The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

A special thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dubbed as a psychological thriller, The Wife Stalker is about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she's ever loved and the lengths she will go to save it.

Piper Reynard has relocated to the gorgeous seaside town of Westport, Connecticut and has just launched her wellness business. It is here where she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome and successful attorney. Piper finds everything about him attractive...except for his wedding band. But that isn't stopping her.

Joanna has been waiting for Leo to snap out of his severe depression and be the man that she fell in love with. When he starts to behave more like his old self, and becomes more attentive to Evie and Stelli—the children that they both adore—Joanna is thrilled. That is until she leans that she's not the reason for his happiness, someone else is.

Leo quickly falls for Piper, and leaves Joanna. She is devastated beyond measure and can't understand why this is happening. Determined to find a way back into her brood, Joanna starts looking into Piper's past. She is shocked to discover that Piper has not one, but two dead husbands. When she confides her fears for her ex-husband and children's safety to her therapist, Joanna is dismissed as being jealous and paranoid. But she won't stop until she find the proof that she needs in order to save her family.

I don't like to give negative reviews, however...not unlike The Last Time I Saw You, this one didn't do anything for me. The writing was amateur at best. There were little to no conjunctions or connecting words. Instead, the authors exhaust the reader with their short, choppy staccato sentences.

The characters were lacking in depth and were not developed. And the story itself was completely underwhelming. Often in thrillers, readers will need to suspend their disbelief. But in this book it was extreme and I just didn't buy in. Told to keep going because there was a great twist, I slogged through most of the book to get there. After all that, it wasn't worth it. The pacing was off and it was rushed.

Also, in Chapter 29, Piper is recounting running into Ava at a store a year and a half earlier. She gets flustered and sets the alarms off when she forgets to put back the handbag she was looking at. Ava remarks that she also steals husbands and calls her by her new name, Piper. This is incorrect. She would only know her as being Pamela—the woman that was married to her ex-husband—and not as Piper Reynard, her new identity.

For whatever reason, these authors struggle with pacing. There are situations that are completely glossed over, yet other mundane things like what they ate, are written with such detail. I would be interested to see if the same editor worked on all three books because these last two books could use a solid developmental edit.

All this being said, I have heard positive things about The Last Mrs. Parrish and would be willing to give that one a chance.

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LIV CONSTANTINE is the pen name of USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and international bestselling authors (and sisters) Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. The duo write dark stories influenced by their Greek grandmother's tales. 

Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner

A special thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Newly retired Ruth Cooperman longs for a simpler life in a sleepy seaside locale. She rents the perfect waterfront cottage for the summer while waiting for a property to become available. But little does she know that her new life will be full of drama, starting with a baby being left on her doorstep. Right away, Ruth calls Elsie Douglas, the owner of the house. But Elsie—who has been trying to have a baby for years—doesn't turn the infant over to social services.

Trying to run a business and look after a baby is proving to be too much, so Elsie and her wife, Fern, enlist the help of the community. Caring for baby Mira has Ruth feeling nostalgic and she reaches out to her estranged daughter, Olivia. She invites her to Provincetown for the summer in the hopes of reconciling. The summer home quickly fills up—Elsie and Fern move back in because they need more room for the baby, and Olivia shows up and extends an invitation to her dad, Ruth's ex-husband, Ben.

The summer grows new relationships while putting others to the test. Unlikely alliances form and secrets are revealed...including the biggest one of all: who Mira's mother is.

Summer Longing is more than a story with a great locale. It is about the bonds of women through friendships and motherhood. One of Brenner's favourite themes is of the families we choose. Although this is a mother-daughter story, it is also about those that we want to be part of our family. Mira brings the women of the town together: Amelia Cabral, the matriarch who lost her own child; Elise who longs for a baby; Fern, who is concerned that Elsie is going to suffer more heartbreak; and Jaci Barros, a teenager feeling smothered by her parents and the expectations that they've put on her.

If you love a good family drama, stick your toes in the sand and dive in. 

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JAMIE BRENNER studied literature at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Jamie moved to New York City where she started her career at HarperCollins Publishers, then later Barnes&Noble.com and Vogue.com before returning to books and becoming an author.

She is the nationally bestselling author of The Forever Summer. Her novels include Drawing Home, The Husband Hour, The Wedding Sisters, and The Gin Lovers.

Brenner lives in New York City with her husband and daughters.

The Dilemma by B. A. Paris

A special thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley and Macmillan/St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Livia is turning forty and is throwing herself a party. And not just any party, one that she has been planning for the last twenty years. The only person that will not be in attendance is her daughter, Marnie, who is in Hong Kong. But Livia has been keeping a secret from Adam because of the effect it will have on their lives. She has decided to wait until after the festivities to tell him, and is actually relieved that Marnie won't be there.

Adam wants the evening to be perfect for Livia because she never got to have a wedding. Livia and Adam were married in a registry office when they were teens because Livia was pregnant and subsequently disowned by her parents. On the day of the party, Adam learns of some news that could not only ruin the party, but devastate their lives, so he decides to keep it to himself until after the guests leave.

The Dilemma is a departure for B. A. Paris in that it is more of a domestic drama versus a typical thriller. At its core is "the dilemma" and it is an emotional punch right to the gut. Are the characters acting out of love and wanting to protect their family, or deception and being self-serving?

I ultimately struggled with the book for both it being marketed incorrectly as a thriller, and with the fact that the dilemma itself was not believable—Adam choosing to keep a life-altering secret from his wife is simply not plausible. The book was also too long. There were pages and pages where nothing much was happening, or that it was repetitive. I don't know whether this was because the story only takes place over a day and Paris needed to fill the pages, or because of the limited setting which was their home.

Paris did redeem herself with the ending—it didn't end the way that I thought it was going to.

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B. A. PARIS is the internationally bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back. She has worked both in finance and as a teacher and has five daughters. The Dilemma is her fourth novel.

Paris grew up in England, but has spend most of her adult life in France.

Three Perfect Liars by Heidi Perks

A special thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When an office fire ends in murder, Laura, Mia, and Janie are first in line for questioning. Meet our Three Perfect Liars.

When Laura returns to work at Morris and Wood after her maternity leave, she learns that the woman she hired to replace her isn't going anywhere. Not only is Laura feeling outsmarted, but she is also struggling with being a working mother.

Mia was only supposed to be temporary but has managed to make herself indispensable to everyone, including the agency's CEO, Harry Wood. Even though Laura has always had a close relationship with Harry, she can't help but feel snubbed.

Janie, Harry's wife, gave up everything to support her husband and his business. But she has a secret to protect and will do anything to keep it hidden.

Perks latest work is a psychological thriller that contains its fair share of shocking twists and turns. She masterfully tells the story using multiple points of view, the police interviews conducted by DC Emily Marlow, and alternating timelines. This was an effective way to tell the story; there was an edge of intensity created as well shocking revelations that were a result of the police interviews.

Laura, Mia, and Janie all had distinct voices and personalities. They were fully developed characters with fleshed out backstories that provided context for their motives. These are clever women, each with their own brand of deception.

Three Perfect Liars is a riveting thriller about revenge and the complexities of secrets and lies.

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HEIDI PERKS has been writing since she was small and now writes full time having left her career in marketing. Her first novel, Her One Mistake (Now You See Her), was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Heidi is a voracious reader of crime fiction and thrillers and endlessly interested in what makes people tick.

Perks lives in the seaside town of Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, with her husband and and two children.

Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer

A special thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you also to Harlequin for the opportunity to be a part of the Blog Tour.

Beth Walsh and her three siblings have made the difficult decision to put their father into a care facility. Beth is on an extended maternity leave, and she decides that she will clean out his house. Truth be told, she's struggling with motherhood and could use the break. Deciding to bring her dad some of his art supplies, she makes her way up to the attic—her former childhood playroom now art studio—and is surprised to discover that the door is padlocked. But even more shocking is what's inside. Amongst his paintings, her father has been hoarding junk and there are papers everywhere.

Picking her way through the chaos, Beth finds what appears to be a journal entry in her late mother's handwriting. The children grew up believing that their mother had died in a car accident when they were very young, but this note suggests otherwise. Their mother, Grace, was a woman crippled from postpartum depression and her husband, Patrick, was not the caring and wonderful father that the siblings know and love. He was drinking heavily and profoundly unhappy. Grace hung on by writing her deepest, darkest thoughts and fears into a notebook that she kept hidden from Patrick.

What Beth learns is that even though they were separated by decades, she has strong emotional ties to her mother. Beth and Grace share the same overwhelming struggles and stigma attached to postpartum depression—they are bound by the expectations society places on women of every generation.

