Forever Hold Your Peace: A Novel by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke-Women's Fiction

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of Forever Hold Your Peace: A Novel by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke.

Title: Forever Hold Your Peace: A Novel

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre: Women's Fiction

Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Publisher: Alcove Books

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

Language: English

Paperback: 320 pages
Meet the Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Father of the Bride meets Bride Wars in Forever Hold Your Peace, in which two ex-best friends find themselves shockingly entangled after more than two decades apart, for fans of Good Company.

When their newly engaged kids ask all four divorced parents to meet each other over brunch, everyone RSVPs yes--secretly hoping someone at the table will get to the bottom of the bottomless mimosas fast enough to say what they’re all thinking: that this engagement, coming after a whirlwind romance between two people barely out of college, is too much too soon.

But at that brunch it’s not the impulsive couple's decisions that end up under the microscope, as it turns out June, mother of the bride, and Amy, mother of the groom, certainly do know each other--they're ex-best-friends who haven't spoken since their explosive falling out more than twenty-five years ago. Reeling from their unwanted reunion and eager to shift the spotlight off their past as decades-old secrets and rivalries come to light, the two moms battle it out for the prize of Most Enthusiastic About This Wedding.

But when their history—and their present-day shenanigans—threaten to crack the foundations of the happy couple’s future, June and Amy find themselves becoming unexpected allies in an all-hands-on-deck effort to get their kids (and themselves) a happily-ever-after two generations in the making.

Forever Hold Your Peace is perfect for readers who love messy, complicated family novels like All Adults Here and stories that bring the past and present together like One Italian Summer.

My Thoughts

Liz and Lisa did it again. 

Forever Hold Your Peace felt more mature and deep than their previous works, which I truly appreciated. 

I have always enjoyed Liz and Lisa's books because despite dealing with hard topics but they always manage to give us an enjoyable, believable, and relatable story. In this case, a story of more than two people getting married but about true forgiveness and letting things go. 

A fast-paced, funny at times, full of drama, which kept me hooked from beginning to end. 

Thank you Alcove Press and Netgalley for the Advanced Free Copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: The Good Widow: A Novel by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke-Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of The Good Widow: A Novel by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke.

Title: The Good Widow: A Novel

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: June 1, 2017

Language: English

Paperback: 300 pages
Meet the Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Bestselling authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke make their suspense debut in this twisty, emotional thriller.

Elementary school teacher Jacqueline “Jacks” Morales’s marriage was far from perfect, but even in its ups and downs it was predictable, familiar. Or at least she thought it was…until two police officers showed up at her door with devastating news. Her husband of eight years, the one who should have been on a business trip to Kansas, had suffered a fatal car accident in Hawaii. And he wasn’t alone.

For Jacks, laying her husband to rest was hard. But it was even harder to think that his final moments belonged to another woman—one who had left behind her own grieving and bewildered fiance. Nick, just as blindsided by the affair, wants answers. So he suggests that he and Jacks search for the truth together, retracing the doomed lovers’ last days in paradise.

Now, following the twisting path of that fateful road, Jacks is learning that nothing is ever as it seems. Not her marriage. Not her husband. And most certainly not his death…

My Thoughts

I was beyond excited when I found out Liz and Lisa were publishing a book on this genre, one of my favorites, their suspense debut novel, another gem by the Authors, a Must-Read. One of my best reads this year.

In the Good Widow we meet Jacqueline "Jacks", and all the events following the news that her husband, James had a car accident in Hawaii. Devastating news for Jacks of course and not a very pleasant ones giving the fact that James was supposed to be on a work trip in another city and not in Hawaii and accompanied by another woman. We also get to know Jacks's husband James, the mysterious woman, Dylan, and her fiance Nick and how their lives come together throughout the pages. 

This read was a total emotional roller coaster for me, I couldn't put it down. Full of suspense, twists and with very interesting characters. My favorite, Jacks, a wife, a teacher, a woman who even though does not have the perfect marriage, the perfect life, she is determined to find the answers she needs to understand what happened to her marriage, to her husband, his death. For me Jacks is a brave character, she tries to make sense of everything happening to her, how her life changes in a matter of minutes, all that she thought was the truth no longer is, all the lies, all the questions, she desperately needs answers and she decides to go to Hawaii to find them.

In terms of the story, I enjoyed it a lot, I liked that it kept me engaged, interested, all the twists, and the ending, unexpected and satisfying. A very good job by the Authors, you can see they took the time to do their research, how we not only get to know the characters but also the places, how they describe those. I love Liz and Lisa's writing style, the way they present the story, something about the way they write, makes this book a different one from all the others I have read on the same genre. Different in a very good way.

I loved the book, one I totally recommend. Thank you to the Authors for sharing this story, for exploring this genre and I can hardly wait for more new books to be published.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union for sending an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy