Tag Archives: BEA

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Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves

I received an ARC of this novel at BEA in New York from the publisher.

I have not read the author’s previous work, On the Island, but the cover really grabbed my attention and that is primarily why I accepted the copy.

This is not a typical read for me.  I am not a fan of “infidelity is something that just happens” kind of stories.  But there is really nothing typical about this book.  The author is a very talented writer.  The characters are drawn so sympathetically that the reader is drawn into their lives. These are characters that under other circumstances or in a less talented author’s hands might just be seen as another group of overprivileged whiners.

I particularly am impressed with the author’s ability to convey the stresses and strains on a marriage that come with the loss of a job and financial hardship.  The treatment of emotional infidelity, feelings of abandonment, and depression are all sensitively handled. Chris, Clare and Daniel are all given voice in this book.  I will say that, for me, the sections about Chris and Clare and their marriage were much stronger than Daniel’s voice in the book.

This is not an easy book to read, especially if you have dealt with any of the myriad of issues explored on the pages of this book.  For fans of women’s fiction that deals with contemporary real life issues, this is definitely a worthwhile.

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The Submissive by Tara Sue Me

Book received for free at BEA from the publisher.

Best erotica I have read. Note: I did not say the most shocking. I said the best. This is not BDSM for the shock value, like some that I have read. This is a tale of a Dom and sub working together to figure out what works for them.

The romance is well done. The characters are fully fleshed out and likable, despite their flaws. Nathaniel is your usual tortured soul. Abby has one scene in which I didn’t really get what she was thinking. The BDSM elements are realistic. The plot is well crafted, the beginning, middle and end flow naturally. Even though it shares some elements with the much read, 50 Shades of Grey, the uber rich Dom and the lifestyle associated with that kind of money, this is  a much, much better book..

I do find it curious that most of these books involve a billionaire Dom, Are poor people not kinky? What about the middle class? Hmmmm… anyway if you do like erotica, I’d recommend this over many of the others that are out there.

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The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty


I received an uncorrected proof of this book for free from the publisher at BEA.

I have read one other book by Liane Moriarty and that is why I was looking forward to this one so much. I came right home from BEA and sat out in the backyard and read it in one sitting. The book is about forgiveness, grief, secrets and regret. The characters, with the possible exception of Felicity and Will are fully fleshed out (That couple is more of a catalyst than characters until the end anyway). The stories of all the different characters weave together seamlessly. There is no sense of the story having to forced to bring them all together. The characters have very real personalities with flaws, some of them tragic.

The plot uses a “what if’ device, whereby possible pasts and futures are explored. the purpose being to point out how fragile our existence is and that every choice we make has long reaching consequences, many of which we could not begin to predict.

I really enjoyed this book even though I cried in a a couple places. Very moving, well thought out book.

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Book Expo of America

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Going to BEA was a great experience and I came home with great books to read and I will probably write about them here. I  I will say that I was surprised about the heavy emphasis on YA fiction.   It is not a genre I generally read but I did recently read a couple of Marcus Sedgwick’s books on another blogger;s recommendation, so I picked up a couple more today.  The book in my stack that  I am most looking forward to is The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriary.  I may have to put aside my current read and dive into it.