Book Review: "The Twin Clause" by C.G. Macington

Earlier this year, I discovered C.G. Macington’s St. Jude’s Medical series. I fell in love with these books about two brothers and doctors who were raised in privilege (and tremendous dysfunction) and the men they fell in love with. The characters were flawed but beautiful people who dealt with crises both medical and emotional.

When I finished Book 3 in July, I thought the series was ending, so I was thrilled when I saw Book 4 was coming. Now that I read it on the day it was released, I was excited to see there will be a fifth book coming out at some point.

Dr. Preston York and his husband, Dr. Luke Silva, are both well-versed in their fields and exceptional in a crisis. But when it comes to planning their future, Preston pushes too hard and Luke goes silent. And in their tiny New York apartment, a little silence goes a long way.

When both of their mothers start pressuring them for grandchildren (each in different but complementary ways), they try to deflect the subject. Luke’s father left the family when he was young, while Preston was raised by warring factions who threw money at everything. Not the best role models, but the idea of fatherhood is both enticing and terrifying.

When Preston’s mother offers to pay a surrogate $1 million, Luke’s sister offers to carry the baby. And when they find more than they were bargaining for, the York and Silva families rally around Preston and Luke to support them. Fatherhood looks great on them.

While Macington brought some of his signature humor and steam to this book, it’s definitely a little more serious than the previous books. After the craziness of their love story and their wedding as well as all the York family madness, this book explored what it’s like to build a life together, and how you try not to let your past scare you from your future. Can’t wait for Book 5!

Book Review: "The Chain House" by J.H. Markert

Well, damn, this book was crazy good! All of the praise I’ve seen from Bookstagram friends was tremendously accurate. This was my first book by J.H. Markert, but I assure you, it won’t be my last!

Sal Batise, known as the Breaker of Chains, was an enigmatic cult leader who modeled himself after Charles Manson. After three of his followers went on a brutal murder spree, Sal was arrested and sentenced to death. But each time his execution neared, he was able to get a stay.

Now, it appears all of his last-ditch efforts have failed, and he’s scheduled to be executed in just a few days. He orchestrates a contest for him to grant a final interview; all of the major news networks and outlets enter. But Sal selects Sam Harper, a young filmmaker who has been working on a documentary about Sal.

Sam knows this interview will make or break his career. Right away, however, it appears Sal is in control. He announces that he has written a series of bestselling thrillers under the name Mallard Malone. He has allegedly hidden the last book with another murder victim’s body. He figures he’ll be able to wrangle another stay out of this information.

It’s up to the popular governor of Kentucky. When his wife is kidnapped, his first instinct is to grant the stay. Yet the ransom note he gets tells him the execution must go as planned or his wife will die. And nothing is quite what it seems.

This was such a tense thriller. It was a bit creepy and gory, but there were so many surprises that I couldn’t catch my breath at one point. There was a lot going on, and the book is narrated by several different characters, but I loved the way it all came together.

Book Review: "Canine Custody" by Gary Goldstein

Have you ever wondered what a pet was thinking when you spoke to it, or what they thought when something in your life changed or shifted? Gary Goldstein’s new book explores that idea and it’s definitely heartwarming. Thanks so much to Gary for the complimentary copy!

Layla and Franklin have been married for a while when Layla unexpectedly brings home a dog. Franklin never considered himself a dog person; in fact, he had a run-in with a dog when he was young. Needless to say, he’s surprised and a bit angry to find that Layla adopted a dog without discussing it with him, no matter how adorable Betty, a springer spaniel, is.

But while it’s not long before Franklin has become completely enamored with Betty, his and Layla’s marriage is definitely on the rocks. And when an incident with Layla’s water bottle leads to a fender bender with Betty in the car, it prompts her to ask for a divorce.

Once they move toward divorce, their relationship completely deteriorates. And while they would really like to keep lawyers out of the mix and try to work with a mediator, the one sticking point is Betty. They both want full custody of the dog, and neither is willing to compromise.

The story is narrated by Franklin, Layla, and Betty, so you see the same events through each of their eyes. Of course, Betty is mostly confused about why her parents don’t live together anymore and why she can’t spend time with both of them. But you also see how the friction manifests itself for all of them.

This is a fun book, but it’s also a weighty one emotionally. I’ll admit that Franklin and Layla aren’t very likable at times (Layla in particular), but Betty more than makes up for it!!

Book Review: "Three Days Grace" by Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato

I’ve had the good fortune over the last month or so to stumble upon some books I hadn’t heard of. Three Days Grace was another of those. This was a powerful, emotional read, sad but hopeful, and it will be a book that sticks in my mind for a long time.

“‘I think,’ he said, ‘that sometimes we learn how to love by recognizing what love isn’t. By seeing the darkness and choosing to live in the light instead.’”

The night before they’re supposed to fly to South Africa on vacation, Lynne and her wife Susan are expecting three guests to meet them at their hotel room in Paris. There’s Nick, Lynne’s son, who has had a strained relationship with his mother since he was a teenager; Laslo, an artist and friend of Susan’s; and Marc, Lynne’s closest friend and confidante.

