Category Archives: Little Brown and Company

March 8, 2022 · 12:01 am

Review: Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton & James Patterson

Title: Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton & James Patterson
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 425 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From America’s most beloved superstar and its greatest storyteller—a thriller about a young singer/songwriter on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive.

Every song tells a story.
She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her.
She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past.

Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.

Run, Rose, Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire—a story that only America’s #1 most beloved entertainer and its #1 bestselling author could have created.

Review:

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton & James Patterson is a captivating novel with an element of suspense.

Twenty-five-year-old AnnieLee Keyes is determined to make it to Nashville. She is running from something (or is it someone?) and she will do whatever it takes to leave Texas in the rearview mirror. Arriving in the country music capitol with little money but a huge talent and a lot of grit, AnnieLee is soon singing in any bar that will allow her on their stage.

As luck would have it, AnnieLee catches the eye of Ethan Blake who knows talent when he sees it. He is a talented musician but he does not crave the spotlight. However, Lucas knows the retired Queen of Country, Ruthannna Ryder who takes some persuading to listen to AnnieLee sing. Ruthanna sees a young version of herself in the aspiring singer but will AnnieLee accept career help when it is offered to her?

AnnieLee has plenty of pride so she accepts a bare minimum of Ruthanna’s help. She keeps her own counsel and holds her secrets close. In addition to her natural singing ability, AnnieLee is also an excellent songwriter. She and Ethan spend a lot of time together honing her songs and traveling to gigs. AnnieLee is attracted to him but will she risk her heart on her fellow musician?

Run, Rose, Run is a charming rags to riches novel with a hint of intrigue. AnnieLee is a strong young woman who is running from her past but it catches up to her in spectacular fashion. Ethan is down to earth and struggling with his own personal demons. Ruthanna is no stranger to heartache and although initially reluctant, she is soon fully invested in AnnieLee’s fast-rising career. With a stunning plot twist, Dolly Parton & James Patterson bring this heartwarming novel to a thrilling conclusion.

2 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Dolly Parton, James Patterson, Little Brown and Company, Rated B+, Review, Run Rose Run, Suspense

March 8, 2021 · 12:02 am

Review: Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

Title: Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Florence Darrow is a low-level publishing employee who believes that she’s destined to be a famous writer. When she stumbles into a job the assistant to the brilliant, enigmatic novelist known as Maud Dixon — whose true identity is a secret — it appears that the universe is finally providing Florence’s big chance.

The arrangement seems perfect. Maud Dixon (whose real name, Florence discovers, is Helen Wilcox) can be prickly, but she is full of pointed wisdom — not only on how to write, but also on how to live. Florence quickly falls under Helen’s spell and eagerly accompanies her to Morocco, where Helen’s new novel is set. Amidst the colorful streets of Marrakesh and the wind-swept beaches of the coast, Florence’s life at last feels interesting enough to inspire a novel of her own.

But when Florence wakes up in the hospital after a terrible car accident, with no memory of the previous night — and no sign of Helen — she’s tempted to take a shortcut. Instead of hiding in Helen’s shadow, why not upgrade into Helen’s life? Not to mention her bestselling pseudonym . . .

Taut, twisty, and viciously entertaining, Who is Maud Dixon is a stylish psychological thriller about how far into the darkness you’re willing to go to claim the life you always wanted.

Review:

Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews is a cunning mystery that has plenty of unexpected twists.

Life has not worked out how Florence Darrow believed it would. An aspiring author, she instead works as an assistant editor. Having achieved her dream of living in New York, Florence realizes how far away she is from her goals. After making a decision that does not go as planned, she is now unemployed. And yet Florence feels incredibly free.

With an uncertain future, luck intervenes and Florence is offered a position working as live-in assistant to the wildly popular yet publicity shy author Maud Dixon which is a pseudonym for Helen Wilcox.  Florence gladly relocates to Helen’s remote home near the Catskills.  Eager to begin working, she is soon transcribing her boss’s manuscript while taking over all the pesky details of Helen’s every day life. With everything finally going her way, Florence and Helen are soon off on a research trip in Morocco. But within days of their arrival, Florence makes a split-second decision that she might soon regret.

Florence grew up with a single mother who convinced her she would do great things with her life. After college, she continues writing but envisions a future far away from Florida. Accepting the first job she is offered, Florence moves to New York and begins her new career.  Quickly disillusioned and feeling out of place, she remains stagnant until she makes the ill-fated decision that alters her trajectory.

Working for Helen is interesting and Florence enjoys living in the country. Although she likes her new boss, Helen is a bit mercurial and sometimes abrupt with Florence. Helen dispenses advice that is on the harsher end of the spectrum. It is not until their trip to Morocco that Florence begins to question how well she knows Helen. And after things take a very unanticipated turn, Florence decides to take the opportunity to step into the life she believes deserves. But what will happen once the local policeman continues asking questions Florence does not want to answer?

