Book ~ "A Million Little Lies" (2020) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ A lifetime of lies, and a truth too painful to tell.

When Suzanna Duff was ten years old, she lost her mama, and that’s when the lies began. At first, they were just harmless little fibs, a way to hide her unbearable loneliness and the truth about a daddy who came home rip-roaring drunk every night. But in time, the lies grew bigger and now, when she is a grown woman with a daughter of her own, they threaten to destroy everything she loves.

The irony of this situation is that Suzanna never planned to stay in Georgia, she was simply passing through, looking for a fresh start in New Jersey. Attending that wake with her daughter Annie, was a fluke. An opportunity to enjoy a free meal. It should have entailed nothing more than a solemn nod and a brief expression of sympathy but, Ida Parker, the grieving widow mistook her for her the granddaughter who was carried off as an infant. Too embarrassed to do anything else, Suzanna played along. What harm was there in pretending to be someone else for a few hours? Hours turned into days and days into weeks; strangers became friends, love happened, and before long a year had flown by.

Now the past is standing on her doorstep and Suzanna must decide to leave here and disappear as she has done before, or tell the truth and break the hearts of those she loves most.

In her last year of high school, Suzanna was in love with Bobby.  When she discovered she was pregnant, Bobby broke up with her and her father kicked her out of the house.  With nowhere else to go, she moved in with Earl, an older man who liked her.  It's now 1960, eight years later, and Suzanna is in an abusive relationship with Earl and she's had enough.  She sneaks off with her daughter, Annie, with $18 stolen from Earl's pants and heads to New Jersey, where she hopes to start a new life.

Suzanna and Annie hitchhike and get a ride as far as a small town in Georgia.  She sees there is a memorial service for a man who had recently passed away.  The buffet luncheon attracts her so she figures they will stop in, have a big meal and then move on.  What she hadn't counted on is the widow thinking Suzanna is her long lost granddaughter, Darla Jean, and wanting her to stay on with her.  So Suzanna becomes Darla Jean, which provides her and Annie something they have never had ... a stable home life and a loving family.  As she builds a new life, gets a new a job, and falls in love with a school teacher, she is always looking over her shoulder, figuring the real Darla Jean will show up.

I thought this book was okay.  It was written in third person perspective in Suzanna's voice.  If you are looking for a nice clean wholesome story, you will like it.  I've read many of this author's books and this is her style.

I found a couple things hard to believe.  When Earl wakes up after a drunk and realizes that Suzanna is gone and not coming back, he is determined to find her.  For some reason, he assumes that she has gone back to Bobby ... the boyfriend who dumped her eight years ago when he found out she was pregnant.  Suzanna has had no contact with Bobby in eight years and suddenly Earl assumes Bobby will be wanting them to be a family?  Really?!  So he goes on the hunt to find Bobby figuring Suzanna and Annie would be with him.

Another thing was when Suzannna's life is good ... she has a nice job, a "grandmother" who loves her and a boyfriend ... Bobby pops back into her life.  She realizes she's still in love with him and is prepared to drop her new life for him so they can be a family.  Keep in mind that this is the guy who dumped her eight years ago and wanted no part of being a dad ... I found it unbelievable that Suzanne would make the leap immediately that Bobby wanted to marry her, especially considering the crappy life she's had until she found her "grandmother".  By this point, she's about 26 and I couldn't believe she would suddenly still have the same feelings for Bobby she had when she was 18.  No way!

Book ~ "Emily, Gone" (2019) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ 1971. When a music festival rolls through the sleepy town of Hesterville, Georgia, the Dixon family’s lives are forever changed. On the final night, a storm muffles the sound of the blaring music and Rachel tucks her baby into bed before falling into a deep sleep. So deep, she doesn’t hear the kitchen door opening. When she and her husband wake up in the morning, the crib is empty. Emily is gone.

Vicki Robart is one of the thousands at the festival but she’s not feeling the music. She’s feeling the emptiness over the loss of her own baby several months before. When she leaves the festival and is faced with an opportunity to fill that void, she is driven to an act of desperation that will forever bind the lives of three women.

