Category: Women’s Fiction

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Lost Photograph by Archana Maniar

THE LOST PHOTOGRAPH

by Archana Maniar

October 12 – November 6, 2026 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LOST PHOTOGRAPH by Archana Maniar on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my mini book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a PICT giveaway. Enjoy and good luck!

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Book Description

A forgotten photograph. A trailblazing ancestor. And a modern woman about to discover that her family’s past holds the key to her future.

When overworked surgeon Jaanvi Chowdhury finds a mysterious photograph and a small stack of letters hidden in her Boston attic, she uncovers the remarkable story of her great-aunt Kalyani Joshi–one of the first Indian women to study medicine in 1920s London.

As Jaanvi pieces together her ancestor’s life, she discovers Kalyani’s experience of colonial oppression, her role in India’s fight for independence, and her unlikely connection with a Scottish missionary’s son, Alexander. Drawn together by their passion for literature, Kalyani and Alexander will risk everything for a free India, putting their loyalty, love, and choices to the test.

Navigating between past and present, Jaanvi confronts her own struggles. Passed over for promotion, she has lost sight of why she became a doctor. But as she learns how fiercely Kalyani fought for each opportunity–and the price she paid–Jaanvi begins to question her own carefully constructed life. Can her great-aunt’s unprecedented story help her reclaim not just her purpose in medicine but her sense of who she truly is?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247591124-the-lost-photograph?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IUI2WHipdx&rank=1#?ref=nav_comm

TheLost Photograph

Genre: Historical Fiction with Contemporary Themes
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: September 15, 2026
Number of Pages: 399
ISBN: 9781662528729 (ISBN10: 1662528728)

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE LOST PHOTOGRAPH by Archana Maniar is an engaging dual timeline story set both in the present following a talented female Indian heritage surgeon, Jaanvi, and in the late 1920s in India following her ancestor, Kalyani, and Scottish immigrant, Alexander. This is a story that conveys a compelling narrative about two women in society, past and present, and their struggles in both. While this is a dual timeline book, the story is told in three POVs.

Both the descriptive writing and historical research bring both timelines to life. They are also intertwined perfectly. My slight problem while reading this, and while I realize it was probably necessary, was the use of so many Indian words throughout which took me out of the flow of the story at times. That said though, this is a story that is rich in Indian culture and history that is worth working through the vocabulary. The romantic subplot between Kalyani and Alexander added to the stakes and tension in the historical timeline.

I recommend this story of two women’s struggles and triumphs in the times and societies they inhabit.

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Excerpt

Chapter 1 

Jaanvi 

Massachusetts, August 2019 

If there was one thing that Jaanvi Chowdhury couldn’t endure these days, it was stillness. She had taken the week off to rest. On Saturday, she’d managed to sleep in until 6.30 a.m.  On Sunday, she’d briefly reclined in a hammock with a novel. She had even gone for a massage  and manicure on Monday. But by Tuesday, she was climbing the walls of her old Massachusetts  colonial, desperate for something to do. Jaanvi took in a whiff of fumes from her so-called VOC free paint and sighed. Clearly, the concept of a staycation was lost on her. 

Instead of relaxing, she had painted the whole house this week—Pewter Gray, Retro  Mint, Secret Cove, and even the more risqué Berry Frappe. But as she glanced around the living  room on Friday night, she realized that neither the new colors that graced her walls nor the smell  of fresh paint that permeated her house evoked the sense of renewal that she had hoped for. 

She’d planned the time off back in May, after a rough patch at work. As a general surgeon  at a local community hospital, she had seen her patient load explode after a nearby hospital was  shuttered. In her mid-career, she’d borne the brunt of the work—experienced enough to handle a  variety of complex cases that her younger colleagues might shy away from, energetic enough to  keep up with the demands of the operating room that older colleagues had grown weary of. But  the workload left little spare time. Each day was an exercise in triage and damage control. Most  of the time, she loved the adrenaline rush of handling surgical emergencies but increasingly, she  felt as though something in her life was off. What it was she could not name. At one point, after a  particularly grueling week dealing with gangrenous gall bladders and perforated colons, her 

husband, Gautam, had suggested she take a week off. Take some time for yourself, he’d said. At  that point, the staycation had seemed like a good idea. 

