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Beth and Amy by Virginia Kantra – a Review

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Beth and Amy by Virginia Kantra – a Review

 

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Description:
Amy March is more like her older sister Jo than she’d like to admit. An up-and-coming designer in New York’s competitive fashion industry, ambitious Amy is determined to get out of her sisters’ shadow and keep her distance from their North Carolina hometown. But when Jo’s wedding forces her home, she must face what she really wants…and confront the One Big Mistake that could upend her life and forever change her relationship with Jo.

Gentle, unassuming Beth grew up as the good girl of the family. A talented singer-songwriter, she’s overcome her painful anxiety to tour with country superstar Colt Henderson. But life on the road has taken its toll on her health and their relationship. Maybe a break to attend her sister’s wedding will get her out of her funk. But Beth realizes that what she’s looking for and what she needs are two very different things….

With the March women reunited, this time with growing careers and families, they must once again learn to lean on one another as they juggle the changes coming their way.

 

 

Review:

Beth and Amy by Virginia Kantra is another wonderful, heartwarming modernized retelling of Little Women.  Previously, I did enjoy the story of Meg and Jo, and now we get to see Beth and Amy’s story. 

Amy works in New York with a successful start as a fashion designer of handbags, Baggage.  She is going home to attend her sister Jo’s wedding, and dreads meeting up with Trey (Jo’s former boyfriend), whom she has always had a crush on; as well as keep the secret that she and Trey had sex a few years ago.  Has she gotten over her feelings for Trey?

Beth is a singer, who writes her own songs, which has won awards; she is part of a band, with Cole, the lead singer.  Beth has anxiety issues, and struggling to maintain control of her fears.  She also goes home to attend her sister’s wedding, and the family worries about her being too thin, though Beth ensures them she is fine. But is she really?

We also get a few POV’s on the March mother, Abby, who runs the farm, and always watches over her daughters; especially with the father never around.  With the family gathering, the father does come back and plans to stay, much to Abby’s discomfort.

Amy secretly begins to see Trey again, though he is not ready for a permanent relationship.  Amy plans to go back to New York, but she needs financial help to allow her to hire more people, since the orders have risen drastically.  Aunt Phee is willing to offer her help, but she has conditions for Amy, who must decide if she will accept the offer.

The family becomes concerned when Beth becomes sick and faints, though she says she is fine.  When she is ready to go back to the band, Beth will suffer a collapse and the family learns the truth about her condition, which she will need to change her life for the better; especially her anxieties.

As I did in the first book, I really loved both Beth and Amy, as they both had their own issues, but it was great to see all the girls, as the sisterhood between the 4 girls was awesome.  

Beth and Amy is another heartwarming and enjoyable story of family, loyalty, daily family problems and the sisterhood we came to love.  Though most of the story centered on Amy and Beth, it was also great to see Meg/John and Jo/Eric wonderful relationship.    Beth and Amy is a sweet, realistic and fun story that was very well written by Virginia Kantor.

Beth and Amy, as well as Meg and Jo, were both wonderful books that were fun, enjoyable, warm, loving stories. I suggest you read both books in order, as Virginia Kantra gave us a fabulous modernized version of Little Woman.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra – Review and Giveaway

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Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra – Review and Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
The March sisters—reliable Meg, independent Jo, stylish Amy, and shy Beth—have grown up to pursue their separate dreams. When Jo followed her ambitions to New York City, she never thought her career in journalism would come crashing down, leaving her struggling to stay afloat in a gig economy as a prep cook and secret food blogger.

Meg appears to have the life she always planned—the handsome husband, the adorable toddlers, the house in a charming subdivision. But sometimes getting everything you’ve ever wanted isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

When their mother’s illness forces the sisters home to North Carolina for the holidays, they’ll rediscover what really matters.

One thing’s for sure—they’ll need the strength of family and the power of sisterhood to remake their lives and reimagine their dreams.

 

 

Review:

Meg and Jo by Virginia Kantra is a modern retelling on the classic Little Women which inspired this heartwarming modern tale of four sisters.  For those of you who have read Little Women, the story revolves around the sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth; in Meg and Jo, this story centers on Meg and Jo, hence the title.