When the truth of what actually happened that fateful night is finally exposed, shattering the lives they’ve built, will they be able to pick up the pieces to put their families back together again?

It's 1971 and there's a big music festival happening on a farm outside the small town of Hesterville, GA.  Lots of "hippies" invade the town and there's loud vibrating music all weekend.  The townsfolk complain but there's nothing the local sheriff can do since it's outside the town.

The Dixons live not far from the festival.  Tired from not getting a lot of sleep all weekend, the rain comes masking the sound of music and Rachel and George finally get a good night sleep.  When they wake up the next morning, they discover their baby, Emily, is missing.  The sheriff investigates, posters are put up, a reward is collected and ads are placed in newspapers but Emily is never found.  Hoping for the best, it takes years for Rachel and George to move on and they pray that Emily is being raised in a loving home.

Vicki and Murph are at the festival.  Stoned and hungry on the last night of the festival, Vicki convinces Murph to stop at a dark house so she can ask for food.  The door is unlocked and Vicki walks in.  Instead of taking food, she discovers Emily asleep in bed.  Vicki had given birth to a stillborn whom she named Lara a few months earlier and thinks God is replacing Lara with Emily ... and Emily grows up as Lara.

I thought this book was okay.  I loved the concept of the story ... a baby is taken, the girl grows up and discovers she was kidnapped at birth.  I was interested to know how it was discovered and what were the repercussions.  Then the "how" happened.  Up until that point, the book was a solid 4/5 as I was enjoying the story and the writing style (it's written in third perspective).  When the "how" was revealed, I thought "SERIOUSLY?"  It was way too coincidental and I wasn't buying it.  The happy ending was nice but it was too neat.  It dropped to a 3/5 for me.

If you are looking for a nice clean wholesome story, you will like it.  I've read many of this author's books and this is her style.  Though I am not religious, the characters in this book are.

Book ~ "The Summer of New Beginnings" (2018) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Aspiring journalist Meghan Briggs has always been the responsible one in the family. So when her father passes away unexpectedly, leaving behind his at-risk business, she steps up to save his legacy - even if that means putting her own dreams on hold.

Tracy couldn’t be more different from her sister. She’s always been the rebellious type, without much direction in life. But in the wake of her latest romantic disaster, she finds herself moving back home as a single mother.

As Tracy experiences the difficulties of new motherhood, Meghan faces her own struggle: trying not to fall for the stray puppy she rescued. This is no time for attachments - not to the adorable “Sox,” whose owner is bound to turn up any day, and certainly not to the handsome new vet in town. But as the summer unfolds, she discovers that, like Sox, she may need rescuing, too.

As both sisters navigate unexpected challenges and exciting new relationships, they’ll find that putting the past to rest can make way for beautiful new beginnings.

George and Lila live in the small town of Magnolia Grove and have two daughters ... Tracy is the oldest and bit of a wild one and Meghan is the good daughter.  When George passes away suddenly, Meghan postpones her dream of going to journalism school to run his small-town magazine.  Rather than letting it go, she sees it as a way of keeping a piece of her father.  Tracy, on the other hand, heads off to Philadelphia where Dominic, her boyfriend, has gotten a job.  The relationship doesn't work out and Tracy moves back home with her infant son.  As Tracy tries to get her life together, Meghan finds a stray pup who she names Sox and hopes his owner doesn't turn up to claim him. 

I thought this book was okay.  It is written in third person perspective, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is.  This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking and feeling.

I wasn't crazy about Lila.  Considering all that Meghan had given up and taken on, she didn't seem very grateful and still treated her like a child (for example, initially forbidding her to keep Sox).  Dominic was a jerk who hadn't treated Tracy or their son very well yet she still waffled for years about going back to him.

If you are looking for a nice clean wholesome story, you will enjoy it.  It is the first in the Magnolia Grove series.

