The Patient by Steena Holmes | Review

The Patient by Steena Holmes

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Published: October 15, 2019

Pages: 320

Received: audiobook via Thomas Allen & Son for honest review

Find Online: Goodreads

A therapist must face her own worst fear—one of her patients is a serial killer.

Danielle Rycroft suspects someone close to her has a dark secret. In the confidential setting of therapy, her patients share their anxieties and fears. Now, with a string of murders in town putting her on edge, Danielle’s own worries come close to eclipsing her patients’. In each case, the pattern is the same: parents killed while their children sleep blissfully unaware in their beds. Her best friend, Detective Tami Sloan, is the only person she has confided in.

Danielle believes that there’s still a secret one patient has yet to share. But which one? Behind a familiar face is a stranger who’ll do anything to hide their worst compulsions. The anxiety brings Danielle to her own therapist’s office, seeking counsel and comfort. But what is she willing to risk, and how much closer must she get, to stop them?

Steena Holmes has quickly become one of my new favourite Canadian authors. Thanks to Thomas Allen & Son for introducing me last year with The Forgotten Ones and now just recently with The Patient. 

I love a good thriller and I really enjoy multiple point of view books, which this one had in abundance.  I found it so interesting to flip between Danielle, three of her patients, someone who might be the serial killer and some flashbacks. Since we know from the synopsis that one of her patients just might be a serial killer, I found it interesting to try to figure it out along the way with Danielle. Since all three have different reasons to be considered the killer, I found it intriguing for her to try and unravel the truth. 

The fact the she is a therapist and she seeks help and counsel from her own therapist was fascinating to me. I never really thought about a therapist needing their own place to speak out about the stresses of their job, but it makes sense. I'm just not sure that Danielle got what she bargained for with looking for help. Or maybe she did?

The part of the story that really had me was all the references to Alice in Wonderland. From Danielle's strong love of the book that she collects different versions of it whenever she can, to the fact that she lives in a town called Cheshire that has streets named after characters and statues in the parks depicting the different characters in the book. Even the killer gets dubbed the Cheshire Mad Queen which just adds to the Alice theme! We're all mad here seems fitting given the location and what is happening.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story from start to finish as it had me guessing who the killer was, who the flashbacks really were from and how it all fit into this puzzle. I tend to read a lot of thrillers so my mind comes up with fantastical ideas on who the killer could be or what the plot twist might be, so I had part of it figured out but I didn't expect one of the twists at all. I like when a book can surprise me even when I have part figured out. I will say that the killer ends up being a shattered and broken person, similar to the way the image on the cover shows that the picture does not line up completely. I love how the cover depicts that part of the killer.

If you've read anything the Steena before, you'll know this was a departure from her normal genre. I feel that it was a good first thriller for her and hope to see her write more and thrillers are a fave of mine.

Have you read The Patient yet? What did you think and did you have a clue who the killer might be? 

 

I Read Canadian Day | February 19, 2020

The point of #IReadCanadian Day is to "raise awareness of Canadian books and celebrate the richness, diversity and breadth of Canadian literature." -source

We hope that everyone participating can read for at least 15 minutes on February 19, 2020 and share what they are reading via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). So please join in and share what you've chosen to read by using the hashtag #IReadCanadian.

Here are a handful of Canadian authors on my shelves: 

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

Things To Do When It's Raining by Marissa Stapley

Sadie by Courtney Summers

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

A House In The Sky by Amanda Lindhout

Until It Fades by K.A. Tucker

Come From Away by Genevieve Graham

Me And Me by Alice Kuipers

What book are you planning to read today? What are some of your favourite Canadian authors? Leave me a comment so I can build my Canadian Author TBR!

Sadie by Courtney Summers | Review

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Published: September 4, 2018

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 308

Received: ecopy via NetGalley for honest review, but ended up listening to audiobook via Overdrive (due to recommendations from friends/bloggers)

Find Online: Goodreads

A missing girl on a journey of revenge. A Serial―like podcast following the clues she's left behind. And an ending you won't be able to stop talking about.

Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

I've read my fair share of Courtney Summers books, but this is probably my absolute favourite. Not only is the narrative so well written, but the emotions that this story provokes are epic. I listened to the audiobook version of this and think with the full cast of narrators that it brought even more to the story. If you haven't listened to it, you totally should try it.

It's basically a podcast where there is a search for a missing girl, Sadie, so the full cast is amazing in this format. So many characters and the fact that they are all given individual voices in the audiobook format was what I think sets it apart from other books.

The story itself is dark and gritty. You can't help wanting more details on the lives of Sadie and her sister, Mattie. I think going into the story slightly blind actually helped add to the mystery of the story. I picked it up because it's COURTNEY SUMMERS! 

I think another thing that adds to the mystery is the fact that the story flips back and forth between the podcast interviews of searching for Sadie and a first person narrative from Sadie herself which see her searching for a man named "Darren", who holds answers that she so desperately needs.

The story touches on so many things from the strong love of a sister and being raised poor to abuse and the aftereffects. It's amazing how strong Sadie is in the face of adversity - she has a very strong stutter that causes people to look the other way and limited access to money, but she is determined to find out what truly happened to her sister. Sadie would do anything for her sister - she even pretty much raised her the last few years so that they wouldn't get separated.

This is a great revenge plot story as well. And the ending will leave you with all the feels. Don't take just my word for it...

from my Goodreads notes

Honestly, read everything Courtney Summers! But definitely read this one if you need somewhere to start. I am looking forward to her next book that she is currently writing.

Have you read Sadie? In what format? What did you think of it? Tell me everything!

A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean | Review & Giveaway

A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean

Published: August 14, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Received: from Thomas Allen & Son for honest review

Find Online: Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CA | Amazon

From USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes a suspenseful, emotionally charged novel that explores the secrets and hidden truths within a seemingly perfect marriage.

Abbie MacIntyre is living the dream in the picturesque Nova Scotia town she calls home. She is a successful surgeon, is married to a handsome cardiologist, and has a model teenage son who is only months away from going off to college.

But then one fateful night, everything changes. When a drunk driver hits her car, Abbie is rushed to the hospital. She survives, but the accident forces unimaginable secrets out into the open and plagues Abbie with nightmares so vivid that she starts to question her grip on reality. Her perfect life begins to crack, and those cracks threaten to shatter her world completely.

The search for answers will test her strength in every way—as a wife, a career woman, and a mother—but it may also open the door for Abbie to move forward, beyond anger and heartbreak, to find out what she is truly made of. In learning to heal and trust again, she may just find new hope in the spaces left behind.

Book club discussion questions are included in the book.

I listened to this audiobook on my daily commute to work and one foggy morning, I had to stop to take this photo. It just seemed to fit the story and setting of this book. 

 

This story revolves around Abbie and her small family and a tragedy that takes them all for an emotional ride. Not only does the accident bring on new medical issues for Abbie that would affect her career, but it also changed her outlook on her life and the things that she thought were once perfect. 

The loving husband ends up not being what he seemed. Abbie can't let go of the secrets, but is too afraid to disclose them to her son for fear of tarnishing his view of his father. Part of me thought this was admirable of her to try to keep him from further hurt, but at the same time her anger and frustration get the best of her when her son has nothing but wonderful things to say about his dad. In the end I'm glad she finally let him in on the secrets so that he could be better informed about his father's true nature and the events leading up the the tragedy. Sadly, the reason she finally tells him is not out of truly wanting to, but out of necessity due to a curve ball thrown her way yet again. 

Through the course of the story we watch Abbie grapple with her emotions and bounce back and forth from seeming to be healing and then being slammed back into anger and resentment over and over. At times it felt a little repetitive, but once I finished listening to the audiobook it became apparent that this was more of a realistic grieving and healing process. I'm sure people who experience similar things don't get over them at the toss of a hat, you just don't normally hear the inner monologue happening in someones head like you do in this book. 

I adored Winston, their wonderful dog. He survives the accident too and has his own challenges along the way, but in the end it's Winston's involvement in the plot that brings about a happy ending for Abbie and her family. Even though the book doesn't wrap up Abbie's new life completely with a bow, it does leave you knowing that she will be okay and has something worth looking forward to now.

 

“Just like the waves that keep rolling onto the beach, happiness may recede sometimes, but then it comes back. It always comes back.”

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About the Author:

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven series. MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Book Buyers Best Award, and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from the Romantic Times for Best Regency Historical Romance of 2005. MacLean has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a degree in business administration from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England. MacLean currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and daughter. For more information about Julianne and her writing life, please visit her website at www.juliannemaclean.com.

