Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE SISTER EFFECT by Susan Mallery on this blog tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, an about the book section, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
1) What inspired you to write about sisters? And do you have a sister story to share?
I think I’m inspired to write about sisters precisely because I don’t have any of my own. I’m an only child. My parents were onlies, too, so I didn’t even have any cousins growing up. But I did have a good friend who came from a big family, and I absolutely adored going over to her house. It was so delightfully loud! So beautifully chaotic! (Maybe part of the reason I loved it so much was that I could leave and go home whenever I wanted. My friend envied the quiet and the privacy at my house.)
I wrote The Sister Effect because I wanted to explore the idea of two sisters who experience the same event—going side by side through childhood—but who perceive it differently. And their different perceptions create a ripple effect through the years that sends their lives in different directions. When Finley and Sloane were young, their mother and grandfather got into a custody battle for them. The court decided in Mom’s favor after Finley told the judge she didn’t want to lose her mom, so grandpa turned his backs on the girls. Can you imagine how traumatic that would be? They loved him, and they thought he loved them, too, but he reacted out of his own pain rather than out of thinking of what was best for them. Finley became terrified to trust her heart to anyone again. Sloane turned into the wild child of the family, larger than life on the outside to disguise her pain.
As The Sister Effect starts, the sisters are in their thirties and estranged. But they both deeply love Sloane’s young daughter, and their love for that little girl will open their hearts to one another so they can become true sisters once again. This book is painful and funny and uplifting, with so many juicy topics for bookclubs to dig into. I hope you’ll love The Sister Effect as much as I loved writing it.
Although I don’t have a sister story of my own to share, I did invite some of my favorite writers to share a True Story of Sisterhood. You can read them at https://sistereffect.susanmallery.com. There, you’ll find heartwarming stories of sisterhood from Maisey Yates, Carolyn Brown, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mariah Stewart, Christine Rimmer, Alexis Morgan, Debbie Mason, Robyn Carr, Lori Foster, Brenda Novak, and Christina Dodd—plus some wonderful stories shared by my readers. It’s a true celebration of sisterhood, both biological and sisters of the heart!
2) What is the biggest challenge you face when you start writing a new book?
Because I’ve written so many books, my biggest challenge is to find fresh stories to tell and fresh ways to tell them. I try to make each book a little better than the one before. In The Sister Effect, I deal with a topic that I’ve never written about—I’ll let you read the book to find out what that is—and it was an exciting challenge because it was so new to me. I’m also incredibly nervous about this book, which is a good sign. I have found over the years that the books that make me the most nervous are the ones that readers love the best, because my nerves are a sign that I stretched myself as a storyteller.
3) If you were not an author, what other profession would you choose to be a part of and why?
I have a powerful imagination, but it’s really hard for me to imagine being anything other than a writer. I was published just months after I graduated college, and I’ve never had another job. However, I graduated in accounting, so I suppose I would probably be an unfulfilled accountant.
4) Does this book include any favorite recipes as some of your other books do?
Just one—but it’s a total wow! When I was writing The Sister Effect, I imagined a decadent breakfast that Sloane might serve at her restaurant, Life’s a Yolk. I called it Cinnamon Custard Yum-Yum and described it in the book as a cross between French toast and bread pudding. But it only existed in my imagination. . . until, in a case of life imitating art, I created a recipe to go with my imaginary recipe title. It. Is. Fabulous. Yum Yum Yum Yum YUM! The recipe is included with the book club discussion guide at the end of the book. Enjoy!
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About the Book
Susan Mallery’s newest hardcover is an emotional, witty, and heartfelt story of Finley who is raising her niece because her long-addicted sister, Sloane, abandoned her. When Sloane reappears, eager to build a relationship with her daughter, Finley will struggle with forgiveness, the ties that bind a family together, and the fragility of trust.
Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom and her grandfather abandoned her and her sister Sloane when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules.
Sloane went the other way.
Now Sloane is back, as beautiful and damaged as ever, and wants a relationship with her daughter. She says she’s changed, but Finley’s heart has been bruised once too often for her to trust easily. With the help of a man who knows all too well how messy families can be, Finley will learn there’s joy in surrendering and peace in letting go.
Mallery, with wisdom, compassion and her trademark humor, explores the nuances of a broken family’s complex emotions as they strive to become whole, in this uplifting story of human frailty and resilience.
THE SISTER EFFECT by Susan Mallery is an emotionally intense women’s fiction/romance featuring two very different sisters, their complex relationship and their generational family’s interactions and struggle for forgiveness. This story includes scenes revolving around realistic depictions of alcohol addiction, the struggle for sobriety, and a sub-plot involving infidelity.
Finley McGowan is the younger sister, but she has always been the strong sister, who worked hard and stayed on the straight and narrow path. When she and her older sister, Sloane were growing up, their mother would leave them with their grandfather as she went in pursuit of stardom. Their grandfather tried to gain legal custody and it split their family with their grandfather disappearing from their lives and the girls feeling abandoned.
Finley is now an adult, living with her mother and raising her eight-year-old niece, Aubrey. Sloane has returned, says she is sober, has a job and a place to live and wants more of a relationship with her daughter. Finley has been burned one too many times and doesn’t trust her sister’s sobriety. Finley is fiercely protective of Aubrey and her own heart. When she meets a man who understands how messy families can be, Finley finds a release and understanding that just may allow her to find peace in letting go.
This is an emotional and heartfelt deep dive into families with realistic problems. Ms. Malley’s story pulls you into the serious repercussions of addiction, abandonment, and infidelity, but also has lighter happier moments layered throughout the story. Forgiveness is a big theme in this story, and I feel everyone will have their own beliefs on how they feel about the way Finley and Jericho moved from injured parties to understanding and forgiveness. Individuals dealing with alcoholism or any addiction in their families have very differing experiences and resolutions. I was happy with the resolution for both sisters in this story.
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About the Author
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.
Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the Ragdoll cat and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HUNTERS POINT: A Novel of San Francisco by Peter Kageyama on this Virtual Blog Tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I didn’t think of it as a literary pilgrimage when I did it, but a 2007 trip to visit Michigan at the invitation of a friend of mine who worked for the State of Michigan truly changed my life. My friend invited me to come see the other side of the story about Michigan, and Detroit in particular, that was not being talked about in the media. At that time, Michigan and Detroit were really struggling.
My friend took me all around the state and introduced me to a bunch of people who were doing amazing work, most of it small and very underfunded, but they did it out of a profound sense of love for their communities. This struck me because I realized that as long as there were people like these, then places like Detroit would never truly fail. Love and an emotional connection to our places was the secret ingredient that no one was talking about, or writing about. The genesis of my first book, which introduced the central thesis of all my nonfiction work, began from that trip. And that trip was my first step towards being a writer.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I actually did because I am fairly well established as a non-fiction writer and speaker. I have become known as the “City Love Guy” which is great because in the discrete field of urbanism and community and economic development, having an identity is fantastic. I thought perhaps that fiction might dilute or muddy that identity. Perhaps it will, but overall I’d like to believe that my books, my speaking and consulting has built up a pool of goodwill that will cross over into this new venture.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I think readers of fiction want a good story and characters they can cheer for and relate to and be scared for – and if we can offer them a few twists and turns they have not seen before, that is great. True originality is very rare, so most of us are mashing up familiar tropes, with some new angles and additions to make something that is BOTH new enough and familiar enough to keep us turning the pages.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
For me, I did not realize that I wanted to build a body of work until I finished the first novel. I had so enjoyed writing the main characters that I knew I had to continue their stories. Some stories have a definitive end and stand very much on their own. Perhaps some day I’ll write one of those, but in the meantime, I’m totally excited about the many adventures I have seen in my characters’ futures.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Hiring a professional line editor was a revelation. I had thought the manuscript of my first novel, Hunters Point, was fairly clean after I had gone through it, as well as my publisher, my publicist, my story editor and two passes by my wife who is incredibly meticulous. Still when the manuscript came back with hundreds of corrections, I was shocked and forever sold on hiring that outside set of professional eyes!
Where do you prefer to write?
I am a coffee shop guy. Even though I put in my noise canceling headphones, there is still enough background noise and distraction. Some may be surprised that I listen to music while writing, but not just any music. I have a specially created playlist called “Writing” and all the songs on there are ones that I am always happy to hear. The key to the playlist is that I never have to skip over a song or an artist, which could break the flow of what I am doing at the moment.
The only place I find that I can write at home is on our balcony and usually at night. We live in Florida and during the day it is either too hot or too bright, or both so I find myself gravitating out there in the evenings.
What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
The two main characters of my novel Hunters Point are directly based upon my mother and father. So for me, writing about them is a way to honor them. For my father in particular, I have found that this series of books has been and continues to be a way for me to have a conversation with him, even though he passed away over twenty years ago. As for the other folks I have based characters upon, my friends specifically, I think ‘don’t embarrass them’. For example, there are a pair of characters in Hunters Point that are directly based on two of my good friends here in St. Petersburg, where I live. They start out and you think they are bad guys and maybe even a little stupid, but they turn out to be decent, resourceful, funny and a necessary part of the story.
Some of the other characters that are actual historic figures, raise a different set of ethical questions.What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?
I think it depends on how close to bone you write the story. For example, you can be outrageous like in the book, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, which I think is fantastically creative. No one is likely to take issue or be offended because it is so far out there. But if you take a well-known figure, such as Bruce Lee as Quentin Tarantino did in the movie and novelization of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and have a controversial scene with him, you may draw some ire.
When I included Jimmy Stewart as a character in Hunters Point, I tried to base his actions on research and extrapolation of what is popularly known about the man. If you are going to include a figure that is well known, I think readers expect that character to act the way they would expect. It would be much easier and more convincing to create a new, unique character to do something that would be seen as wildly out of character for an historical figure such as Jimmy Stewart.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Because I am an urbanist at heart, someone who studies cities, it felt very important that San Francisco, the location of my debut novel, Hunters Point, feel authentic. Even though the story is set in the late 50’s, there is still something about walking the streets, seeing the actual places that you write about, that makes them feel more real. Of course the other great tool in the writer’s arsenal, is Wikipedia! I am constantly amazed how researching one question leads me down a rabbit hole that leads to a whole new and amazing set of facts. I also highly recommend Google Street View as a way to put yourself in a place that maybe you can’t readily travel to. Those images give you a sense of place that can be translated into authentic descriptions and narration.
How do you select the names of your characters?
Kats Takemoto is named after my father’s two best friends; Masa Taketoshi and Peter Matsumoto. Takemoto. I took the nickname Kats, short for Katsuhiro, because it sounds cool and also because in Daniel James Brown’s outstanding book, Facing the Mountain, he chronicles the Japanese American experience during World War II. One of the more memorable figures was named ‘Kats Miho’ a soldier with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Kats was an amazing example of bravery, loyalty and love of his country and his comrades. And like I said, ‘Kats’ sounds cool!
The character Molly Hayes is named after my mother, Molly Hazen. She too was a red-headed Irish woman from Ohio. Some of the other names that appear in the book and the coming sequel, are friends and people from my past. Sometimes it is just a name but other times, I am using real backstory and characteristics. As for what is fact and what is fiction, well I will leave that for the readers to guess.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I don’t want to jinx myself, but I have been pretty lucky in all the books I have written, the main draft has come quickly. Six months seems to be about the time frame, give or take travel, family commitments and football season. I will say that I started in on the sequel to Hunters Point within a few weeks of completing the first book, and if I could clear the decks more thoroughly, I know my productivity would increase. But such is life.
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Book Description
The Cold War and the Beat Poets of North Beach collide in 1958 San Francisco in Peter Kageyama’s noir thriller about a Japanese American private eye investigating the mysterious goings on at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.
SAN FRANCISCO, 1958
World War 2 veteran, Katsuhiro, “Kats” Takemoto is a Nisei, second generation Japanese American and the private detective for those who don’t get noticed by the police or get the attention of traditional private eyes. The city is exploding with population growth and creative expression as the Beat poets and artists fill coffee shops and galleries. When a young Beat poet enlists Kats to keep his family from being pushed out of the Bayview Heights neighborhood by a shady developer, Kats learns that the conspiracy to take over the land around Hunters Point runs deep into Cold War fears and politics. Kats takes on the US government, the Navy, unscrupulous businessmen and the west coast mafia as he and his friends race to find the truth.
Award winning author Peter Kageyama’s debut novel brings the post-war San Francisco scene to life with historic characters including Jimmy Stewart, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, Alfred Hitchcock and Shig Murao, along with the dynamics of racial identity for Japanese Americans finding their footing again in America following the war and internment.
HUNTERS POINT: A Novel of San Francisco by Peter Kageyama is a compelling historical P.I. crime mystery that engaged me immediately. The historical research mixed with a unique San Franciscan Nisei P.I. and an intricate plot kept me reading from page one to the end in one sitting.
P.I. Katsuhiro “Kats” Takemoto is asked by a friend to help a boat building family in Bayview Heights that is being strong-armed to sellout and move. As Kats begins to investigate who is behind the threats, he discovers local government hiding future plans for the area, criminal builders and mob bosses looking for a windfall, and the U.S. government trying to manipulate everyone to cover up their need to keep the public unaware of the nuclear waste problems at the Hunters Point naval base.
Kats and a group of old and new friends work to get to the bottom of the greed, corruption, and conspiracies to find a way to help their friends in Bayview Heights and stay alive at the same time.
I loved this book! Kats is an engaging and unique main character. His friends, both famous and not, were all interesting and added depth to the story. The research done for not only Kats family history but also Hunters Point history is intertwined throughout the story without ever slowing the pace of the plot. The plot has plenty of action scenes, both the usual with fists and guns but also intelligent nonlethal action with smoke bombs, pepper bombs, and snakes. The detective work and discoveries are well paced, and the conclusion is gratifying. I am very happy this is a proposed series because I am looking forward to many more cases with P.I. Kats Takemoto.
I highly recommend this historical crime mystery!
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About the Author
Peter Kageyama is the author of For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places, the follow ups, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places, and The Emotional Infrastructure of Places. In 2021, he released For the Love of Cities REVISITED, a revised and updated version of his award-winning book.
In 2023, his debut novel based on the post-internment life of his parents was released by St. Petersburg Press.
Peter is a special advisor to America In Bloom and was a Senior Fellow with the Alliance for Innovation, a national network of city leaders. He is an internationally sought-after community development consultant and grassroots engagement strategist who speaks about bottom-up community development and the amazing people who are making change happen around the world.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE LIPSTICK BUREAU by Michelle Gable on this Graydon House Books blog tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, an about the book section, my mini book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
Q: How did you learn about Barbara Lauwers? How did you come to discover this piece of history?
I don’t remember when or how I first heard about Barbara, she was just in my file of “interesting people to eventually write about” when it came time for book #6. Most likely, she was in a listicle along the lines of “fascinating women from history you don’t know about.” Whatever the case, she made my file because of her intriguing role in the OSS (precursor to the CIA) and the misinformation campaigns she participated in. The website https://www.psywarrior.com/ has photographs of many of their campaigns, and that sucked me right in.
Q: Why do you believe there continues to be a fascination for writers exploring and writing WWII novels for readers? Why are readers so interested?
I think people are drawn to WWII stories because there are so many different countries and continents involved, and therefore thousands of angles. For Americans in particular, though we were involved in the war, it was not fought on our shores, so I think there’s a yearning to know what it was like to live with war on a more day-to-day basis. 100 million were deployed and there are millions of stories of ordinary people showing heroism when facing the worst.
Q: Many women were part of the OSS. Did they experience sexism?
The sexism was outrageous! Many of the quotes I included in the book were actually said. Like Niki (the Barbara character) being told to sew her travel documents into her girdle, and the trainers telling the women not to mess this up.
When I started out in corporate America in the late 90s, sexism was rampant enough that we more or less accepted it as part of our jobs. I can only imagine (and tried to do this in the book!) how much worse it was in the 40s, amidst the stress of war, when men were away from their families.
Q: Did many women join these groups to escape difficult marriages?
It’s possible! Many husbands were sent to fight, so I think a lot of women wanted to contribute. Stateside, women were being asked to chip in and many unmarried women viewed it as a more interesting way to help versus working in a missile factory or something along those lines.
Q: What specifically stood out in the time and place of Rome during WWII?
Rome is my favorite city so I was excited to set another book there! I also found it a fascinating time…after the city was liberated from the Nazis, and before the war was over. Also the fact Italy changed alliances partway through the war, and half the country was still under Axis control, heightened the tensions in the city, and people were extremely suspicious, all around.
Q: What challenged you about writing THE LIPSTICK BUREAU?
I try very hard to keep as close to real facts as possible, building fiction around the truth. This can be very limiting, and so it’s always a challenge for me to remember I’m telling a story, not writing a biography. It’s a big reason I changed Barbara’s name–so I could go a little more “rogue.”
A smaller challenge was finding out what was happening in Niki’s hometown in Czechoslovakia during the war. As in the novel, no news was getting out. Also, I use a lot of first-hand accounts and government records in my research, and many of these were destroyed in the war. Not that I can read Czech, but I’ve definitely had records translated in the past.
Q: Which character do you most relate to and why?
There was no character I related to outright, but I appreciated Niki’s gumption and how she wanted to prove herself on her own terms.
Q: What are you hoping readers will come away with after they’ve read THE LIPSTICK BUREAU?
As always, I want people to get swept up in the story but also learn something new along the way.
Q: What research did you do to bring the history to life in this fiction?
Anything I could get my hands on. Several OSS women wrote memoirs, and I read these, along with interviews, biographies of the major OSS players, and thousands of internal memos and documents (some of which are included in the novel), including all of Allen Dulles’s wartime intelligence reports (this was pretty boring!) I read the Stars & Stripes newspapers published during this time (fun fact: my dad wrote for Stars & Stripes in Vietnam), among other things. My favorite was a biography of Saul Steinberg (the inspiration for Ezra) by Deirdre Bair.
Q: How do you think this conversation into the use of misinformation plays in today’s politics?
In real life as in the novel, the OSS used Hitler’s own rules for propaganda/misinformation when creating theirs. There were three key strategies: 1) the disinformation must be easy to comprehend (not too highbrow), 2) it must be addressed to the masses (NOT the intellectuals), and 3) it should hit on emotions, not logic or fact. These are very effective strategies, as we’ve seen, and it’s been reported that Trump has also specifically followed Hitler’s rulebook for spreading disinformation. The OSS folks were the “good guys” and would say they were doing this for a greater purpose (e.g. ending the war), and the ends justify the means. And maybe it does, but perhaps Trump believes the same thing?
Q: What are you working on next?
A book set in the 1960s Jet Set, about a failed San Francisco debutante who becomes assistant to beloved society photographer Slim Aarons as a way to social climb her way to a rich husband, but is instead drawn into the complicated inner circle of young Palm Beach socialites, and to the star at its center, heiress and rising fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer.
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About the Book
Inspired by a real-life female spy, a WWII-set novel about a woman challenging convention and boundaries to help win a war, no matter the cost.
1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy’s capital. One of the OSS’s few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she’s tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers.
Despite limited resources, Niki and a scrappy team of artists, forgers and others—now nicknamed The Lipstick Bureau—find success, forming a bond amid the cobblestoned streets and storied villas of the newly liberated city. But her work is also a way to escape devastating truths about the family she left behind in Czechoslovakia and a future with her controlling American husband.
As the war drags on and the pressure intensifies, Niki begins to question the rules she’s been instructed to follow, and a colleague unexpectedly captures her heart. But one step out of line, one mistake, could mean life or death…
The Lipstick Bureau : A Novel Inspired by a Real-Life Female Spy
Michelle Gable
On Sale Date: December 27, 2022
9781525811470
Trade Paperback
$16.99 USD
464 pages
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My Mini Book Review
RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
THE LIPSTICK BUREAU by Michelle Gable is a historical fiction story loosely based on a real female spy during WWII working for the fledgling OSS (Office of Strategic Services) later to become the CIA.
I loved the premise and the extensive historical research, but the characters never hooked me emotionally, the writing at times seemed disjointed and the pace was slow. I really wish the characters had been more developed and intrigued me as much as the plot regarding U.S. political propaganda developed and distributed during the war to undermine the Nazi Party and Hitler.
I feel I would have enjoyed this story much more if it had been an actual biography of the fictionalized main characters. The history and information surrounding the OSS and Department of Morale Operations was the reason I continued reading this book to the end.
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Excerpt
NIKI
May 1989
Washington, DC
Niki’s stomach flip-flops, and there’s a wild fluttering in her chest. You’re fine, she tells herself. In this buzzing, glittering room of some three hundred, she’s unlikely to encounter anyone she knows. Not that she’d recognize them if she did. It’s been almost forty-five years.
“Jeez, what a turnout,” her daughter, Andrea, says as Niki takes several short inhales, trying to wrangle her breath. “Did you know this many people would show up?”
“I had no idea what to expect,” Niki answers, and this much is true. When the invitation arrived three months ago, she’d almost pitched it straight into the trash.
You are invited
to a Black-Tie Dinner
Honoring
The Ladies of the O.S.S.
The ladies of the OSS. A deceptively quaint title, like a neighborhood bridge club, or a collection of wives whose given names are not important.
“You should go,” Niki’s husband had said when she showed him the thick, ecru cardstock with its ornate engraving. “Relive your war days.”
“Manfred,” Niki had replied sternly. “Nobody wants to relive those.”
Though he’d convinced Niki to accept the invitation, it hadn’t been the hardest sell. Manfred was ill—dying, in fact, of latestage lung cancer—and Niki figured the tick mark beside “yes” was merely a way to delay a no.
The week before the event, Manfred was weaker than ever, and Niki saw her chance to back out. “I’ll just skip it,” she’d said. “This is for the best. You’d be bored out of your skull, and no one I worked with will even be there!”
“Zuska,” Manfred said, using her old pet name. As always, he’d known what his wife was up to. “I want you to go. Take Andrea. She could use a night out. It’d be like a holiday for her.”
“I don’t know…” Niki demurred. Their daughter did hate to cook, and no doubt longed for a break from her two extremely pert teenagers.
“You can’t refuse,” Manfred said. “What if this ends up qualifying as my dying wish?” It was a joke, but what could Niki possibly say to that?
Now she regrets having shown Manfred the invitation and is discomfited by the scene. Niki feels naked, exposed, as though she’s wearing a transparent blouse instead of a black sparkly top with double shoulder pads.
“Do you think you’ll spot anyone you know?” Andrea asks as they wend their way through the tables, scanning for number eighteen. Every Czech native considers eighteen an auspicious number, so maybe this is a positive sign.
“It’s unlikely,” Niki says. “The dinner is honoring women, and I mostly worked with men.” Most of whom are now dead, she does not add.
Soon enough, mother and daughter find their table, and exchange greetings with the two women already seated. Niki squints at their badges and notes they worked in different theaters of operation. Onstage is a podium, behind it a screen emblazoned with O.S.S. Beneath the letters is a gold spade encircled in black.
“What a beautiful outfit!” says one of their tablemates in a tight Texas twang.
“Thank you.” Niki blushes lightly, smoothing her billowy, bright green chiffon skirt.
“You’re the prettiest one in the place,” Andrea whispers as they sit.
“What a load of shit,” Niki spits back. In this room, it’s sequins and diamonds and fur for miles. She pats Andrea’s hand. “But thank you for the compliment.” And thank God for Manfred, who’d raised their girl to treat her mother so well.
Manfred. Niki feels a quake somewhere deep. She is losing him. She’s been losing him for a long time, and maybe this is the reason she came tonight. Those three letters on-screen call up—rather, exhume—a swarm of emotions, not all of them good. But they also offer a strange kind of hope, a reminder that Niki’s survived loss before, and this old body of hers has lived more than one life.
MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I’ll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for PETS OF PARK AVENUE (Paws in the City Book #2) by Stefanie London on this HTP Books Fall 2022 Women’s Fiction Blog Tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
How do you come up with your themes?
I’m not sure that I consciously determine themes for my stories, but more that they tend to emerge as I’m writing the first draft. I’m an intuitive writer, which means the only way for me to really get to know the characters and the plot is to put my fingers on the keyboard and let the story flow. This means I don’t always know exactly how a story is going to turn out until it’s done, and I usually have an “aha!” moment about 75% through where I finally understand the core elements of the book. Then the rounds of revisions are often dedicated to make those themes and elements shine as much as possible.
What is the attraction to writing/reading about women’s friendships?
I’m blessed to have many amazing women in my own life, and I think female relationships of all kinds are super important. It saddened me for a long time to see women get pitted against one another in television and movies, and I’ve always wanted to write the kind of books that lift women up rather than tear them down. It’s not to say every woman I write is sunshine and roses, though! But I strongly believe in showing female relationships as honest, complex, and supportive. One of the best things about writing the Paws in the City series is all the different female friendships and sister relationships… after writing the adorable animal side characters, of course!
Which comes first: characters or plot?
It depends on the project. Sometimes I have an idea for a story concept that pops into my head and then I think about the characters who might end up in that situation. This was the case for The Dachshund Wears Prada, where I had the idea for a woman who ends up being an assistant to a very pampered pooch, and then Theo and Isla came to me later.
But sometimes the characters come first, especially for later books in a series where I’ve “met” the characters in an earlier book but don’t always know what their story is yet. Those characters tend to become very real in my head and then I need to think about a story that would suit their personality and the kind of development arc I would like them to have.
Have you ever been writing a novel and realized the theme is very much like something you’ve experienced?
I write from the heart, so on some level I think all my books have a theming element that is close to some emotion or experience I’ve had myself. When it comes to writing fiction, I try to make those elements bigger and more interesting than real life, but at the core I have experienced a lot of the same doubts, fears and insecurities as all my characters.
For example, I’ve written about characters who’ve struggled for acceptance (whether internal or external), characters who’ve felt lonely or who’ve moved away from their families, who’ve been afraid to bet on themselves or to take risks. I’ve written about grief, about being a plus size woman, about the pressures of having a creative career, about learning to find your voice in the world… these are all things close to my heart and my own experience.
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Book Summary
The perfect romcom for dog lovers! Pets of Park Avenue is the story of a self-confessed hot mess who learns that life is more fun when things don’t go according to plan.
What do you do when The One is also the one who broke your heart?
Self-proclaimed hot mess Scout Myers is determined to prove she’s finally got her act together. Raised by grandparents who saw her as her wayward mother’s wayward daughter, Scout’s used to being written off. So when the opportunity for a promotion arises at Paws in the City, the talent agency where she works, Scout is desperate to rise to the occasion. With shared custody of her little sister also on the line, Scout can’t afford a single mistake…like suddenly needing a canine stand-in for an important photoshoot. Luckily (or not) she knows the owner of the perfect pup replacement: the estranged husband she walked out on years ago.
On the surface, it appears Lane Halliday’s life has been blissfully drama free without Scout, but she suspects her handsome-as-ever not-quite-ex-husband doth protest too much. Working together even feels like old times—except for all that lingering, unresolved tension. But Scout’s not sure she’s ready to confront the reasons she left Lane, and when their plans to finalize the divorce become very real, Scout starts to wonder whether second chances might be worth a little hot mess.
PETS OF PARK AVENUE (Paws in the City Book #2) by Stefanie London is a heartwarming second chance romance/women’s fiction. This second book in the Paws in the City series starts where The DachshundWears Prada left off with the focus this time on Scout and her self-proclaimed hot mess life. The second chance romance in this book can be read as a standalone, but all the connections between characters and pets is more enjoyable if you read book #1 first.
Scout Myers is making the most of her chance to help her best friend, Isla, make Paws in the City a success. She and her baby sister were taken in by her grandparents, but her grandparents saw her as wayward as her mother had been and kicked her out to protect her sister. It has been a five-year separation with only monthly visitation, but she is determined to prove she is mature enough to have her sister move in with her now that her grandparents are moving to California.
At a pet photo shot Scout oversees one of Paws in the City’s stars, but when the dogs go wild, Scout is left in need of a temporary replacement for another engagement. She knows just where she can find an identical Bichon Frise. It happens to live with her not quite ex-husband, Lane Halliday.
Can the truth and forgiveness be the keys to a possible second chance with the person you could never forget?
I loved this second Paws in the City romance as much as the first. I at first found Scout to be the hot mess she believed herself to be, but the more you learn about her background and treatment from her mother and grandparents, it is amazing that she is as caring and loving as she is. The mistakes made when they first married were believable for the young couple and it was wonderful to see them come back together with a more mature and open understanding. Ms. London’s writing is funny, heartfelt, and emotional in all the right places. All the pets in the series are adorable and I love them, too.
I highly recommend this second chance romance, both Paws in the City books to date and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
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Excerpt
Scout Myers could think of several good reasons to be on all fours with her ass in the air, but pandering to the world’s most disagreeable cat was not one of them. Isaac Mewton—and yes, that was his real name—was a Scottish fold with the sweetest face you’d ever see. Unfortunately, despite the adorable camera-ready mug, the cat had the same disposition as those grumpy old Muppets who liked to sit on a balcony and heckle people for sport.
And Scout loved animals. One of the best things about her job at Paws in the City, New York’s premiere pet social media and talent agency, was getting to be around furry critters all day long.
Isaac Mewton, however, was officially on her shit list.
“I can see something shiny back there.” His owner pointed. “We can’t carry on without his favorite toy. He won’t sit still.”
Scout gritted her teeth and wedged her hand between the wall and a white IKEA bookcase. Cringing, she prayed none of New York’s finest creepy crawlies were hiding back there and wriggled her fingers.
“Come on,” she muttered. “Where are you?”
Eventually her fingertips brushed something hard and plastic. That had to be it. How the cat had managed to bat his toy so hard it lodged itself into such a small space was incomprehensible. Almost as incomprehensible as this client’s expectations. Seriously, how were they supposed to turn her precious kitty into a star if it wouldn’t even sit still for a headshot?
“Got it!” Her hand—and the toy—popped mercifully free.
“Great, now can we get on with it?” The client looked at Scout like this was all her fault. “I have an appointment to get to.”
Paws in the City wasn’t only Scout’s workplace; it was the brainchild of her best friend and the lifeline Scout had needed when her life couldn’t sink any lower. She came into work every day striving to do the best job possible, both for herself and her boss.
That meant pasting on a can-do smile, even when she wanted to launch a cat toy at someone’s head.
“Why don’t you get him to play with it?” Scout said, handing over the hard plastic ring, which was clear and suspended with glitter. “He might be more receptive if it comes from you.”
The woman crouched in front of the cat and attempted to engage him with the toy. But he immediately batted it across the room, where it slammed into the wall and bounced onto the floor.
The photographer, who had shown a level of patience that should make her a shoo-in for sainthood, raised an eyebrow. This was going nowhere. Isaac Mewton sat on a velvet pouf with an artfully arranged bookshelf behind him that Scout and the photographer had prepared for his portrait, staring down everyone in the room like an angry king.
It was time to try something new. Scout retrieved a feather toy from their stash in the office. She needed to get these photos done now. Isla was due back in less than five minutes and they hadn’t gotten a single decent shot of the cat.
Let’s be real, what client would want to work with such a demanding, fussy model anyway?
Still, Scout didn’t want it to look like she didn’t have things under control.
“He doesn’t like those.” The cat’s owner shook her head and pointed at the feather toy. “It won’t work.”
“Well, we’ve tried all the toys you brought with you, so maybe a Hail Mary is exactly what we need,” Scout replied tightly, her smile turning brittle. Lord give her strength to deal with this woman! The cat was a pain, sure, but animals were animals. They couldn’t be blamed for their behavior. Their human counterparts on the other hand…
Click!
Isaac Mewton had gone still, his eyes on the new toy, and the photographer seized the moment to start snapping. Scout moved the feather in gentle sweeping motions, and the cat’s eyes followed with intense focus. He raised one paw and batted at it, ignoring the steady click, click, click of the camera.
So much for him not liking it.
Scout shoved the snarky inner comment to one side and focused on getting the cat to engage so they could wrap up the meeting as quickly as possible. Next to her, the owner huffed in annoyance as though she couldn’t believe her darling Isaac had proven her wrong.
