Jersey Girl Book Reviews

Monday, May 16, 2022

The Wait by Joanne DeMaio (Book Review)

In association with Author Joanne DeMaio, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for The Wait!

Book Review

The Wait by Joanne DeMaio

Book 15: The Seaside Saga Series

Publisher: Independent Self Publishing

Publication Date: PB - May 2, 2022 / eBook - May 9, 2022

Format: Paperback - 312 pages

Kindle - 1860 KB / 273 pages

Audiobook - 9 Hours 1 Minute

Nook - 606 KB

ISBN: 979-8408491018
ASIN (Audiobook): B09SM5KKCS

ASIN (Kindle): B09NJC2PNB
BNID: 2940160937816
Genre: Women's Fiction

Buy The Book:

Amazon

Buy The Series: The Seaside Saga Series

Book 1: Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans

Book 2: The Denim Blue Sea

Book 3: Beach Blues

Book 4: Beach Breeze

Book 5: The Beach Inn

Book 6: Beach Bliss

Book 7: Castaway Cottage

Book 8: Night Beach

Book 9: Little Beach Bungalow

Book 10: Every Summer

Book 11: Salt Air Secrets

Book 12: Stony Point Summer

Book 13: The Beachgoers

Book 14: Shore Road

Book 15: The Wait

Book 16: The Goodbye (Pub Date: Aug 1, 2022)

Amazon

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Wait, Book 15 of The Seaside Saga.

In the New England beach town of Stony Point, everyone is waiting for something. Or someone. They're waiting for an answer. Waiting for something to believe in. Waiting for the right time. Waiting for a friend. Some are waiting to come home. Others are waiting to make a move. Then there's that shabby coastal table at twilight awaiting a secret dinner guest.

And The Seaside Saga continues.

Book Excerpt:

https://a.co/9CTcvMV

My Book Review:

In The Wait, the beach friends' story continues where Shore Road left off. Author Joanne DeMaio transports the reader back to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut, where the summer season is coming to a close. The story picks up during the Labor Day weekend, where our beach friends lives are like the tides, sometimes they keep moving and changing, but sometimes they are kept waiting.

In The Wait, Author Joanne DeMaio easily captivates her readers' attention with this beautifully written tale through a seamless and flowing storyline, and with a wonderful description of a tranquil beach setting that wraps itself around the reader like a sun-warmed beach towel. The characters draw you into their lives with a strong emotional pull, their complexities and flaws are true-to-life, it is easy to relate to them with compassion, empathy, and hope.

The Wait is an intricate story of interweaving friendships, life events, and deeply held secrets and drama. It is a wonderful story that continues to demonstrate the power of the magical sweet salt air that will cure what ails you. In this installment in The Seaside Saga Series, the author continues to weave a story that focuses on the ongoing marital strife between Jason and Maris; Elsa's stalled opening of The Ocean Star Inn and a possible love triangle with Cliff Raines and Mitch Fenwick; and the blossoming attraction between Celia Gray and Shane Bradford.

In this installment in the series the author keeps the reader engaged as the beach friends continue to deal with ongoing and new issues: you can't help but hope that Maris and Jason can find their way back to each other; while becoming intrigued by the possible love triangle between Elsa, Cliff, and Mitch; and feel the angst between Shane and Celia as they deal with the reality of a possible long-distance romance. At the end of the book, the author teases her readers with another cliffhanger ending: waiting on how each of these relationships turn out. We'll just have to wait and see what is revealed in The Goodbye, the sixteenth installment of the series ... sigh.

In this installment in the series, the reader follows along with the beach friends' lives that are full of friendship, love, secrets, regrets, challenges, heartbreak, grief, surprises, and second chances. As you read this installment, the beach friends continue along in their life journey in Stony Point.

So now that I have whet your interest in the beach friends latest comings and goings, drive under the railroad trestle and enter the enchanting beach town of Stony Point ... pull up a beach chair ... and visit with the close-knit longtime friends in author Joanne DeMaio's delightful novel, The Wait.

The Seaside Saga Series is a heartwarming series of stories of friendship, family, painful secrets, new beginnings and second chances. Author Joanne DeMaio weaves a wonderful tale written in the third person narrative, that is set in the present with flashbacks to the past. The reader is transported to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut, where they follow along with Celia, Maris, Eva, Matt, Jason, Kyle, Lauren, Nick, Elsa, Cliff, and Shane as their lives change like the tide's ebb and flow on their little tranquil coastal town.