Follow Julianne: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookbub

 

The Forgotten Ones by Steena Holmes | Review (Audiobook)

The Forgotten Ones by Steena Holmes

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Published: April 1, 2018

Narrator: Angela Dawe & Arthur Morey

Received: for honest review via Thomas Allen & Sons

A spellbinding novel about an unspeakable secret that could destroy a family, from the New York Times bestselling author of Finding Emma.

Elle is a survivor. She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.

Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.

As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth—if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen…before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.

"Love isn't always pretty or clear cut. It can't be wrapped in a nice little box and presented with a bow. Sometimes it's ugly and hurtful and does more damage than good."

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and quite enjoyed the dual narration in it. It's told from two point of views, Elle and her dying grandfather. Elle is a nurse at a hospital who learns that her "long dead" grandfather is in fact alive and in the very hospital that she works at, but is sadly really dying. 

Over the course of the story, we find out about David's life, Elle's mothers life that she always hid away and the secrets that caused them to stop speaking to one another many years ago. The deep dark secrets hold a lot more than you can imagine. 

Elle has a hard time knowing if she should believe David's story because her mother has such a strong reaction to her having found him. Her mother warns her that not everything he says can be true or taken as gospel, but Elle starts to wonder as her mother's mental health deteriorates yet again.

The story triggers her mother to start her slow spiral again and the more that Elle pushes to find out the truth - speaking with people who knew her grandfather back then, searching out the old homestead, putting her trust in David. Learning about her past, about her grandmother's life with undiagnosed mental illness and the miscarriages that troubled her all add to the mystery surrounding her family's past.

The things we learn are quite intense and surprising to say the least and mental health plays a big part in the history and secrets as well, not just with Elle's mother, but also her grandmother. It makes you question how well you really know people, how well they remember their own pasts and it deals a lot with forgiveness and love. As the quote above states that love can do more hurt than good - it's about turning a blind eye when you love someone so much that you don't want to see the ugly truth. It's about thinking you are protecting them, when really you just might be loving them too much and not getting them the help they need. Love can make people do incredible things, both good and bad and this story shows both sides.

My review is not doing this book the justice it deserves, I'm afraid of spoilers, so I'm sure this seems vague in some ways.

I will definitely be looking for more books by Steena Holmes in the near future. I've added her to my must read Canadian author list.

Sidenote: Arthur Morey was the perfect David in this narrative. His voice, his inflection and his cadence added to the mystery surrounding David and his past. Well done.

About the Author:

Steena Holmes grew up in a small town in Canada and holds a Bachelors degree in Theology.

In 2012 she received the Indie Excellence Award. Holmes was inspired to write Finding Emma after experiencing a brief moment of horror when she’d thought her youngest daughter was missing.

She currently lives in Calgary with her husband and three daughters and loves to wake up to the Rocky Mountains each morning.
-source

READ-EH-THON | A Canadian Inspired Read-A-Thon

Okay so my first major thing I'm going to try to help me get back into blogging is a read-a-thon, but not just any read-a-thon.... it's the READ-EH-THON hosted by Lala, Ashley, Natasha, Zoe and Joce. 

I found out about it via BooksandLala YouTube channel.

RULES

dates: July 1 - July 8 
goal: Read Canadian books/ authors challenges 

• Read a book with red on the cover  (book 2)
• Read a book by a Canadian woman  (book 1)
• Read a book with "E" and "H" in the title  (both books)
• Read a book by an indigenous author 
• Read a book set in a province you've never visited  (book 1)

Feel free to double up on challenges

My possible TBR
-Come From Away by Genevieve Graham
-The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline 
-#16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler 
-Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery
-Me and Me by Alice Kuipers
-Sadie by Courtney Summers

My ACTUAL books read:
1) Where I Live Now: A Journey Through Love and Loss to Healing and Hope by Sharon Butala
2) The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (about 40% done audiobook when Read-EH-Thon ended)

Struggled with read-a-thon due to a hectic week and illnesses/daycare issues, but my books did cover all but one of the challenges.

Will you be participating? What books are on your Canadian TBR?

Cover Reveal & Guest Post | Come From Away by Genevieve Graham | Giveaway

I was recently contacted by Genevieve Graham to be a part of the cover reveal for her upcoming release, Come From Away. It's releasing April 2018 and is a companion novel to Tides of Honour. She also has graciously written up a guest post in honour of the reveal! It's always a delight to work with Ms. Graham. THE COVER IS GORGEOUS, but you'll have to read her guest post before you can see the cover. Cheers!

The Story Behind the Cover

Throughout the months it takes me to write one of my novels, I try not to envision what the cover will look like. I’m not sure how many people know this, but in the traditional publishing process, authors have very little to no say on their cover art. As you can probably imagine, that’s pretty terrifying. After all, an author spends the better part of their days/weeks/months putting their soul into a book, but they have no idea how it will eventually appear when it sits on bookstore shelves. 

Well, when this cover appeared in my email, I cried.

Really, I shouldn’t have been surprised. My cover designer at Simon & Schuster Canada, Elizabeth Whitehead, is a creative genius. The first cover she designed for me was for “Tides of Honour”, and I fell in love with it. You see, I describe my novels as historical fiction brought to life through a love story, but they’re not what you would call typical “romance” novels. When I saw the cover for “Tides of Honour”, I saw a powerful love story threatened by dangerous times, turbulent emotions, and uncertainty—all of which are in the book. Then I wrote “Promises to Keep”, a heartbreaking, very real story of the Acadians, set over 150 years earlier, and incredibly, Elizabeth maintained the same beautiful level of creativity with that cover. Then I saw what she’d done for “Come From Away”, and I couldn’t wait to share. I think I love it best of all.

Think of the challenge presented to a cover designer. They have a single opportunity to encapsulate an entire story in one image or design. That image must rise to the top of a sea of books to attract a reader’s attention, and it must engage them to the point that they are curious enough to take the book off the shelf and open it to the first page. After that step, of course, it’s up to the author to reward the reader with a story they will—hopefully—love.

When you look at the young couple on the cover for “Come From Away”, you see so much. The 1940s is evident in their dress, the cold Atlantic looms before them, and the skulking shape in the water reminds us of the state of the world at that time. You also see the couple’s uncertain attraction to one another, and their trepidation. Something is keeping them apart, but you don’t yet know what it is. And there’s something else ... I don’t know about you, but something about this couple has me rooting for them before I even pick up the book.

Here’s the synopsis for “Come From Away”, which will be published in April 2018. It is the companion novel to “Tides of Honour”, but the two are standalone books. If you have read “Tides of Honour”, you will recognize some of the characters, but this is twenty-five years later, so a lot has changed. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I loved writing it. 

 
From the bestselling author of Tides of Honour and Promises to Keep comes a poignant novel about a young couple caught on opposite sides of the Second World War. 

In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker’s three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumours swirl about “wolf packs” of German U-Boats lurking in the deep waters along the shores of East Jeddore, a stone’s throw from Grace’s window. As the harsh realities of war come closer to home, Grace buries herself in her work at the store. 

Then, one day, a handsome stranger ventures into the store. He claims to be a trapper come from away, and as Grace gets to know him, she becomes enamoured by his gentle smile and thoughtful ways. But after several weeks, she discovers that Rudi, her mysterious visitor, is not the lonely outsider he appears to be. He is someone else entirely—someone not to be trusted. When a shocking truth about her family forces Grace to question everything she has so strongly believed, she realizes that she and Rudi have more in common than she had thought. And if Grace is to have a chance at love, she must not only choose a side, but take a stand. 

Come from Away is a mesmerizing story of love, shifting allegiances, and second chances, set against the tumultuous years of the Second World War.

Release Date: April 2018

Pages: 256

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

And now the BONUS! The giveaway - a chance to WIN an ARC (advance reader copy) of Come From Away! Enter using the rafflecopter below.

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About the Author:

Genevieve Graham graduated from the University of Toronto in 1986 with a Bachelor of Music in Performance (playing the oboe). While on a ski vacation in Alberta, she met her future husband in a chairlift lineup and subsequently moved to Calgary to be with him. They have recently settled in a small, peaceful town in Nova Scotia with their two beautiful daughters.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Lennox & Addington Library Canada 150 Reading Challenge

I'm participating in the Lennox & Addington Library Canada 150 Reading Challenge  (to be completed by August 31 - one book can count for more than one spot on the list).

Apparently it started in May (based on their May-August newsletter where I found the list), so I'm going to count anything I read from that point on. 