When they were done and the woman and her cat had left the Paws in the City office, Scout’s shoulders sagged in relief. She was a people—and an animal—person at heart, but she had a pet peeve, no pun intended, about entitlement. Call it a leftover from her childhood. Her mother’s legacy was little more than a collection of emotional scars and personal quirks, but she had taught Scout one very important lesson.
Nobody owed her anything. Whatever she wanted in life, she would have to earn it.
“Are all your clients like that?” the photographer asked as she packed up her equipment. “The woman seemed to think her cat was royalty.”
Scout shook her head. “Most clients are lovely and happy to have our assistance. But there’s always the rare few who think they’re superstar material, without being willing to put in the work.”
“How long have you been open now? Only a few months, right?”
“Six months.” Scout couldn’t help her beaming smile. It might not be her business, but she was damn proud to be part of it. “And we’ve already signed over twenty clients.”
“Including Miss Pain in the Rear and her angry feline overlord?”
“We’ve had several requests for cats lately, and he was by far the cutest we’ve seen.” Scout sighed. “Let’s hope he’s in a better mood when it comes time to front up for a paying job.”
Paws in the City represented clients with four (and six) legs. They provided social media coaching to the humans running the accounts, worked on brand strategy and generally acted as a go-between in brokering sponsorship deals and other types of opportunities. They also booked animal talent for commercial shoots, both of the print and television variety. Every day was different. Scout managed the operational parts of the
job, like booking appointments, supervising headshots, fielding media enquiries and consulting with the freelancers, such as photographers and grooming specialists. Plus any other random bits and bobs, like making sure they hadn’t run out of dog treats or pods for their coffee machine.
Isla always said their mission was to make the internet a happier, furrier place, and Scout loved that sentiment.
A few minutes after Scout bid the photographer farewell, the front door swung open. Though cute, their office wasn’t much bigger than a postage stamp, so Scout’s desk was situated in the waiting area and therefore doubled as their reception desk.
Isla breezed in, a wool coat slung over one arm and her long dark hair bouncing around her shoulders in soft curls. She was dressed in a pale blue blouse, fitted black pants and a killer pair of silver stilettos—a much fancier outfit than what she usually wore in the office. Black, though it was one of Scout’s favorite colors, was not the best when working with their furry clients.
But Isla had been at an important networking event today, so there was no need to worry about dog fur.
“Those shoes,” Scout gasped. “Wow!”
“They’re gorgeous, but they’ve been killing me all day.” She dropped onto one of the pink velvet seats lining the far wall and kicked off the shoes, groaning in relief.
“That’s a rookie move,” Scout replied. “Now your feet are going to puff up and you won’t be able to get them back on.”
“I don’t care if I have to meet Theo barefoot tonight, there’s no way I was keeping them on a second longer than necessary.”
“Hmm, barefoot to a white-tablecloth restaurant. Classy.”
Isla grinned. “Theo loves me as I am, blisters and all.”
It was true. Scout wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a man so in love.
Not even on your own wedding day?
Scout shoved the unpleasant reminder to one side. The last thing she needed right now was for her mood to take a dive, thinking about inconvenient things like the fact that she was still married.
Or that she hadn’t seen her husband in five years.
***
Author Bio
Stefanie London is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and her writing praised as “elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT Magazine.
Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges her passions for lipstick, good coffee, books and anything zombie related.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HOME SWEET CHRISTMAS (Wishing Tree Book #2) by Susan Mallory on this HTP Books 2022 Holiday Romance Blog Tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
What inspired Home Sweet Christmas?
Inspiration is interesting—it can come from anywhere, or from seemingly nowhere. In the case of Home Sweet Christmas, the season itself inspired the story. The town of Wishing Tree, Washington, is all about Christmas, so every book set in Wishing Tree has a Christmas theme. (The first book in the series, The Christmas Wedding Guest, came out last year. Each book can be read as a standalone .
So that was my starting point, knowing that this book would have a holiday theme. To me, it’s important for a Christmas book to be intrinsically Christmas-themed, not just a story that could happen at any time of year. I brainstormed lots of possibilities.
I landed on ideas for the two heroines (Home Sweet Christmas is two romances in one). In one storyline, Camryn’s mother passed away last year, so Camryn gave up everything—her career, her condo, her fiancé, and her big-city life in Chicago—to move home to care for her sisters and run the family business, a gift-wrapping specialty store called Wrap Around the Clock. She plans to get back to her “real life” as soon as her sisters graduate high school, so the last thing she wants to do is to fall in love. Still, a little temporary romance with Jake, her teenage crush, sounds like a welcome distraction.
In the second storyline, River is new in town and very shy. To coax her out of her shell, her new friends nominate her for Snow Queen, a crown that River is reluctant to accept—until she meets the very handsome Snow King, Dylan. But River has been burned before by a man with too many secrets, and Dylan is hiding something big.
You’re so wonderful at writing emotional scenes. Do you have any tips for writers who want to portray difficult issues like betrayal or loss of a loved one in their books?
The emotion springs from character. Every person will react differently to betrayal or loss, so it’s important that you fully develop your characters so that they essentially take over. Emotions are nuanced and infinitely complex, and our reactions are colored by everything we have experienced and observed throughout our lives. Put yourself inside your character’s mind and heart fully before you start writing the scene.
If I’m not feeling something as I write the scene, readers won’t feel it as they read. Writing these scenes is not an intellectual exercise—it’s visceral, emotional. If the feeling isn’t there for me, I stop writing and take a few minutes to get myself there. I have to be fully immersed in a character’s point-of-view in order to write these pivotal scenes.
Your novels are always gripping, realistic and romantic. How do you come up with your plots?
In the world of fiction-writing, there’s a spectrum of plotters versus those who write “from the seat of their pants,” or pantsers. I am on the extreme plotter end of this spectrum, meaning that I write a very detailed plot for a book before I begin writing it. Far from limiting me, this roadmap frees me to immerse myself in the emotions of the characters because I’ve already untangled any snags in the story.
I start to develop a story idea in my head, jotting down notes but mostly just giving my mind the freedom to roam. At this stage, it’s mostly about thinking about the characters and their backstory.
Then I write one scene for each point-of-view character. In the case of Home Sweet Christmas, this meant that I wrote one scene each for Camryn, Jake, River and Dylan. I write until that character clicks in my head and feels like a real person with thoughts and feelings of her or his own. Then I stop writing and plot that character’s storyline onto index cards. I do that for each character, and then I sit down with the index cards and weave the storylines together. Then I number the cards and start writing.
My plotting is essentially the world’s shortest first draft. There are bits of dialogue, but mostly it’s a scene-by-scene synopsis of what’s going to happen in the book.
In case you’re curious, here are the first few paragraphs from Home Sweet Christmas:
“Your teeth are lovely, Camryn. Did you wear braces as a child?”
Camryn Neff reminded herself that not only was the woman sitting across from her a very wealthy potential client, but also that her mother had raised her to be polite to her elders. Still, it took serious effort to keep from falling out of her chair at the weirdness of the question.
“No. This is how they grew.”
Hmm, that didn’t sound right, although to be honest, she didn’t have a lot of experience when a conversation turned dental.
Is it difficult to come up with a specific Holiday themed novel every year?
It’s definitely a challenge! Not only because the story needs to be holiday-centric but feel different from all the other Christmas books I’ve written, but because of the very tight timeline. Home Sweet Christmas starts a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, so that gave me a little breathing room, but for all intents and purposes, when you write a Christmas book the characters have to fall in love in about four weeks. And it needs to happen in such a way as to feel completely genuine, so readers feel confident that the love will last forever.
Do you decorate your writing room when you are writing a holiday book?
No, but I do pull out my Grinch ornament, which helps me get in the spirit.
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
I love to adopt a family through a local program. Mr. Mallery and I take great joy in finding special gifts that are unique to every family member—some from their wish list, and some surprises that we hope they’ll enjoy.
Rumor has it that you’ve created a cookie cookbook that you’re giving away for free. True?
True! The Wishing Tree Cookie Cookbook is available for free in the Members area at SusanMallery.com to anyone who wants it. It includes 160 recipes submitted by readers, with lots of pictures. It’s a PDF file, but I will also be giving away a printed copy of the cookbook every Tuesday from October 4 through December 20 on my Facebook page. I’ll also give away three as door prizes at my virtual event with Debbie Macomber on November 9. Details and registration at https://bit.ly/debbieandsusan
What’s next for you?
The Sister Effect will be coming in March. It’s both one of the most emotional stories I’ve ever written and one of the funniest. Finley and Sloane were really tight when they were growing up. Their mom kept leaving them with their grandpa while she went on the road with theatre troupes, so they had to watch out for each other. But as they grew up, they made different choices that drove a wedge between them. The Sister Effect is a beautiful, uplifting story of forgiveness and reconciliation and the importance of family.
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Book Summary
#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery’s second book set in the small town of Wishing Tree, Washington is the witty and heartfelt story of two friends who expectedly find the person–and the place in which–they belong this Christmas, for fans of Elin Hildebrand, Robyn Carr, and Susan Wiggs.
This small-town life wasn’t supposed to be for Camryn Neff. But after her mother died, Camryn moved home to Wishing Tree, Washington to care for her teenaged twin sisters and run the family wrapping paper business, Wrap Around the Clock. She loves her sisters and would do anything for them but, when they head off to college, she’s excited to move back to Chicago and restart her real life, completely attachment-free. So when a prospective client schedules a meeting and announces Project: Jake’s Bride, a plot to find a wife for her son, Camryn is completely disinterested. And when this client announces that Camryn is a candidate, she’s horrified. Being tied down is the last thing Camryn needs right now. She has no choice but to tell Jake what his mom is planning. But Camryn never expected to genuinely like him so much…
River Best knows all about the danger of keeping secrets. After all, she’s had her heart broken and her world rocked by secrets a few times now and she won’t ever let it happen again. New to Wishing Tree and a little shy, River is looking to get involved in the community so she lets her friends talk her into running for Snow Queen, one of the town’s honorary hosts of all Christmas events. She never expected to be drawn to Dylan Tucker, her Snow King. As the season progresses, River starts to trust him more and more and wonders if he’s the one. But little does River know that Dylan is keeping a secret from her, one that threatens everything between them.
HOME SWEET CHRISTMAS (Wishing Tree Book #2) by Susan Mallery is a contemporary holiday romance that returns readers to the charming small town of Wishing Tree and features two couples and their journey to their holiday romance HEAs. While this is the second book in the series, it is easily read as a standalone, but I can recommend the first book, The Christmas Wedding is also a wonderful read.
Camryn Neff returned to Wishing Tree last October to takeover the family business and care for her young twin sisters and their terminally ill mother. After the death of their mother, the holidays were ignored, so Camryn is hoping for a much happier season for her and her sister this year. She is putting her future on hold, but wealthy hotelier, Jake Crane just may have other plans for her. Is Camryn willing to reach out for what she wants or will fear destroy her future?
River Best is new in town. She has always had difficulty connecting with people and is more comfortable with her computer, but the small-town traditions and friendly people of Wishing Tree have her wanting to be more connected. When she is crowned Snow Queen for the holiday season, she is wary, but the Snow King, Dylan Tucker puts her at ease. Dylan’s good humor draws her in, but River lacks trust from being hurt in the past and she knows Dylan is hiding something. Could the secret tear them apart?
I want to move to Wishing Tree! This is the second time I have opened a book and fallen into the story of Wishing Tree with all its Christmas themed stores and special inhabitants and not wanted to leave. Ms. Mallery gives the reader two memorable HEAs in each book in this series. The sex scenes are all behind closed doors. The secondary characters are all special and as believable as the heroes and heroines. I love each dog featured in the books, too. This book has heartwarming characters that make you feel good about falling in love and the holidays even though you must go through a bit of heartache to get there.
I highly recommend this book, the first book in the series, and this author!
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Excerpt
one
“Your teeth are lovely, Camryn. Did you wear braces as a child?”
Camryn Neff reminded herself that not only was the woman sitting across from her a very wealthy potential client, but also that her mother had raised her to be polite to her elders. Still, it took serious effort to keep from falling out of her chair at the weirdness of the question.
“No. This is how they grew.”
Hmm, that didn’t sound right, although to be honest, she didn’t have a lot of experience when a conversation turned dental.
She refocused her mind to the meeting at hand. Not that she knew for sure why Helen Crane, leader of Wishing Tree society, such as it was, and sole owner of the very impressive Crane hotel empire, wanted to meet with her. The summons had come in the form of a handwritten note, inviting her to the large, sprawling estate on Grey Wolf Lake. Today at two.
So here Camryn was, wearing a business suit that had been hanging in her closet for over a year. The dress code for Wishing Tree retail and the dress code for the job in finance she’d left back in Chicago were very different. While it had been fun to dust off her gorgeous boots and a silk blouse, and discover her skirts still fit, she was ready to get to the point of the invitation.
“How can I help you, Mrs. Crane?” she asked.
“Helen, please.”
Camryn smiled. “Helen. I’m happy to host a wrapping party, either here or at the store. Or if you’d prefer, I can simply collect all your holiday gifts and wrap them for you.”
She casually glanced around at the high ceilings of the sitting room. There was a massive fireplace, intricate molding and a view of the lake that, even with two feet of snow on the ground, was spectacular. And while there were lovely fall floral displays on several surfaces, there wasn’t a hint of Christmas to be found. Not in Wishing Tree, eight days before Thanksgiving. Those decorations didn’t appear until the Friday after.
“I have some samples for custom wrapping paper,” she said, pulling out several sheets of paper from her leather briefcase. “The designs can be adjusted and the colors coordinated with what you have planned for this holiday season. Wrapped presents under a tree are such an elegant touch.”
“You’re very thorough,” Helen murmured. “Impressive.” She made a note on a pad. “Are you married, dear?”
“What?” Camryn clutched the wrapping paper samples. “No.”
Helen nodded. “Your mother passed away last year, didn’t she?”
A fist wrapped around Camryn’s heart. “Yes. In late October.”
“I remember her. She was a lovely woman. You and your sisters must have been devastated.”
That was one word for it, Camryn thought grimly, remembering how her life had been shattered by the loss. In the space of a few weeks, she’d gone from being a relatively carefree, engaged, happy junior executive in Chicago to the sole guardian for her twin sisters, all the while dealing with trying to keep Wrap Around the Clock, the family business, afloat. The first few months after her mother’s death were still a blur. She barely remembered anything about the holidays last year, save an unrelenting sadness.
“This year the season will be so much happier,” Helen said firmly. “Victoria and Lily are thriving at school. Of course they still miss their mother, but they’re happy, healthy young adults.” The older woman smiled. “I know the teen years can be trying but I confess I quite enjoyed them with Jake.”
Camryn frowned slightly. “How do you know about the twins?” she asked.
Helen’s smile never faded. “It’s Wishing Tree, my dear. Everyone knows more than everyone else thinks. Now, you’re probably wondering why I invited you over today.”
“To discuss wrapping paper?” Although even as Camryn voiced the question, she knew instinctively that was not the real reason.
Helen Crane was close to sixty, with perfect posture and short, dark hair. Her gaze was direct, her clothes stylish. She looked as if she’d never wanted for anything and was very used to getting her way.
“Of course you’ll take care of all my wrapping needs,” Helen said easily. “And I do like your idea of custom paper for faux presents under the tree. I’ll have my holiday decorator get in touch with you so you two can coordinate the design. But the real reason I asked you here is to talk about Jake.”
Camryn was having a little trouble keeping up. The order for wrapping and the custom paper was great news, but why would Helen want to discuss her son?
She knew who Jake was—everyone in town did. He was the handsome, successful heir to the Crane hotel fortune. He’d been the football captain in high school, had gone to Stanford. After learning the hotel business at the smaller Crane hotels, he was back in Wishing Tree, promoted to general manager of the largest, most luxurious of the properties.
They’d never run in the same circles back when they’d been kids, in part because she was a few years younger. She’d been a lowly freshman while he’d been a popular senior. Her only real connection with Jake was the fact that he’d once been engaged to her friend Reggie.
