Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Sandwiched by Laurie JamesSandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go by Laurie James


Thanks to Madison Ostrander of Sparkpoint Studio, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Sandwiched’ by Laurie James.

Description Sandwiched by Laurie James


Laurie James spent most of her life wondering what it means to belong; loneliness dictated the choices she made. She rarely shared this secret with others, however; it was always hidden behind a carefree and can-do attitude. When she’s in her mid-forties, Laurie’s mother has a heart attack and her husband’s lawyer delivers some shocking news. She suddenly finds herself sandwiched between caring for her parents, managing unruly caregivers, raising four teenage daughters, and trying to understand the choices of the husband she thought she knew.

Laurie’s story is about one woman’s struggle to “do it all” while facing the reality that the “ideal life” and “perfect family” she believed could save her was slowly crumbling beneath her. Laurie tries everything to keep her family together―seeks therapy, practices yoga, rediscovers nature, develops strong female friends, and begins writing―but as she explores the layers of her life and heals her past, she realizes that she’s the only one who can create the life she wants and deserves. Sandwiched is a memoir about what it means to let go of the life you planned in order to find the life you belong to.

Praise Sandwiched by Laurie James


Sandwiched delivers an insightful examination of a woman committed to strengthening her own understanding of how she became the person she is and how she can persevere to uncover the person she wants to be. The story will provide a valuable example for others seeking guidance and inspiration while confronting the ongoing and relentless obstacles in life.”―Kathryn Taylor, author of Two Minus One: A Memoir

“A relatable memoir, told with honesty and grace, that reminds me of the struggles of every woman with a caring, nurturing soul. James gives so much of herself to the ones she loves that there’s nothing left for herself, to the point where it almost destroys her. Her self-discovery is a slow burn, one you won’t be able to put down.”―Jackie Townsend, author of The Absence of Evelyn and Riding High in April

About Laurie James


Sandwiched by Laurie James

(c) Bradford Rogne Photography

LAURIE JAMES is a recovering caregiver, wife, and mother. She has successfully launched her four daughters into adulthood and has been the primary caretaker for her elderly parents. She has been trained as a certified coach and holds an ICF (International Coach Federation) credential. She created a unique program that supports women through divorce, the loss of a spouse, and other difficult challenges.

An active community volunteer, she cochairs a youth program for high school students, participates in a giving circle that pools donation dollars to help Los Angeles-based non-profits. Laurie graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a BS in business and held a position as a corporate recruiter before she stayed home to raise her children. She lives in Manhattan Beach with her adopted husky, Lu. A native Californian, she’s a lover of yoga, hiking, skiing, sailing, and adventure travel.

Website: https://www.laurieejames.com/

Buy Sandwiched by Laurie James


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Indiebound

Giveaway Sandwiched by Laurie James


This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on July 9, 2021 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ghost Marriage by Kirsten MickelwaitThe Ghost Marriage: A Memoir by Kirsten Mickelwait


Thanks to Sabrina Kenoun of Sparkpoint Studio, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Ghost Marriage: A Memoir’ by Kirsten Mickelwait.

Description Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait


After returning to San Francisco to pursue her dream of becoming a successful writer, Kirsten meets Steve Beckwith, a handsome and promising attorney and imagines building a life, family, and fruitful future. But after twenty-two years, Steve is not the fairytale that she married. Once her career-driven head of the household, he’s now unemployed and addicted to opioids and uses money and their two children to emotionally blackmail her.

Their marriage dissolves and leads to divorce, which is quickly followed by Steve’s colon cancer diagnosis and his passing not even a year later, leaving Kirsten with $1.5 million in debts from properties that are no longer hers. As she picks up the pieces to her life and cleans up the messes that Steve left behind, she begins to receive communications from him in the afterlife —leading her on an unexpected path to forgiveness. THE GHOST MARRIAGE is a memoir about forgiveness, self-discovery, and healing that will relate to anyone who finds themselves in a crumbling situation.