Book ~ "Beyond the Carousel" (2017) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Laura Wilkes has everything a woman could want when she snaps the carousel picture. Her daughter, a happy little five-year-old, is holding the brass ring and smiling at a daddy who adores her. Each time the carousel circles around Laura snaps another picture, seven in all. This is a day of unforgettable happiness; one of the few Laura has left.

In the months following the stock market crash, Franklin Wilkes is killed; gunned down in senseless act of vengeance. The police know who did it but the man has disappeared. It’s the height of the depression and there are hoards of nameless, faceless men living in freight train yards and back alleys. The murderer is never caught but Laura and Emory, her father, never give up hope of finding him. Now, twenty-five years later, Laura’s daughter has fallen in love with Jack Mahoney, a policeman working crowd control with the strikers at the Telephone Company.

Right now Mahoney is a rookie, he has little or no power but Emory is hopeful he is the one person who can ultimately find Franklin’s killer and deliver the justice the family has long awaited.

This is the story of three generations of a family starting about 1920 and ending in 1955 ... Emory and Rose, Laura and Franklin and Christine and Jack.

Emory and Rose have a daughter named Laura.  Laura marries a stockbroker named Franklin and they have a daughter named Christine.  Franklin is murdered by a client during the stock market crash of 1929 and the killer disappears and isn't caught.  Christine grows up fatherless and eventually marries a police officer and they have a three children.

This is the tenth book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  Though this is the fifth in the Wyattsville series (I've read them all), they also work as stand alones.  It is written in third person perspective, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is.  This style works for me as it lets me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.

I'm enjoying this series and look forward to more.

Book ~ "Baby Girl" (2016) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ When young Cheryl Ann leaves home, she thinks her path is straight … until she’s forced to make a choice she could never have imagined. The man in her life makes it clear: either pick your baby or pick me, he says. Suddenly, Cheryl finds herself at a crossroads. She makes a decision that will change her life forever and that decision causes a chain of events that will lead Cheryl to a completely unexpected place.

"Baby Girl" is a mother’s story. It’s about the greatest sacrifice a mother can make when she wants only the best for her child. It’s about falling in and out of love, of losing and finding one’s self. It’s about the perilous journey from passionate young love to happy true love and understanding the differences between the two.

Cheryl Ann and Ryan started dating when they were in high school.  Cheryl Ann didn't have a happy home life and she and Ryan moved in together right after she graduated.  They had big plans for their future until Cheryl Ann discovered she was pregnant.  Ryan told her he wasn't ready to have a baby and told her to deal with it.  She has a difficult decision to make that would affect her for the rest of her life.

Though this is the fourth book in the Memory House series (there are five and I've read them all), you don't need to have read the first ones as this works as a standalone.  Ophelia is the only character from the other four in the series and there is enough background provided.  It is the ninth book I've read by this author and I liked it.

It is written in first person perspective in present tense in Cheryl Ann's voice, which is a departure from the other books.  I liked her ... every time life threw something at her, she stayed strong and persevered.

I am enjoying this series ... it shows the value in friendships between women.

Book ~ "What the Heart Remembers" (2015) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Max Martinelli spent her junior year of college in Paris and fell in love. Julien was a wickedly handsome young man who was crazy in love with her, or so she thought. He was a free-spirited artist and she an aspiring architect - impressionable, young, and standing on the brink of womanhood.

That was over three years ago but the memory of him still haunts her. Max’s life is stuck on hold because she can’t stop wondering what would have happened if she had gone back. Was Julien simply part of the magic of Paris? Or was he meant to be her destiny?

After a New Year’s Eve party that ends in disaster and bad dreams, Max decides to find out once and for all. She is going to return to Paris and search for Julien. But will her search bring forever after happiness or a truth so ugly it will change her life forever?