Now, as she surveyed the room strewn as it was with canvas furniture covers, empty paint  cans, varying sizes of excess baseboard, wads of used painter’s tape, and misshapen, half-dried  paint trays, she wondered if it actually was. If anything, she’d be working later into the night  tidying up after her painting misadventure than if she had just gone to work. She shook her head.  What on Earth was she thinking? 

She gathered several unwieldy pieces of extra baseboard and unsteadily made her way up  the stairs to stow them in the attic. The floorboards creaked with familiarity under her feet,  flooding her with memories of countless trips up into the cavernous storage space. Jaanvi had  grown up in the very same house, here in Worcester, Massachusetts. She and Gautam had moved  into the colonial with their twin sons, Akash and Varun, when her parents had relocated to a  nearby retirement community. She loved the house, from its exacting symmetries and quaint  dormer windows to its Shaker cabinets and ornate crown molding, to the ample backyard perfect  for their golden retrievers, Mirchu and Meetu. 

Still, as she made her way up the time-worn steps to the attic, she took pause. Long ago,  during his Ouija board days, her brother Rakesh had been curious about the dusty place,  convinced he’d make a fortune discovering some old treasure from the Revolutionary War days,  perhaps with the help of a long-dead resident. Jaanvi, on the other hand, was certain he’d  awakened phantasms bent on vengeance that continued to lurk among the rafters. 

She balanced the baseboard in one hand and opened the diminutive attic door. Greeted to  a burst of stale air, she ducked to enter. She switched on the hanging lightbulb, taking a quick  look around the disheveled, crowded space, rife with creatures with more than four legs and God 

only knew what else. Boxes were strewn in every direction, some stacked together in a seeming  attempt at organization, others solitary and uncategorized. Making sure that the baseboard  cleared the door, Jaanvi veered slightly to the right and navigated her way to the far side of the  attic where she laid the material against the wall. She’d hardly been there for a few minutes, and  the place was giving her the creeps. Eager to make an exit, she didn’t notice the stack of  precariously perched boxes behind her, colliding squarely into them and losing her balance. As  she tried to right herself, three boxes promptly slid off one another and crashed on to the floor.  All manner of photographs, knick-knacks, baubles and trinkets came spilling out. 

“Damned ataxia!” she muttered, cursing everything from her utter lack of coordination to  her half-baked idea to paint the house to the unkempt nature of her attic, and then chiding herself  for breaking her ten-day expletive-free streak. 

She shook her head, surveying the mess. This would take forever to clean up. She had  planned to have a full, home-cooked dinner ready for Gautam and the boys when they got home  from Varun’s basketball game; instead, as usual, she’d barely have a pot of water boiling before  they arrived. Some mother she was. 

She crouched down and began to shove the wayward whatnots back into the boxes, still  scolding herself. Initially, she gathered the photos from the floor without paying much mind to  their provenance. Turning one of the images over so it was right side up, she realized she was  holding a black-and-white photograph. It had to be old—very old—judging by its creased,  yellowed edges. In the snapshot were three women, two white and one Indian. Their arms were  locked around one another and they wore generous smiles, as if the image had been captured  right after one of them had cracked a private joke. Jaanvi couldn’t help but smile as well. The  friendship between them seemed to jump off the vintage photo paper.

She dropped to the floor into a seated position, dust bunnies scurrying from under her,  painting project and dinner entirely forgotten, as she studied the Indian woman more closely.  Jaanvi felt like she was looking at a replica of herself; the only distinguishing difference was that  the woman in the photograph wore a diminutive golden ring in her nose and a bindi on her  forehead. In the background Jaanvi noticed a bricks-and-mortar building bearing a sign that read  “London School of Medicine for Women”. She looked at the back of the image and noted a  scrawled inscription: “Kalyani, Emma and Elizabeth. London 1928”. 

Jaanvi turned the photo over and stared again at her doppelgänger. 

Kalyani? Could this be the same Kalyani she’d heard mentioned a few times over family  get-togethers—the long-lost aunt that nobody in the family seemed to know much about? What  was she doing posing in front of the London School of Medicine for Women? 

