Well with a lot of late-night reading, I was able to keep up with my goal of five books for the month of February. From the 1970s, the roaring twenties, a small out-of-the-way village on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest, an epic fantasy world ruled by women, and finally a book that proves secrets can only stay buried so long before the truth is brought to light, this month’s book picks span a variety of genres providing the perfect escape if only for a few hours each day.
The Liz Taylor Ring
Brenda Janowitz
The Liz Taylor Ring is a novel filled with family drama and secrets. All three of Lizzie and Ritchie Schneider’s children have never really gotten along, so when they learn of a mysterious safety deposit box in the Caymans belonging to their deceased father, they are reunited due to their curiosity.
Set between the present and 1978 when Lizzie and Ritchie first started their dating, we go back and forth between their tumultuous love story (much like the relationship of Lizzie’s favorite iconic couple, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) and their children’s narratives as they decide what to do with what they found in the safety deposit box. As time goes on, more secrets are revealed and the siblings begin to wonder how much of what they know is fact or fiction.
This latest release from Brenda Janowitz, the author of The Grace Kelly Dress, is an exciting new read filled with family drama and a priceless ring that could tear them apart for good. So, if you want to find out exactly what happens in the end, you’ll just have to check it out for yourself. Order on Amazon.
Rating: 5 Stars
Beautiful Little Fools
Jillian Cantor
In Jillian Cantor’s latest novel, Beautiful Little Fools we return to the Jazz Age and the world first created by literary great, F. Scott Fitzgerald. While the original novel pointed to George Wilson as the culprit in Jay Gatsby’s death, Cantor’s novel tells the story from the perspective of the three women in his life, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Catherine McCoy.
The story starts on the eve of Gatsby’s death where we are given a glimpse at who might have killed him before we journey back several years to when Daisy wasn’t a Buchanan yet, Jordan was a rising golf pro and Catherine had just moved to New York City and reconnected with her sister Myrtle who is struggling in an unhappy marriage and dreams of meeting a rich man who can rescue her.
Cantor recreates the world so perfectly, that I have to think that Fitzgerald would appreciate her reveal on just who killed Jay Gatsby and as someone who enjoyed the novel when it was required reading in school and has watched every feature film based on the book from 1974 movie starring Mia Farrow and Robert Redford to Baz Luhrmann’s colorful re-imagining of the classic tale starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Order on Amazon.
Rating: 5 Stars
Read my interview with Jillian.
Just The Way You Are
Beth Moran
Just The Way You Are, the latest novel by Beth Moran was just the heart-warming novel I was looking for. The book centers around Olivia Tennyson (aka Ollie) who at 29 dreams of moving into the home of dreams and discovering who she really is for the first time. There’s also the ‘Dream List’ that needs to finish completely on her own, and with a ‘No-Man Mandate’ signed, she starts her journey of self-discovery.
The novel is set in the sleepy little town just outside of Sherwood Forest, and before she knows it, Ollie has not only made friends in her new hometown but she’s discovered what feels like home for the very first time.
If you’re looking for a novel with characters who will draw you in so completely that you aren’t able to put it down till you’ve read the final sentence, this is definitely one of those books. An absolute must-read in my opinion! Order on Amazon.
Rating: 5 Stars
Scorpica
G.R. Macallister
G.R. Macallister’s debut fantasy novel, Scorpica imagines a world where women hold the highest roles in society. Over the five queendoms, the author weaves a tale of family rivalries, betrayal, magic, and secrets. With each chapter told from the perspective of a queen, a warrior, a healer, a magician bent on revenge and a young girl with a secret, they find their worlds turned upside down when the Drought of Girls spans an entire decade. With the possibility of the female race dying out, it’s everyone for themselves, no matter what they must do to assure their own survival.
The descriptions of the world that G.R. Macallister has created and the characters that you will either root for (or hope for their destruction) really makes this book a must-read for anyone who is looking for an escape into another world if only for a little while. Order on Amazon.
Rating: 4 Stars
Our American Friend
Anna Pitoniak
Anna Pitoniak’s latest novel, Our American Friend is the perfect book to start on a rainy weekend. From the very first page, I found myself wrapped in the story of the mysterious First Lady and the long-buried secrets that are carefully revealed. In the story which goes between the 1970 and 1980’s Moscow/Paris and the present, the author expertly describes the details giving the reader the feeling that they have a front-row seat as each new revelation unfolds.
This is definitely one of these books that you can finish in a weekend, and I found myself unable to put the book down as I waited for the final secrets to be brought to light. Our American Friend was one of my favorite reads for the month of February and I highly recommend it. Order on Amazon.
Rating: 5 Stars
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