Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

This book came to me via an ARC program, and I chose it because the preview was great, and as a women’s fiction writer myself who employs similar themes, I was really excited to dive in.

The Premise

Nudged by an unexpected pregnancy, Kimberly married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life Jay. Now in her late 30s with their daughter approaching adulthood, she expects their relationship to blossom as they enter the “empty nest” phase — only to learn that the nest is about to get even emptier than planned, when Jay says he’s leaving her. As she navigates divorce and strikes out on her own in the game of love, Jay remains in the background, their history intrinsically intertwined. But as she falls for her new love interest(s) and rediscovers herself as an independent and self-sufficient woman, what role will a man play in her life — and which should she choose: the throes of new love, or Jay’s desperate attempts to get her back?

The Pros

This was a well-written women’s fiction novel that deals with the fallout from a “good marriage” that causes shock waves in their community.

There are three main relationships in the book, and I appreciated that we got a good picture of the highs and lows of each — it is well balanced throughout, allowing the reader to fall in love with the new men she meets for different reasons as she explores the new phase of her life, and also slipping in bits and pieces of the relationship with her husband both from past experiences/memories and in the present time.

I also liked the depiction of female relationships, as we saw the mother-daughter bond as well as her close friends and even “frenemies” — all of these felt very genuine and real. There were many women’s fiction gems in terms of describing her steps towards getting a new lease on life, how she felt and experienced sex, and the emotional exhaustion of recreating yourself from the embers of all the baggage of a longstanding-and-now-broken marriage.

Finally, I loved the interweaving with humour that had its unexpected moments — from her under-the-influence first meeting with one of the main characters, to macho stand-offs, and literally falling head-over-heels, there was a lot here that had both dark and light humour, tying together nicely for the reader’s amusement and enjoyment.

The Cons

I enjoyed this book, but I must admit that I really struggled to like Jay. The thing is, I LOVE difficult-to-love characters and I actually WRITE women’s fiction with difficult-to-love characters (esp. husbands/wives, infidelity/marriages crumbling as partners evolve, etc), so I am definitely the right target market here. With divisive characters it comes down to (1) understanding their motives, even if you don’t agree with them (2) falling in love with some sweet aspect of their past actions (3) admiring their heroic present actions.

…But: his motives were weak, their past seemed rose-tinted and muddled at best, and he did not do anything in the present worth admiring. I felt like he wanted to sow his seeds, and then backtracked. It was realistic, yes, because I’m sure many people have done the same, but I felt like he needed a few more scenes (both past and present) where he showed he was worthy of her love. Each of the other two guys had a few scenes where it felt like their “moment” but Jay just didn’t have one (to me, at least — there were glimmers, but no shine!). I kept waiting for the “moment”, and it was a huge let-down, because at the novel’s end, I still felt like drop-kicking him! And like I said, I usually LOVE these kinds of characters!

Conclusion

Despite my own personal feelings about the characters, this is a really good women’s fiction with a lot of great messages here that will resonate with many women. Though there are several romances, at its heart it is really about Kimberly’s self-discovery and personal growth as a woman to gain independence from her marriage and become her own person. As she stumbles through her post-divorce mid-life crisis, she eventually figures out what she wants in her career, in her lifestyle, and finally in her love life. It felt very “real” as I could imagine this situation happening to many of my female friends, especially in this day and age where a lasting marriage seems to be the exception rather than the rule. I would recommend this book to other readers, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Purchase your copy

A moving, heartbreaking, and triumphant story about family and community in the face of evil

This was my forty-third book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. This review also appears on Reedsy.

If you’re interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid “tips” to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise

After the death of their mother Chandra, her three children continue to live on as though she is alive but just isolating like she had been at her workplace due to the Covid-19 outbreak. They fear that they would be split up in foster care, and with the oldest daughter Isabella’s resourceful measures, they are able to survive on their own for several months — before they are noticed by someone who abuses the information. Their suffering at the hands of this evil man is brought to an end when Chandra’s former coworker visits to return her things, but escaping from his lecherous reach is not quite so simple. Their story reveals the seedy underbelly of sex criminals, and celebrates the power of a community to counteract the darkness.

The Pros & Cons

This was a moving, heartbreaking, and triumphant story about family and community in the face of evil.

With the Covid-19 pandemic as a backdrop, it explores a “what if?” scenario that, though fictional, could easily have happened to a family: death of a parent, lockdown restrictions, and a lecherous abuser exploiting their misfortune. Told from a third-person omniscient narrator, it covers multiple viewpoints of the mother, her children, and all the parties that come into play to rescue the family and defend the eldest daughter’s unknowingly illegal activities. Swinging from emotionally wrenching scenarios to practical, procedural court justice systems, there is a lot to love here for all types of readers — drama, crime, family life, faith, and even a sliver of romance.

Above all, at its heart is the story of the community that closes ranks around the three children once they knew what was going on, rescuing them in more ways than one. I especially loved the late-in-life romance with two characters who assumed parental roles, the Reverend’s involvement at all stages of the children’s lives, and the resilience of the young girl Isabella as she faced her abuser despite having the odds stacked against her. There are also a few plot twists that employ dark comedy, which will thrill and excite readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel all the way through, and flew through it quickly. There are no real flaws here, but I were to comment on anything to set other readers’ expectations, it would be that as it covers several years of events, the pacing does speed up significantly at times, particularly when the chunks of the factual research of the novel are slotted into the narrative.

