Review Laura Resau delivers a strong adult debut with The Alchemy of Flowers. Her whimsical storytelling sets the mood immediately, where readers meet Eloise and join her journey through grief and (hopefully) healing in the beautiful setting of the French castle gardens. While I cannot relate to Eloise's story arc of struggles with infertility and… Continue reading The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau
Leslie Gray Streeter presents a strong debut fiction novel with Family & Other Calamities. The story was well-paced with a great balance of humor and reflection on grief. Dawn is going through it after losing her husband earlier in the year. The last thing she needs is the family drama that comes with her visit back home to give his ashes to her brother-in-law. As the story progresses, we get flashbacks that offer insight as to her long-standing beef with her former mentor, Joe. The more we learn, the more we share Dawn’s rage at how everything turned out. Which makes the final showdown that much more satisfying.
RaeAnne Thayne just became an author I will keep my eye on after reading The Lost Book of First Loves. The story offers character growth, some mild suspense regarding the mystery of their father, and a slow-burn romance with some humor sprinkled in. I cared about the characters and wanted to know how the story would unfold. While I usually like some on-page intimacy in my romance books, there’s so many layers to the book that I didn’t feel anything was lacking.