Who Is Maud Dixon? Is a wickedly clever mystery with a delightfully unique storyline. Neither Florence nor Helen is particularly likeable. However, it becomes impossible not to root for Florence once everything begins to spin out of her control. With canny twists and sly turns, Alexandra Andrews brings this riveting debut to a rather satisfying conclusion. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this brilliant mystery to fans of the genre.

Comments Off on Review: Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews

Filed under Alexandra Andrews, Contemporary, Little Brown and Company, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Who Is Maud Dixon?

February 8, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Never Far Away by Michael Koryta

Title: Never Far Away by Michael Koryta
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller
Length: 313 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

New York Times bestselling “master” of American thriller writing Michael Koryta returns with an electrifying new novel about a mother seeking to reconnect with her children after a terrible trial tears their family apart

Nina Morgan’s bloodstained car was found a decade ago on a lonely Florida road. Forensic evidence suggested she’d been murdered, although her body was never found. Her disappearance left her infant children to the care of their father.

Once a pilot, mother, wife, and witness to a gruesome crime, Nina had to flee her old life to save her family. She reinvented herself as Leah Trenton, a guide in the Allagash Wilderness in northern Maine. She never expected to see her children again, but now tragedy has returned them to her—only they have no idea that she’s their mother—and delivered all of them back into danger. “Aunt Leah” will need some help, and an old ally has a suggestion: an enigmatic young hitman named Dax Blackwell.

Never Far Away is a thrilling collision between old sins and new dreams, where the wills and ingenuity of a broken family will be tested against all odds.

Review:

Never Far Away by Michael Koryta is an action-packed thriller.

Ten years ago, Nina Morgan faked her own death in order to protect her husband and two small children. She changed her name to Leah Trenton and now lives in a remote part of Maine.  Her husband Doug and their children, thirteen year old Hailey and eleven year old Nick, live a normal life in Kentucky. Following Doug’s death, Hailey kicks off her parents’ contingency plan to send a message to “Aunt Leah”.  Believing her old employers no longer want her dead, Leah brings her children to her isolated cabin in Maine. Hailey is wary of Leah and less than thrilled with the move.  Nick is more accepting of their new situation especially after they move into town.

Leah also set into action a plan for someone to keep watch over her and the children.  Having living without fear for so long, she is not quite as cautious as she should be. But once she learns her former boss, J. Corson Lowery, is aware she is alive, she eventually implements a plan to prevent two escaped killers from finding them. Leah is also afraid that her safety plan fell through, so she and her kids are on their own. Are the killers closer than she believes?

Unbeknownst to Leah, her phone call to someone she trusts with her life was successful. Assassin Dax Blackwell has his own agenda that conveniently includes locating her. He works his way across the country and eventually finds Leah, Hailey and Nick. Fortunately for Leah, he arrives ahead of Lowery’s men, but exactly whose side is Dax on?

Hailey is extremely suspicious of Leah and she is attempting to find more information about her “aunt”. Enlisting the aid of the boy who lives next door, she is surprised by the details he manages to unearth. Confused and wanting more information, they come up with a plan they hopes will lead to the truth about Leah. Before she has the chance to learn anything new, Leah insists on taking her and Nick on an unexpected journey. Will Hailey trust Leah to keep them safe?

Never Far Away is a compelling mystery that is engrossing and suspenseful. Leah is desperate to protect her children and she is willing to sacrifice her life for theirs. Nick is an easy to please young man who adapts fairly quickly to their new lives. Hailey is resentful and suspicious about Leah’s identity and she will do anything to ensure she and Nick are safe. Dax is surprisingly amusing as he decides what his course of action he will take upon his arrival in Maine. With intriguing twists and unanticipated turns, Michael Koryta brings this exciting novel to an edge of the seat conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this fast-paced thriller to fans of the genre.

Comments Off on Review: Never Far Away by Michael Koryta

Filed under Contemporary, Little Brown and Company, Michael Koryta, Never Far Away, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Thriller

June 6, 2016 · 11:57 pm

Review: Invincible Summer by Alice Adams

Title: Invincible Summer by Alice Adams
Publisher:Little, Brown and Company
Genre: New Adult, Women’s Fiction
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Four friends. Twenty years. One unexpected journey.

Inseparable throughout college, Eva, Benedict, Sylvie, and Lucien graduate in 1997, into an exhilarating world on the brink of a new millennium. Hopelessly in love with playboy Lucien and eager to shrug off the socialist politics of her upbringing, Eva breaks away to work for a big bank. Benedict, a budding scientist who’s pined for Eva for years, stays on to complete his PhD in physics, devoting his life to chasing particles as elusive as the object of his affection. Siblings Sylvie and Lucien, never much inclined toward mortgages or monogamy, pursue more bohemian existences-she as an aspiring artist and he as a club promoter and professional partyer.