Max is an self-employed architect in a small town.  Three years ago when she was a college student, she spent a year in Paris.  She met and fell in love with Julien, who was a struggling artist.  When she moved back to the States, he promised to follow her ... but she never heard from him again.  For the last three years, she wondered what had happened to him.  She feels he still has a hold on her heart and she is unable to move on with her live until she finds out why he never contacted her and if he is okay.  So she heads to Paris for two weeks to find him ... so her heart can either let him go or they can still have a future.

Though this is the third book in the Memory House series (there are five and this is the fourth one I've read), you don't need to have read the others as this works as a standalone.  There are characters from the other books in the series but there is enough background provided.  It is the eighth book I've read by this author and I liked it.

It is written in third person perspective in present tense, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is. This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.

I am enjoying this series ... there are nice friendships between women.

Book ~ "Silver Threads" (2016) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ On the day Jennifer Green was born, a pile of stones was placed alongside her scale of life. A few were the dark gray of sorrow but most were a pale blush color. The largest stone was the rose hue of a sunrise. That one would be placed on the scale the day she married Drew Bishop. Even more brilliant but a wee bit smaller was the pink stone glistening with specs of silver. That one would bring Jennifer a baby girl named Brooke. The Keeper of the Scale smiled. Seeing such happiness laid out before him was pleasing to his eye.

Since the beginning of time, he and he alone has been challenged with the task of keeping each person’s scale in balance. A bit of happiness and then a small stone of sorrow, until the lives he has in his charge are measured evenly.

You might think such power is universal, but it is not. There are silver threads that crisscross the landscape of scales and connect strangers to one another. Not even the Keeper of the Scale can control the events traveling through those threads; the only thing he can do is try to equalize the balance once it has been thrown off. There is nothing more he can do for Jennifer; now he must find the thread that leads to Drew if he is to have the love he deserves. 

Jennifer and Drew are married and have an eight-year-old daughter named Brooke.   Drew is a salesman so is away from home a lot and Jennifer takes care of Brooke and the household.  A tragedy occurs and Drew and Brooke are forced to adapt to life without Jennifer.  As a single dad, Drew isn't used to the day-to-day life at home, his work performance suffers and Brooke doesn't want to let him out of her sight.  He doesn't know whether he should do the things the way Jennifer used to do or change things up and do things differently.

It is the seventh book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is written in third person perspective in present tense, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is. This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.  I liked the characters ... it was difficult for Drew and Brooke to carry on but they did the best they could.

Though this is the fifth book in the Memory House series, you don't need to have read the ones before it as it works as a standalone.  I've read the first and second in this series (Annie and Oliver from these books are in this one) and look forward to reading the others (the third and fourth).

Book ~ "The Loft" (2015) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ 50 years of memories are hidden in the walls of the loft ...

Annie only needs to find one … the one that will save Oliver’s life.

On the day of their wedding, Annie saw nothing but happiness ahead, but when an accident calls her back to Memory House, her world is changed forever. Ophelia Browne, the woman who taught Annie to find the memories in a forgotten object, is leaving the house and she’s leaving all those powerful memories behind.

After only three nights in the loft, Annie must now find the single most meaningful memory in Oliver’s mind. If she finds it in time, she can save his life, if she doesn’t … well, that’s something she can’t afford to think about.

Annie is marrying the love of her life, Oliver.  As they are heading out on their honeymoon, they hear that something has happened to Ophelia so they rush back home to take care of her.  Annie and Ophelia had met last year when Annie had stayed in Ophelia's bed 'n breakfast.  It was then that Ophelia taught Annie the power of memories.  Ophelia decides to make a major change in her life and gives her house (the "Memory House") to Annie and Oliver.  As life settles down for all, Oliver is involved in a life-threatening accident and Annie must figure that one memory that will bring Oliver back from a coma.

Though this is the second book in the Memory House series, you don't need to have read the first one as this works as a standalone.  It is the sixth book I've read by this author and I liked it.  It's a nice story of a friendship between two women with many years and experiences between them ... the two women caring enough to let each other make changes in their lives and move on while still maintaining the friendship.

It is written in third person perspective in present tense, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is. This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.

