Scandalous Women

 

Scandalous Women

By: Gill Paul

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:

1966, NYC: Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls hits the bookstores and she is desperate for a bestseller. It’s steamy, it’s a page-turner, but will it make the big money she needs? In London, Jackie Collins’s racy The World Is Full of Married Men launches her career. But neither author is prepared for the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex.

Jacqueline and Jackie are lambasted by the literary establishment, deluged with hate mail, and even condemned by feminists. In public, both women shoulder the outcry with dignity; in private, they are crumbling—particularly since they have secrets they don’t want splashed across the front pages.

1965, NYC: College graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house, but she could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she will encounter. While working on Valley of the Dolls, she becomes friends with Jacqueline Susann, and, after reaching out to Jackie Collins about a US deal, she is responsible for the two authors meeting.

Will the two Jackies clash as they race to top the charts? Will Nancy achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, despite all the men determined to hold her back? Three women struggle to succeed in a man’s world, while desperately trying to protect those they love the most. ----bn.com

Scandalous Women takes you behind the scenes of the publishing world for women in the 1960s. What would be called sexual assault and sexual harassment today, was openly allowed and tolerated then. It was a male dominated world in that time, but three women were ready to take it on and turn it on it's ears. I was shocked to read what was allowed by male coworkers, but not surprised. As I read the story, I felt that women weren't really wanted and especially not if they were going to change how women were seen. 

Both Jacqueline and Jackie were groundbreakers of their time. No one had written books so honestly from the women's perspective. And definitely not in a sexual way. These two women broke barriers and gave women a voice they never knew they could have. Whether you agreed with their subject matter, or not, they were speaking up for women when no one else dared to. I loved it. 

Adding Nancy to the mix was a perfect addition. She arrives in New York City with the dream of being a publisher. Knowing she'd have to work her way to that role wasn't a problem. The problem was the male dominated field that wouldn't allow her to. Never mind that she knew her stuff. Never mind that she was able to find authors the people wanted to read. Never mind that she had all the qualifications her male counterparts had. They were allowed to cop all the feels they wanted while they trashed authors. She had to grin and bear it. Until she decides she no longer wants to. In time, Nancy's dream changes. Not only changes, but takes shape- and then takes off. 

I loved watching the friendship between Jackie and Jacqueline form. I was expecting a rivalry, but what I got was an endearing friendship that grew stronger as the time passed. They supported each other and understood each other like no one else could, because they knew what the other was going through. The way Jackie helped Jacqueline when she needed it was gripping to read. These two strangers became kindred spirits who where the shoulders the other needed to lean on. I was just saddened it couldn't last longer. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few tears fall as I finished the book.

I will say the first half of the book is better than the second half. If you're looking for a fast paced story, you won't find it here. It took almost halfway through the book for the two ladies to just briefly meet. It's a little over half way into the story before Jackie's book comes out. You're expecting a rivalry, but you get an amazing friendship form instead. It's not until more than halfway in that you start to see the tow authors interact. But, once you do, you enjoy what you're in for.  

The Summer of Yes

The Summer of Yes

By" Courtney Walsh

Genre: General Fiction

Summary:

Having been hit by a car not only leaves Kelsey with a 2 day stay in a hospital, but a driving need to reevaluate her life. She now has the time to look at her life and see how it's not what she wants it to be. Turns out, she's been saying "no" far more than she's been saying "yes". It doesn't take her long to decide that has to change. And what does any woman in her 20s need when turning her summer into one of saying, "yes"? Why an older- rather cranky- sidekick, of course. Georgina Tate has lived out more of her years than she has left, and secretly, with many regrets. So the least likely pair have a summer that changes their lives- but for good or bad?

The concept of this book was one that grabbed me from the start. It didn't sound like much of what I've read prior, so I couldn't wait to see how the story played out. For the most part, I enjoyed it. It was fun. heartwarming, challenging. It was fun to read how Kelsey dipped her toes into the world of "yes". 