Jaanvi shook her head. Honestly, she never paid much mind to the old Joshi family lore.  She wasn’t sure how much of the stories to believe, and unlike the other laboriously detailed  Joshi yarns, this one was rarely discussed and exceptionally vague. Jaanvi scratched her head.  Was it possible that Kalyani had attended medical school in London back in 1928? Jaanvi would  have assumed that women, especially Indian women, wouldn’t have been allowed to in those  days, but here was photographic evidence of an entire school dedicated to women in pursuit of  just that line of study. 

She scrutinized the image again. There was something about the aesthetic, something  about the vitality memorialized in the exposure that mesmerized her. She thought about the skill  of the photographer who’d taken the snap. They’d not only considered the lighting, symmetry,  and spacing but read the very mood of the moment. Then again, perhaps it was just a matter of  luck. In the vacuous hush of the attic, a wave of nostalgia swept over Jaanvi. One of her 

photography professors in college used to say just that. The most memorable photographs are  usually a matter of serendipity. 

That was a lifetime ago. 

Brushing off her reminiscences, she glanced at the snapshot and then out of the dormer  window. The summer sun was descending languidly, as if it were willing to give her the luxury  of time for more discoveries. But Jaanvi had lost track of the hour. Mirchu and Meetu still  needed to be fed, and then she had to get some semblance of dinner ready for the family. 

She considered the remaining items lying spilled out across the floor and began placing  them back into their boxes, her discovery encouraging her to handle the rest with more care.  Standing up, she took stock of the mess of boxes around her, slid the photo into the oversized  pocket of her flannel shirt, and made her way out of the attic. Apparently, there was more to the  room than dust bunnies, six-legged creatures, and phantasms bent on revenge. Maybe tomorrow  she’d ditch the dirty paint brushes and rollers and come back to explore the eerie alcove instead. Relief washed over Jaanvi. Finally, she had something else to do with her time off.

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Author Bio

Born near Chicago to immigrants from India, Archana Maniar relocated with her parents to Mumbai at age four. After the culture shock abated, she fell in love with her parents’ homeland until chance brought the family to California. During vacations and family occasions, Mumbai was a frequent destination. She attended college at University of California, Los Angeles where she studied political theory and biology before attending medical school at the University of California, Davis. As a professor of medicine and practicing infectious diseases physician, she was a frontline healthcare worker from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and was deeply involved in health system pandemic preparedness. Always a writer in the margins of her day, storytelling became an obsession during her medical career, a way to process her observations about human nature during health, stress, and sickness. With a stubborn case of wanderlust, when she is not working or writing, she is usually traveling somewhere with her family. The Lost Photograph is her second novel.

Social Media Links

www.ArchanaManiarBooks.com
Instagram – @archanamaniar
Facebook – @Archana Maniar

Purchae Links

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PICT GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.review/GE7ZPOXo

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Feature Post and Book Review: Daughter Of Egypt by Marie Benedict

Book Description

In the 1920s, archeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle made headlines around the world with the discovery of the treasure-filled tomb of the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But behind it all stood Lady Evelyn Herbert—daughter of Lord Carnarvon—whose daring spirit and relentless curiosity made the momentous find possible.

Nearly 3,000 years earlier, another woman defied the expectations of her time: Hatshepsut, Egypt’s lost pharaoh. Her reign was bold, visionary—and nearly erased from history.

When Evelyn becomes obsessed with finding Hatshepsut’s secret tomb, she risks everything to uncover the truth about her reign and keep valued artifacts in Egypt, their rightful home. But as danger closes in and political tensions rise, she must make an impossible choice: protect her father’s legacy—or forge her own.

Propelled by high adventure and deadly intrigue, Daughter of Egypt is the story of two ambitious women who lived centuries apart. Both were forced to hide who they were during their lifetimes, yet ultimately changed history forever.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231127315-daughter-of-egypt?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=isZR3yLPsu&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

DAUGHTER OF EGYPT by Marie Benedict is an informative as well as an engaging dual timeline historical fiction novel featuring a young English woman in search of the tomb of a female Egyptian Pharaoh and the life of said Pharaoh from research and the speculation of an author whose books continually satisfy.

Lady Evelyn Herbert grew up listening and learning about the wonders of Egyptian archeology from her father, Lord Carnarvon, and Howard Carter, the archeologist who ran Lord Carnarvon’s digs. Evelyn becomes obsessed with Hatshepsut; finding her lost tomb and discovering why she was nearly erased from history 3000 years previously.

In the 1920s, Evelyn is allowed to accompany her father and Carter to Egypt. While there is disappointment in their first attempts to uncover Hatshepsut’s tomb, they finally make headlines around the world with their discovery of Tutankhamun’s intact burial chambers.

In the second timeline, Hatshepsut tells her story and even though she reigned over a time of peace and prosperity, she was nearly erased from all history. Her bold and visionary rise as a female pharaoh took political and religious maneuvering, but not all accepted her reign.

This is a compelling take on the lives of two strong, ambitious women who lived centuries apart. I knew nothing about Evelyn accompanying her father and Carter on the digs, so I found that very interesting. I love reading and learning about ancient Egypt and the pharaohs and I found Ms. Benedict’s resolution to Hatshepsut’s story as acceptable as any others I have read about previously.

Ms. Benedict consistently brings one or both of her compelling female protagonists out of the shadows and to readers’ attention. Overall, this is another entertaining historical novel that taught me something new.

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About the Author

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years of experience as a litigator, who found her calling unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. A graduate of Boston College and Boston University School of Law, she is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of DAUGHTER OF EGYPT, THE QUEENS OF CRIME, THE MITFORD AFFAIR, HER HIDDEN GENIUS, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, LADY CLEMENTINE, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, CARNEGIE’S MAID, and THE OTHER EINSTEIN. She has also coauthored with Victoria Christopher Murray the New York Times bestselling THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, a Good Morning America book club pick, and THE FIRST LADIES, Target’s 2023 Book of the Year — and with Courtney Sheinmel, THE SECRETS OF LOVELACE ACADEMY. All have been translated into multiple languages, and many have been selected for national book clubs. Writing as Heather Terrell, Marie also published the historical novels The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, and Brigid of Kildare. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Social Media Links

Website: https://authormariebenedict.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormariebenedict/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormariebenedict/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/daughter-of-egypt-by-marie-benedict

Book Review: The Old Girls’ Network by Judy Leigh

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE OLD GIRLS’ NETWORK by Judy Leigh is an emotional roller coaster of a women’s fiction story with romantic elements featuring a trio of septuagenarians; two very different sisters and the man they befriend after hitting him with their car. I enjoy reading these small village British stories to compare and contrast with small town American stories.

Barbara and Pauline are sisters in their seventies who have never been close in location or attitude. Barbara is strait-laced, opinionated, and bossy, while Pauline is a friendly, open-minded, and homey. After a health scare, Barbara tells her sister she is coming to convalesce at her home in the small village of Winsleigh Green. The two soon begin to have trouble with each other.

When Pauline accidentally knocks down an apparent vagrant, Bisto, with her car, she invites him into her home to recuperate. Now as the three get to know each other they learn to embrace each other, let go of the past, and possibly make the changes they need to embrace fresh starts and new loves.

This is a charming story with three protagonists that will make you laugh, cry, and want to hug them all. And while I loved the main characters, the village members were just as eclectic and fun to follow. To read the changes brought on by both pain and/or love in all the characters’ interactions made this heart wrenching, heartwarming and ultimately very satisfying. It was also nice to see these characters in their 70’s find their HEAs and demonstrate that is never too late to change and find happiness and love.

I recommend this delightful women’s fiction.

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About the Author

I’m Judy Leigh. I’ve lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently I live in Somerset. After teaching theatre, writing lyrics for a punk band and setting up Shakespeare Festivals, I completed an MA in Professional Writing. Since then, I have been writing novels and having the time of my life doing it.

I write ‘golden’ stories that feature characters of all ages, but focus on the lives of older people.

These novels celebrate communities, fun and friendship, love and the power of laughter, the belief that everyone should have another chance at happiness.

I also write under the name of Elena Collins, who was my grandmother. These are dual timeline historical stories, slightly spooky. Writing in this genre gives me the opportunity to focus on history and the lives of women then and now. Please take a look at my Elena Collins author page. I love writing in this genre and I know you’ll enjoy the stories.

I also write cozy crime under the name of JR Leigh. The Morwenna Mutton ‘Seal Bay’ series is set in a beautiful coastal town in Cornwall, and Morwenna is a sixty-something sleuth who gets into mischief solving local crimes.

In my second series, set in beautiful rural France, DI Archie Darling and his trusty Dalmatian companion Juno set off in their camper van to explore the surrounings, but uncover more than they expect.

