Dominicana

In 1965 people would do anything to live and work in NYC. Life in Dominican Republic was in turmoil and getting worse every day. On the brink of political collapse the hardworking people in the countryside had no money and little hope for the future. Ana’s mother had a plan. If she could get Juan Ruiz to marry Ana in exchange for a parcel of their land, the entire family could eventually immigrate to the United States. Juan and his brothers were already traveling back and forth, working hard and investing their earnings as Santo Domingo grew more unstable. Twice her age, Juan was neither handsome nor charming and Ana dreaded the day her mother sent her away. Beautiful Ana, only 15 years old, did not speak a word of English nor had she ever been anywhere, ever. The sweetness Juan initially exudes quickly turns to impatience as he works two or three jobs and visits his mistress late at night, leaving Ana locked in their hot apartment bored and lonely. One day Juan announces he must travel for a few months, leaving Ana in the care of his youngest brother Cesar. As they get to know each other Ana sees a different side of NY. Visiting Coney Island, starting her own sandwich business and taking English lessons at the church, Ana is suddenly a butterfly coming out of her cocoon. Pressure mounts as her mother and siblings demand to join her while her heart is trapped in a loveless and often volatile marriage. A story of family struggles and misplaced loyalty, the pages turn quickly filled with latin rhythms and delicious foods that perfectly capture the immigrant experience. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Infinite Country

When Elena goes to the market one day, Mauro helps her pick only the best from the enormous fruit stand, hence a sweet beginning of their young love story. Their lives are challenging right from the start. Having survived a rough upbringing, Mauro desires a family more than anything in the world. Elena’s strict home with her mother has the two sneaking around for months. When she becomes pregnant Mauro is determined to give them a better life. His plan is to leave their small village in Colombia where the economy is flailing and danger lurks on every corner. They make their way with their young daughter to the United States. Given a six month work visa, they are hoping to earn money and return to start their life anew with more than they could ever earn at home. It is easy to find the manual labor that no-one else wants to do. But Elena has another baby, Nando. He is now U.S. citizen. They are doing well but six months is not enough and with much angst and worry they overstay their visa. Making ends meet while sending money home to help Elena's poor mother, she becomes pregnant again. When Mauro is deported all the cards come tumbling down. Elena lives in daily fear of a knock at the door. Her focus is to give her children a better life, more opportunities. Things in Colombia have only gotten worse, people are shot down in the streets during broad daylight. Caught in a web of their own creation, Elena dreams of a place where her children can grow up safely and she can afford to feed them. Pretty basic. They didn’t climb mountains or or rivers or cross desserts to get to the U.S., they flew on a plane like thousands of people do every day. Now they are stuck between two unwelcoming worlds, not sure they will ever find home again. What would you do to save your family? ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Victim

We meet Javier Perez when he is a young boy scraping by in the Bronx. He recently witnessed his hustling drug dealing father gunned down in Puerto Rico. His persevering mother, inspired by the doctors who employ her, pushes Javi to excel in school and make something of himself. Living amidst gang activity, it is no surprise when Javi’s best friend Gio heads in the wrong direction and is imprisoned. At the same time, Javi’s school counselor encourages him to write an essay to win a full scholarship and attend a prestigious university. Is the essay embellished? Well, maybe a little but Javi is a good writer and knows how to pull on those diverse heartstrings. When he arrives at college Javi is not prepared for the world he encounters. He finds himself immersed with a group of students fighting for justice, particularly for POC (people of color). Most notably, he has a huge crush on Anais, a privileged student whose father is Puerto Rican. Although she hasn’t faced adversity in her own life (and never learned Spanish) Anais identifies with this struggling menagerie of students that demand equality. Javi is their perfect mouthpiece. He looks the part and has the street cred to prove it. Javi worms his way into the student newspaper and skillfully elaborates the minority struggle on campus. He may not always write the whole truth but justifies his newfound victimhood as speaking for those who have no voice. The deeper he falls into this persona the less guilt Javi feels when he embellishes his stories to fit the narrative of the day. This satire brims with provocative characters, each woven into the elaborate charade Javi has orchestrated. Original and deeply compelling, Victim challenges readers with its thought-provoking narrative and leaves us with important questions it boldly raises. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Sequel

