This is another month filled with stories about strong women. In Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘em Dead, our heroine must figure out who wants her ex-husband dead while keeping her children out of harm’s way. In Nothing Ever Happens Here, Shelby tries to overcome her past trauma, while her best friend Mack tries to figure out if her missing husband had something to do with it. Next in The Dressmakers of London we travel to WWII England, where estranged sisters are reunited after the sudden death of their mother, and last of all we have Jojo Moyes’ latest novel, We All Live Here which promises where Lila Kennedy and her family will ensnare your heart.
Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead | Elle Cosimano
With each book of the series, you will feel yourself being pulled even further into Finlay Donovan’s world. In the second novel of the series, Finlay finds herself struggling to write her next novel while she tries to figure out who wants her ex-husband dead. We learn a little more about her ‘partner-in-crime’/nanny Vero and Detective Nick Anthony once again finds himself involved in Finlay’s escapades. If you love ‘light hearted’ crime novels, this is a series that you’ll want to check out!
Finlay Donovan is—once again—struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she’s dealt with lately is that of her daughter’s pet goldfish.
On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he’s a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she’d like.
Meanwhile, Vero’s keeping secrets and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay’s priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes… and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.
With her next book’s deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn’t a noose at the end of it…
Nothing Ever Happens Here | Seraphina Nova Glass
Out of everything I’ve read from Seraphina Nova Glass, this was the hardest book to get through. It’s not because of the chapters told from different characters’ POVs; I enjoy books that give more than one perspective as the story goes along, I also felt for both Shelby and Mack throughout the story. The author also kept the true culprit’s identity so well hidden that I had no clue who it could be (besides who it couldn’t be) up until the final chapters. It was the fact that the pacing of the book was just too slow a burn for me. Other than that, if you enjoy murder mysteries where the culprit is impossible to guess, then this one is for you!
Nothing ever happens in small towns…
When Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead, she tries to move past it—for herself, and for her family. Fifteen months later, with the help of her best friend, Mackenzie, she finally feels safe again in the snowy Minnesota town she calls home. But when an anonymous note appears on her windshield bearing the same threats her attacker made, Shelby realizes that her nightmare has only just begun.
As new evidence surfaces and a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. And with suspicious accidents targeting those closest to her happening all over town, Shelby can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. Fighting to stay one step ahead of disaster, she finds herself asking the question on everyone’s lips: Who attacked her that night?
But Shelby isn’t the only one with questions. Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on that terrible night, and over a year later, no one knows why. Until a deep dive into his finances reveals a history of debts, mismanaged funds, and hidden accounts—one of which is still active. Their suspicion that Leo is still alive only complicates things further, though, and when another person connected to Shelby goes missing, she’s caught in a race against time before her attacker becomes a killer.
Rating: B
The Dressmakers of London | Julia Kelly
If there is a writer who does stories set during WWII well, it’s author Julia Kelly. The first book I ever read of her, The Last Garden of England had me from the very first sentence, and after that I’ve been reading every new book she’s written. The story is filled with family drama, two sisters torn apart when the eldest sister marries a wealth doctor, leaving her family behind. Years later in the early days of WWII, their mother suddenly passes away leaving the family dress shop two both her daughters, for a time when they ‘need it most’. Through their letters as younger sister Izzie is conscripted the WAAF they have the opportunity to either reconnect or be separated forever.
Isabelle Shelton has always found comfort in the predictable world of her mother’s dressmaking shop, Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions, while her sister Sylvia turned her back on the family years ago to marry a wealthy doctor whom Izzie detests. When their mother dies unexpectedly, the sisters are stunned to find they’ve jointly inherited the family business. Izzie is determined to buy Sylvia out, but when she’s conscripted into the WAAF, she’s forced to seek Sylvia’s help to keep the shop open. Realizing this could be her one chance at reconciliation with her sister, Sylvia is determined to save Mrs. Shelton’s Fashions from closure—and financial ruin.
Through letters, the sisters begin to confront old wounds, new loves, and the weight of family legacy in order to forge new beginnings in this lyrically moving novel perfect for fans of Genevieve Graham and Lucinda Riley.
Rating: A
We All Live Here | Jojo Moyes
Well, she’s done it again. Jojo Moyes crafts stories featuring female characters that you will actually care about. As someone who has always been a good judge of character, I spotted the red flags with one of the characters before heroine Lila Kennedy does, and found myself wanting to warn her off. Despite the family drama that ensues, the adventures and misadventures both Lila and her extended family will warm your heart.
For fans of Me Before You, After You and Still Me, this is another book that belongs in your personal library.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author, whose books so many love, brings us a fresh, contemporary story of a woman and her unruly blended family
“Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does.” —Jodi Picoult
Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, and what it actually means to be family.
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