Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

Release Date: May 15, 2018 Twin sisters separated at birth. One grew up in a life of privilege. One grew up in poverty. A chilling request could change the poverty-stricken sister's life. Mallory Holcolm grew up in poverty with her mother. She currently makes ends meet by waitressing and living in a boardinghouse, but she's never enjoyed that struggle. When she learns she has a twin sister named Charly, she's stunned. While Mallory has struggled to keep food on the table and a roof over her head, Charly's had it very easy and doesn't appreciate all she has. Her husband, Ben, is tired of Charly and her ability to keep him from doing what he wants. When Mallory meets Ben, he offers her everything she could dream of. All she has to do is study Charly and be ready to step into Charly's world. Ben will take care of everything else. When everything starts to play out, Mallory has her own ideas. She could easily turn the tables and change Ben's game in a

Release Date: May 15, 2018 Dr. Eric Darcy returns and this time the case is very personal. When an obstetrician he knows is found dead, he finds himself drawn, almost unwillingly, into the case by his nemesis, Dr. Jeremiah Schwartz. Eric is tired of this doctor copying everything he does until he learns a mental health issue causes the doctor to emulate him. With a new perspective, he can't help but get involved in the supposed suicide of Dr. Alison Abrams. Dr. Abrams car is found outside the home of a radio talk show host/psychologist that Eric's never liked. When he learns his late wife had seen Dr. Abrams before she died, he's stunned. Something seems off about two women dying in such a short time. That one of them was his wife is most concerning. Eric dives in to uncover the truth about why his wife was seeing this doctor and what it all means. The Case of the Desperate Doctor is the third book in the Safe Harbor Medical Mystery Series. I found myself hooked f

Release Date: May 10, 2018 Hoping to get inspiration for his next novel, horror writer Lucas heads to the town where he lived as a young child. He books a stay at a writer's retreat at a creepy home in the woods. He has no idea what he's about to experience. Julia's daughter vanished two years ago. Her stuffed cat was found floating in the river, so her husband dove in to find the girl, but he drowned. Julia lost her entire family in one tragic afternoon. While everyone says her daughter died, her gut instinct is that the girl is still alive. No one believes her. Lucas hears Julia's story and starts to wonder what really happened. The more he looks into the case, the weirder things get. He and other writers start hearing voices. They hear people moving around in rooms that are empty. Some even see ghosts wandering in the woods. Lucas and Julia are determined to unravel the mysteries going on in this small town, but someone or something is equally determined to

Warmer weather may be slowly getting to some of us in the northern states, but it really is coming. Now's the perfect time to start your search for summer beach reads. You know those books you bring to the beach and just can't put down. I've got a great book for you. Best of all, you can win a copy of your very own! Melissa Leet's Landslide is the story of besties growing up in a secluded mountain community. From the publisher ( Antrim House ): Landslide is the story of  Jill and her lifelong friend, Susie, who grow up in a remote mountain garden. The Garden's realm has many rooms, each a showcase of designs by Jill's mother. When tragedy strikes in the Garden, how does a child find the resilience to go on? Alternating between Jill's childhood and adult life,  Landslide  depicts the adventure that happens when life is lived full out, regardless of consequences. As the girls come of age, mature, and find love, the Garden is a constant, reverberating

Chapter 1 - Landslide Garden “ Jill,” Mom called. “Breakfast!” I stepped into the chilly air, carrying Lionel. When I was four, Jay had given Lionel to me to look after me while he was away. When we were little, I would push Lionel in carriages, and dress him in baby clothes. Now that we were ten, Lionel was my equal, and he stood guard when he was needed. Mom said whoever loved me must also love Lionel, as he would be getting a twofer when he got married. I didn’t want to get married. If I could, I’d stay here in our garden forever. When I found Mom, she was by the Scented Beds. Her long auburn hair shined copper where it was free from her hat’s darkening shadow. On the nearby mosaic table, my favourite French toast waited warm. Mom had cookie-cut the toast into lion shapes decorated with brown and yellow icing manes, iced blue eyes, and brown, sprinkled sugar noses. Our glass house strawberries ringed the plate like a frame. In a mug, mini marshmallows floated atop ste

Release Date: June 5, 2018 Think about your favorite book. Now that you're thinking of that, think about the character's life. How many of your favorite character's indulge in a food that has your mouth watering? How many times have you become hungry as you read about a character enjoying a snack, meal, or beverage? Maybe you find yourself wanting to know about the frequently mentioned Lane Cake in To Kill a Mockingbird. Perhaps you love the thought of Butterbeer from Harry Potter. If you think about food while you read, this is a book you can't skip as that's what  A Literary Tea Party  is all about. In this book, you'll whip up tasty snacks that are inspired by a select number of books. For example, there's a recipe for Blood Orange Scones that are inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Serve those with some London Fog Lattes at a Sherlock Holmes book group. Fans of Agatha Christie can hold a book reading group and serve tasty snacks like "Pocket Ful

Release Date: May 15, 2018 Gilly O'Connell left her home to start anew. She "saw" her husband's murder before it happened, but even when she sees something in a dream, people don't always listen. After losing him and their unborn child, she spiraled out of control. She's clean again and ready to start over. Her move to a small town is the first step. She takes a job as a waitress where she quickly grows fond of a Wednesday regular and his three-year-old daughter. Their pancake breakfasts always lead to Gilly telling the young girl a story. That connection could be her downfall, however, when she spaces out and sees the young girl's kidnapping. When she learns it is true, she hasn't seen enough to pinpoint exactly who stole the girl, but her knowledge makes her a suspect. With the father's pleas to help him find her, Gilly agrees to see if she's able to harness her dreams and figure out who did it and where the girl is. It's not tha

Release Date - May 8, 2018 Cari Noga's The Orphan Daughter seems incredibly timely. As some in our current government have crowds riled up thinking Mexican's are all illegals and need to be shipped back over the border, this presents a more honest take. I live in an area where migrants work on farms. They do the jobs few others will do for what seems like a criminally low rate of pay. Farm workers are often up and working by 3 a.m. and must be outside for hours in the sun and humidity. Jane McCardle has overcome loss. Her stillborn daughter was the first of many heartbreaks. Since her son joined the military and her husband left her for another woman, Jane's been an empty nester. She's turned things around and operates an organic farm in Michigan. Another curve is thrown her way when she learns she's the guardian of her newly orphaned pre-teen niece, Lucy. Lucy is a city girl. Her life in New York with an au pair and two loving parents is everything to her

Release Date: May 8, 2018 I only got to read a snippet of Undead Girl Gang . I really wish I'd had the whole book in front of me. It's snarky, fun, and hooks you from the start. At the heart of the story is Mila Flores. She doesn't fit in and she doesn't care. All that matters to her is her best friend Riley, a fellow believer in witchcraft. When Riley is found dead in a local creek, Mila refuses to buy it's a suicide. Riley was her BFF. They'd been together just moments before Riley died. There's no way Riley would kill herself, and Mila is willing to cast a spell that brings Riley back to life if it means solving Riley's murder. That's what is revealed in the few chapters I received via Netgalley. In reading the blurb, there's more. Once she revives Riley and two other teens who recently died, they can't remember how they died. The spell only lasts for seven days, so Mila needs to work fast to find the murderer. Mila is snarky an

Release Date: May 29, 2018 Genre: Psychological Suspense Ruth Ware is one of my author's to watch. Her books never fail to draw me in and hold me essentially captive until I'm done the last page. The Death of Mrs. Westaway is another solid, very suspenseful read. I thought I had it figured out, but I was partially wrong. I always love being kept guessing. Since her mom's death, Hal's been struggling. She struggles to draw enough business and debt is piling up. When one of her lenders announces that she has a week to pay up or else, Hal's in a state of panic. There's no way she can come up with that money, but the thought of "or else" is equally terrifying. Things take an unusual turn when she receives a mysterious letter stating her grandmother has died. She's been asked to attend the funeral and the inheritance she's due. There's a problem, however, Hal's grandmother died a very long time ago. While she's convinced this

Genre: Contemporary Romance Publisher: Harlequin Release Date: May 22, 2018 All it takes is one very rude, very unreasonable client for Brianna Mannion to decide it's time to go home. She's had a very profitable career working in the hotel industry. She's ready to return to her hometown and figure out what to do next. It isn't long before she decides to buy an old Victorian home she's loved since childhood. Her plan is to turn it into a bed and breakfast. Brianna's headstrong and knows she can make it work. Even if it means working with the best local contractor in town. A man she's been in love with since they were both teens. Seth Harper married Brianna's best friend. He's a widower now, but she needs to keep this completely professional if she's going to turn the bed and breakfast into a thriving business. Seth has no plans to ever remarry. Something about Brianna, however, just feels right. While his brain is happy saying no, his h

