Three Coins

Three Coins By Kimberly Sullivan
Publication date: October 22, 2021
Buy Link: Amazon
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Summary:

One Eternal City. Three women. Three wishes. Three coins.

Emma, an American expat living in Rome for twenty years, can’t count on her ex-husband to help out with the kids when things get tough. Dario Rinaldi, famed plastic surgeon to the stars, is too busy gallivanting around Europe with young women to take an interest in his family.

Beautiful Tiffany, born and bred in Iowa, is desperate to get a spot as a dancer on an Italian television show. But is she willing to do whatever it takes to make her dreams of TV stardom come true?

Annarita, from an Italian-American family in Yonkers, teaches English to over-privileged Italians and regularly has her heart trampled by boyfriends all wrong for her. As her mother is always quick to point out, nothing has gone right for her since she moved to Italy. And she isn’t getting any younger, either.

Emma, Tiffany and Annarita all meet up by chance at a 1950s movie night while on a restorative holiday at a beach resort off-season. The triumphs and hardships of these three very different women become intertwined as they form an unlikely friendship and work to better their messy lives.

—

EXCERPT:

The corners of Headmistress Green’s lips tilted upwards, but her stern grey eyes remained unconvinced. “I’m pleased to hear that. Too often, divorce can lead to decreased involvement by one of the parents. But in these cases, it’s our experience that two parents working in partnership can turn a situation like this around.”

She stood, signaling the end of the meeting. Emma scrambled to her feet.

“I hope to hand Chiara her diploma on graduation day. Don’t hesitate to call me if you or Doctor Rinaldi have any concerns you wish to discuss.”

Review: Strong Enough by Ellen Harger

Strong Enough by Ellen Harger
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Women’s fiction
Release Date: February 15, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Starting over is hard. And sometimes, you have to burn a few bridges to do it.

Whitney Brown is average--average height, weight, and personality--but she wants to be someone new. To kick-start her rebirth, she wears formal mourning, a black veil and vintage dress, to a wedding in her hometown, Woods Cross, a community that treasures family values. Is it an attack on marriage or has she just gone bonkers?

Emboldened but lacking a plan, she forces her foot in the door of a radio station in Sundown. A small metropolis of nearly 150,000, Sundown is a notch of urban flair along the Midwest's Bible Belt.
Getting in proves to be the easy part and the anonymity of being a DJ suits her well. But off air (and in person), Whitney must stand up to Sadi, an angry feminist and the bane of her college years while an old friendship with her former roommate, Leah, devolves around a guy.

It's 2002 and the Midwest radio scene is changing. Just as Whitney hits her groove, the radio station undergoes its own identity crisis. But what rocks Whitney to her core is the moment the condom breaks. Her abstinence only background leaves her embarrassed and facing a difficult choice.


♥ ♥ ♥
This book was truly a pleasant surprise to me. I was immediately drawn into the novel by the main character, Whitney, and able to relate to her to a big degree. I too, was raised in a small town in the mid-west, and I could relate to her ‘average’ ness, and to her desire to rise above it, start over and create a new life for herself. That as a theme, undoubtedly in my mind, speaks to a great deal many readers who struggle with those same issues.

When I started reading, I felt for Whitney when she was dealing with Sadi and Leah because the interactions were so realistic. This is not a novel of impossibilities. This is a realistic, relatable novel. She has a history with both of these women; Leah, whom she considers a friend though Leah is usually too buried in guy drama to be bothered with Whitney unless she needs something; and Sadi—Leah’s cousin who is the total opposite of Leah. Rather than having to be in a relationship all the time, she’s constantly pushing away the men in her life.

Review: 'Til St. Patrick's Day

’Til St. Patrick’s Day by Holly Gilliatt
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Chick Lit
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

For three best friends, one winter will change everything.

Chronically optimistic Jayne is surprised she's still single at twenty-eight. But as always for Jayne, there's hope. This time his name is Gray--a successful, gorgeous marketing VP that she can't believe is going out with her. She's never given up on the belief that the right man for her is out there, somewhere. Maybe Gray could be the one...if she just works hard enough to make it happen.

Her cynical friend Karen is suspicious of Jayne's new guy with his model looks and over-inflated ego. She's concerned for Jayne, but has her own relationship to worry about. Not that anything's wrong with her boyfriend. He's actually perfect for her, which is why she's terrified. Not sure she can ever fully trust a man again, she considers bailing on yet another relationship.

Claudia is always there for her friends, no matter what they're going through. She mothers them like the children she craves to have, relieved she's no longer navigating the dating world. Happily married, Claudia can't wait until the day her husband finally agrees it's time to start a family.

'Til St. Patrick's Day is a novel exploring the depths of friendship and what happens when love doesn't go according to plan.

♥ ♥ ♥
In the interest of full disclosure, the author offered me a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.
And I am SO glad that she did. Wow did I love this book. From start to finish, I was engaged with the characters and the plot. I flew through this one in two and a half days and when I wasn’t reading it, I found myself thinking about the characters and wondering what was going to happen next.

A couple of the plot points were a tad predictable—I had a sneaking suspicion about what would happen with both Claudia and Jane, but honestly it didn’t bother me in the least when it turned out I was right, and that’s a huge credit to Gilliatt’s character-building ability.

Cover Reveal: Running On Empty

AToMR Promotional Event

Running On Empty by L.B. Simmons
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release Date: January 9, 2013
Cover Designed by: Okay Creations
Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours



Book Description:

I had the perfect life.

Beautiful and loving husband.

Three gorgeous little girls.

Successful career.

The only thing missing was the white picket fence. I really wanted that fence. Three years ago, I lost that life. I lost my husband. And I lost myself. But, eventually, I found my way through the darkness.

I’ve made peace with my new life. I have my girls, and that’s all that matters. They are my world. I have no illusions of ever falling in love again or getting whisked away on a white horse. But then he came back into my life. On a freakin’ motorcycle.

There’s no way I’ll let him turn my life completely upside down. Absolutely no way.

The question is…

How long can I keep pretending that I’m happy with my life being right-side up?

♥ ♥ ♥