But as their twenties give way to their thirties, the group struggles to navigate their thwarted dreams. Scattered across Europe and no longer convinced they are truly the masters of their fates, the once close-knit friends find themselves filled with longing for their youth- and for one another. Broken hearts and broken careers draw the foursome together again, but in ways they never could have imagined.

A dazzling depiction of the highs and lows of adulthood, Invincible Summer is a story about finding the courage to carry on in the wake of disappointment, and a powerful testament to love and friendship as the constants in an ever-changing world.

Review:

Beginning in 1995, Invincible Summer by Alice Adams is an engrossing novel that follows the friendships of four college friends through an array of ups and downs over the course of twenty years.

Despite the very different directions their lives take, Eva, Benedict, Sylvie and Lucien remain friends after graduation.  Eva, the daughter of a professor with Socialist leanings, casts off her father’s ideology and climbs the corporate ladder as an investment banker. Benedict, whose family is wealthy, continues on with his education as he seeks his PhD in physics. Sylvie, a free-spirited budding artist, appears destined to a great career as a painter while her brother Lucien becomes a successful club promoter. Although their friendship waxes and wanes over the years, the friends maintain contact, (albeit sporadically on occasion), as they weather the various storms that life brings them. However, as they reach different levels of success, jealousy and discontent lead to unpleasant confrontations and hurt feelings.

Instead of continuing on to grad school, Eva abandons her dream of becoming a physicist to work in finance. Working eighty hours a week, she slowly but surely works her way up the ranks but her personal life suffers as she concentrates on her building her career. Eva does find time to date, and a surprising romance leads to a long term relationship but are they destined to live happily ever after?

Benedict is a bit of a science geek but he knows exactly what he wants to do once he completes his PhD.  His life takes a rather unexpected turn when he is close to completing his degree but he still manages to secure his dream job.  Benedict makes a few missteps in his personal life but overall, he is mostly satisfied with what he has achieved although he suffers a few pangs of regret for some of his choices.

Of the four friends, Sylvie’s path in life seemed crystal clear but surprisingly, she never quite achieved the success everyone expected.  Despite her very obvious talent, her career as an artist never quite came together and she works one dead end job after another. Drinking too much and indulging in numerous one night stands, Sylvie is on a fast track for disaster when her friendship with Eva takes an ugly turn. Finally deciding to get her act together, she spends a restful summer away from London, but will this hard-won tranquility last once she returns to her regular life?

Lucien’s charm and devil may care attitude translate into a successful career as a club promoter but how long can he sustain this hard drinking, partying lifestyle?  Never taking anything or anyone too seriously, he is charismatic and well-liked but he never lets anyone get too close to him. When his world falls apart in a somewhat spectacular fashion, Lucien is rather pragmatic about his fate but will he learn from his mistakes?

Spanning twenty years, Invincible Summer by Alice Adams is a captivating novel of friendship.  The chapters alternate between the different characters’ perspectives which provides intriguing glimpses of the friends at various points in their lives.  Although they drift apart occasionally through the years, their friendship evolves and strengthens as they undergo some very unanticipated and sometimes heartbreaking, life-altering events. 

1 Comment

Filed under Alice Adams, Invincible Summer, Little Brown and Company, New Adult, Rated B, Review, Women's Fiction

February 11, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: The Pretty One by Lucinda Rosenfeld

Title: The Pretty One: A Novel about Sisters by Lucinda Rosenfeld
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Imprint: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Perfect. Pretty. Political. For nearly forty years, The Hellinger sisters of Hastings-on-Hudson-namely, Imperia (Perri), Olympia (Pia), and Augusta (Gus)–have played the roles set down by their loving but domineering mother Carol. Perri, a mother of three, rules her four-bedroom palace in Westchester with a velvet fist, managing to fold even fitted sheets into immaculate rectangles. Pia, a gorgeous and fashionable Chelsea art gallery worker, still turns heads after becoming a single mother via sperm donation. And Gus, a fiercely independent lawyer and activist, doesn’t let her break-up from her girlfriend stop her from attending New Year’s Day protests on her way to family brunch.

But the Hellinger women aren’t pulling off their roles the way they once did. Perri, increasingly filled with rage over the lack of appreciation from her recently unemployed husband Mike, is engaging in a steamy text flirtation with a college fling. Meanwhile Pia, desperate to find someone to share in the pain and joy of raising her three-year-old daughter Lola, can’t stop fantasizing about Donor #6103. And Gus, heartbroken over the loss of her girlfriend, finds herself magnetically drawn to Jeff, Mike’s frat boy of a little brother. Each woman is unable to believe that anyone, especially her sisters, could understand what it’s like to be her. But when a freak accident lands their mother to the hospital, a chain of events is set in motion that will send each Hellinger sister rocketing out of her comfort zone, leaving her to wonder: was this the role she was truly born to play?