RATING: 5 STARS

About The Author

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. The Wait is her newest novel. She is currently at work on her next novel. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

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From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes The Wait, Book 15 of The Seaside Saga. In the New England beach town of Stony Point, everyone is waiting for something. Or someone. They're waiting for an answer. Waiting for something to believe in. Waiting for the right time. Waiting for a friend. Some are waiting to come home. Others are waiting to make a move. Then there's that shabby coastal table at twilight awaiting a secret dinner guest. And The Seaside Saga continues.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Weekly Book Mail: 5/8-14/2022

This Week's Book Mail

May - Books & Treasures

May - Unplugged Book Box - Adult Box

April - Once Upon A Book Club - YA Book Box

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Weekly Book Mail: 5/1-7/2022

This Week's Book Mail

May - Bookcase Club

May - Book Of The Month Club

April - The Bookworm Box

May - Harlequin Love Inspired Romance & Suspense Collection

May - Harlequin Amish Romance Collection

April - Down The Rabbit Hole Book Box

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

In The Middle by Carin Fahr Shulusky (Book Blast / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Providence Book Promotions, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the book blast event for In The Middle by author Carin Fahr Shulusky!

Book Blast

In The Middle by Carin Fahr Shulusky

Publisher: Fossil Creek Press

Publication Date: January 18, 2021

Format: Paperback - 206 pages

Kindle - 1301 KB / 189 pages

Nook - 1 MB / 208 pages

ISBN: 978-1736241707
ASIN: B08Z76BCLQ
BNID: 978-1736241714

Genre: Fictional Memoir

Buy The Book:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Book Description:

Carrie Young had it all. She was a successful account executive for a small advertising agency and still managed to be a loving wife and dutiful mother until her mother fell suddenly ill. As the middle child, Carrie was never that close to her mother, but now she was needed to help with the overwhelming task of taking care of her seriously ill mother. The demands of hospitalization, doctors’ appointments and daily care throw her once prefect life in near chaos. Disagreements with her siblings, her boss and her mother make her resentful of this new responsibility. The one bright spot is the chance to know her mother’s stories of the depression and post war struggle as she never had before. Even as her once perfect life falls apart, she finds a purpose in it all.

Book Excerpt:

By this time, Mom was mobile enough to get to the doctor, or at least so the insurance company determined. This meant we could no longer get home visits paid by insurance, so Maria, John, and I had to find a way to get Mom through the gauntlet of doctors. Each organ of Mom’s body had its own doctor: cardiologist, neurologist, urologist, gynecologist, optometrist, dermatologist, podiatrist, and dentist. Everything was failing and in need of repair. I actually think we could take Mom to a different doctor every day of the week. As it was, we managed the most urgent needs and hoped for the best with the rest. Maria took Mom to the cardiologist, who was managing her medications and needed to take regular blood levels. I took Mom to the urologist because she was having urinary tract troubles, possibly caused by the medications prescribed by the cardiologist. John took Mom to the physical therapist, who could also no longer make home visits on insurance. Physical therapy was prescribed by the cardiologist to help her get more mobile. Each trip out required us to call her multiple times to remind her of the appointment, then we had to arrive nearly an hour early because she would invariably not be ready. Getting Mom ready for a doctor visit required finding clean clothes, inserting hearing aids, and getting her false teeth in place—and making sure she made a bathroom visit. Before leaving we would have to locate her insurance card, her checkbook, her purse, scarf, and coat. I’d pull my car up to her front porch through the lawn so Mom would have the least number of steps from house to car. Getting into the car was difficult to the extreme. Once I had Mom in the car, I’d load her walker and cane in the trunk. When we got to the doctor, we would have to reverse the process: get the walker out of the trunk and Mom in the door and find a place for her to sit while I parked the car. I’d run back in before Mom decided to try to find her own way up the elevator to the doctor’s office or some thoughtful person decided to help and I’d lose her. I thought it would be easier when we were finally in the doctor’s office until the nurse said she’d need a urine sample and handed Mom a cup. The idea of this eighty-two-year-old lady, who could hardly use the toilet herself and missed it most of the time, managing to actually get urine in a cup was so ludicrous I just burst out laughing. The nurse was not amused. She gave me an incriminating look, put the cup back and held up a “hat” that fit over the whole toilet seat. Still chuckling despite my best efforts to stop, I shook my head in agreement and lead Mom to the bathroom. The rest of the visit went fairly normal. Before I could go in with my mom, the nurse had to ask her if it was okay that this person—me—could come into the exam room. Mom looked puzzled. The nurse muttered something about privacy laws and we went in. No one noticed that I was holding my breath. I was terrified that Mom would say no. No one knew what would come out of her mouth next. If I didn’t go in, the doctor would surely get incorrect information and whatever the doctor told Mom would be lost. She could hardly remember having a doctor visit, much less what he said. But I couldn’t argue the point. What was I supposed to say? Hey guys, she’s half crazy. Why are you asking her? Not only would that get me nowhere, it would hurt Mom’s feelings. Whoever proposed the privacy laws surely doesn’t have aging parents. Fortunately, she said yes, so I could enter. The doctor discussed why she was having frequent urinary tract infections, which I’m sure went right over her head. Then he said, “We should see you back next month.” I want to shout, No, please no, but I said, “Is it necessary? I have to take a day off work to get her here,” I pleaded. Mom caught that too well and said, “I’m sure Maria will be glad to bring me.” Now, the thing I was trying so hard to avoid was out. I made a great effort to hide from Mom my frustration and anxiety over losing a day’s work. I didn’t want her to think my work was more important than her. I didn’t want to think that either, but there it was, always under the surface, in the deep dark places of my ambition. I had taken a half day off, left at noon, and didn’t plan to return to work. My boss would never understand this. Shopping with Mom on the Internet didn’t work out too well. Visualizing an item in one dimension just wasn’t working for her, so I thought we would try the old fashion way. I knew Mom wanted to go to Penney’s so I thought we would start there. I told Mom the mall had wheelchairs we could borrow, but she was so negative on that idea that I quickly let it drop. Even with Mom’s handicap parking pass, we couldn’t get close enough to the store, so I pulled right in front, got the walker from my trunk, and helped her in the store. It would have worked well if the store had any place to sit, but there was nothing. I told Mom to go on in the store and I’d catch up with her. By the time I had parked and caught up, she had already found two items she wanted: one for Maria and one for Katie. She next wanted to buy John a pair of shoes, so I helped her to the shoe department and she quickly found a pair of work shoes that she wanted. I made sure we had all the receipts tucked neatly in her purse. She wanted to find a new blouse for Christmas, so we made our way to an elevator and up to the next floor. She walked a small way and suddenly stopped. “I don’t think I can go any further,” Mom said. “I’m just worn out.” I knew this was a stretch, but I was hopeful. I asked the sales lady if there were any chairs in the store. To my surprise, she found a folding chair from the storeroom and brought it out for Mom. While Mom rested comfortably—more or less—in the chair, I brought her several styles and colors of shirts. She picked one and I purchased it for her. “We could go to another store if you would let me get a wheelchair,” I offered. “No,” she said firmly. “It’s not time for a wheelchair yet. I’ll get Maria to take me another day. I think I need to go home.” On the way home, we passed our favorite soft-serve ice cream store. “How about an ice cream cone?” I asked. “That sounds lovely,” Mom said. We could always agree on ice cream. We had a wonderful time eating our ice cream. I suppose I inherited my passion for the stuff from Mom. With the happy ice-cream high, we parted cheerfully. I carried all her purchases to her bedroom as directed and promised to return to help with Christmas decoration. --- Excerpt from In the Middle by Carin Fahr Shulusky. Copyright 2021 by Carin Fahr Shulusky. Reproduced with permission from Carin Fahr Shulusky. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Carin Fahr Shulusky was born and raised in west St. Louis County. She attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she received a B.J (Bachelor of Journalism). After college she worked in advertising for GE and Monsanto. She was the first professional woman in her division of each. After 25 years in Marketing, she created her own firm, Marketing Alliance. She was president of Marketing Alliance, from 2002 – 2014. She is a past-president of the Business Marketing Association of St. Louis. Carin Fahr is married to Richard Shulusky. They have two grown children and one marvelous granddaughter. Grandma Carin has a life long love of cooking, even writing her own cookbook. In 2014 Carin retired to devote full time to writing. Her first book, In the Middle was inspired by her own battle to care for her beloved mother, Dorothy Fahr. Many of the stories Carrie Young’s mother tells her in In the Middle came from Carin’s mother. Carin is a lifelong member of, Pathfinder Church in Ellisville, Missouri, where she volunteers in early childhood.