Pretty Baby

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica. Canada: MIRA, 2015. 371 pages. *****

Heidi Wood has always had a big heart, works for a nonprofit and takes in stray cats. When she sees the young girl on the train platform clutching a baby in the pouring rain, Heidi doesn't know what to do. Her husband Chris is horrified when she brings home that same girl, Willow and her four-month-old baby, Ruby, a few days later. Heidi doesn't even question Willow when she declares that she is eighteen years old because to do otherwise would require a call to the police or Child Protective Services. Disheveled and seemingly homeless, Willow is inept as a mother and provides little information as to where she came from, who her family is or information about the baby. Chris, Heidi's husband, is very concerned and worried that Willow could be a criminal and insists that his family sleep together in one room.  After discovering what looks like blood on Willow's shirt, Heidi crosses the line and discards the shirt to protect Ruby. Heidi calls into work sick to stay home to assist Willow and care for Ruby who is running a fever and is sick. It is so easy to tell the clinic that the baby is Heidi's so they will not ask questions. Even though Chris keeps insisting, it's not so easy to turn Willow and Ruby back onto the streets with no where to go in the pouring rain. What is Heidi to do?

Kubica is a master at weaving a psychological mystery. I received copies of this book from BookSparks and NetGalley to review and was not familiar with this author.  There are many subplots going on simultaneously, but they are all relevant and meaningful to the story. How Kubica managed to provide such a compelling plot and tie it all together is amazing. I was lulled into the book innocently and then soon realized it was a masterful plot of lies and deceit. This is one of those books that kept me wondering, what happens next? Well done.

Mary Kubica is the national bestselling author of The Good Girl. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and American Literature from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She lives outside Chicago with her husband and two children. Follow Mary at http://www.MaryKubica.com and Twitter @MaryKubica.

The Secret Sister

The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak. Canada: MIRA books, 2015. 388 pages. Questions for Discussion. *****

Maisey Lazarow returns home to Fairham, a small island off the North Carolina coast, to recover from a nasty divorce, help her brother with his drug addiction and to overcome her writing block. Refusing to stay in the family home with her over-bearing, controlling mother, she decides to stay in a bungalow by the beach. Her life gets complicated when she finds out that her mother has sold one of the bungalows to Rafe Romero, someone from Maisey's past, who she would rather avoid. The fact that Rafe is hot, has matured and is a wonderful father to his daughter softens Maisey's resolve, but she is just not interested in a relationship. Rafe finds a box of pictures hidden in a bungalow he is renovating and it raises questions as to whether Maisey and Keith have a sibling and if so, what happened to her. What is their mother trying to hide?

Lots of twists and turns, kept me interested throughout the book. I had read some teasers about this book on Facebook, so I borrowed it from my local library. Novak spins a tale about betrayal, grief, mystery, love, and secrets. I read it in one day because I wanted to know was there another child and what happened to her. I recommend it if you like mysteries, complicated family relationship type books. Novak tells a good story and I will definitely read others by her.

"It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a best-selling author---she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when she decided to quit her job as a loan officer and make a living from home." Brenda, who lives in Sacramento, has five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually fund-raising for diabetes research. Brenda has raised $2.4 million to date. http://www.brendanovak.com.

The Gift

The Gift by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Prairie State Friends, Book Two.  Ohio: Shiloh Run Press, 2015. 318 pages with Discussion Questions and Recipes. *****

Brunstetter never disappoints and this novel, book two in the Prairie State Friends series, lives up to expectations. Leah Mast has a gift for healing people using reflexology by massaging key spots on their feet. Leah's neighbor, handsome Adam Beachy scoffs at her ability and becomes angry when discussing the treatments that Leah provides in the community. Leah learns that Adam's mother practiced reflexology before she left her husband and abandoned her family. Adam's world is turned upside down when he becomes guardian of his three nieces and he realizes that a hardware store is no place for young girls to play. Hiring someone to look after the girls is a solution, however, what Adam really needs is a wife to cook, clean and be a mother to his nieces. Will a marriage of convenience work for him and will his new wife be submissive to her husband and give up what is important to her? Or will history repeat itself?

I read Decision, the first book in the series and loved it. Bruntsetter has a way of bringing out the best traits of people in real life situations. Life isn't perfect, but there is always hope for a better day tomorrow. Her message of "love prevails" is evident in this book and the "six degrees of separation" theory provides an interesting twist to a painful experience. I always enjoy Brunstetter's books, well-written, entertaining and hopeful. If you are an "Amish Fiction" genre fan, you will soon be drawn in and won't leave until you finish. The recipes are always an additional "gift" from Wanda.

I received a copy of this book to review from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing. 

New York Times, award-winning author, Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. Wanda's ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grand-children. 

Visit her website at http://www.wandabrustetter.com

Vote For Remi

Vote For Remi: a novel by Leanna Lehman. CA: She Writes Press, 2015. 258 pages. ****

"If Remi had known that her entire world was about to change, she would have ordered something stronger than beer." Remi Covington, a high school social studies teacher at Reno High School, hears her name announced on television as a 2016 candidate for President of the United States. Nominated by her students after she lectured them that anyone can run for President, Remi decides why not, she can't possibly win. Her students learn a valuable lesson about life, love and American politics, Remi discovers love, hope and belief in "doing what's right." A winning team for the American public.

This Young Adult political fairy tale will appeal to all ages that are tired of political rhetoric and presidential campaign mudslinging. Lehman provides hope in the midst of the political arena and an entertaining story for teens and adults. A timely novel for high school and public libraries. 

I received a free copy of this book to review from BookSparks.

Leanna Lehman is a debut author with a background in finance and education. She lives in Fallon, Nevada. She is currently working on her second novel.