Helen sighed. “I’ve come to the conclusion that left to his own devices, Jake is never going to give me grandchildren. I lost my husband eighteen months ago, which has been very hard for me. It’s time for my son to get on with finding someone, getting married and having the grandchildren I deserve.”
Well, that put the whole “did you wear braces” conversational gambit in perspective, Camryn thought, not sure if she should laugh or just plain feel sorry for Jake. His mother was a powerful woman. Camryn sure wouldn’t want to cross her.
“I’m not sure what that has to do with me,” she admitted.
Helen tapped her pad of paper. “I’ve come up with a plan. I’m calling it Project: Jake’s Bride. I’m going to find my son a wife and you’re a potential candidate.”
Camryn heard all the words. Taken individually, she knew what Helen was saying. But when put together, in that exact way, the meaning completely escaped her.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“You’re pretty, you’re smart. You’ve done well at Wrap Around the Clock. You’re nurturing—look how you’ve cared for your baby sisters.” Helen smiled again. “I confess I do like the idea of instant grandchildren, so that’s a plus for you. There are other candidates, of course, but you’re definitely near the top of the list. All I need is confirmation from your gynecologist that you’re likely to be fertile and then we can get on with the business of you and Jake falling in love.”
“You want to know if I’m fertile?”
Camryn shoved the samples back in her briefcase and stood. “Mrs. Crane, I don’t know what century you think we’re living in, but this isn’t a conversation I’m going to have with you. My fertility is none of your business. Nor is my love life. If your plan is genuine, you need to rethink it. And while you’re doing that, you might want to make an appointment with your own doctor, because there’s absolutely something wrong with you.”
Helen looked surprisingly unconcerned. “You’re right, Camryn. I apologize. Mentioning fertility was going a bit too far. You’re the first candidate I’ve spoken to, so I’m still finding my way through all this.” She wrote on her pad. “I won’t bring that up again. But as to the rest of it, seriously, what are your thoughts?”
Camryn sank back on her chair. “Don’t do it. Meddling is one thing, but you’re talking about an actual campaign to find your son a bride. No. Just no. It’s likely to annoy him, and any woman who would participate in something like this isn’t anyone you want in your family.”
Helen nodded slowly. “An interesting point. It’s just they make it look so easy on those reality shows.”
“Nothing is real on those shows. The relationships don’t last. Jake’s going to find someone. Give him time.”
“I’ve given him two years. I’m not getting younger, you know.” Her expression turned wistful. “And I do want grandchildren.”
“Ask me on the right day and you can have the twins.”
Helen laughed. “I wish that were true.” Her humor faded. “Do you know my son?”
“Not really.”
“We could start with a coffee date.”
Camryn sighed. “Helen, seriously. This isn’t going to work. Let him get his own girl.”
“He’s not. That’s the problem. All right, I can see I’m not going to convince you to be a willing participant. I appreciate your time.” She rose. “I meant what I said about the wrapping. I’ll arrange to have all my gifts taken to your store. And my holiday decorator will be in touch about the custom paper.”
“Is the holiday decorator different from the regular decorator?” Camryn asked before she could stop herself.
Helen chuckled. “Yes, she is. My regular decorator is temperamental and shudders at the thought of all that cheer and tradition. He came over close to Christmas a few years ago and nearly fainted when he saw the tree in the family room.”
She leaned close and her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “It’s devoted to all the ornaments Jake made for me when he was little. There are plaster handprints and little stars made out of Popsicle sticks. My favorite is a tuna can with a tiny baby Jesus in the manger tucked inside. There’s bits of straw and a star.” She pressed both hands to her heart. “I tear up thinking about it.”
Baby Jesus in a tuna can? Helen was one strange woman.
Camryn collected her briefcase and followed Helen to the front door. Helen opened it, then looked at her.
“You’re sure about not being a part of Project: Jake’s Bride?”
“Yes. Very.” Camryn kept her tone firm, so there would be no misunderstanding.
“A pity, but I respect your honesty.”
Camryn walked to her SUV and put her briefcase in the backseat. Once she was behind the wheel, she glanced at the three-story house rising tall and proud against the snow and gray sky.
The rich really were different, she told herself as she circled the driveway and headed for the main road. Different in a cray-cray kind of way.
She turned left on North Ribbon Road. When she reached Cypress Highway, she started to turn right—the shortest way back to town. At the last minute, she went straight. Even as she drove north, she told herself it wasn’t her business. Maybe Jake knew about his mother’s plans. Maybe he supported them.
Okay, not that, she thought, passing the outlet mall, then turning on Red Cedar Highway and heading up the mountain. She might not know Jake very well, but Reggie had dated him for months. Reggie was a sweetie who would never go out with a jerk. So Jake had to be a regular kind of guy, and regular guys didn’t approve of their mothers finding them wives.
Besides, she doubted Jake needed any help in that department. He was tall, good-looking and really fit. She’d caught sight of him jogging past her store more than once and was willing to admit she’d stopped what she was doing to admire the view. He was also wealthy. Men like that didn’t need help getting dates.
The sign for the resort came into view. She slowed for a second, then groaned as she drove up to the valet. Maybe she was making a mistake, but there was no way she couldn’t tell Jake what had just happened. It felt too much like not mentioning toilet paper stuck to someone’s shoe.
If he already knew, then it would be a short conversation. If he didn’t care, then she would quietly think less of him and leave. If he was as horrified as she thought he might be, then she’d done her good deed for the week and yay her. Whatever the outcome, she would have done the right thing, which meant she would be able to sleep that night. Some days that was as good as it was going to get.
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.
Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the ragdoll cat and adorable poodle who think of her as mom. Visit Susan online at www.susanmallery.com.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for WHEN IT FALLSAPART (The D’Angelos Book #1) by Catherine Bybee on this Montlake Blog Tour.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section, the author’s social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway and enjoy!
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Author Q&A
Interview with Catherine Bybee
For anyone wondering the plot of your newest release, you give a great sneak peek with the title—When it Falls Apart. What is “falling apart” in this novel?
All the threads that hold my heroine, Brooke, together are crumbling down around her. When it Falls Apart begins with Brooke’s romantic relationship crashing and burning. At the same time, in a different state, her father is circling the drain in the ICU. And for the cherry on the top of her “falling apart life”, Brooke has found herself demoted at work. In short, everything in Brooke’s life is dissolving around her.
Like all of your books, When it Falls Apart has a beautiful romance, however, there is a rawness about Brooke’s story. How was writing this novel different from your others?
If you read my notes both in the front and the back of this novel, you’ll soon realize that the story was very personal to me. Rawness comes from experience. The relationship Brooke has with her father is hauntingly familiar to me and my dad. The emotions that the heroine experienced when taking care of him were easy for me to grasp onto and write about. Sadly, the love story with Luca was completely made up and I didn’t have the support of a strong Italian family to help deal with the struggles, but I digress.
Relationships with a parent who wasn’t there for you growing up are messy. When that parent ages and needs their child, sometimes that help comes with a bucketload of resentment, even if the child wishes they could stop those ugly feelings from creeping up on them. And THAT is the rawness you speak of.
Books, TV shows, and movies oftentimes glamorize what it means to care for a loved one. However, in When it Falls Apart you don’t sugar-coat anything about caregiving and the toll it takes on a person. How do you think readers who have been in similar situations will be affected by this story?
Justified. Validated. Accepted.
It’s a hard job taking care of an elderly family member. And if there aren’t other siblings to help, or won’t help, it’s made even more difficult. It’s difficult, gritty, dirty work that only has a bad ending…eventually. What I do hope my readers take away is that they’re not alone. That the struggle is very real and that if they don’t find balance (which is almost impossible at times) they will burn out completely and not be fit to help at all. I hope my readers are empowered to set boundaries and balance, so they come out on the other side of caring for an elderly loved one whole themselves.
Brooke gets virtually no support from her significant other, which has her reevaluating their relationship. She realizes she has settled and has to make some hard decisions. Do you think this happens too many times to women in real life?
