Intersections by Karen F. Uhlmann


Intersections by Karen F. Uhlmann
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Style-guru Charlotte Oakes sells beautiful lifestyles, but her mentally ill daughter is an addict, her long marriage is dead, and she is pregnant with her ex-lover’s baby. Stunned after witnessing a hit-and-run in Chicago that leaves a child dead, Charlotte thinks she sees her Prius fleeing the scene. Her troubled daughter, Libby, is the only one who could have been driving.

His partner and best friend killed in a drug bust, police officer Ed Kelly learns that forensics has found that the fatal bullet came from Ed’s gun. Under internal investigation, Ed copes by filming cars at the site of the recent hit-and-run, hoping to catch the child’s killer. There, he notices Charlotte’s pilgrimages to the makeshift memorial, and over the weeks, the two become unlikely friends sharing intimate stories. But Charlotte won’t trust him with her most vulnerable secret of all: her suspicions about her daughter’s involvement in the accident.

When Ed finally learns the truth about, he struggles with his beliefs and duties. If he keeps quiet, he has breached his commitment to the law. But if he does the right thing as an officer, he may send Libby to jail—and lose Charlotte.

A tragic twist of fate brought them together. Friendship binds them together. But one person’s secrets might just tear them apart. Will these two unlikely strangers turned friends be able to navigate the chaos and lies and find their way through it all?

To have a child die so early in a book really shook me, especially since I wasn’t reading one of my usual police procedurals. However, the hit and run aspect drew me in, made me want to know the truth – was it Charlotte’s Prius or was it just a similar car? These are things I had to know and fast.

Charlotte Oakes is an interesting character in that she’s not a great person, but you root for her anyway. She loves her daughter, fights to give her the chances she deserves, but she’s also cheating on her husband. Despite that, she shows over and over how loyal and dedicated she is to her daughter, Libby, and later to her new friend, Ed.

I hate to admit it, but for the majority of the book, I did not like Libby at all. This makes me cringe because the poor girl had issues, things that were actually compounded by her father’s actions – or lack thereof. But I still had a hard time whenever she was in Chicago with Charlotte. However, she does get some major character growth, which made me happy.

Ed Kelly I liked immediately. He reminded me of the police officers you’d find in older TV shows – a bit chubby, genial, and focused on just doing the best job he could do, given any set of circumstances. He’s also struggling since his partner was killed. He and Charlotte make an odd pair, but they definitely work. They both bring something unique to the situation to help the other.

Intersections is more a story about families and friends than it is about discovering who was driving the car. While I hadn’t been expecting that, it still worked and made for an engaging and enjoyable novel. I did feel like the conclusion to the hit and run was a bit anti-climactic, but the end results were reasonable and understandable. Overall, this was a well-written story with complex and likable characters. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys domestic fiction or stories about complicated families and how they interact.

*Hollyland by Patricia Leavy


*Hollyland by Patricia Leavy
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Women’s fiction
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

What happens when a seemingly ordinary woman with a passion for the arts falls in love with a Hollywood star known for his bachelor status and quick temper with the paparazzi? Something extraordinary.

Dee Schwartz is a writer and arts researcher. Ryder Field is a famous actor descended from Hollywood royalty. On the night they meet outside a bar, their connection is palpable. Ryder’s mother—legendary actress Rebecca Field, half of Hollywood’s golden couple when she died—was kidnapped and murdered by a crazed fan in a shocking event that forever tarnished Tinseltown. Dee’s mother, too, died when she was young. Bonded by this loss, the two embark on a love story that explores their search for magic—or “gold dust”—in their lives. Everything changes, however, when Dee mysteriously disappears after an awards ceremony. Is history repeating itself? Can there truly be a happily ever after in Hollywood?

Set against the backdrop of contemporary Los Angeles, Hollyland is a poignant novel that moves fluidly between romance, humor, suspense, and joy.

Hollyland is a Hollywood romance story about Ryder and Dee. Ryder and Dee meet and instantly fall for each other, even though they come from completely different worlds. Dee is an academic who lives her life quietly and in her head. Ryder is a famous actor who comes from Hollywood royalty and he lives his life on the pages of newspapers and magazines.

I love romance stories about Hollywood and was excited to read this one. Although the dialogue was a little cheesy at times, I still enjoyed Ryder and Dee’s story. I loved the way Ryder treated Dee and their story stole my heart.

Recommended.