.Please check out these books – I know you’ll love them.

When I’m not writing, I’m often on the beach or on the moors, walking, doing yoga or travelling. I’m a Reiki healer, a vegan, an interpreter of dreams and an animal lover. I have three black cats and I enjoy sunshine, conversation, laughter, travelling, live music, theatre and football.

Social Media Links

Website: https://judyleigh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judyleighuk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judyrleigh/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-old-girls-network-by-judy-leigh

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Midwife at Ivy Cottage by Rebecca Alexander

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE MIDWIFE AT IVY COTTAGE (Wildflower Secrets Book #4) by Rebecca Alexander on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Imogen holds the faded photograph of a baby up to the golden light by the ivy-covered cottage. Her breath catches. The sweet face reminds her of a child she once cared for… and can never forget. Who is this baby, and why was his photograph hidden here?

After heartbreak turned her world upside down, Imogen was forced to leave her nursing job and the life she had built behind. Now she has come to a beautiful countryside village, where she’s renovating a tumbledown cottage she hopes to call home. She never imagined the wartime secrets it’s hiding. Or that working alongside Jaz, the warm-hearted, handsome local builder with a kind smile, will make her light up in a way she hasn’t for a long time…

Hidden inside the cottage she discovers the photograph of a baby, and the incredible story of Julia, a midwife who once lived at Ivy Cottage. Julia devoted her life to caring for the village’s mothers and babies during World War Two, at a time when every birth was full of danger. Including a tiny infant who she was determined to save…

As Imogen pieces together the little boy’s story and Julia’s extraordinary courage, she begins to confront the loss she has buried for so long. With Jaz by her side, could Ivy Cottage finally be the place where her heart begins to heal?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250518392-the-midwife-at-ivy-cottage?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=bpg5GcdjGq&rank=1

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0GHPZRFGCsocial

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE MIDWIFE AT IVY COTTAGE (Wildflower Secrets Book #4) by Rebecca Alexander is a heartfelt, emotional dual timeline WWII historical fiction and women’s fiction mash-up with romantic elements in the Wildflower Secrets series. While these stories can be read as standalone books, there are many crossover characters in both the historical and present-day timelines which makes it more enjoyable reading them in order and reconnecting with the characters you loved in previous books.

Present Day: Imogen “Immy” and her father have come a long way in renovating the old manor house into a senior home with the help of a local contractor/carpenter, Jasper, “Jaz”. When she investigates the Ivy Cottage behind the manor to hopefully renovate for her personal use, she discovers a picture of a young boy, and she is determined to discover his past with the help of others in the town. He reminds her so much of the patient she lost as a pediatric ICU nurse before coming to help her father.

1940’s: Sister Julia is a trained midwife who survives the bombing of the hospital she works at. She is offered the position of helping evacuees, pregnant mothers and their small babies, billeted throughout the small villages on the moors. She is given the Ivy Cottage to live in behind the manor house. She becomes integral in the lives of many mothers and their babies as well as the young doctor in town to help his father’s practice. When a mother delivers a baby with Downs syndrome, Julia becomes more than professionally involved.

This is a story that is inspiring, heartbreaking, and deeply emotional with two women who are both dedicated professionals as well as troubled by an incident in their lives that could change their future paths. Immy and Julia are both strong women and while they work through personal and/or professional difficulties, they do it with grace. This is just an all-around endearing story with great characters and just the right amount of romance and history. If you have read the previous books and love all the seniors living in the manor, make sure you have tissues ready at the end of the present timeline.

I highly recommend this addition to the Wildflower Secrets series!

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About the Author

Rebecca Alexander was born in Malta and grew up on the south coast of England, becoming a psychologist. She escaped parenting six children to study writing in 2011, and the Secrets series of novels was published in 2013. A Baby’s Bones and sequel followed. Rebecca lives in a haunted 300-year-old cottage in Devon where she grows fruit, paints, and bakes. She reads and writes all sorts of genres, from women’s fiction to fantasy to crime. She is married with four chickens, two grandchildren and a cat.

