Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

Release Date: September 18, 2018 Willa Bellemore was shocked when her close friend and employee died. Knowing that May May had no family, Willa steps up and adopts May May's teen daughter Nell. Willa's daughter, Lady, and Nell grew up together anyway and are already as close as sisters. At the age of 16, something happened that tore them apart. Willa never understood what happened. The girls never talked about it. Nell left for college and shut Willa and Lady out. Many decades have passed. Both Lady and Willa are moms of teens. Willa is diagnosed with cancer and is convinced she's dying. Before her final breath, she wants to reunite with Nell and bring her family back together. Doing so will make all of the women go back to the events that changed them. A lot of the story in Nell and Lady involves racism. There are parts that may make you think of the current #metoo movement. As time progresses, abuse, alcoholism, and anxiety/panic attacks are added to the mix.

Release Date - August 31, 2018 Years earlier, Elaine suffered the worst pain a mother could endure. Her infant son vanished. He's returned to her and his kidnappers are jailed. Seven years later, Elaine must face a new pain. Her son is diagnosed with leukemia. Worse, blood tests reveal he is not their son at all. Despite her love for her son, she cannot help but wonder. If this isn't Jakob, whose child does she have? What happened to his parents, and why is her husband hiding stuff from her? It's clear there is a bit of a complex mystery in The Found Child . I found myself torn, however. I wanted to buy that Elaine was a doting mom, but she did a lot of things that had me questioning her. She takes off while her son is undergoing cancer treatments. She's gone for hours at a time, if not a full day, and never really seems to be too torn apart that she's left him in the hospital with the husband she's suspicious of and a sister who seems to hate her. I

Release Date - September 25, 2018 This isn't my first time in Eternity Springs, but this one had me crying the hardest. I think it hit the fears the "mom" in me would experience in Jenna's shoes. The Christmas Wishing Tree is a strong, addicting contemporary romance, but it does have aspects of romantic suspense, too. Devin Murphy's family is all in Eternity Springs. He adores them and visits as often as possible. It's not easy when he's half a world away in Australia. During a Christmas visit, his phone gets a call from a young boy who wants to talk to Santa. Devin connects with the boy and continues to take his calls. All the boy wants is a dad for Christmas. Jenna Stockton does everything she can to keep her adopted son safe. She's gained the unwanted attention of a stalker and it needs to end, but she's powerless to stop it. The attacks are stepping up. From slashed tires to dozens of pizzas showing up at her house, she's having a

Release Date - September 25, 2018 Many years ago, Suzanne became a guardian to three young girls. She's wanted nothing more than to keep those girls from experiencing heartbreak again. With the help of her Scottish beau, they raised three smart women, but the past has a way of staying on the mind. This Christmas, Suzanne wants to get the family together for a Scottish Highlands Christmas no one will forget. Beth is a devoted mom, but she longs for something more. Her two daughters wear her out. When an old boss offers her the job of a lifetime, she expects her husband to be thrilled. He's not. Upset and uncertain she and her husband have the same dreams, she takes off for Scotland to have time to herself before the family gathers for Christmas. Hannah is a successful businesswoman who has no time for love. Her boyfriend of six months seems perfect, but Hannah doesn't believe in happily ever after. She can't handle a surprising revelation, so she flees to Scotla

Release Date - September 11, 2018 Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz have a book that caught my eye. The cover design is eye-catching and drew me in. The story is okay, but it's not as gripping as I hoped. I didn't feel an urge to keep reading at any moment in the book. Since her father's death, Memphis "M" Engel has dealt with her new life. She has guardians who have moved in and taken over her home. She's not thrilled with them. When Ashwin "Ash" Sood shows up, a mystery man that proves irritating yet intriguing, she can't help but insist she join him on a quest. Ash has proof her father is alive and being held captive. A dangerous sect wants the information on a map M possesses. Only her knowledge of ancient languages and symbols can help find the relic some desire to possess. M has no idea if she can really trust Ash, but she must save her father and Ash is the only one who can lead her to him. I Do Not Trust You kind of says it all

Release Date - September 11, 2018 Love, love, love the premise to Lies , T. M. Logan's debut novel. "What if your whole life was based on lies?"  That said, I also find that that line alone was one of the reasons I so easily guessed what was going on in this novel. I was prepared for shocking twists, but I had the mystery pegged very early into the story. That was a bit of a letdown. Joe Lynch and his wife, Mel, have what seems to be the perfect marriage. While driving their son back to the house, young Wills spots his mom's car. They decide to surprise her and follow her to a hotel where they spy her having an argument with Mel's friend's husband.  When Mel rushes off without acknowledging Joe, he's baffled. He goes to talk to Ben to see what the argument was about. He ends up pushing Ben, who falls and hits his head. Wills has an asthma attack in the process and the inhaler is missing. Joe must choose between getting Wills the help he