Truths I Never Told You is a harrowing look at the complexities of motherhood, the limitations of memory, and how lies can tear a family apart.

I recently had the privilege of attending an amazing #HarperPresents event in Toronto with Kelly Rimmer.

This touching novel takes a deep dive into postpartum depression occurring decades apart. Told from Beth in the 90s and Grace's notes from the 50s, Rimmer depicts what life was like, and is still like for women that are suffering.

Moving and poignant, Rimmer's latest issue-driven work is strongly paced with some well-timed plot twists. The characters are complex and considered. Although there are some heavier topics, Rimmer tackles them with care and compassion—you can tell she did her research.

Although categorized as historical fiction, there is an added layer of mystery to the story. With lots to discuss, this will make an excellent book club choice.

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KELLY RIMMER is the USA Today bestselling women's fiction author of ten books that have been translated into more than 20 language.

Rimmer lives in rural Australia with her family and fantastically naughty dogs, Sully and Basil.

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Q&A with Kelly Rimmer

What inspired you to write Truths I Never Told You?

The idea behind the story started with a curiosity about post-partum depression. I heard the statistic that one in five women develop the condition after the birth of a child and I was so shocked by it. I thought to myself—given how common this is, why don’t we talk about it?

Which character do you relate to the most in Truths I Never Told You?

Most of us feel like victims of our circumstances at some point during our lives, at least for brief periods of time. I’ve certainly felt that way before—but writing a character like Grace, who lived in time where she had very little choice over how her life unfolded, really put that feeling into perspective for me. I loved writing the character of Beth too. To me she is loyal, loving and brave—but also ultimately humble and willing to be vulnerable. Despite that, my favorite character in this book was Maryanne—she’s fierce and determined and so courageous in her pursuit of change and knowledge, and that extends to a willingness to learn harsh lessons from life itself. Although Maryanne makes some heartbreaking decisions along the way, she always remains true to her values. A groundbreaking feminist like Maryanne represents something of a bridge between Grace’s powerlessness and the easier access Beth has to a life she can control.

What message do you hope readers take away from your story?

I hope that the story encourages people to talk more about how difficult early motherhood can be, and to be more aware of how new mothers in their lives might be feeling isolated or struggling.

Do you plan your books in advance or let them develop as you write?

I’m a compulsive planner – I always know exactly where the story is going to go, before I actually start writing it. I’d never finish writing a book if I tried to wing it, and I’m so impressed by writer friends who can just fly by the seat of their pants!!

Have you ever had a character take over a story, and if so, who was it and why?

Because I plan my books, I tend not to let my characters run away with the plot too much, but the way they engage with the action and make the plots unfold sometimes surprises me.

Which one of the characters in this novel was the hardest to write and why?

It was very difficult to put myself into Grace’s shoes. Even writing a character with depression is challenging, but trying to immerse myself in the world of a woman who was so isolated with her struggle and so unsupported by her broader community was heartbreaking. I interviewed more than a dozen women as I was researching for Grace and Beth’s stories, and I have so much admiration for them and for all women who walk a journey with postpartum depression.

Which character in any of your books (Truths I Never Told You or otherwise) is dearest to you and why?

In my last historical fiction novel, The Things We Cannot Say, I wrote a character named Eddie, who is a seven year old boy with autism spectrum disorder. I wanted to write about a child with ASD who is both loved and loving, and who is defined by his strengths as much as his challenges. Eddie will always be a very dear character to me, and I’ve been so honored by the way readers around the world have responded to him too.

What did you want to be as a child? Was it an author?

I knew I wanted to be an author from a very early age. My dad remembers me telling him in Kindergarten that I was going to write books “when I grew up”!

What does a day in the life of Kelly Rimmer look like?

Every day is different, especially at the moment when I’m self-isolating at home and trying to school my children too!! I always try to fit in some time outside either tending to the garden or walking the trails on our property, but beyond that, it’s generally an unpredictable mix of reading, writing, teaching and cooking or cleaning.

What do you use to inspire you when you get Writer’s Block?

I try to have two manuscripts on the go at any one time. If I get really stuck, I just switch books. I also skip scenes if they aren’t coming easily. For me, finishing a draft is all about momentum – so if I hit a point in the story where I can’t quite keep the words flowing, I’ll just write around it and come back to it later.

What has been the hardest thing about publishing? What has been the most fun?