100% Yes! There is a song by Taylor Swift with a line that says, and I’m paraphrasing here, I can be what you want for the weekend. But often that weekend ends up being a relationship that women hold on to or are convinced they can’t live without. Often it takes a huge shake-up to remove yourself from that situation. But once you’re away from the day to day dysfunctional relationship, the easier it is to see the dysfunction.
After her breakup and move, Brooke is not looking for a relationship. In fact, she tells her best friend: “I haven’t wiped off my smeared mascara from Marshall yet, the last thing I want is to jump into anything else.” Her crying over a man lasts all about two minutes when she meets Luca. Tell us about him.
Hmmm, Luca… he is the kind of man who doesn’t want a place on Brooke’s dance card…he wants to rip it up.
Luca is wired to help the people in his life. Brooke becomes a part of his inner circle simply by moving into the family building where he sees her every day.
Now, if Luca had flat out asked Brooke on a date, she would have run the other way…so no, he doesn’t go about it that way. He simply shows up and does not leave. Not when things get tough, or messy…or when his own past peeks its head in. Luca is a man who is right there at Brooke’s side without question or censor on why she does the things she does. His support and validation of her feelings is the part she was missing. Add in the hunky Italian single father and “Mamma Mia!”
At first, Luca is not thrilled that Brooke is renting a room in his family’s building. What changes his mind about her?
Her strength and vulnerability. I know that sounds contradicting, but some of the strongest women I know have a big vulnerable spot in their life that if you know them well enough, you see. The biggest smiles often hide the deepest pain. Luca sees her struggle and dedication to helping her elderly father and since family is first on Luca’s list, she passes his unconscious test.
Luca’s family, the D’Angelo’s, are incredibly close and share everything from ownership of the family restaurant to helping care for Luca’s daughter Franny. How is this different from Brooke’s relationship with her family?
Brooke doesn’t have that family. She has a father who abandoned her as a little girl that she carved out a relationship as an adult, and now she’s charged with caring for. Even her previous romantic relationship didn’t support her unconditionally the way the D’Angelo’s do for each other. She’s rather dumbfounded when they start treating her like family. It’s a wonderful thing to watch happen.
San Diego’s Little Italy plays a huge part in the story. The community, language, and food are in full display. Tell us about your own experiences in your adopted city.
I love Little Italy, the food, the pace… the people. There are many places in San Diego that are overrun with the college scene, San Diego is a college town. But Little Italy is more family friendly. Very touristy, but there isn’t a day you don’t see locals hanging out. I go to the farmer’s market often. Pick up authentic Italian ingredients for my own home cooking. I try new restaurants and take all my friends there when they are visiting from out of town. Not to mention it was the closest thing to the “real Italy” that I could go during the travel restrictions. So why not write about it and tell the world of this small island within San Diego that shouldn’t be missed?
There are two more siblings in the D’Angelo family. Where will you be taking readers next with the series?
Chloe is a yogi. Think Bali!
And Giovanni loves wine… think Tuscany, Italy.
I cannot wait to show you what I have in store for these two!
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Book Summary
Brooke Turner has always had a complicated relationship with her father. But when his health takes a turn for the worse, she drops everything to care for him. He’s her dad, after all, and he needs her. What Brooke doesn’t anticipate is the unraveling of her long-term relationship and a cross-country move to San Diego’s Little Italy.
Luca D’Angelo is the oldest of three children and a single father to a young daughter. When his mother rents the top floor of their house to Brooke, he’s angry. Who is this beautiful stranger with no ties to the neighborhood? Can she be trusted in such close proximity to his family?
As Luca learns of Brooke’s difficult journey with her ailing father, his heart softens. And Brooke, who witnesses Luca’s struggle as a single parent, develops feelings for him, too. But when it all falls apart, will love heal their wounded hearts?
WHEN IT FALLS APART (The D’Angelo’s Book #1) by Catherine Bybee is the first book in a new contemporary romance series featuring the very tight knit Italian D’Angelo family who own and live above their restaurant in the enchanting setting of Little Italy in San Diego, California. Each book will feature one of the D’Angelo siblings and their HEA romances.
Brooke Turner has an on-line marketing career which works well with her partner who is a travel blogger as they travel more than they are home. Brooke receives a call from the hospital that her father is very sick and needs surgery. She just got him back on his feet after a lengthy recovery from a stroke and now she needs to leave again. This blows up Brooke’s relationship even though Brooke’s father was never much of a father, she still feels responsible to help him since he has no one else.
Luca D’Angelo is the eldest son of three children and a single father to a young daughter. Since the death of his father, he runs the family restaurant with the help of his mother, brother, and sister who all work there and live above the restaurant. When his mother talks to Brooke when she visits the restaurant and discovers she is looking for a place to rent, Luca’s mother rents the top floor apartment to Brooke. At first Luca is worried about this stranger living in the family building, but he soon learns of Brooke’s difficult life and current problems with her father and only wants to help.
They develop feelings for each other, and Brooke loves Franny, Luca’s daughter. They want to take it slow, but in Little Italy everyone knows everyone else’s business and the nonnas are always looking to match their loved ones. When Luca’s ex-wife shows up, will their fragile romance survive, or will it all fall apart?
This is one of those stories that pulls you right in and keeps you there until the HEA. Brooke is an amazing person despite her terrible upbringing. She is loving and always giving to her own detriment many times. Luca is the handsome Italian single dad whose momma raised him right and he is a chef. Who wouldn’t fall for that? The entire family, neighbors and secondary characters are brought to life with realistic and difficult situations that many of us have or will face in the future. The H/h in this story face each situation with maturity and open communication. I loved Luca, Brooke and Franny and the entire D’Angelo family.
I highly recommend this wonderful romance and I cannot wait for the next in the series!
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Excerpt
“Oh my God, Carmen. He was standing at his car first thing this morning. Like ‘hop in, bella, let’s get stuff done today.’ Who does that?”
Brooke had picked up the phone as soon as Luca was off in search of a dump guy.
“We’re talking about the single, hot, Italian dad, right?”
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Yes. Luca.”
“Oy, oy, oy.”
“Stop it. I need advice. And I need it before he gets back.”
Carmen stopped teasing. “You don’t need advice. You need to relax. He sounds like one of the good ones. Let it happen.”
“Let it happen,” she mocked. “I don’t ‘let’ things happen. It happens to me and it’s never good.”
“You didn’t used to be such a pessimist.”
“Once upon a time the glass was half full. Not these days.”
“Okay, Debbie Downer. You want my advice . . . here it is. Keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing anything. Zero effort.”
“Really?” Carmen didn’t sound convinced. “Makeup . . . a nice dress?”
Brooke hesitated. “Maybe . . . a little last night, but that was it.”
Carmen chuckled.
“Carmen!”
“Sorry. Okay . . . any red flags?”
Brooke thought about that. “He loved his ex-wife.”
“That’s a red flag?”
“I guess not.”
“Is he good to his mom?”
Brooke looked back on the dinner the night before. “To the whole family. He takes being the oldest brother quite seriously.”
“And his daughter?”
All Brooke could do was smile. “Great dad. We should all be so lucky.”
“He’s Italian, does he smoke?”
“No.”
“A lot of Italians smoke,” Carmen pointed out.
“In Italy. The San Diego variety are less in that wheelhouse.”
“That’s good.” Carmen sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you, Brooke. How does he kiss?”
“He hasn’t kissed me,” Brooke nearly yelled.
“Now then . . . we have a problem.”
“There hasn’t been . . . I don’t even know if—”
“Stop right there. He did not drive your sorry ass all the way to Upland to do grunt work all day if he wasn’t interested in kissing you, bellllaaa. More than that, you want him to.”
Brooke closed her eyes, and even in her own head she couldn’t convince herself that Carmen was wrong.
“Let it happen. You deserve some happiness, Brooke.”
The van with the air conditioning repair guy pulled into the driveway.
“I gotta go.”
“I want a kissing update the next time we talk,” Carmen teased.
“Love you,” Brooke said with a laugh.
“Back at ya, boo.”
She hung up.
Her best friend was such a dork.
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About the Author
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written twenty-eight books that have collectively sold more than five million copies and have been translated into more than eighteen languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite Series, the Weekday Brides Series, the Most Likely To Series, and the First Wives Series.