Shelter Us by Laura Nicole Diamond

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Shelter Us by Laura Nicole Diamond
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Women’s fiction, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (253 pgs)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Since the death of her newborn baby, lawyer-turned-stay-at-home mom Sarah Shaw has been struggling to keep it together for her law professor husband and two young sons. With her husband burying himself in his career and her friendships all having withered, she is lost in a private world of grief. Then one day, walking in LA, Sarah s heart catches at the sight of a young homeless woman pushing a baby in a stroller and saving them becomes her mission. An unlikely bond grows between Sarah and the mother, Josie, whose pride and strained relationship with her own mother prevent her from going home to Oakland. Through her friendship with Josie, Sarah slowly learns that those we love are never far, even in death and that sometimes it is the people we set out to save who save us.

One of the joys of getting lost in a book is recognizing things that have happened to you. That’s exactly how I felt as I began to read Shelter Us. While I’ve never experienced the loss of a child, I could relate to how the main character Sarah feels when someone special is taken from her, how you come to terms with it, and how uncomfortable people start to feel around you when they just don’t know what to say.
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Shelter Us is a moving story told in first person from Sarah’s perspective. I think Ms. Diamond made a great choice using her voice as the narrator. It’s a book that makes me think about many things in my own life and society in general.

When Sarah first sees the young homeless woman with her baby, it makes you think that maybe, despite our own problems, we all have something to be grateful for, as does Sarah in this story.

Finding the young mother almost becomes an obsession for her and it keeps you reading to find out if she’ll be able to track her down and what the women’s story is, and how she ended up on the streets.

As the blurb on the back of the book says, sometimes it is the people we set out to save who save us. I think it sums up Shelter Us beautifully.

For me a good book is one that leaves you feeling an emotional tug and that’s exactly what this story did. If you like women’s fiction then I recommend this one to you.

Shanghai Love by Layne Wong

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Shanghai Love by Layne Wong
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical
Length: Full Length (321 pgs)
Heat Level: sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

Shanghai Love is a gripping novel about the unlikely love story that develops between a Chinese herbalist and a Jewish refugee in Shanghai during World War II. Peilin is betrothed to Kwan Yao, the only son of a wealthy pearl farmer. However, months before their wedding, Yao is killed by the Japanese in the Nanjing Massacre. The Kwans insist on proceeding with the wedding and beautiful Peilin is married to a ghost husband. When an uncle passes away, Peilin is sent to Shanghai to manage the Kwan family herbal shop. Meanwhile, in Berlin, Henri graduates from medical school just as Hitler rises to power and unleashes prejudice and violence against the Jewish population. He flees to Shanghai where he’s befriended by Ping, a young disfigured rickshaw driver. Ping introduces Henri to his sister Peilin. Through her kindness, Henri becomes fascinated with Chinese herbs as well as the exotic culture surrounding him. Shanghai Love is a classic story of love’s triumph over adversity.

This story caught my attention because one of the main characters was married to a ghost. Her marriage was arranged years ago and by her wedding day, her potential mate had been killed in the war. I knew about arranged marriages, but not about ghost weddings. Can you imagine being wed, living in his parent’s home and serving his mother with no hope of a real wedding and life? I can’t!

Ms. Wong sets her story back in the 40’s when the Nazi’s were persecuting Jews. She peppers her story with weak people who become strong due to circumstances. That’s a very realistic way to look at life. Her words flow well and I felt like I was back in a simpler time when all that mattered was having enough to eat and a place to live.
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She makes her characters human. Each has suffered great sorrow, each is moving on because there is no other choice. Henri is Jewish and just barely escapes Germany with his life. He uses the single ticket available to go to Shanghai because his Uncle insists. Peilin has lost her family in a fire and sent to Shanghai to take over an herb shop and help people use herbal remedies for their problems. She’s also searching for her brother. He’s her last relative and she wants to reunite with him.

This romance is very sweet. He’s white and Jewish; she’s Chinese. Their own traditions keep them apart. They enjoy their time together but feel there is no hope for more. I really enjoyed how the author handled this part of the story. She shares Chinese traditions and makes them seem real. They were foreign to me, but I can see the beauty of their traditions.

Another thing that I learned from reading this story was that there were quite a few Chinese and Jewish refugees in Shanghai. I like reading books I learn from. I also really liked this romance. The author did a lovely job of teaching you some facts and making you love her characters. I was impressed enough with this story that the book is going in my personal library as a keeper.

Why don’t you give it a read and see what you think? I bet the author steals your heart, too, with this story.