With The Pretty One, author Lucinda Rosenfeld does for siblings what she did for female friendship in I’m So Happy for You, turning her wickedly funny and sharply observant eye on the pleasures and punishments of lifelong sisterhood.

The Review:

Lucinda Rosenfeld ‘s The Pretty One is a fascinating novel about the sometimes complicated relationship between adult sisters.

The Pretty One raises some very interesting questions about family relationships and how family expectations and labels come into play throughout adulthood. Perri, Pia and Gus are now in their mid to late thirties and they seem stuck in the roles assigned to them as children. Oldest sister Perri is The Responsible One, middle sister Pia is The Pretty One and youngest sister Gus is The Rebellious One. The sisters’ relationship is complicated by their petty jealousies and insecurities that each of the women feels toward their sisters. They are a close knit family, but they continually undermine one another with gossip and their envy of each others’ lives.

The Pretty One is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, I found it to be mired in negativity since each of the sisters is going through their own individual crises. They are unhappy with their lives and they are extremely hypercritical of one another. No one was satisfied with what they had in their lives and all they could focus on was the negative.

But the further the novel progressed, the more reflective and self-aware each of the girls becomes. They still place way too much emphasis on their “assigned” childhood labels, but they do begin to realize that perhaps there is more to them than their perceived roles.

What saved The Pretty One for me was the fact that the sisters do finally begin to change and Lucinda Rosenfeld manages to pull off a happily ever after ending. It is an interesting and easy to read novel that is realistic and depicts the good, the bad and the ugly of family relationships.

5 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, Hachette Book Group, Little Brown and Company, Lucinda Rosenfeld, Rated B, Review

October 2, 2012 · 3:58 am

Review: Say You’re Sorry by Michael Robotham

Title: Say You’re Sorry by Michael Robotham
Joe O’Loughlin Mystery
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Imprint: Mulholland Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

TWO MISSING GIRLS. TWO BRUTAL MURDERS. ALL CONNECTED TO ONE FARM HOUSE. WHO IS TO BLAME?

When pretty and popular teenagers Piper Hadley and Tash McBain disappear one Sunday morning, the investigation captivates a nation but the girls are never found.

Three years later, during the worst blizzard in a century, a husband and wife are brutally killed in the farmhouse where Tash McBain once lived. A suspect is in custody, a troubled young man who can hear voices and claims that he saw a girl that night being chased by a snowman.

Convinced that Piper or Tash might still be alive, clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin and ex-cop Vincent Ruiz, persuade the police to re-open the investigation. But they are racing against time to save the girls from someone with an evil, calculating and twisted mind…

The Review:

Say You’re Sorry, Michael Robotham’s latest novel starring psychologist Joe O’Loughlin is a riveting mystery with many unexpected twists and turns. The death of a married couple finds Joe drawn back into police work when he discovers a possible link between the murders and two girls who have been missing for three years.

Joe O’Loughlin’s life has taken a new direction as he is back in private practice and no longer consulting for the police department. He reluctantly agrees to lend his expertise in a current case, but when compelling evidence persuades Joe that Tash McBain and Piper Hadley might still be alive, he relentlessly pursues every lead he uncovers. With the clock ticking, he once again enlists retired police investigator and close friend Vincent Ruiz to aid in the investigation.

While in many ways Joe has moved on, in some areas of his life, he has made little progress. He has moved into the city which further complicates his relationship with daughters Charlie and Emma. He and wife Julianne are still estranged with no immediate plans for divorce although Joe has indulged in a few affairs. The dynamics between them are still complicated even though there is more of an emotional distance between them.

In Say You’re Sorry, Joe’s personal life (including his Parkinson’s disease) is overshadowed by the murder investigation and the hunt for Piper and Tash. There is a high sense of urgency to discover the connection between the murder victims and the missing girls. Joe is sometimes alone in his belief that Tash and Piper might still alive and he diligently works to overcome the police’s reluctance to re-open their case.

Told in alternating perspective from Joe and one of kidnapped girl’s points of view, Say You’re Sorry is an enthralling mystery with a unique and well-executed storyline. A tangled web of clues keeps the investigation steadily moving forward until events culminate in a frantic rescue attempt that will keep the pages turning at a blistering pace. Through a series of misdirects and red herrings the killer’s identity is cleverly concealed and Michael Robotham brings the novel to an absolutely stunning conclusion.

As with the other novels featuring Joe O’Loughlin, Say You’re Sorry can be read as a standalone novel.

Read my reviews of the other novels in the series HERE.

4 Comments

Filed under Contemporary, Little Brown and Company, Michael Robotham, Mulholland Books, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Say You're Sorry