Book Review - "Juliet"

Juliet by Anne Fortier

First time novelist Fortier takes us on a journey to Siena, Italy, in this gem of a novel featuring reluctant heroine Julie Jacobs.

The story begins with the death of Julie’s beloved Aunt Rose, who raised Julie and her snobby twin sister Janice, after the early death of their parents in Italy. Janice is left with the house and estate while Julie is bequeathed with next to nothing – just a passport, plane ticket, key, and a secret – her real name is Guilietta Tolomei.

Arriving in Siena, Julie discovers that she is a descendant of the Tolomei and Salimbenis families of Siena, Shakespeare’s inspiration for the feuding families of Romeo and Juliet. The feud is still going strong, some 600 years later, as Julie soon finds herself immersed in discovering the truth of her family and her famous ancestor, the original Giulietta Tolomei.

The story bobs and weaves between Julie’s present and Guilietta’s 14^th century past with great detail. Fortier has created a fast-paced and romantic novel that reads like the DaVinci Code, complete with historic relics such as a painting, journal, knife, and ring that are clues to solving the mystery. Check it out today!

Book Review - "The Distant Hours"

"The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton

A letter posted in 1941 finally reaches its destination in 1992 with powerful repercussions for Edie Burchill, a London book editor, in this enthralling romantic thriller from Australian author Morton (The Forgotten Garden). At crumbling Milderhurst Castle live elderly twins Persephone and Seraphina and their younger half-sister, Juniper, the three eccentric spinster daughters of the late Raymond Blythe, author of The True History of the Mud Man, a children's classic Edie adores. Juniper addressed the letter to Meredith, Edie's mother, then a young teen evacuated to Milderhurst during the Blitz. Edie, who's later invited to write an introduction to a reprint of Raymond's masterpiece, visits the seedily alluring castle in search of answers. Why was her mother so shattered by the contents of a letter sent 51 years earlier? And what happened to soldier Thomas Cavill, Juniper's long-missing fiancé and Meredith's former teacher? Despite the many competing narratives, the answers will stun readers. -Publishers Weekly

Book Review - "Liar Liar"

"Liar Liar" by K.J. Larsen

On Saturday, the library had quite a treat - Kari, Kristen, and Julianne Larsen, the trio of sisters who write under the pen name K.J. Larsen stopped by for a book signing and Q & A session of their debut novel, "Liar Liar". We had a great turn-out, and everyone I've talked to so far loves the book. Here's a brief synopsis, taken from Publisher's Weekly:

Cat DeLuca, owner of Pants on Fire Detective Agency and member of the large and largely dysfunctional DeLuca family of mostly honest Chicago cops, makes a strong first impression in Larsen's comic, sexy debut. Inspired by her own marital experience with cheater Johnnie Rizzo,, Cat nails cheating spouses or follows suspected cheaters like Chance Savino until she nails them. Explosions like the one that puts cat in the hospital and supposedly kills Chance get everyone excited and lead to more fireworks. Mama DeLuca thinks Cat is crazy, brother Rocco thinks she needs protection, and Chance makes unexpected appearances that only Cat sees. Larsen surrounds her heroine with lots of Italian food, handsome men, and resourceful family members. Things turn deadly when a client turns up dead and someone wants Cat off the case permanently.