some of the cash she needs to pay off some of her debt. Things don't go as planned. Instead, she's whisked away by a guy offering her a chance she doesn't trust but also can't refuse. He's a representative

Setting: Moonlight Harbor Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: MIRA Author: Sheila Roberts Release Date: April 17, 2018 For her 40th birthday, Jenna Jones is going to kick things off as a divorcee. Her husband left her for a younger woman. Worse, Jenna has to pay him alimony since he's essentially a starving artist type. Things take a turn when Jenna's elderly aunt asks her to move to Moonlight Harbor and help turn The Driftwood Inn into a thriving business again. In exchange for some hard work, Jenna will have a place to live and eventually own the inn. Despite her very moody, snit-prone teen daughter's opinion, Jenna can't see passing up this opportunity to start anew. Upon arriving in Moonlight Harbor, Jenna realizes that her widowed aunt has needed help for a long time. The roof is shot. The rooms are a mildewy, outdated mess. With some hard work, her aunt is convinced Jenna can turn it all around. Jenna has nowhere to go, so she needs this to work out

Setting: California Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Gallery Books Author: Christina Lauren Release Date: April 10, 2018 I never expected Love and Other Words to be a tearjerker that would leave me scrambling for Kleenex. Sure enough, this book is a very emotional, touching, amazing read that I kind of wish had never come to an end. I wouldn't have minded spending more time with several of the characters. Eleven years ago, events led Macy Sorensen to walk away from the boy she'd come to love. In that time, she's become a doctor. Her days in pediatrics keep her extremely busy. She's happy, but she's never truly forgotten Elliot Petropolous. She and Elliot were best friends for years. Elliot's the reason Macy was able to finally move on following her mother's death. He's also the first boy to break her heart. The unbelievable happens one day when she's in a coffee shop with her best friend. She spies Elliot in the same shop. Befor

Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Graydon House Author: Kelly Rimmer Release Date: April 3, 2018 Two publishers come to mind when I name favorites. Lake Union Publishing is one, but Graydon House has quickly found its way to the top of my list. The publisher's selection of women's fiction novels continues to impress. Before I Let You Go broke my heart over and over again. Kelly Rimmer is an author you need to discover. Lexie has achieved a level of success despite her past. After her father's death, her family life spiraled. She moved on 20 years ago. She's now a successful doctor and is engaged to the man of her dreams, who also happens to be a doctor. When she left home at 16, she had to leave her younger sister behind. Her sister has always been a part of her life. Annie comes and goes from Lexie's world when it suits her. For Lexie, Annie's 2 a.m. cry for help is just another sign that Annie's once again trying to cause havoc. She wants

Setting: Genre: Cozy Mystery Publisher: Berkley Author: Jenn McKinlay Release Date: April 3, 2018 I fell in love with culinary mysteries while pregnant with my daughter. I picked up a Diane Mott Davidson novel at my parents' house and was hooked. I'd soon caught up with that series and moved to authors like Joanne Fluke. Wedding Cake Crumble is a culinary mystery with some fantastic recipes included at the back of the book. I've tucked them away to use when I make the cupcakes for my son's wedding this summer. The bourbon cupcakes are one that really interests me. Mel Cooper and her bakery are busy preparing for different events. Most importantly is Mel's best friend and business partner's upcoming wedding. Angie and Tate are days from their big day and hope everything goes perfectly. Things take a turn south when the people hired to work on their wedding start turning up dead. Their photographer and limo driver are just the beginning. Angie'

Setting: Wyoming Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Harlequin Special Edition Author: Melissa Senate Release Date: April 1, 2018 Six months ago, Liam Mercer learned a past girlfriend was expecting his child. When she died in childbirth, he became a single dad in a hurry. It's a role he's cherished. Meanwhile, Shelby Ingalls has been a single mom when her baby's father left her for another woman. She dotes on her young son. The pair winds up being closer than imagined. On that fateful night, a storm knocked the power out as a tree fell on a hospital wing. In the resulting chaos, a nurse accidentally put the wrong bracelet on each newborn boy. The boy Liam loves is Shelby's son, and it's vice versa for Shelby.  Both want to be an active part in their natural child's life, but they can't give up the child they've raised for six months. Liam comes up with what seems like the perfect solution. They'll marry, adopt the children, a