(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With her only child away at college in faraway California, single mom Renee Rhodes feels unmoored.  Without her daughter to dote on, she hardly knows who she is anymore.  She enjoys her receptionist job at a pediatrician's office (although her crush on her boss is downright embarrassing), her gardening, and her baking, but is it enough to sustain and fulfill her?

Chasing an active toddler around all day and trying to keep her home in order without the aid of her workaholic husband has left Sadie Landry feeling bone-tired.  When she discovers she's pregnant again, she realizes she's reached her breaking point.  Between the baby she's growing, the tension in her marriage, and the constant criticism from her outspoken mother-in-law, Sadie has had it.  

Although they're neighbors in quaint Cranberry Cove, Maine, Renee and Sadie don't really know each other.  Until a culinary disaster brings them together.  The resulting friendship that develops between them gives both women the outlet and support they've been looking for.  But will it be enough to sustain them as Renee and Sadie both take big leaps in their lives?

Forever Friends, a debut novel by Sarah Mackenzie, is a little fluffier than my usual reading fare.  Still, the story touches on deeper subjects than its easy, breezy cover would suggest. It tells an upbeat tale set against a cozy backdrop and featuring likable characters.  Its central theme of women supporting women definitely resonated with me.  While the plot doesn't exactly offer tense, nail-biting action, there was enough going on to keep me turning pages.  There was never a point, though, that I couldn't have put Forever Friends down for good.  Overall, then, I liked but didn't love this one.  Will I read the next book in the series?  Eh.  Maybe, maybe not.  

(Readalikes:  Um, nothing's coming readily to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  

for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder expletives) and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Forever Friends from the generous folks at Forever (a division of Hachette Book Group) in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Beth Rivers has made a career out of crafting chilling plots for her bestselling thriller novels, but when she has her own brush with a madman, it leaves her frightened and unmoored.  For her own safety, Beth changes her name and relocates to tiny, remote Benedict, Alaska.  A strange twist of fate has her living with criminals in a halfway house there while she tries to make sense of life in The Last Frontier. 

When Beth is offered the opportunity to revive the town's fledgling newspaper, she jumps at the chance.  Not only will the job give her something to do with her time, but it will also allow her the opportunity to investigate the recent murder of a local woman.  In doing so, she finds herself growing closer to handsome Donner Montgomery, a park ranger who has been deputized to help Benedict's police chief.  Can she trust him with the secrets of her past?  How about with her heart?  As Beth comes closer to finding the killer, it's also her life that is—once again—on the line.

I love stories set against the wild backdrop of Alaska, so I was excited to give Thin Ice by Paige Shelton a go.  This series opener does indeed feature an intriguing setting, which happens to be my favorite thing about it.  Character-wise, the novel leaves a lot to be desired.  I was hoping for a quirky, small-town cast to give Benedict some life, but most of the story people are very ordinary folks.  Beth herself is a sympathetic character, but not an overly likable one.  She doesn't have a whole lot of personality to make her interesting.  Unfortunately, Donner doesn't either, which means I didn't feel any real chemistry between them.  The plot of Thin Ice isn't any more original.  Although the tale was intriguing enough to keep me reading, the plot seems far-fetched (Would people in a buttoned-up little town like Benedict truly reveal all their deepest, darkest secrets to a stranger like Beth?), the killer's identity is pretty obvious, and none of the plot twists really surprised me.  Bummer.  In short, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.  With a series starter as ho-hum as this one, I won't be reaching for its sequel.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing's coming to mind.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Thin Ice from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

I often put my own twist on the Top Ten Tuesday topic du jour, but when it comes to freebies, I draw a blank.  Should I resurrect an old topic?  Create my own?  Forget about TTT for the week?  Seriously, the pressure can be paralyzing!  After discarding a few ideas, I finally decided on this one:  Top Ten Authors I've Discovered in 2020 (So Far).  Not super exciting, but hopefully it will be a fun way to highlight some new-to-me authors that I've found and enjoyed in this crazy year that is somehow more than half over.

First, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun.  You won't regret it, I promise!  All you have to do is head on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, check out a few quick instructions, make your own list, and then spend some happy hours spreading some love around the book blogosphere.  It's a guaranteed good time!

Top Ten Authors I've Discovered in 2020 (So Far):

1.  Diane Chamberlain (historical/women's fiction)—This is a little bit of a cheat since I actually first read Chamberlain back in 2012.  Apparently, I wasn't overly impressed with The Good Father then, so I didn't grab another of Chamberlain's books until this year.  I loved her newest, Big Lies in a Small Town, which led me to check out Necessary Lies, another one I very much enjoyed.  I've got two of her backlist books out from the library right now, which should give you a clue to how much I'm enjoying her.

2.  Tea Cooper (historical/family sagas/Australian settings)—Although I'd marked several of Tea Cooper's historical novels as "want-to-read" on Goodreads, I hadn't actually read her until this year.  I adored The Woman in the Green Dress and am looking forward to checking out more of Cooper's books.  And, yes, I already have a couple of them downloaded on my Kindle.

3.  Riley Sager (mystery/suspense/psychological thrillers/supernatural)—I'd heard of this buzzy author prior to this year, of course, but until now I hadn't picked up one of his books.  This year, I read Lock Every Door and The Last Time I Lied, both of which I enjoyed.  I'm definitely planning to get to Sager's other two books soon.

4.  Kim Michele Richardson (historical/U.S. South settings)—The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is one of my favorite reads so far this year.  I will absolutely be exploring this author's small backlist.  Can't wait!

5.  Janae Marks (contemporary MG/Black characters/race issues)—Marks' debut book came out this year, so I'm all caught up with her.  Phew!  I very much enjoyed From the Desk of Zoe Washington and am excited to see what Marks does next.

6.  Emma Lord (contemporary YA/rom-com)—Lord's debut, Tweet Cute, made a big splash earlier this year.  I loved it, just like everyone else.  Lord's 2021 offering, You Have a Match, sounds like another fun romance.  I'll for sure read it when it comes out in January.

7.  Amy Meyerson (family saga/historical/mystery)—I'm in the middle of The Imperfects, Meyerson's newest, and I'm loving it.  She has one other book out that I'll be reading ASAP.

8.  Amy Harmon (historical/romance)—Where the Lost Wander is another one of my favorite reads from 2020.  It's the only book I've read of Harmon's so far, but it certainly won't be the last.

9.  Isla Morley (historical/women's fiction/contemporary adult fiction)—After loving The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I wanted to know more about the Blue people of Kentucky.  Morley's newest, The Last Blue, is a beautifully-written novel on the subject.  She has two other books that I'm anxious to read sometime soon.

10.  Amanda Flower (cozy mysteries/Amish themes)—Someone (Carla?) recommended this author's Amish Candy Shop mystery series and I've been really enjoying it.  I've read the first two installments so far.  The third is waiting for me on Kindle.  It's a clean, entertaining series that makes for perfect light, fluffy reading.

There you have it, ten authors I've discovered (and re-discovered) this year.  Have you read any of them?  What do you think?  Which authors are you excited to have found this year?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!