The book's standout character, for me, was Georgina Tate. A highly successful business woman who did what few others did in her day, has much to be proud of. But even more to be regretful of. She's well aware that her success came at the price of decisions that broke more than one heart. So, as Georgina is now facing the biggest challenge of her life, she's got much to look back on and wish she had done differently. She also sees a lot of herself in the random stranger's hospital room she was placed in. In the little time they share together, a connection is made. Though Georgina is loathe to admit it. 

Kelsey approaches Georgina with an insane idea of taking the upcoming summer to say yes to things they once said no to. While these things are different for each of the women, both are highly impacted by the results. Where Georgina thought things were beyond repair for her, she's able to see that all isn't lost. If she can get out of her own way. 

I'll admit, while Georgina's storyline was far more impactful and emotional, she wasn't an easy character to like. She read to me very much like Queen Charlotte from Bridgerton. She was a grouchy, stubborn, almost egotistical character. But she's also the character with the most growth. The Georgina you start the book with is not the same one you finish the book with. 

The Summer of Yes was a fun read. It was a great combination of light, hearty and fun. It was fun and inspiring to see both characters face fears- big and small. I could easily see this being a beach or vacation read. The banter between Georgina and Kelsey was fun to watch unfold throughout the book. 

IF you're looking for a summer read, I encourage you to consider The Summer of Yes. I encourage you to this book at some point. Maybe you'll be inspired to have your own season of saying yes to what you normally say no to. 

 

Olive You to Death

 

Olive You to Death

By: Lynn Cahoon

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Summary:

Mysteries have washed ashore in South. Town grump, Josh, announces his engagement just before his newly betrothed disappears. One of Jill's old History Professors was working with Josh on locating treasure said to have been hidden near South Cove. However, said Professor is soon found murdered. Can the two events be connected? 

Welcome to book 16 in the Tourist Trap Mystery series. I always look forward to whatever adventures Lynn Cahoon takes us on and I thoroughly enjoyed this latest one. This book was so fun to read. So, if you're looking for a vacation read, let's see if this one fits for you.

If you've been a reader of the series for any length of time, you know there isn't a lot of love amongst residents for local Josh. He owns the antique store, but is mostly known as the "town curmudgeon", as Lynn named him. However, Olive You to Death may just be the book where you begin to see him differently. This time around, Josh has fallen in love with Melody who has rubbed off on him in a positive way. She's managed to smooth many of his rougher edges. So, when she goes missing, he's devastated and determined to find out where she is. The questions start being asked: was her disappearance was a willing one or forced? Is she coming back? Jill helps search for answers.

As Jill and Josh do some digging, she learns Josh was working with one of her previous professors. Josh found an old journal that eludes to a treasure hidden near town. Professor Wellborn knew much about the notorious owner of the treasure that had been hidden, so he and Josh join forces to locate the hidden treasure. But, is there really a treasure to be found? And does it have anything to do with why the Professor was found murdered? Jill can add those questions to her growing list.

While trying to keep Josh out of Jill's lawman fiancé's hair, trying to get information on her professor's death, and locating a missing bride-to-be, Jill has her own wedding to plan. At the start of the book, all is going well, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Apparently, a technicality puts a hitch in she and Greg's wedding site. Can it be fixed? Or will she be adding finding a new wedding sire to list of things to do?

I loved this installment!! I loved the treasure storyline and the way it brings the past together with the present. The search for it, the story behind the man involved was a blast to read about. Seeing the softer side of Josh was an unexpected joy. I was routing for him from the get go. 

If you're looking for a quick, fun, lighthearted read to take to the beach or on a vacation, I highly suggest you pick this one up. 

Only the Brave

 

Only the Brave

By: Danielle Steel

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction

Summary:

In 1937, Sophia Alexander is adjusting to her new normal life. Her Mother has passed away, her Father is a workaholic with his own general surgeon practice. Sophie's younger sister, Theresa is a socialite in the making. But everything changes when World War II erupts. Everything they once had is now being threatened and each has to make their own way. Sophia has no clue what the future holds for her- or her family.

Life as Sophia knew ended when her mother died. The family unit she grew up with was forever changed. Her beloved father, a general surgeon with his own practice, spent more and more time at his office. Her younger sister, Theresa, gets married. And Theresa attends nursing school. Among all that, World War II erupts. It doesn't take long before the War seeps fear into their lives.

Her father is approached by the Reich for his assistance in carrying out one of their diabolical agendas. When he declines, he prays that's the end of it. However, it wasn't. Later on, he's approached again. When he declines a second time, he's arrested and sent to camp. Everything he built is destroyed.

Theresa's husband is discovered to be a quarter Jewish, which is enough to force them to flee for their lives. She's very pregnant and his parents aren't as lucky. The very people his family had partied with are the ones who declare them enemies. Sophia calls on a friend to help her get Theresa and her husband to safety. Will they make it? 

Sophia not only decides she's going to become a nun, but she begins attending underground meetings and helping Jewish children to safety. She's never caught, but suspicion builds and she becomes guilty be association. Sophia goes from living in the safety of a convent to the terror of Ravensbruck. It takes her brains and guts to survive within it's walls. It takes her bravery to leave it. 

I've always loved Danielle Steel's historical fiction books the best. And while this one wasn't my favorite, it was still a good one. There were times when I felt people kept pressuring her to not go through with what she wanted. Overall, the story was a good one. It isn't a long book, so it's perfect for a short jaunt into another time. 

Nine Lives And Counting

 

Nine Lives And Counting

By: Duane "Dog" Chapman

Genre: Memoir

Summary:

Within Nine Lives and Counting, Duane “Dog” Chapman not only offers fresh perspective on well-known life events but also ventures into behind-the-scenes territory and backstories never shared publicly.

This book sheds new light on

• memories of the painful events that shaped the author’s childhood,
• the surprising hope he found in prison,
• triumphs and failures from his days as a single dad,
• lessons learned from his job as a vacuum-cleaner salesman,
• his story of learning to bounty hunt,
• and many other highs and lows from his life.

Most telling of all, Nine Lives and Counting follows Chapman’s faith in Jesus and the greater story he is focused on sharing with the world. ---bn.com

I was among the millions who watched Dog and his family track down the convicts who chose not to show up for their day in court. I remember the chase, the arrest, the cigarette and Dog riding in the backseat. And I was among the millions who had no idea there was a reason he did all the things he did. I thought it was nothing more than a bounty hunter apprehending his guy/girl. I only knew what I saw on the show- which was a fraction of the whole picture. There was far more that I didn't know compared to what I did. However, that's no longer the case.

Within the pages of Nine Lives And Counting, you're going to meet a boy named Duane. He lived a straight and narrow life. He was an active church member who many believed he was destined to be a preacher. And by the time he was in seventh grade, he escaped an abusive homelife in exchange for being a member of a biker gang. From there, life took Duane in directions he never could have expected.

A life a crime caught up with him and landed him behind bars. And within those bars, the groundwork for a caring bounty hunter was laid. Dog tells you about how he found himself there and how it changed his life forever. He's going to tell you about his interactions with his fellow inmates. He's also going to share with you how sharing his faith within those concrete walls changed more than just one man's protectory. 

You're going to learn about Dog's numerous marriages and his even more numerous children- the ones he knew of and the ones he learned of years later. He's going to share with you the good and the bad of his family life. The ways he succeeded in giving his children a better childhood than he had; and the ways he let his kids down. 

He's going to tell you of his career and personal accomplishments. He's also going to share with you the losses that devastated his world. Dog is open , honest and candid about it all. And he'll also share with you how God never left him and helped pick him up off the ground, repeatedly, to start over. 

I honestly didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I didn't think I'd be captured by his story. I wasn't expecting him to be as humble and honest as he was. I definitely finished this book with a better understanding for this man who has been through far more than I ever thought of. Once you finish his book, you understand why he treated his bounties the way he did. He wasn't just in it for the money. He related to so many of his captures. He treated them as humans worthy of the opportunity to get their lives back on track, and not just as the criminals they were.