Also, though I appreciated that there is a universal element to this story — this could’ve happened to any family — I felt like race was a critical factor of this particular story, but it was mentioned (told) rather than being naturally interwoven into the story (shown) through descriptions, behaviours, language, etc. The story is more plot-driven than character-driven so these elements were minimal, whereas the backdrop of Covid and the story’s events with the court case took prominence. Nevertheless, as indicated, these are not drawbacks to the story itself in any way, but just my own takeaway as a reader of the writer’s style and preferences in the way she told her story.

Conclusion

Overall this was a beautiful, multi-layered story that was well written and engaging. I admit that the title made me wary at first — as we’re still *in* the pandemic, it’s difficult to read novels set in this time! — but I was glad that the real story here is much, much deeper than just “another pandemic story.” Here, we see the potential gaps of coverage revealed by the pandemic — the events that snowballed simply because our society was not prepared for it.

From the abuse that was able to trickle through the gaps, to the new criminal outlets that manifested as predators were forced to change tactics, to the flaws in the systems for social and financial government assistance programs; it was eye-opening and enlightening to consider some of the ways in which this pandemic broke our society. More importantly, it was heartwarming to see the ways in which the goodness in our community can triumph over its evil.

This story is an important one, and I could even imagine it being made into a film, as there are many highs and lows and twists that would make for an epic, excellent, cinematic story. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Purchase your copy

This book came to me via an ARC program, and I chose it because the preview sounded good. Thankfully I was not disappointed!

The Premise

Upon inheriting her grandmother’s house, Chloe returns to her hometown to fix it up. She plans to sell it and leave — the town holds more bad memories than good — but then she meets her neighbour, firefighter Drew, and his endearingly annoying cat Bodhi. As their connection sails quickly past the pretence of friendship and into something much deeper, the ghost of her past returns to thwart her happiness: her estranged father she hasn’t seen in years. With her truckload of baggage, and Drew’s own issues, can they surmount it all to find a love worth salvaging?

The Pros & Cons

This was an excellent adult romance with lovable characters — especially the cat Bodhi. I mean, you can’t really go wrong with a hot firefighter cat dad and his son, right? The two main characters were enjoyable and fun to read, and each had a much deeper story on their own that I also enjoyed. I appreciated that though this was more or less an “insta-love” situation (usually not my thing), their connection still felt like a gradual build as they opened up to each other to share their damaged parts. These aspects made the story feel grounded in reality — despite falling in love quickly, the romance feels genuine.

The darker moments of violence and abandonment are difficult to read as you get invested with the characters and feel their pain. I also liked the steamy moments; though a few felt a *wee* bit gratuitous, they were all well written and will thrill readers who like it hot! The dialogue — though a bit corny at times! — was also really good, vivid and engaging, and there are laugh-out-loud moments, particularly when the close-knit town get wind of their developing relationship. I liked the town’s supporting characters as well — and then, of course, Bodhi steals the scene every time he stomps in! He was so realistic that I’m pretty sure his muse was hovering over the author as she typed away!

Conclusion

All in all, this was a great book, and I would highly recommend to other adult readers who enjoy a well-rounded romance that isn’t too saccharine-sweet, and still packs a bit of a comedic punch. It was lovely and heartwarming how they (even the cats) all formed a family out of all their abandoned, broken pieces. It was a joyride from beginning to end, and I look forward to more by this author. This was my first book by her, but it definitely won’t be my last.

Purchase your copy

I was blown away by this author’s other books that I’ve read (see links below), so I eagerly lapped up this ARC once I got a notification that it was available.

• The Girl Who Talks To Ashes
• The Lightning Conjurer Series (4 books)

The Premise

In a moment of desperation when she runs out of ink, Talia uses her missing boss Zayn’s deluxe ink locked away in his office. The resulting tattoo — a rattlesnake cobra on her client — magically springs to life, which becomes the catalyst for Talia learning about her boss’ double life as a magical fae and Runemaster who can slip between worlds once he hops into his inter-dimensional filing cabinet. Even more shocking is the knowledge that she herself belongs to this world — she has “gold blood” highly valued by the lethal flora, fauna and fae she encounters when she and Zayn’s familiar Biscuit join Zayn on a magical quest he is obligated to fulfill. With an undeniable connection bubbling between Zayn and Talia, and Talia’s penchant to find herself in sticky situations, it’s bound to be a wild — and, of course, insanely colourful — ride!

The Pros & Cons

This was a fast-paced adventure with characters that I loved from the moment they entered, all the way to the end — particularly Biscuit (rechristened from “Hibiscus”)! Talia’s zany bumbling personality is easy to fall in love with, and Zayn is appropriately frustrating as he struggles to fulfill his mission and fight his incubus urges — among others — while still trying to protect Talia. The descriptions were vivid and engaging, and there are laugh-out-loud moments that will stay with you! I especially loved a few of the fae that were a little *too* human in their deceptive, manipulative, and/or lecherous ways. And, of course, there was the steamy factor with the smoking hot tattooed boss (who disappointingly wasn’t on the cover! Lol! Not the point, I know, but still!)

My only teeny weeny con was that there were moments that seemed a wee bit all over the place — major life/plot events we learn about in “throwback” memories smack dab in the middle of the action… not my personal preference, but I soon forgave these as I got lost in the wild magical adventure! Also (not a con, but worth mentioning for this genre), in terms of world-building, I’m not entirely sure I understood the hierarchy of fae in terms of powers/abilities — though I’m sure we’ll learn more about this in later books, as it is the first of a series.

Conclusion

This was a great book, and I would highly recommend to other adult readers (as there are some raunchy scenes). The characters are amazingly developed, and it is hilarious and engaging — not to mention sexy! — all the way through. As this is my sixth book by this author, I’m thrilled that I am in no way disappointed, and I eagerly await the rest of this series — or anything else she puts her hand to again!

Purchase your copy