Book Review: Family For Beginners by Sarah Morgan

Family For Beginners

by Sarah Morgan

Amazon / B&N / Indiebound / Books-A-Million / Google / iBooks / Kobo

ISBN: 9781335014931

Publication Date: 5/5/2020

Publisher: HQN Books

USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with a life-affirming exploration of love, loss, and how families come in all shapes and sizes…

New York florist Flora Donovan is living the dream, but her bubbly optimism hides a secret. She’s lonely. Orphaned as a child, she’s never felt like she’s belonged anywhere…until she meets Jack Parker. He’s the first man to ever really see her, and it’s life changing.

Teenager Izzy Parker is holding it together by her fingertips. Since her mother passed away a year ago, looking after her dad and little sister is the only thing that makes Izzy feel safe. Discovering her father has a new girlfriend is her worst nightmare—she is not in the market for a replacement mom. Then her father invites Flora on their summer vacation…

Flora’s heart aches for Izzy, but she badly wants her relationship with Jack to work. As the summer unfolds, Flora must push her own boundaries to discover parts of herself she never knew existed—and to find the family she’s always wanted.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:


Clare was so far out of her comfort zone she couldn’t have found her way back with a compass or SatNav.


Her mother had always emphasized that life was what you made of it, but Flora couldn’t help thinking that what you made depended on the raw ingredients you were given. Even the best chef couldn’t do much with moldy vegetables.


A teenager is a unique and unpredictable animal. They adapt to their surroundings… Which, now that I think about it, is probably the definition of a virus, too. Go figure. Even after they leave home you feel the aftereffects.


“We’ve kissed. And it is always amazing, and stop looking at me like that because frankly kissing him was better than any sex I ever had.” “You must have had terrible sex.”


Life is too short to fill it with friends who don’t care about you or bring you joy… But bad friends are like the old clothes in your closet. They’re the stained shirt, the sweater with the hole in it, the dress that no longer fits. They have no place and should be cleared out.”

My Review:

I’ve read several of her books now and have decided that Sarah Morgan is one of my favorite authors of all time. I simply adore her. She writes with astounding agility from multiple POVs and covers relevant and relatable issues with a lively and uncanny level of skill yet her tales are well-balanced with humor, angst, tragedy, perceptive awareness, and observant insights on all sides. Family For Beginners was a slowly evolving and well-nuanced tale that was heavy on family drama while a new romance was blossoming for a widower with children and a timid yet sensitive and eager to please florist. The storylines were multifaceted with complex yet endearing characters who were struggling to find their place and establish their own roles within their newly formed dynamic.

About The Author

Author Website

Twitter: @SarahMorgan_

Facebook: @AuthorSarahMorgan

Instagram: @SarahMorganWrites


Author Bio: USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes lively, sexy contemporary stories for Harlequin.

Romantic Times has described her as 'a magician with words' and nominated her books for their Reviewer's Choice Awards and their 'Top Pick' slot. In 2012 Sarah received the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America. She lives near London with her family. Find out more at www.sararahmorgan.com.

Book Review: The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

The Christmas Sisters

by Sarah Morgan 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N

In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…

Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her—it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work—seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…

As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything—including a family Christmas?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

If her sister had been a laptop, Posy would have run antivirus software because there were times when she was convinced Hannah had been taken over by malware.

If parenting was a meal then Jason came straight in at dessert, bypassing all other courses including vegetables.

She smiled. “I’m so glad I married you.” “Of course you are. I’m irresistible. You couldn’t resist my practiced seduction.” Stewart swaggered across the room, ruining the effect by tripping over one of her slippers. She rolled her eyes. “You have a terrible memory. I was the one who seduced you.” “Not true.” “You were moving too slowly for me, Stewart McBride.” “That’s not how I remember it. I was like a rampant stallion.”

I have a trick I use whenever I’m scared…I pretend I’m in a movie… Whatever movie fits the scenario. It’s easier to pretend I’m playing a character, than it is to be me.



My Review:

I have sighed with contentment after reading every Sarah Morgan book I have ever picked up.  While her cleverly complicated characters are not always easy to appreciate when initially introduced, over the course of their story they have all managed to magically tunnel their way into my cold heart.  It is a specific type of Morgan magic as her word voodoo is strong.  This fractious and captivating family was packed with complex personalities with deep-seated issues, and they fascinated me. The writing was engaging and well-paced with generous sprinklings of smirk-worthy wit and clever levity as well as a vibrancy that conjures sharp and vivid scenes in my head as I read. I adore Sarah Morgan in any season.  Ms. Morgan is also a frequent contributor to my Brit Word List with the new entries of clag (which seems to have several meanings according to Mr. Google which includes sticky as in mud; a clog or clot; and a low cloud, fog, or smog) and snug (a small comfortable room).  

Empress DJ

About Sarah Morgan

USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes romance and contemporary women's fiction and her trademark humor and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe. She is a 3-time winner of the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America and has been nominated five times. Sarah lives near London, England, and when she isn't reading or writing she loves being outdoors.

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Book Review: Sleepless In Manhattan by Sarah Morgan

  Sleepless In Manhattan

by Sarah Morgan

Goodreads

Amazon

B&N

USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan introduces a sizzling new trilogy about three best friends embracing life—and love—in Manhattan 

Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she's now determined to prove herself—and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all—going it alone. 

Except launching her own events company is
nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano—her brother's best friend, New York's most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige's fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I can't help feeling a little despondent that the condom in my purse has passed its expiry date.

I feel as if she's the Great White Shark at the top of the food chain and I'm a little seal she's going to eat in one mouthful.

It was hard to hide from someone who knew all your secrets.  It felt like an invasion of privacy, as if she'd given him a key that he'd refused to return. 

Embarrassment burned through her like acid on metal.  Being around him made her feel like a gawky, clumsy teenager, all hormones and no finesse.

You always tease me, but I understand men better than you think... If they can't drill a hole in it, have sex with it, get drunk on it, kick it around a field, or watch it on a massive screen, they're mostly not interested.  That's the way the male brain is programmed.

You invented drama.  You could marry drama, have its babies - which, by the way, would be called Crisis and Panic - and live happily ever after.

...when I'm with a woman, I'm with a woman.  She is my starter, my main course and my desert.  There are no side dishes.

 

My Review:

Sleepless in Manhattan is my first Sarah Morgan read, how is that when she has over seventy books under her listing?  But I plan to remedy my folly by continuing on with more books in this series, as I adored this book from start to finish.  The writing was crisp and simply stellar.  The dialogues were witty and snappy, and the storyline and narrative were emotive, deliciously steamy, cleverly amusing, and engrossing.  I remained engaged throughout this delightful tale and loved all the quirky characters, even when they were being difficult.  I am more than eager to dive into books two and three that feature the other two friends of this tight-knit group. 

Empress DJ 

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes contemporary romance and her trademark humor and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe. She has been nominated 4 times for the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America and has won the award twice. Sarah lives near London, England, and when she isn't reading or writing she loves being outdoors.

Goodreads

Amazon

Join Sarah on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSarahM...
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