Setting: Los Angeles Genre: Teen Romance Publisher: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux Author: Maurene Goo Release Date: May 8, 2018 Her mom travels regularly. It's her dad that's raised her. Clara Shin has been raised to think for herself, not back down, and be independent. Those same traits cause Clara to push boundaries and generally annoy certain others. One of those "certain others" is a classmate and enemy named Rose Carver. Rose is a snob. She's stuck up and generally unpleasant. When Clara is jokingly nominated for prom queen, Rose demands Clara back out. This makes Clara work harder than ever to win. She does and her resulting "joke" winds up backfiring in glorious fashion. As punishment, both Clara and Rose are forced to spend the summer working together on Clara's dad's food truck. This experience is more than Clara bargains for. She finds herself actually enjoying working with Rose. She meets a guy and starts experiencing the jo

Setting: Paris Genre: Women's Fiction Publisher: Velvet Morning Press Author: K.S.R. Burns Release Date: May 1, 2018 After her best friend died, Amy left for Paris without informing anyone. Her husband may not have understood, but Amy needed to regroup. It's been several months of embracing a relaxed, yet unsettled lifestyle in France. The problem is Amy is pregnant, and she's yet to tell her husband, who is half a world away. When Amy learns her husband is back in Paris to find her, she becomes panicked. How will she explain what she's been keeping from him? That's just the start of her problems. Someone else returns to town and is determined to force Amy into leaving the circle of friends she's come to love. Paris Ever After  is a sequel. I found myself longing to be in Paris based on the author's descriptions. I've never had any urge to go to Paris before, so that impressed me. Amy's character isn't my favorite. I do think she nee

Setting: Rumford, KY Genre: A Southern Cake Baker Mystery Publisher: Crooked Lane Books Release Date: May 8, 2018 After finding the love of her life in a compromising position, Sophia Cummings flees for her hometown. A bit of a break from New York City is in the cards right now. She'll take a few days for herself and then return to a new job in the city. At home, Sophia finds herself in the middle of a mystery. A long-time friend's upcoming wedding runs into a big glitch when the baker backs out. As a pastry chef, Sophia offers to create a dream cake. That's just the start. A local chef winds up murdered. Sophia also agrees to help an old boss run the kitchen until a replacement is found. Now that she's thoroughly involved in her old community's culinary world, Sophia can't help but wonder who killed the chef. Her former boss is the key suspect, and Sophia knows there is no way. With the local detective honed in on her boss, Sophia decides to do her

Genre: Children's Picture Book Publisher: Chronicle Books Release Date: March 2018 My kids are way beyond picture books. That didn't stop us from all wanting A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo . I'll buy it for any future grandchildren, even if they could be 10 years down the road. The book is necessary and supports two fantastic non-profits: AIDS United and The Trevor Project. Marlon lives in a big house with his owners the Pence family. Marlon finds life within the house pretty boring. He also finds the vice president's schedule and discussions to be boring. Things change when he goes outside to explore the garden. He makes a friend. With Wesley by his side, Marlon sees life differently. He feels amazing. He knows what it is like to love someone. He wants to get married, but the big Stink Bug says no. The Stink Bug says that marriage between two people of the same gender is wrong. It's unnatural and cannot happen he spouts. Wesley and Marlon and their fr

Genre: Cookbook/Homebrewing Publisher: Voyageur Press Release Date: May 8, 2018 I love, love, love this book. The Brew Your Own Big Book of Clone Recipes is a must-have for any homebrewer. While I'm sure some of these clone recipes can be found online, the book is packed with pictures, helpful information, and step-by-step instructions. With many of my favorite Vermont beers found within, I know this is a book I'll buy for myself and for homebrewing family members. Amazon has a sample page you can view, but it doesn't really cover the recipes you'll find within. There are 300 in all, and they include brewers from all over the country. I really got excited by recipes for: The Alchemist's Focal Banger - Forget Heady Topper, this beer is my favorite! If you like Heady, there's a clone recipe for it, too. Hill Farmstead's Abner - I wish there had been Edward or Susan, but Abner's not a bad way to go. Trillium's Fort Point Pale Ale - Th

Genre: Christian Historical Romance Publisher: Harlequin Author: Rhonda Gibson Release Date: May 8, 2018 If you're looking for a short, touching romance, Baby on Her Doorstep is worthwhile. It's a Christian historical romance set in the west. While there were aspects that got a bit much for me, I found it enjoyable despite those intruding thoughts. Laura Lee is a widow and happens to be a pretty popular teacher. As summer break begins, her life takes an incredible turn. Someone leaves a baby with a note asking her to raise the little girl as her own. After a trip to the sheriff's office, Laura learns she can keep the child for now. Clearly, the note writer wanted Laura to gain custody. The sheriff says he'll try to find the baby's parents, but he can't see why the court won't eventually make sure that she becomes the adoptive parent. There's one issue that remains. Laura lives in the boardinghouse and babies are not allowed. She has until th