Her famous husband Jacob Finch Bonner is dead. Now Anna Williams-Bonner surprisingly finds herself on a literary tour of her own, signing hundreds of books and answering questions about Jake’s suicide. She never desired fame and could have happily lived as the financially secure grieving widow everyone made her out to be. But there must be a touch of desire hidden in us all. When Anna is given the opportunity to attend a writers retreat, she cannot resist. In this coveted cabin in the woods a novel pours out of her and the publishers (Jake’s publishers) could not be happier to throw Anna on their gravy train. A great plan until Anna begins to receive excerpts from a novel she thought was destroyed. A story that could ruin them all. To make matters worse, these excerpts include backhanded threatening messages. Her brother is long gone and so is her husband. Anna’s past has been completely transformed. As the correspondence becomes unmanageable Anna sets out to learn who is behind this laser focused torment. Aptly named, this sequel to The Plot is a thriller like no other. Exceptionally well written - a book within a book within a book - it is filled with thrilling twists and turns as this mysterious woman uncovers the many layers of deception. It is a strange and wild ride to find yourself rooting for the villain. Note: You can absolutely read this sequel as a stand alone but most enjoyable to read The Plot first!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One-Star Romance

Natalie is a writer struggling to make ends meet. She works a multitude of jobs so that she could pay the bills while squeezing out spare moments to write. When her best friend/roommate Gabby gets engaged to Angus and quickly moves out, Natalie is concerned he may not be the right guy. At an engagement event she meets Rob, Angus’s best friend and humorless academic. Easy on the eyes, she considers a little harmless flirting and looks forward to seeing him at future wedding events. Natalie then pours her lonely heart into her writing and miracles do happen - her novel gets published. At the wedding, confident that her real career has finally begun, Natalie is excited to see Mr. Smarty Pants again.When she figures out that Rob left her a one star review on Goodreads, Natalie is consumed with rage. As the years pass through home celebrations, holidays and children, Natalie is brought into the fold of Gabby’s new family, which often includes Rob. Even though the chemistry between them is unavoidable the bitter truth slowly unravels. For me this story was less a romance and more about the evolution and meaning of female friendship as life changes. None of the characters were very likable and even though it was a quick read I was not invested in the outcome. It definitely deserves more than a one star, but the best I could offer is three. ⭐⭐⭐

Anyone But Her

Suzanne Parry was 14 years old in 1979. Life was relatively quiet in Denver. Her parents on again/off again marriage was on. Her younger brother adored her and her artsy mom Alex owned one of the coolest stores in Denver, Zoe’s Records. One day while her mom was working late, her store was robbed and she was tragically murdered. Nothing would ever be the same again. Suzanne had to look after Chris and ward off Peggy, the absolutely wrong woman who was vying to take her mother’s place in the family. Suzanne, always slightly clairvoyant, begins to see ghosts and sense their spirit. Finally, her mother comes to her. As mom-not-mom begins to lead her down a path of discovery, Suzanne can no longer ignore the terrifying truth. In 2004, Suzanne returns to Denver with her husband Brett and their two children. Her rebellious teenage daughter is resentful of the move while Austin struggles with behavioral issues. As Brett begins a new tech job, Suzanne recreates Zoe’s as an eclectic art emporium bringing part of her childhood and memories of her mother alive. But the ghosts will not remain at bay. Someone is following her, taunting her. The mysteries of their family are not fully resolved and Suzanne will do whatever it takes to protect her children from the past. Full of musical nostalgia, ghosts and family drama - this new fall release has it all. A quick page turner I could not put down! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Slow Dance

Fourteen years after high school graduation Shiloh and Cary, once the best of friends meet up at a wedding in Omaha. The third in their friend group, Mikey - who is now a successful artist - is getting married. At 33, Shiloh is a single mom of two adorable children and runs a children’s theater program nearby. Cary is a success in the Navy, his life going exactly as planned. What neither of them would admit is that all these years later their feelings have not changed and their hearts are full of longing for a love never realized. Always one moment away from each others arms, Shiloh and Cary spent years pushing romance away to protect their “friendship,” never realizing that is exactly the core of a happy marriage and generally what is missing from an unhappy one. The narrator swings back and forth recounting their high school memories playing video games, performing in school plays and helping each other survive their dysfunctional families. Then older, managing careers, romance and still - their dysfunctional families - all the while in and out of touch, forever wondering why they never get together. The memories are sweet young love between two kind of cute characters but for all the hype this Reese pick got, I was sorely disappointed. Extremely repetitive and absolutely nothing very interesting about either one of them except debilitating self doubt that continued on about 100 pages too long. Sad to say not my romance pick of the summer. ⭐⭐⭐