I still really love the way it feels to picture a story, and the challenge of trying to translate the ideas in my mind into words on the page will always thrill me. It’s taken a while for me to learn how to balance that creative side with the more pragmatic aspects to publishing. As a writer at home tapping away at your keyboard, you’re master of the story and it’s an intoxicating power – but as an author working with a whole team of people at your publisher, you have to learn how to be flexible. I’ve slowly learned that for my books to be as good as they can be, I don’t just need to endure editorial feedback, I need to learn to relish it. When I’m immersed in the story, I just can’t see the big picture the way my editors can. The author’s name goes on the spine, but the best books are the result of the work of a whole team of people at the publishing house too.

What advice would you give budding authors about publishing?

No word you write is ever wasted, even if it doesn’t end up in a book. Most writers I know have thrown out entire manuscripts at different points during their career. You have to learn how to okay with the idea that sometimes you’re writing just to refine your voice or to figure out what does and doesn’t work for you. You have to love storytelling enough to be willing to do it even if the manuscript is never destined to become a book.

What was the last book you read?

I’m currently reading (and loving) an advance copy of The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson, which will be published in late April.

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Balzer & Bray for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There's a set of unspoken guidelines—the rules for being a girl—that Marin has always been good at navigating. She's an exceptional student and editor of her school's paper. Her dream is to go to Brown University.

Marin and her best friend, Chloe, are quite captivated with their young and charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett. And "Bex" seems to have taken an interest in Marin. He admires her writing and is always eager to chat about books with her.

After school one day, Bex offers Marin a ride. On the way, he offers to stop by his place to pick up the book he's been meaning to lend her yet keeps forgetting to bring to class. But then Bex takes things too far. Marin is hurt, shocked, and like most women, is quick to blame herself—did she lead him on?

Finally bolstering up the courage, Marin reports what happened to the school administration, but they don't believe her, and neither does Chloe. Now she's forced to see Mr. Beckett everyday in class and he's making her life miserable. But Marin isn't having it—she fights back with the help of her new allies from the feminist book club she started, and writes a piece in the school paper.

Now she's making her own rules.

What an opportune and and thought-provoking read. I can certainly relate to "the rules for being a girl" and like all women, have experienced many of them first hand. Quite simply, it's heartbreaking. It is also upsetting to think about how far we still have to go. This book just barely scratches the surface, but the attempt isn't for naught. Given that this is an issues-based book, it really could have gone either way. But Bushnell and Contugno deftly handle the topic of assault (that is also a gross abuse of power).

There are also some other really solid elements in the story—the connections Marin made and the feminist book club with its great recommendations. And there are also parts that are uncomfortable. Unfortunately, these are the realities for many women and girls.

Although a quick and easy read, Rules for Being a Girl packs a huge punch. Don't let the pretty cover and the fact that it is a YA book fool you. This is timely, topical, and exactly what we need more of.

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CANDACE BUSHNELL is the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Carrie Diaries, Sex and the City, Is There Still Sex in the City?, Lipstick Jungle, One Fifth Avenue, 4 Blondes, Trading Up, and Summer and the City, which have sold millions of copies.

Bushnell lives in New York City and Sag Harbor.

KATIE COTUGNO is the New York Times bestselling author of Top Ten, 99 Days, 9 Days and 9 Nights, Fireworks, and How to Love. She studied writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in fiction at Lesley University.

Cotugno lives in Boston.

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Monroe has just relocated to LA to start up a law firm with her best friend. At a hotel bar, she meets a handsome man and flirts with him for the rest of the evening. Olivia finds out that the gorgeous man she had such good chemistry with is none other than junior senator, Max Powell. Olivia has no interest in dating, let alone someone in the public eye. But then Max sends her one of her favourite desserts with a message—can she really turn down chocolate cake?

Because of Max's high profile job, they begin seeing each other in secret. Max is adorable and funny, and Olivia looks forward to their dates, even with Max in disguise. When they finally takes things public, everyone is talking. There is intense scrutiny from the media and they even go so far as to dig up an incident from her past. Olivia knows Max is special, but can she survive living in the spotlight?

This is the fifth instalment from Guillory's Wedding Date series and it is filled with decadent food, flirting, and some spice! You do not need to read Guillory's other books (The Wedding Date, The Proposal, The Wedding Party, Royal Holiday) before reading this one. Although there are subtle references to other characters/storylines from her previous books, there is nothing that would prevent the reader from not following what is going on in this story, but you may get a spoiler or two.