-Read a CanLit book with 150+ pages

-Read a book about a Canadian musician

-Cook a recipe from a Canadian cookbook

-Read a biography about a famous Canadian

-Read an OLA Evergreen Award nominee

-Read a book set in the Arctic

-Read a book set in Canada's West during the 1800s

-Read a book set in the Maritimes

-Read a Canadian children's picture book

-Read a book about hockey

-Read one of CBC Canada Reads winners

-Read a book by a local author

Wish me luck! And if you have any recommendations leave them in the comments!

FAIL

Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan | Review and Q&A

Confessions of a Domestic Failure: A Humorous Book About A Not So Perfect Mom by Bunmi Laditan

Published: May 2, 2017

Publisher: Harlequin Mira

Pages: 320

Received: ARC via NetGalley

Find Onine: Goodreads | Amazon | Chapters | Mira

From the creator of The Honest Toddler comes a fiction debut sure to be a must-read for moms everywhere

There are good moms and bad moms and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably.

When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the "Motherhood Better" bootcamp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?

With her razor-sharp wit and knack for finding the funny in everything, Bunmi Laditan creates a character as flawed and lovable as Bridget Jones or Becky Bloomwood while hilariously lambasting the societal pressures placed upon every new mother. At its heart, Ashley's story reminds moms that there's no way to be perfect, but many ways to be great.

This book came out at such a great time - close to Mother's Day when many Mom's are about ready for their special day of celebration (whatever that looks like for them). I highly suggest getting a copy for your Mom friends and sisters (you know, if you have any). This book and the main character, Ashley, will have you laughing out loud one minute, nodding with agreement and crying with understanding the next. It's everything a first time Mom could want in a book to make them feel like they are not the only hot mess out there. 

Here's the deal - I love how this book takes a Mom who idolizes a perfect media empire Mom and teaches her that not everything is at it seems, not everyone has to live up to unrealistic expectations. I love that Ashley keeps trying to better herself, but in the end realizes life is messy. I love that she struggles with the everyday just like most of us do. I think this made her such an easy to relate to character for me. 

Confessions of a Domestic Failure nailed it with the hilarious situations that Ashley gets herself into, while trying to live up to the hype and expectations of the perfect Mom. I think after reading this book you'll realize, much like Ashley, that it's not necessary to be do Pinterest-perfect crafts, make homemade meals and baby food, or throw yourself to the wolves Mommy Group Goddesses for approval - just to be a good and capable mother. I think there is an unwritten pressure to be something we're not and this book gives you the okay to realize we're not all like that. It's okay to be tired, to be so in love with your baby that chores slide, and to enjoy motherhood without added expectations that we be just like everyone else.

The relationships that Ashley has with her husband, her mother in law and her own sister help make her feel authentic. Honestly, I want to be Ashley's friend. We could start our own Mommy group where we wear day old yoga pants, our babies are still in yesterdays sleepers and we eat donuts for the sugar rush (I don't drink coffee) and share horror stories about answering the door with no pants on or baby puking in the Walmart checkout line. This would be my tribe!

And since the book is called Confessions of a Domestic Failure, here are a few of my confessions.

1. Some days we don't get out of our jammies. Neither of us. If we are not going anywhere and no one is coming to visit, who is it really hurting?

2. I generally don't do the dishes until just before my husband comes home from work. I'm saving hot water by only filling the sink once!

3. There are days that I wish we had a dog, only so that it could eat the food my daughter tosses on the floor at each meal and then I wouldn't have to sweep/mop daily. I like dogs, but never really want to own one (I'm a cat person), yet I'm tempted on days that she tosses everything off her high chair.

What are your Mommy confessions? And what are you waiting for - go read this book or give a copy to a friend!

I've been following Bunmi Laditan online (mostly via Facebook) from the time I found out I was pregnant in the fall of 2015. Some of my Mom friends suggested it to me and I just fell in love with how real she kept her posts about life, being a Mom and kids. I also follow Honest Toddler via Twitter. I've read her book Toddlers Are A**holes and thought it was such a fun and cheeky look at being a Mom, so I knew I'd love her book Confessions of a Domestic Failure. And the exciting part was that I asked Bunmi to go a quick Q&A with me for my blog and she said yes! So I'm proud to bring you a quick little set of questions that she graciously agreed to answer for us!

What was the first thing you ever wrote that you were proud of?