Mailing List: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/rebecca-alexander

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.rebecca-alexander.co.uk/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6151960.Rebecca_Alexander

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Love Comes in Small Packages by Lori Foster and Maisey Yates

Book Description

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE * LORI FOSTER
Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s really screwed up by finding herself possibly accidentally pregnant, and definitely not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. But telling Knox everything may change . . . well, everything. Especially amid a comedy of pregnancy test errors, a robbery, a cat rescue mission—and the realization that Knox sees her as so much more than a pretty face . . . .

THE RANCHER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY * MAISEY YATES
Ellie Parks helplessly watched her beloved sister, Melanie, spiral into addiction in high school, thanks to her toxic relationship with Ty Porter. Ellie, now a teacher, hasn’t seen Melanie in over a year when she gets a call from Child Protective Services that Melanie has a baby—and she’s surrendered her parental rights. Ellie races to the hospital, but someone’s beat her to it: rodeo champion Clark Porter, the baby’s uncle. Clark’s a good man and he’ll be damned if his niece grows up without him. Until they find a custody solution, Ellie will just have to move into his ranch house. Temporarily. Obviously. Except that they’re attracted to each other. Risking the unconventional family they’re creating is the last thing they need. Then again, if what they feel is deeper than attraction, it may be what they need most . . .

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Elise’s Thoughts

Love Comes in Small Packages is book 2 of the novella anthology by Lori Foster and Maisey Yates. These two short stories, one written by Lori and one written by Maisey, are wonderful reads by two very talented authors. That Special Someone by Lori Foster features characters readers first meet in “The Odd Couple” of the book The Two of Us.

Laylee and Knox are pet-sitting for his brother and her sister. Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s a wreck believing that she is possibly accidentally pregnant, and not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. Readers are once again delighted to have animals in the story
and to find intriguing characters.

A bonus is that this is one of Lori’s benefit books where all of Lori’s advance & royalties will go to the Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter.

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Author Interview with Lori Foster

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Lori Foster: My idea for the story was just to show the topsy-turvy trip a romance can take before it lands where it’s meant to be. Rarely is it smooth. Also, we can fall in love with someone because of things they’ve done for others. We see their heart in how they give to someone, the care they take with different relationships. 

EC: What is the theme of the book/story?

LF: “Love Comes in Small Packages,” meaning love isn’t always a tidal wave that knocks you over. Often, it’s finding common ground over things we love – like children, animals, and good friends.

EC: Did you write the story independently or consult Maisey?

LF: I write every story 100% independently. I’d be a terrible collaborator because I’d want everything my way. Plus, Maisey has her own unique, wonderful voice, and it’s different from mine. (That’s probably true for most authors!)

EC: How would you describe Laylee?

LF: Overall, Laylee uses bravado and a party-vibe to hide her insecurity. Her family often compared her to her studious, very serious twin sister, and she felt she had to live up to the role assigned to her. Yet, she’s also smart, just as her twin is also pretty and lively. Too often parents innocently say things without realizing how it might impact their children later in life.

EC: How would you describe Knox?

LF: Knox is a hard worker, a loyal friend, a family guy – he has a great family – and he wants to settle down. He wants home and hearth, with that one special woman. Finding her was the issue – until he met Laylee. Unfortunately, Laylee didn’t realize that, so she stuck him in the friend zone. Once he was there, she feared losing his friendship if she pushed for more.

EC: How is Laylee different from her twin sister Skye?

LF: She’s far more of a fashion icon, comfortable in crowds, and always ready to have a good time. She’s also a local model, doing well enough to live independently. 

EC: What role did Laylee being possibly pregnant play in the story?

LF: The pregnancy scare was the catalyst to their romance. Knowing a guy would stick with you, even if you were pregnant with someone else’s child, showed Laylee just how much he cared, and how reliable he was for the long term. It also drove home to Knox how important she is to him, no matter what. 

EC: What role did the dogs and cat play in the story?

LF: Pets are a great unifier! If you’re sharing responsibility as “pet sitters,” you’re naturally brought closer together. It also gives insight on how someone nurtures, and the level of their responsibility and reliability. 

EC: How would you describe Laylee and Knox’s relationship?

LF: They were very good friends – biding their time until they could declare their true feelings. The friendship was important to them both, and that alone is a great basis for a relationship. Of course, friendship will only do for so long when you’re in love with someone, and fortunately, they get to work that out in the book. 

EC: How about your next book(s)?