I look forward to reading more in this series.

Book ~ "The Regrets of Cyrus Dodd" (2016) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Revenge, death, deception ... 

These are the things Cyrus Dodd has to overcome if he is to give Ruth the life he's promised her. The problem is he's got a prideful nature and when a seemingly innocuous argument leads to a bitter feud with his neighbor, his life changes forever. The plans he has falls by the wayside and before he finds a way to fix it, he comes to understand the meaning of regret. 

In this early twentieth century family saga, two men come up against each other - both are iron-willed and stubborn. One will lose his farm; the other will lose his family. 

In a tale of betrayal, murder and revenge, two West Virginia farmers will discover that being right does not necessarily mean being happy. Believing he has lost everything Cyrus Dodd is forced to start over.  He promises Ruth that this time it will be better but the truth is he doesn't know if it's a promise he can keep.

This is the story of two families in rural West Virgina ... the Dodds and the Jacksons.  It's 1930 and Cyrus Dodd and Virgil Jackson own neighbouring farms.  Due to an argument that got out of hand, Cyrus and Virgil stop speaking.  Virgil has the ability to ruin Cyrus and his farm and he does.  This forces Cyrus and his wife, Ruth, move away and start over.

Despite the good things that will happen for the Dodds, Cyrus still carries with him regrets, including the argument with Virgil and having to leave his farm.  Because of his bitterness and being an a-hole, Virgil's life hasn't turned out so happy.

This is the fifth book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It ends in the late fifties or earlier sixties and is set in a simpler time.  It is the fourth in the Wyattsville series (I've read them all) ... they also work as stand alones.  It is written in third person perspective, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is.  This style works for me as it lets me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.

The majority of the characters are nice and caring ... like Cyrus, Ruth, Bethany (Virgil's wife) and others that Cyrus and Ruth meet later on.

I look forward to others in this series.

Book ~ "Memory House" (2015) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Is it possible for a memory to outlive it's owner? 

Ophelia Browne knows the answer is yes. She knows because she’s been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for those forgotten memories. But now she’s nearing ninety and Browne women seldom live beyond ninety. 

Before time runs out Ophelia must find a successor. Someone who can take hold of the gifts and keep the memories from fading.

 When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. The two women forge a bond of friendship as they sip magical dandelion tea and share stories. When Annie starts to sense the memories, Ophelia is delighted but then a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia fears things have gone too far.

Annie is recovering from a broken heart and is not happy with her job as an actuary.  She needs a weekend away and stumbles upon the Memory House Bed and Breakfast, where she plans on spending a couple days but ends up staying a few more.  Ophelia will be 90 in a few months and is running the bed and breakfast along with an apothecary.  She has a special gift in that she can feel the memories of others on objects she has picked up along the way.  She senses that Annie also has the gift and the two women become friends, with Annie visiting the bed and breakfast on a regular basis.

This is the fourth book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It's a nice story of a friendship between two women with many years and experiences between them.  It's kind of airy-fairy because Ophelia is able to feel and remember other people's memories on objects in her collection but I was buying it.  I liked the main characters, Annie and Ophelia.

It is written in third person perspective in present tense, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is. This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.

The author has mentions of characters from her other books ... like Ethan Allen from Spare Change, Jubilee of Jubilee's Journey, and Delia of Passing Through Perfect.  It's okay if you haven't read these books as they are just brief nods.

I look forward to reading more in what a I hope will be a series.

I received a copy of this ebook from the author at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "Jubilee's Journey" (2013) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ When tragedy strikes a West Virginia coal mining family, two children start out on a trek that they hope will lead them to a new life. Before a day passes, the children are separated and the boy is caught up in a robbery not of his making. 

If his sister can find him, she may be able to save him. The problem is she’s only seven years old and who’s going to believe a kid?

Paul is 16 and Jubilee is 7.  Their mother died a few years ago and their father had just died in a mining accident.  They have nowhere to live now so they set out to find their mother's sister, Anita.  Their mother and Anita had a falling out many years ago and all Paul knows is that she used to live in Wyattsville.  So packing a few mementos and what little money they have, they set off to find Aunt Anita.