In 4th grade, my school in Berkeley, California had an essay assignment where each student had to write a descriptive essay. I wrote about my family going to church on Easter Sunday- the pastel dresses, piling into the car, the excitement at church...it was the first time I really visualized a piece of writing as I was putting the words down on paper. I ended up receiving the highest grade in my class. It was the first time I considered that I could be good at something. 

Can you tell us about your ideal reader for Confessions of a Domestic Failure?

While I was writing Confessions, I always pictured my first few months of motherhood. I spent a lot of time sitting on the living room floor of my apartment with my fresh baby girl not really knowing what I was doing. "Am I supposed to be joining a mom group" "Am I taking her on enough walks?" I felt lost and quite alone for awhile. I still feel like that quite often. When I wrote this book, I wanted to validate all of the moms who love their children deeply, are doing their best, but can't shake the feeling that it's all not enough. I struggle with anxiety and depression quite a bit and it's impacted how I mother greatly. This book is a love letter, a literary blankie for moms like me who parent the best they can despite the war going on between their ears. 

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever had to Google for research?

I write about mom life, so there's not much to research. I just pull from my own daily, messy life. Maybe one day I'll write about alien abductions and get to Google some fun stuff. :) 

Did you have a plan before you started writing this book?

I had a vision for the book, but not a blueprint for it. It started off as a series of handwritten diary entries and slowly took shape over a few years. It wasn't until I was sure I wanted to publish the book that I gave it form (conflict, resolution, etc.). I know many authors plan out their books ahead of time, and that's probably the way to go, but I usually just go with the flow. 

Who’s your favorite character that you’ve written?

Definitely Ashley in Confessions of a Domestic Failure. She's the kind of person you want to sit down and have coffee with because you know they're always going to tell it exactly like it is, no matter what. If I could invent the ideal mom friend, it'd be her. Maybe that's what I was trying to do when I wrote this book- create the friend of my dreams. :) 

You'll be excited to know that Bunmi is already starting to write the sequel! I know I'm looking forward to reading it as soon as it comes out!

About the author:

source

Bunmi Laditan's Instagram and Facebook info sums up her life: Writer and Cali girl in Quebec. Yet she is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, Mothering and iVillage, where her satirical pieces on parenting and politics have often gone viral. She also created Honest Toddler, a character based on her youngest child. She lives with her family near Montreal. -pieced together from many sources (her Facebook, Goodreads and good old Google)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Author Sally Christie`s Reading List | Guest Post | #TimelessTour @SimonSchusterCA

Today I am excited to host a guest post from Sally Christie for Simon & Schuster Canada`s Timeless Tour and I`m even more excited that it`s her suggested reading list! I always love seeing what books inspire authors and what books they enjoy reading. Enjoy this list of historical fiction!

 

Sally Christie’s suggested reading list 

 

Given that time travel is not happening (yet), good historical fiction is the best way to immerse yourself in the past.  Here are some of my favorite novels from across the years, that have delighted and inspired me:

Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. Hell yes. I don't just love these books, I lurve them.

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue.  Forget Room!  This is where it's at. I remember when I first read this book, more than a decade ago: I had this searing moment of jealousy. I thought: But this is the book wanted to write! I really love her historical fiction and can’t wait to read The Wonder.

An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears. Rich and detailed and opened my eyes to what good historical fiction could be. Magic in fine paper form!

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. The power of fiction to illuminates the lives of those we might not always think about – homosexual love in 17^thcentury England.

An Ice Cream War by William Boyd.  Years - decades! - after first reading this I can still remember some of the scenes and visuals in this story about World War I as it plays out in East Africa. Stunning and one of my favorite books ever.

You can also see my reviews of Christie`s series The Mistresses of Versailles by clicking these links.

The Sisters of Versailles | The Rivals of Versailles | The Enemies of Versailles

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The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie | Review #TLCBookTours #Giveaway

The Enemies of Versailles (The Mistresses of Versailles #3) by Sally Christie

Published: March 21, 2017

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 384

Received: for honest review via TLC Book Tours

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In the final installment of Sally Christie’s “tantalizing” (New York Daily News) Mistresses of Versailles trilogy, Jeanne Becu, a woman of astounding beauty but humble birth, works her way from the grimy back streets of Paris to the palace of Versailles, where the aging King Louis XV has become a jaded and bitter old philanderer. Jeanne bursts into his life and, as the Comtesse du Barry, quickly becomes his official mistress.