Release Date - September 18, 2018 As a jilted bride, Natalie Kaleta has put her heart and soul into the gallery where she works. Her job has her heading up the mountain to check on Ronan Mitchell. He is a reclusive glass artist. The truth is that Natalie finds him almost scary. It's her job though, and she needs the income to pay off the wedding expenses her groom walked away from. When a storm causes a mudslide, Natalie's stuck in Ronan's fascinating home. She can't help but admit that there's more to the reclusive man than she expected. In fact, she finds him downright appealing. Ronan is nursing his own level of hurt. It's a key reason he prefers to be alone. He's not about to make a guest miserable, however. He opens up his home and a bit of his personality to Natalie. It isn't long before he finds himself wishing his attraction to her could be something more. It certainly can't happen though, no matter how much he finds himself wanting

Release Date: September 4, 2018 Mary Kubica and Jojo Moynes are two authors I will not miss. If they have a new release coming out, I know I will read it. Mary Kubica just released When the Lights Go Out , and it sounded just as intriguing as her other novels. I was ready to go. Jessie Sloane's mom is in the final stages of a battle against cancer. Jessie is exhausted. She put her life on hold to care for her mom. She can't imagine not wanting to be there. When her mom finally succumbs to the cancer that's ravaged her, Jessie must finally live her life. She's able to find an apartment she can afford. She's ready to go to college. The college, however, informs her that her SSN is invalid. Jessie doesn't exist. What begins is her quest to figure out who she is. If she's not really Jessie Sloane, what could it mean? As exhausted as she is, Jessie cannot take time to sleep. She must figure out where she came from and why her mother lied to her for all

Release Date - September 4, 2018 Sadie Hunter disappeared not too long after her younger sister's body was found. The case captures the attention of radio producer West McCray when he comes to Cold Creek, Colorado, to record his "Forgotten Towns" segment. He has mixed feelings about investigating a girl's murder and another girl's disappearance, but he's also drawn to the case. He wants to know what became of 19-year-old Sadie. Growing up, Sadie was more a mother figure to her sister than anything else. Sadie saw it as her job to protect, nurture, and love Mattie. When 13-year-old Mattie died, Sadie's world fell apart. Her grandmother couldn't do anything to help. Sadie developed one clear goal. The police may not have done a great job, but that won't stop Sadie from uncovering the truth. Armed only with a knife and cash, Sadie takes off. West hears of the family's story at a gas station. He's intrigued and opts to take a closer lo

Release Date - September 4, 2018 Dare You to Lie is a book with which I'll have a love-hate relationship. First, it's clearly the start of a new series. I wasn't prepared to walk away with almost more questions than I had at the start. That's the "hate" aspect of this review. No. Sorry. I just don't want to wait to find out what happens next. Am I eager for the next release, you bet. I feel like I'm in one of those cliffhanger endings to a favorite TV show and now have to wait months or even a year to get some resolution. With much of her hometown turned against her, Kylene Danners is back. She's at her old high school. The same football team that made her life hell are still ready to make her life hell. This time, it's harder. Her father, a former FBI agent, is in prison for a crime Kylene knows he didn't commit. Proving it isn't easy. For now, Kylene needs to settle into her new home with her grandfather, get through school,

Release Date - September 21, 2018 I've been a fan of cozy mysteries since my mom handed me a Diane Mott Davidson novel. In Cold Chocolate was clearly not the first in the series, but I caught up easily enough. It also wasn't long before my mouth was watering for salted chocolate turtles, spicy truffles, and more. I can't wait to test out the two recipes in the back of the novel. This is the third book in the series. Charity Penn is finding her place in the small beach town of Camellia Beach, South Carolina. Her handsome neighbor and his son are still becoming good friends, much to the dismay of the man's ex/boy's mother. Jody Dalton makes it clear that she dislikes Charity. Jody also seems to be very gleeful when announcing that Charity's lie is going to have her losing everything. Charity has no idea what she's talking about. It's time for the turtles to hatch on the beach. Charity is invited to tag along and watch. She ends up stumbling onto

Release Date - August 14, 2018 I haven't read any of the novels in the Rosato & DiNunzio series until now. I'm sad I've been missing out. Feared was a gripping read. Mary DiNunzio has plenty on her plate. She and her partner Bennie Rosato have a big case coming up. Mary's in the final trimester of pregnancy, too. The last thing they need is to be hit with a lawsuit. It's a discrimination lawsuit at that. Three men have come forward and said they were not hired by the firm because they're male. Nick Machiavelli is leading the suit against them. He lost to Mary once and doesn't plan to lose again. He's ruthless. When the one male employee at Rosato & DiNunzio admits he's felt out of place as the only male in the firm and then quits, the case looks hopeless. When he turns up dead, things spiral out of control. Mary's friend is the prime suspect. If she can't clear the firm of any wrongdoing and clear her friend of the murder,