On their first day in Wyattsville, Paul is in the wrong place at the wrong time and he and Jubilee become separated.  Luckily she is taken in by a kind woman and her grandson but Jubilee is determined to find Paul and get back together with him.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I enjoyed the story.  It is the second of three in the Wyattsville series (I've read all three) ... they also work as stand alones.  It is written in third person perspective, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is.  This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking. 

Some of the main characters in this book were in Spare Change, the first in the Wyattsville series, like Olivia and Ethan Allen.  I found the writing a bit awkward and frustrating at times because the author was trying to tie some of the events from Spare Change into this one without I'm assuming giving too much away.  It's been almost two years since I'd read the first one and I couldn't remember the details.  I think she did this to explain the tension between two cops who had issues with each other.  It would be enough just to say that they didn't like each other because of a previous case and left it at that.  Paul and Jubilee pop up again in Passing Through Perfect, the third in the series so I knew what had happened with them.

I received a copy of this ebook from the author at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "Passing Through Perfect" (2015) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ It's 1946. The war is over. Millions of American soldiers are coming home and Benjamin Church is one of them. After four years of being away he thought things in Alabama would have changed, but they haven't. Grinder's Corner is as it's always been - a hardscrabble burp in the road. It's not much, but it's home. 

When Benjamin attends a harvest festival in Twin Pines, he catches sight of Delia. Before their first dance ends, he knows for certain she's the one. They fall madly in love: happily, impatiently, imprudently, in love. It doesn't matter that her daddy is staunchly opposed to the thought of his daughter marrying a cotton farmer, never mind a poor one. 

It's true Benjamin has little to offer; he's a sharecropper who will spend his whole life sweating and slaving to do little more than put food on the table. But that's how things are in Alabama. Benjamin is better off than most; he has a wife, a boy he adores and a house that doesn't leak rain. Yes, Benjamin considers himself a lucky man until the fateful night that changes everything.

Benjamin spent four years as a soldier in WWI.  He had dreams of being a pilot but ended up as a mechanic instead.  His father, Otis, is a sharecropper in Alabama who lost his will after his wife died two years earlier so it's up to Benjamin to turn the farm around.  When Benjamin meets Delia at a dance, he knows she's the one for him and they eventually get married and have a son, Isaac.  Delia would like to move north where the colour of a person's skin doesn't matter and Isaac will have a chance of being something more than a sharecropper like his daddy.  They have tough times financially but Benjamin is happy with his life.  Something happens one night that changes everything and Benjamin realizes that there are indeed difference rules for blacks and whites.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It was well-paced ... plus the story was an interesting one.  It is written in third person perspective, though some chapters are in first person perspective ... they are short and italicized and the name of the person is at the beginning of these chapters so you know who the focus is.  This style worked for me as it let me get into their heads and know what they were thinking.  As a head's up, the language at times is for mature readers.

It's hard to believe that things were like that back then ... stores and restaurants with signs in the window saying "No coloureds".  As the daughter of a preacher, Delia had been raised with more financially than Benjamin and wanted more for her family.  She resented the attitude of whites towards black and knew there were places where blacks were accepted and could be doctors and lawyers ... that's what she wanted for her son.  Benjamin didn't know any different and accepted that this was his lot in life ... he was respectful, hardworking and knew his place.

I received a copy of this ebook at no charge from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Book ~ "Spare Change" (2013) Bette Lee Crosby

From Goodreads ~ Spare Change is the story of Olivia Westerly, a woman whose father disowned her when she tossed her nose in the air and left home in pursuit of a job he considered scandalous. He expected that she'd marry and settle into having babies as her friends had done; but Olivia simply couldn't tolerate the thought. Why just the mere mention of children sent chills up her spine.