The whole day, Lynne has seemed out of sorts. She picked several fights with Susan over trivial things and when the five of them go to dinner, her behavior is almost erratic. And then she discloses a piece of news that affects all of them, Nick most particularly. They suddenly must confront the truth about events of the past that they all knew about in their own way, but no one ever did anything about them.

This is a story of loss, grief, guilt, shame, pain, and how we can hide painful truths from ourselves. The book deals with sexual and physical abuse of children (although it’s only referred to without details), which might prove triggering. But this book is gorgeously written even through the sadness, anger, and pain.

“I told him that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop pretending. That loving yourself doesn’t mean you love other people less.”

Book Review: "The Social Circle" by Sophie Wan

“After all, if friendship is a plant that needs to be watered regularly, theirs should have withered to nothingness long ago. But maybe real friendship is not a plant. Maybe it’s a mountain. Sometimes difficult to ascend. But there, always, through the storms and the seasons.”

This was so good! I had been eyeing this book for a few months and I finally picked it up over the weekend. I love stories about friendships and how they go off course.

Ten years ago, Maggie met Adam, Charles, and Hari, shortly after she arrived as a transfer student at the University of California at Berkeley. Together, they create Circle, initially as an effort to help their fellow students navigate the school’s clubs, but it eventually becomes the first major social media platform.

As Circle grows in popularity, the friends have to balance the challenges of college and managing user demands and expectations. At the same time, the line between friendship and love gets blurry, which causes friction on the business side. And when it all falls apart, Maggie finds herself on the outside looking in.

Ten years later, as Circle gets ready to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Maggie receives a personal invitation to join the other three on a remote Norwegian island. She’s not sure if she can handle rehashing the history among them, but her new company could use the publicity. Will they be able to move past the issues that derailed their friendships, or will the hurt and anger win again?

I loved the fact that the book dwelled more on the relationships between the friends and how they handled the growing business than the platform itself. It made me a little nostalgic for a time in my life where things were simpler and you could just enjoy your friends without life getting in the way. This was really, really good!

Book Review: "Proof of Progress" by Elizabeth Castellano

Maria Astorini should look familiar to you. She’s been in the public eye for decades, first as the daughter of a famous mother, then as an actress, frequent talk show guest, author, and occasional object of scandal.

She recently landed a new role that has put attention on her again. But when a throwaway comment about a book she was contracted to write 37 years ago somehow gets back to her publisher, they finally start asking about it. They’d be more than happy for her to pay the advance back (but compound interest after 37 years is pretty staggering), or she can write the book.

She really doesn’t think the world needs another celebrity memoir, but she’s not paying the publisher back. So in order to provide proof of progress, she sends the publisher anecdotes of different times in her life.

Maria touches on her father’s sudden death when she was young, which was accompanied by a freak injury to her tongue (44 stitches needed). She talks about her on-again, off-again relationship with a college friend, who is both her closest confidante and her biggest nemesis. She discusses her marriages, her children, her relationship with her mother (who became a famous motivational speaker and author), her financial ruin, and her career.

I found this to be an amusing story but because it’s told in anecdotes, nothing felt complete. Maria is a mess, but she’s surprisingly loyal to her friends (to a point), and her life is never free of drama and challenging people. It was a fun, lightweight read.

Book Review: "The Bluff" by Wade Rouse

Ahh, nothing like a dysfunctional family Christmas!! This book is described as a blend of Succession and The Family Stone, and while there are elements of both, it’s definitely not that sad. I’d like to thank Wade Rouse and Thunder Road Books for the advance copy!

The Chapman family believes in traditions, especially around Christmas. The holiday is always spent at the family’s lakefront mansion on Mackinac Island, with the same food and celebrations year after year. And it’s just the Chapmans and their spouses—the family doesn’t “share” the holiday.

But this year, Kat, the wife of oldest son Chris, has organized Christmas—and she’s shaking everything up, much to the dismay and anger of her mother-in-law, Charli. Not only is the Christmas tree in a different place, but Kat has invited her parents to join them, and they’re not at the same level as the Chapmans.

So while Charli rages at everything Kat does, there’s plenty of other drama. Her two sons, Chris and Cormac, are trading barbs about Chris’ handling of the family business. Cormac’s wife, Brie, isn’t above a little scheming to get her and her husband a leg up. Kat’s son Chip is ultra-conservative and motivated solely by money, and her daughter, Leah, is all too willing to question the status quo. And Kat’s mother has some secrets of her own.

As if there wasn’t already enough tension, a big snowstorm is headed for Mackinac Island, and it will trap them together. Resentments, secrets, lies, and manipulations will fill the home as much as the smell of Christmas cookies does. Will the family be speaking by the time they thaw out?

Wade Rouse’s books always have so much heart. I was completely hooked on this family’s story, even though many of them weren’t particularly likable! There’s lots of emotional depth, bad behavior, and even some name-calling…we’ve probably all experienced a bit of this drama! It definitely put me in a holiday mood.

The book will publish 10/13.