Praise Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait


“A skillfully written, thought-provoking account that positively reconsiders an antagonist as an important teacher.”―Kirkus Reviews

“What if you accidentally married your worst enemy? With unflinching honesty and hard-earned grace, Kirsten Mickelwait peels the shiny façade off her catastrophic marriage to reveal how she not only survived the lies, betrayals, and lawsuits, but also found her way to compassion. If you don’t think on your ex fondly, The Ghost Marriage will teach you why you should.”―Meredith May, author of The Honey Bus and Loving Edie

“The Ghost Marriage is an absorbing tale about what happens when you marry Prince Charming and the expected ‘Happily Ever After’ erodes into a kind of ‘Cursed Ever After.’ It’s a story of survival, of adjusted ambition, of how to be quick on your feet when your daily foundation crumbles in midlife.”―Julia Scheeres, author of Jesusland and A Thousand Lives

About Kirsten MickelwaitGhost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait


At thirty-one, Kirsten has just returned to San Francisco from a bohemian year in Rome, ready to pursue a serious career as a writer and eventually, she hopes, marriage and family. When she meets Steve Beckwith, a handsome and successful attorney, she begins to see that future materialize more quickly than she’d dared to expect.

Twenty-two years later, Steve has become someone quite different from the man Kirsten first met. Unemployed and addicted to opioids, he uses money and their two children to emotionally blackmail her. The couple separates but, just after their divorce is finalized, Steve is diagnosed with colon cancer and dies within the year, leaving Kirsten with $1.5 million in debts from properties that are no longer hers. It’s only then that she finally understands: The man she married was a needy, addictive person wrapped in a shiny package.

As she fights toward recovery, Kirsten begins to receive communications from Steve in the afterlife—leading her on an unexpected path to forgiveness. The Ghost Marriage is her story of discovery: that life isn’t limited to the tangible reality we experience on this earth, and that our worst adversaries can become our greatest teachers. This is a book about life after divorce and life after death. It’s a story of how forgiveness is the best revenge.

Website: https://www.kirstenmickelwait.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmickelwait

Buy Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Indiebound

Giveaway Ghost Marriage by Kirsten Mickelwait


This giveaway is open to the U.S. only and ends on June 18, 2021 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clover Girls by Viola ShipmanThe Clover Girls by Viola Shipman

Thanks to Gretchen Koss of Tandem Literary, I am giving away one print copy of ‘The Clover Girls’ by Viola Shipman.

Description Clover Girls by Viola Shipman


THE CLOVER GIRLS is a moving novel about three childhood friends, now entering middle-age, who are brought together again at their old summer camp in the wake of tragedy. While the reason for their reunion is steeped in loss, they soon find it’s perhaps just what they needed to rediscover long-forgotten dreams.

Elizabeth, Veronica, Rachel and Emily met at Camp Birchwood as girls in 1985, where they called themselves The Clover Girls (after their cabin name). The years following that magical summer pulled them in very different directions and, now approaching middle age, the women are facing new challenges: the inevitable physical changes that come with aging, feeling invisible to society, disinterested husbands, surly teens, and losing their sense of self.

Then, Elizabeth, Veronica and Rachel each receive a letter from Emily – she has cancer and, knowing it’s terminal, reaches out to the girls who were her best friends once upon a time and implores them to reunite at Camp Birchwood to scatter her ashes—and where another unexpected surprise awaits them.

Like a balmy summer evening passed with good food and great company, Viola Shipman’s novels never fail to deliver comfort and joy through his lyrical storytelling of family and friendship. Perfect for fans of Dorthea Benton Frank and Nancy Thayer, THE CLOVER GIRLS is the perfect uplifting read to toss in your beach bag this summer.

Praise Clover Girls by Viola Shipman


“Reading Viola Shipman’s novels is like talking with your best friend…The Clover Girls is her most beautiful novel, and her most important.”—Nancy Thayer, New York Times best-selling author of Family Reunion

“Viola Shipman has written a love song to long-lost friends…Women of all ages will read this book, pick up the phone and reconnect with those they hold most dear.”—Kristy Woodson Harvey, USA Today bestselling author of Feels Like Falling

“Like a true friendship, The Clover Girls is a novel you will forever savor and treasure.” —Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author

About Viola Shipman


Clover Girls by Viola Shipman

(c) Kim Schneider

Viola Shipman is the pen name for Wade Rouse, a popular, award-winning memoirist. Rouse chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, to honor the woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his writing. Rouse is the author of The Summer Cottage, as well as The Charm Bracelet and The Hope Chest which have been translated into more than a dozen languages and become international bestsellers.

He lives in Saugatuck, Michigan and Palm Springs, California, and has written for People, Coastal Living, Good Housekeeping, and Taste of Home, along with other publications, and is a contributor to All Things Considered.

Website: https://violashipman.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/viola_shipman


Buy Clover Girls by Viola Shipman


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
IndieBound

Giveaway Clover Girls by Viola Shipman


This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ends on June 4, 2021 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway