Jane Porter – The Book Diva's Reads

It’s You by Jane Porter
ISBN: 9780425277157 (paperback)
ISBN: 9780698178861 (ebook)
ASIN: B00OQSF63I (Kindle edition)
Publication date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Berkley

In the wake of a tragedy that tore her life down to the foundations, Dr. Alison McAdams has lost her way. So when she’s summoned to Napa to care for her ailing father, she’s not sure she has anything to offer him—or anyone else.

What Ali finds in Northern California wine country is a gift—an opportunity to rest, and distance from her painful memories. Most unexpectedly, she finds people who aren’t afraid of her grief or desperate for her to hurry up and move on.

As Ali becomes part of her father’s community, makes new friends of her own, and hears the stories of a generation who survived the Second World War, she begins to find hope again. In a quest to discover the truth about another woman’s lost love, she sets off on a journey across oceans and deep into history. And in making sense of that long-ago tragedy, Ali is able to put together the broken pieces of her heart and make new choices that are right for her.

Alison “Ali” McAdams’ world has been turned upside down. Her fiancé and co-worker committed suicide six weeks before their wedding, in their home. A few months later, her mother suffered an aneurysm and died. Ali has been struggling to be normal and continue working with her deceased fiancé’s father in their dental practice in Arizona. Just when she’s floundering with what she wants and needs, she receives a phone call from her father. Her dad is living in a retirement community in Napa, California and has recently suffered a fall, breaking his wrist. Ali quickly makes the decision to take time off from the dental practice and head to California.

Ali isn’t quite sure what she’ll find in California, but she’s desperate to connect with her sole surviving family member. Ali’s Dad isn’t exactly “warm” and one for public displays of affection, but over the course of three weeks they do find some common ground. Amazingly, the one person Ali seems to connect with the most is a ninety-five-year-old woman, Edie. Initially, Ali thinks that Edie is prickly and rude, but the more she talks with Edie the more she realizes that they have a lot in common.

It’s You takes place over the course of just a few weeks, but Ms. Porter has packed a lot into those weeks. The story is told in alternating voices of Edie and Ali, with a portion of Edie’s story taking place in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The reader learns that the love of Edie’s life was a Nazi in public while secretly working with the German Resistance Movement. He was found guilty and died as a result of his involvement in the failed attempt on Hitler’s life. Both Edie and Ali are grieving their losses, but Edie has found a way to move on with her life and enjoy what she can when she can. It’s You is a story of deep loss, grief, self-realization, and ultimately survival. It’s a story filled with sadness as well as hope. If you enjoy reading stories that combine historical elements with a contemporary storyline or just enjoy reading about strong women, then It’s You is one story you’ll want to read.

Read an excerpt from It’s You here.

Disclaimer: I received a print copy of this book for review purposes via BookSparks. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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The Good Wife (A Brennan Sisters Novel) by Jane Porter
ISBN: 9780425253670 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781101625194 (ebook)
ASIN: B00BC24NAS (Kindle edition)
Publication date: September 3, 2013
Publisher: Berkeley

Is it possible to love someone too much?

Always considered the beauty of the family, the youngest Brennan sister, Sarah, remains deeply in love with her husband of ten years. Boone Walker, a professional baseball player, travels almost year-round while Sarah stays home and cares for their two children. Her love for her husband is bottomless—so much so that her sisters say it will end up hurting her.

Living apart most of the time makes life difficult, especially since Sarah often wonders whether Boone is sharing his bed with other women on the road, even though he swears he’s been true to her since his infidelity three years ago. While she wants to be happy and move forward in her life, Sarah constantly fears that Boone will break his promise. Now with Boone facing yet another career change, tension rises between the two, adding more stress to an already turbulent marriage. Emotionally exhausted, Sarah can’t cope with yet another storm. Now, she must either break free from the past and forgive Boone completely, or leave him behind and start anew. . .

The Good Wife is the final book in the Brennan Sisters’ trilogy by author Jane Porter. The previous books, The Good Woman and The Good Daughter, highlighted the lives of the oldest and then the middle Brennan sisters, Mary Margaret (Meg) and Katherine Elizabeth (Kit). All of the books focus on the greater Brennan family dynamics, as well as spotlighting the individual sisters and their personal issues and problems. Sarah is the youngest Brennan sister and has spent much of her adult life away from her family. Her husband, Boone Walker, is a professional baseball player. Sarah and Boone have been married for over ten years and all of that time has been spent following Boone as he’s moved from team-to-team. Now Sarah is thirty-five years old, a dedicated wife, and mother of two children: five-year-old Ella and eight-year-old Brennan. Unfortunately she doesn’t think she has a role in life other than wife and mother. Can she find happiness with her husband and children if she isn’t happy with herself?

Mirroring Sarah’s saga is the story of Lauren Summer, a local chef/baker. Lauren became an unwed teen mother at the tender age of seventeen. Fortunately she had the love and support of her parents and older sister and eventually became the co-owner of a local bakery-cafe. Lauren was dealt an intense blow when her son was killed in a tragic car accident. Due to the circumstances surrounding her son’s conception and birth, Lauren has severe trust issues with men. Her life had centered on her son and business for almost seventeen years and she needs time to grieve and reassess her life. This means leaving her hometown and family and moving a few hours away. When she attracts the attention of a professional baseball player she has to decide if she’s willing to accept male friendship, companionship and open herself to the possibility of love.

I found The Good Wife to be a fast-paced read. It was fascinating to see how Lauren and Sarah’s lives mirrored one another with their trust issues. Parts of the story were literally heart-wrenching as I read about the Brennan family’s grief over the death of the matriarch, Marilyn Brennan, to cancer, not to mention Lauren’s prolonged grief over the untimely death of her teenage son. Ultimately both Lauren and Sarah must learn to accept who they are and put just as much time and importance on their goals as they have with others. The Good Wife is much more than a story about an unhappy wife. Ms. Porter delves into the issue of self-fulfillment, marital fidelity, marital trust, forgiveness, grief, despair and a host of other family, as well as inter- and intra-personal issues. Sarah must decide if she has truly forgiven her husband for his past infidelity and trust that he is willingly in their marriage. Her doubts wind up making her borderline crazy and have the potential for causing her marriage to disintegrate due to her lack of trust issues. Is it possible to love too much? It probably isn’t possible to love too much as long as we learn to love without sublimating our individuality. If you enjoy reading about realistic family situations, then you’ll definitely want to add The Good Woman, The Good Daughter, and The Good Wife to your reading list. (Although this is the final book in the Brennan Sisters’ trilogy, I personally want more!)

Learn more about author Jane Porter and her books by clicking here or visit the author’s website: www.janeporter.com.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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