Believing that children weigh a woman down like a pocketful of stones, Olivia avoids such entanglements for over forty years ... but then she meets Charlie Doyle and everything changes. Even though Charlie has a son and a grandson he's supposedly never seen, Olivia is blinded by love and happily says "I do."

That happiness is cut short when Charlie dies before the honeymoon is over and Olivia returns home to find eleven-year-old Ethan Allen Doyle sitting on her doorstep. His parents are dead and only two people know the truth of what happened - Ethan Allen isn't talking and the murderer wants to make sure he never does. Olivia is the only one who can stop it from happening.

In 1923 when she was 25-years-old, Olivia got a job switchboard operator rather than finding herself a husband, which was the right thing to do.  Her father disowned her a year later when she accepted a promotion.  In the spring of 1929, she accepted the proposal of Herbert ... but kicked him to the curb when she realized his plans for her were to be be a wife and mother.  When she was 58, she met and married Charlie after whirlwind courtship of a few months.  Alas Charles, who was ten years older than Olivia, died on their honeymoon.  Olivia headed back to their apartment and mourned him.

Benjamin had a tumultuous marriage to Susanna.  Benjamin was happy being a farmer but Susanna dreamed of heading to New York and becoming a singer.  One night both end up dead and their son, 11-year-old Ethan, has nowhere else to go but to find his grandfather who he has never met.  Unfortunately his grandfather is Charlie who had just died. Olivia took Ethan in until she could figure out what to do with him.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It was well-paced and kept my attention ... I wanted to keep reading more.  As a head's up, the language at times is for mature readers.

I liked the characters.  Olivia was tough and strong ... good for her for standing up for what she believed in!  She wasn't buying into being a wife and having kids just because others thought it was the thing to do.  When she and Charlie found each other, they fell head over heals in love but she still resisted because she thought he might want to have kids and she wanted no part of that.  Once he told her that that wasn't part of his plan, they got married.  I felt really bad for her ... she had finally found the one after all those years and then he died.  Though Ethan was a kid, he wasn't annoying.  He recognized the faults in his parents but accepted that that was just the way they were.  Olivia neighbours were wacky but supportive.

I would recommend this book and I look forward to reading others by this author.

7th May – Book Feature at Peace from Pieces

8th May – Twitter View with OB Book Tours

9th May – Twitter Blast with OB Book Tours

10th May - Book Review & Author Interview at Mommy Adventures

11th May - Guest Post at The Bunny’s Review

12th May - Twitter Blast with OB Book Tours

13th May - Book Review & Author Interview at The Reading Cat

14th May - Guest Post at Blog-A-Licious Authors 

15th May - Book Review & Author Interview at Author’s Friend

16th May – Guest Post at Kindle Nook Books

17th May – Author Interview & Book Review at Next Big Book Thing

18th May – Book Review & Guest Post at Top ‘o Morning To Ya

19th May – Author Interview at Voicu Mihnea Simandan‘s blog

20th May – Book Review at Pages 2 Pages

21st May – Author Interview at Laurie’s Thoughts

22nd May – Guest Post & Book Review at City of Reviews

23rd May – Book Review at Life Altering Reads

24th May – Author Interview at Gentleman Reads

25th May – Guest Post at Pastime with Books

26th May – Book Review at Just My Opinion

27th May – Guest Post & Book Feature at Read, Watch & Listen

28th May – Author Interview, Book Feature & Guest Post at Talisman Book Publishing