Party of Two stars Alexis' sister, Olivia. She is a fabulous leading lady with smarts and style. Olivia is thoughtful and articulate, whereas Max is more impulsive. He's comfortable in the public eye and incredibly charming. I kept seeing Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) in my mind's eye while reading this.

What I love about Guillory is that she pens character that are interesting and engaging, yet are relatable. Her stories flow effortlessly and are so endearing. Like her other books, the premise may be lighthearted and playful, but it is also smart and captivating.

Jasmine, you are a delight and I never want this series to end!

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JASMINE GUILLORY is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Date, The Proposal, The Wedding Party and Royal Holiday. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, O The Oprah Magazine, and Shondaland.com.

She lives in Oakland, California.

If Only by Kate Eberlen

A special thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A serendipitous and modern romance.

Letty and Alf are students in an Italian class in Rome. But their connection isn't because they are the only English-speaking students, it is because of dance. Alf is a former ballroom champion that oozes confidence and charm. Letty, more serious and studious, was forced to give up on her childhood dream of becoming a ballerina.

Taking a day trip together, Alf and Letty spontaneously waltz around the Piazza Novona. They begin a passionate relationship that is ignited because of their mutual love of dance.

But both are haunted by the secrets that brought them to Italy and by the fear that these secrets will tear them apart.

If Only is the Canadian title of Only You, a love story that is told from various points of view.

The beginning of the novel is both overwhelming and underwhelming... Let me explain. There are a lot of characters thrown at the reader, some with little significance and others that were important, yet hard to keep track of. Also, Letty and Alf call their grandparents and parents by their first names, which is confusing because there was no context given. The story gets off to a slow start, almost painfully such, with a lot of mundane detail about Letty and Alf's daily routines. But there is a quiet beauty to Eberlen's writing and the story begins to build with the characters that are pivotal to the story and the noise of the other insignificant characters fades into the background.

When Eberlen tells the backstory of what brings Alf and Letty to Italy, the book takes flight. It is with your patience of slogging through the slow start. Things start slotting into place—there are so many intricacies and layers. There are twists that are executed brilliantly. And it is so much more than a romance novel and so bloody clever—the parallel between La Traviata (originally titled Violetta) was subtle and interesting. I love an injection of culture in a book.

If Only is a poignant love story that takes place in a perfect setting. This serendipitous romance will dance its way into your heart.

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KATE EBERLEN studied Classics at Oxford University before discovering she was much less interested in the world of academia then the world of work. Kate has had many jobs, from lift girl in Harrods, au pair in Rome and New York, working in theatre box office and a career in publishing, before becoming a mother, teaching English as a Foreign Language and writing novels.

Eberlen lives in London.

Remain Silent by Susie Steiner

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Manon Bradshaw is now "married" (not legally) and happy to be part of the Cambridgeshire police force on a part-time basis in the cold cases department. This arrangement allows her to also be a mum to her toddler, Teddy, and her adopted teenage son, Fly. But things aren't as blissful as she envisioned them: she attends marriage counselling on her own because her husband, Mark Talbot, thinks that it would just be her "wanging on," there's meal planning, laundry, dishwasher emptying, and she's always exhausted because at 46, is feeling too old to chase after a toddler.

While out on a walk with Teddy, Manon discovers a body of a Lithuanian immigrant hanging from a tree with a mysterious note attached. One thing she knows for sure is that things are going to change. Manon finds herself back on force full-time to try to solve this case—is it suicide or could it be murder?

The story unravels through multiple perspectives. Steiner further develops her characters via their personal lives and relationships. Manon is layered, complex, and just plain endearing. Steiner writes her with such care—she is vulnerable and relatable. She is not only a good cop, but she's a mother that loves deeply, fiercely, and unapologetically.

When is this series going to be made into a TV show? I could totally see this as a dark copper drama like Luther or Broadchurch.  In fact, Davey reminds me of Justin Ripley from Luther.

The acknowledgements at the end of the book completely shattered me. Susie Steiner, I don't know if you will ever read this, but please know that you are an incredible talent and that it was my sincerest honour and privilege to have reviewed this book.

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SUSIE STEINER is a former journalist at The Guardian, where she worked as a commissioning editor for eleven years. Prior to that, she worked for The Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Evening Standard.

Steiner lives in London with her husband and two sons.