Thank you, Dog, for opening your story to us readers. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know you better. Thank you for showing us how your faith was always important to you- even when you were lost to criminal activity, dependency or grief. You have left a lasting, touching impression on those you've met and those who have read your story. 

The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux

 

The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux

By: M.J. Robotham

Genre: Fiction

Summary:

Ruby Deveraux is a well acclaimed author. Not only is successful, but she still owes her publisher one more book. She finally agrees to give them the memoir they've been asking for, but only if it's done on her terms.  So, Ruby Devereaux tells her life story- through the men who had the biggest impression on her.

Ruby Devereaux may be 90, but she is still a force to be reckoned with. So, while it's easier to give her publisher the memoir they want, she's doing it her way. What follows is the 12 men who have shaped her life and left the biggest impressions on her. She shares her firsts: love, sexual experience, heartbreak and betrayal. Beginning in the late 1940s and going to 2020, you'll journey history through her life and heart. You'll see her fall in love, get her heart broken, navigate betrayal, get married and suffer gut wrenching losses- just to name a few. 

She'll tell stories of an actor, politician, artists, her Dad and others. She'll fall head over heels and, sometimes, just love the person for the moment. As she lays out her history, you'll run the gamete with her. You'll fall in love. You'll fall in lust. You'll feel her joy. You'll feel her pain. You'll see a woman embrace life in all it's emotions and experiences. Some will scar, some will enrich. And some will forever change you.

Ruby as a spy? Ruby as a wife? Ruby in love? Ruby learning the truth of someone she thought she knew. Ruby being the nurturer to a man who's own trauma threatens to take over. Ruby having the time of her life and getting arrested- at 52 years old. It's all in these pages and more. 

It was fun to see her life unfold. Ruby lived so many different lives, but all those lives were the pieces that made Ruby who she was. I grew attached to her and wanted to see her happy and succeed. No matter what love brought to her, or did to her, she was the feisty woman I rooted for every time. 

There's no way to escape the inevitable comparisons to  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. They are similar in many ways, but don't dismiss Ruby. Don't underestimate Ruby. You will enjoy her story, her loves, her life, her guts, her grit. Curl up and get to know a woman who lived a long, incredible life.

 

Permission To Dream

 

Permission to Dream

By: Christine Caine

Genre: Christian Living, Christian Non-Fiction

Summary:

Have you ever had a dream or a goal you really wanted to achieve? have you ever felt you've messed up too much to achieve something you set out to do? Have procrastinated something to the point you feel it's too late now to accomplish? Well, God and Christine Caine have a few things to tell you: It's Never Too Late. May the pages ahead shed new life into the dream or goal you once wanted. May the words within this book help you see that you aren't alone and you can still set out to accomplish what you stopped thinking you can.

You know that saying: Life is what happens when you're busy making plans? I relate to it sooooo much. When I was younger, I had dreams I dreamt with such passion. However, life, insecurity, doubt, etc got in my way. If outside situations didn't waylay my goals, I had no problem letting my inner critic do the job. Years would pass by until I finally hit that point where I felt too much time had gone by. It's too late for me. I've probably wasted to gift God gave me. 

Well, this book was a great reminder that isn't the case. It's not too late. No matter what life throws at you, or what people have done to you, that goal/dream is still within your reach. Christine shares you the story of Favour whose own cousin sold her into prostitution and how, despite the nightmare she endured, she was able to heal enough to chase the dream she once had. You'll also read about Lori Ann's gut wrenching journey to have children. Repeated loss forced detours she hadn't planned, but they led her to her dream being achieved, though differently than she expected. 

This book is packed with encouragement to still be what God called you to be or achieve what God put on your heart to achieve- NO MATTER WHAT STUMBLING BLOCKS OR DETOURS YOU ENCOUNTER. Many of us need this reminder. The dreams we once had can still be achieved. It isn't too late. We haven't wasted too much time. I hope you find as much encouragement as I did.