29th May – Book Feature & Guest Post at Pavarti K. Tyler‘s blog

30th May – Book Review at Aspiring Book Reviews

31st May – Author Interview & Book Review at Books & More

1st June – Guest Post & Book Review at My Reading Problem

2nd June – Book Review at Book Sane

3rd June – Author Interview & Book Review at UK Book Club

4th June – Guest Post at Reading My Addiction

5th June – Book Review at Brainy Reads

6th June – Author Interview & Book Review at Non-Stop Reads

7th June - Orangeberry Book of the Day

8th June – Book Review at Reading the Dream Life

9th June – Author Interview & Book Review at Imagination in Books

10th June – Book Review at Up In Smoke

11th June – Guest Post & Book Review at Love Books

12th June – Guest Post at Books are Magic

19th June – Author Interview & Book Review at Everything for Books

26th June – Excerpt at Lonely Hearts

3rd July – Book Review at Teena in Toronto

4th July - Tweet Me A Storm with OB Book Tours

10th July – Book Review at Nobody Important

17th July – Guest Post & Book Feature at eInk Reviews

24th July – Book Review at Book Lover’s Dream

31st July – Author Interview at Reading Away Life

7th August – Excerpt at Quality Reads UK

14th August – Guest Post & Book Feature at Guiltless Reading

21st August -

28th August -

4th September -

11th September – Author Interview at Tangled in Pages

18th September -

25th September -

5th October -

12th October -

19th October -

26th October -

2nd November -

9th November – Guest Post at There Will Be Another Sunrise

- See more at: http://blog.orangeberrypromo.com/2013/05/bette-lee-crosby/#sthash.PDSZjzkz.dpuf

7th May – Book Feature at Peace from Pieces

8th May – Twitter View with OB Book Tours

9th May – Twitter Blast with OB Book Tours

10th May - Book Review & Author Interview at Mommy Adventures

11th May - Guest Post at The Bunny’s Review

12th May - Twitter Blast with OB Book Tours

13th May - Book Review & Author Interview at The Reading Cat

14th May - Guest Post at Blog-A-Licious Authors 

15th May - Book Review & Author Interview at Author’s Friend

16th May – Guest Post at Kindle Nook Books

17th May – Author Interview & Book Review at Next Big Book Thing

18th May – Book Review & Guest Post at Top ‘o Morning To Ya

19th May – Author Interview at Voicu Mihnea Simandan‘s blog

20th May – Book Review at Pages 2 Pages

21st May – Author Interview at Laurie’s Thoughts

22nd May – Guest Post & Book Review at City of Reviews

23rd May – Book Review at Life Altering Reads

24th May – Author Interview at Gentleman Reads

25th May – Guest Post at Pastime with Books

26th May – Book Review at Just My Opinion

27th May – Guest Post & Book Feature at Read, Watch & Listen

28th May – Author Interview, Book Feature & Guest Post at Talisman Book Publishing

29th May – Book Feature & Guest Post at Pavarti K. Tyler‘s blog

30th May – Book Review at Aspiring Book Reviews

31st May – Author Interview & Book Review at Books & More

1st June – Guest Post & Book Review at My Reading Problem

2nd June – Book Review at Book Sane

3rd June – Author Interview & Book Review at UK Book Club

4th June – Guest Post at Reading My Addiction

5th June – Book Review at Brainy Reads

6th June – Author Interview & Book Review at Non-Stop Reads

7th June - Orangeberry Book of the Day

8th June – Book Review at Reading the Dream Life

9th June – Author Interview & Book Review at Imagination in Books

10th June – Book Review at Up In Smoke

11th June – Guest Post & Book Review at Love Books

12th June – Guest Post at Books are Magic

19th June – Author Interview & Book Review at Everything for Books

26th June – Excerpt at Lonely Hearts

3rd July – Book Review at Teena in Toronto

4th July - Tweet Me A Storm with OB Book Tours

10th July – Book Review at Nobody Important

17th July – Guest Post & Book Feature at eInk Reviews

24th July – Book Review at Book Lover’s Dream

31st July – Author Interview at Reading Away Life

7th August – Excerpt at Quality Reads UK

14th August – Guest Post & Book Feature at Guiltless Reading

21st August -

28th August -

4th September -

11th September – Author Interview at Tangled in Pages

18th September -

25th September -

5th October -

12th October -

19th October -

26th October -

2nd November -

9th November – Guest Post at There Will Be Another Sunrise

- See more at: http://blog.orangeberrypromo.com/2013/05/bette-lee-crosby/#sthash.PDSZjzkz.dpuf