“That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute quite another kettle of fish.”

After decades suffering the King's endless stream of Royal Favorites, the princesses of the Court have reached a breaking point. Horrified that he would bring the lowborn Comtesse du Barry into the hallowed halls of Versailles, Louis XV’s daughters, led by the indomitable Madame Adelaide, vow eternal enmity and enlist the young dauphiness Marie Antoinette in their fight against the new mistress. But as tensions rise and the French Revolution draws closer, a prostitute in the palace soon becomes the least of the nobility’s concerns.

Told in Christie’s witty and engaging style, the final book in The Mistresses of Versailles trilogy will delight and entrance fans as it once again brings to life the sumptuous and cruel world of eighteenth century Versailles, and France as it approaches inevitable revolution.

 

In The Enemies of Versailles, we find the King's daughter Madame Adelaide becoming the enemy of his most recent mistress, Jeanne, known as the Comtesse du Barry. Jeanne is no more than a common prostitute who ends up charming the king with her beauty and interesting bedroom games. The Comtesse is even more frowned upon than the Marquise du Pompadour was. “That beastly bourgeois Pompadour was one thing; a common prostitute quite another kettle of fish.”

Madame Adelaide's story is interesting as she is never married and is still living at Versailles with her family. She at first seems bitter, but then I realize it is jealousy over her father spending less time with the daughters and more with his mistress. Adelaide looks up to her father and really just wants to be loved by him. I think she is hostile and strict with propriety is due to the fact that she has never married, never had an affair and dotes on her father. Only after waging a small silent war against the indecent woman who shares her father's bed, does she realize that there is more to life. After her fathers passing and the revolution happening, she finally sees that letting her guard down and enjoying the small things might have made her happier had she tried them many years ago. It's sad that it takes her father's death and the downfall of the monarchy for her to realize that there is so much more to love and enjoy than following the rules and being perfect.

Jeanne, the Comtesse du Barry, falls in love with Louis after having met him at a private dinner party at Versailles. His men know his appetite for lovely young women and she is chosen to help keep the king happy. The most interesting thing about their relationship isn't that she was a prostitute, but that he remained faithful to her. He had such a wandering eye in his younger years, but I guess with age he must have decided the love of one woman was enough and he only needed to visit her bed instead of so many? Or perhaps all of her training kept him interested for so long? Unlike the Marquise, who became his best friend, Jeanne, remained his love until his death. She made him happy, as he claims to Adelaide during one of their infrequent conversations.

Between the two women, I felt the most for Adelaide because all she wanted was her father's love and attention and it took her so many years to realize she didn't necessarily need it to be happy. Jeanne was interesting, but I felt that she was more about the fame and fortune of being at court and in such an important position of being so close to the king. I know she loved him, but there were times where it felt like she was just a gold digger. Funny how both were looking for his love and attention, but in different ways.

I enjoyed the story of the rival between the two women and even the tidbits about Marie Antoinette as well. And I was happy with how this book wrapped up the lives of the Bourbon family. I always enjoy the detail in Ms. Christie's writing with the descriptions of clothing and hair styles, jewellery, furnishings and the entertainment of the times. It felt like walking into the era and being surrounded by all the is beautiful at Versailles. I have seen Versailles when I was 14 and I loved picturing the different scenes playing out around the gardens and chateaux.

This final chapter in the life of Louis XV, was an important piece to understand his life and those around him. How hard it must have been to be Louis, not really interested in his role as king and relying on others to make decisions while having a very naughty appetite for women. It seemed as though he longed for love, to be cared for and to fill some void, perhaps with all of the women. 

Read more about the women in Louis XV's life in my reviews for The Sisters of Versailles and The Rivals of Versailles. 

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About the Author:
Sally Christie was born in England of British parents but grew up mostly in Canada. As a child she moved around with her family and then continued her wandering as she pursued a career in international development; she’s lived in 14 different countries and worked in many more. She’s now settled in Toronto and loving it.

Sally lives and breathes history; ever since she read Antonia Fraser’s masterful Mary, Queen of Scots when she was 10, she’s been an avid history junkie. She wishes more attention and technical innovation was devoted to time travel, because there is nothing she would rather do than travel back in time! Writing historical fiction is a poor substitute, but it’s the best one we have at the moment.

When not reading and writing history, she’s a tennis and Scrabble fanatic.

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