LF: THE LAKE HOUSE was just released May 26th.
It’s the 2nd book in the Firefly Summer series, though each book stands alone. Both Pixie and Brogan have wounds to heal; Pixie is already well on her way, thanks to a big-hearted but tiny town and the wonderful, quirky people who live there. She’s part of a “found family” now, and wants to concentrate on raising her toddler son. Brogan never had much family, until he joined the service, but then he loses his team, his brothers, and finds himself gravely wounded in a hospital. He had little reason to live – until an estranged sister made him guardian of her infant daughter. From the moment he meets Pixie, the young single mother gets a grasp on his heart. Now together, they deal with threats from his past, and the secrets he reveals. I recently finished writing book 3, THE RAINBOW CONNECTION, which will be out next year.

WHEN I FIRST MET YOU will be released July 14th.
It’s the 2nd book in the Family Ties series, and again, each book stands alone.
It shows how first impressions aren’t always accurate, something Kam figures out when Glory has a stalker threatening her life. He steps up to protect her, and as they grow closer, he realizes there are layers to Glory he never expected.
Also, he had a truly awful, abusive childhood before being adopted into a great family. In many ways, Glory helps him to really deal with his past, something he hadn’t yet been able to do.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Book Description

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. In a novel that proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads” (People), they will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242986076-summer-state-of-mind?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=tSxMnaQZfv&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SUMMER STATE OF MIND by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a Southern women’s fiction novel featuring a multi-generational small town southern coastal family, both by love and/or blood, a romance between two people damaged by previous trauma in their lives, and secrets, both past and present, that could destroy or free all involved. This is a book that you will not want to put down as you ride the waves of family and romantic drama.

Daisy Stevens is a burnt-out big city NICU nurse who decides after a personal traumatic experience to attempt a quieter life in a smaller hospital in Cape Carolina, North Carolina. On her first day on the job, the high school baseball coach and his star pitcher run into the ER with a newborn baby barely clinging to life that he found abandoned in a recycle bin behind the high school. Daisy feels an immediate connection to the baby.

Mason Thaysden is from a large multi-generational family in Cape Carolina. He was on the fast track to become an exceptional college baseball pitcher until a bar fight ended his prospects. After many years just surviving, he is now the local high school baseball coach with a team that could possibly win the state championship with the star pitcher Mason has mentored. While he is happy with the success he has nurtured, he still feels unsatisfied with his life.

Daisy and Mason hit it off immediately, but personal and family life decisions and secrets get in the way. Entangled in everything, past and present, is loveable Aunt Tilley, who lives in the past as much as the present. Will the revelation of the family secret from the past destroy this loving family? And can Mason and Daisy get through all their messy decisions and still be together?

This is such an engrossing story of family, love, secrets, and moral decisions. Aunt Tilley is a wonderfully lovable character that weaves between the past and present family dilemmas. I always enjoy Ms. Harvey’s complexity in her characters and the realism that makes them believable. Both Daisy and Mason have many unresolved issues and the author does not sugar coat them or even resolve them all. The entire multi-generational family is fascinating in its connections by blood and/or love, and I cannot imagine anyone not wanting to be a part of it. Sit down outside with a glass of sweet tea, maybe with a shot of bourbon mixed in, and travel to the North Carolina coast.

I highly recommend this engaging Southern women’s fiction novel.

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About the Author

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of a dozen novels including Beach House Rules and The Peachtree Bluff Series. A Happier Life is in development for film with MGM/Amazon, The Summer of Songbirds is in development for television with Hulu, and many of her other projects are in various stages of option or development for film and television. Her work has received numerous accolades, including Good Morning America’s Buzz Pick, Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Reads, Katie Couric’s Featured Books, and Joanna Garcia Swisher’s The Happy Place Reads. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize.

A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate with Honors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Southern Living, Parade, Traditional Home, USA Today, and many more. She also holds a master’s in English from East Carolina University, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature.

Kristy is the cocreator and cohost of the hit weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction with fellow New York Times Bestselling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Patti Callahan Henry, which boasts more than three hundred thousand members. She is also the cofounder of the award-winning interiors site Design Chic, with her mom, Beth Woodson.

She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband, son, and dog, Salt, where she is (always!) working on her next novel.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.kristywoodsonharvey.com/kristy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristywoodsonharvey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristywharvey/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/summer-state-of-mind-by-kristy-woodson-harvey