Kate’s 2¢: “Happily this Christmas” by Susan Mallery

“Happily this Christmas” by Susan Mallery

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I’ve been told that the main character in a story is the one who changes the most by the end of the story. I don’t see were Wynn changes much. Garrick changes some, as he realizes he loves Wynn, but I think Joylyn is the one who changes the most. I count her as the main character.

   Joylyn comes to her dad, Garrick’s home, an angry, messed up pregnant, married girl and by the end of the story she is a more mature, poised young woman and a new Mom with an appreciation of how she’d misunderstood her parents.  

susanmallery.com

Born in 1970, Susan grew up in the Los Angeles, California area.

Mallery earned an MA from Seton Hill University.[4]

Mallery was published straight out of college with two books in January 1992.[5]

In 2008, her book Accidentally Yours became the first to make The New York Times Best Seller list.

On July 12, 2012, her book Summer Nights reached No. 2 on The New York Times bestseller list for paperback mass-market fiction.[6] A second book, A Christmas Bride, was No. 24 in November 2012.[7] A Fool’s Gold Christmas made the Times’ e-book fiction list on October 14, 2012.[8] Three Sisters reached at No. 3 on the New York Times bestseller list.[9]

Mallery’s book Thrill Me reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list the next year in 2015.[10]

Mallery then began to foray into women’s fiction, which she saw as an opportunity to explore some of the other relationships that are so important to women. Today, Mallery describes her work as “Romance-Plus” blending elements of both Contemporary romance and Women’s fiction in her stories.[11]

She lives in Washington state with her husband, two cats and a poodle. She is passionate about animal

welfare and has served on the board of Seattle Humane.[12]

www.tanyaeby.com

Tanya is an Audie Award-winning narrator. She has narrated over 1,000 diverse titles. TANYA EBY, 2021. She is the voice of books from publishing houses such as. Audible, …

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Happily, this Christmas DB101032

Mallery, Susan Reading time: 8 hours, 2 minutes.

Tanya Eby

Romance

Holidays

Wynn Beauchene has a thriving business, a great kid and a mildly embarrassing crush on the guy next door–local cop Garrick McCabe. She can’t help dreaming what-if about a man she barely knows, until he unexpectedly needs her help. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.

Download Happily this Christmas DB101032

Kate’s 2¢: “Murder in Old Bombay” by Nev March 

“Murder in Old Bombay” by Nev March 

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Vikas Adam did a great job narrating this story.  From time to time, I slowed the speech to really hear the pronunciation, rather than hear a blur of sounds. 

   The narrative arc of “Murder in Old Bombay” took us on what, at times, seemed like a steeple chase, but Captain Jim’s various under-cover ploys sure kept us turning the pages.  There were several sub-plots and hidden background flashes that kept my interest. I tried to keep up with his travels and how it all fit together.  Also complicating the plot were the numerous cultural taboos, such as the intricate caste system.

From the web:

Author Nev March is the first Indian-born writer to win Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America’s Award for Best First Crime Fiction. After a long career in business analysis, in 2015 Nev returned to her passion, writing fiction and now teaches creative writing at Rutgers University, Ocher Institute.

Vikas Adam was born in British Columbia and lived in various parts of Canada, the US, and a stint in India, before his parents settled in Dallas. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting/Directing from Syracuse University, he returned to Dallas and worked professionally as an actor, director, and producer in addition to teaching acting.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Murder in Old Bombay DB103115

March, Nev Reading time: 16 hours, 4 minutes.

Vikas Adam

Historical Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

1892. The case of two women who apparently committed suicide captures the attention of Captain Jim Agnihotri while he’s recovering from injuries. He contacts the widower of one of the women and begins investigating. But long-hidden secrets are disturbed and Jim triggers an ominous chain of events. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020.