Meg, is the steady and reliable sister, married to John and has two children.  Jo, who wanted to be a writer, moved to New York, only to see her career at a standstill, and to make ends meet, she works as a prep cook for a renowned chef; as well as running a secret website as a food blogger. 

With Christmas near, Meg is determined to help her mother and do everything to the point of exhaustion, even turning down her husband’s offer of help.   When the March’s mother Abby, falls and gets hurt, Meg finds herself unable to keep up.  Her husband John, will step up to help more with the kids, as Meg loosens her rigid schedule.

 Jo asks her boss to have a few days to go home to North Carolina to help Meg.  When she returns to New York, she runs into her boss a few times during after hours, and slowly, their attraction begins to sizzle and an affair begins.  When Eric (chef) discovers that Jo is running a blog site, and some of his family recipes appear there, he is miffed. At the same time, the mother, Abby needs surgery and then rehab, so Jo quits and returns home to help Meg.

We do get to see Amy and Beth a few times, each having their own things going on; Amy is in Paris on an internship and Beth being offered a role in a play.  It was always nice to see all the family come home for Christmas, as well as for the mother’s surgery.  From what I understand, there will be another book centering on Amy and Beth.  The March father was rarely around, as he travelled to help others, not really being there for the children or the mother.  I was not a fan of the father.

I really loved both Meg and Jo, as they both made great heroines, and the sisterhood between the 4 girls was awesome.   Jo’s storyline revolving around her food blog recipes, as well as well as the heavy traffic from new found fans was well done, and fun to read.

Meg and Jo was a heartwarming and enjoyable story of family, loyalty, daily family problems and the sisterhood we came to love.   It was also sweet to see Meg and John become even closer and Jo and Eric’s wonderful relationship.    Meg and Jo was a sweet, realistic and fun story that was very well written by Virginia Kantra, which I suggest you read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Virginia Kantra’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of MEG AND JO to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. LIKE  Virginia Kantra on Facebook

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8. Giveaway open to USA only

9.. Giveaway runs from December 4 – 8, 2019

 

 

 

 

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Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra – a Review

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Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra – a Review

 

Carolina DreamingAmazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / BAM / The Book Depository

Description:
After escaping a disastrous marriage, bakery owner Jane Clark has convinced herself that she has everything she needs—her precious son, a thriving business, and a roof over her head. But the arrival of a handsome stranger on the island shows her exactly what she’s been missing…   

The only home Gabe Murphy ever had was the Marine Corps. He’s working hard to rebuild his life. It will take a special place, and a special woman, to make him want to stay.   

Now Gabe is determined to prove that he’s worthy of Jane’s trust—and her love. But when her past reappears, that trust will be tested, and Jane and Gabe will have to fight hard to hold onto their love and make their dreams a reality

 

Review:

Carolina Dreaming by Virginia Kantra is the 5th book in her Dare Island series. I did not read the earlier books, but Carolina Dreaming read very well as a standalone, as Kantra does a good job of bringing in the previous characters of Dare Island. I will say that one day I will go back and read the earlier books, as I loved Kantra’s writing style.

Gabe Murphy is our hero. He is a former marine, who just got out of prison after serving time for accidently killing a man while he was defending a woman being raped. Gabe comes to Dare Island to see his old marine buddy Luke (previous hero); he hopes to find a job and try to start fresh. This will not be an easy task, as Gabe has had a tough life, and thinks of himself as unworthy.

Jane Clark, our heroine, has built a life in Dare Island, running a successful bakery. Jane has many friends in town, who care about her and her young son, Aidan. Jane’s father is also a police deputy, who lives with her. Everyone knows Jane’s story of a bad marriage, with her ex in jail, soon to be released. Jane has no desire to meet another man; all she cares about is her son and hoping to expand her bakery…. Until she meets Gabe.

Both Gabe and Jane are immediately attracted to each other, but both will try to avoid each other like the plague. Gabe gets a job working for the local contractor, and ends up working on Jane’s bakery. Being there daily, puts stress on both of them, as their attraction keeps building.   I loved everything about Gabe, who despite his rough past, and his feeling of being unworthy, turned out to be such a sweet caring man, who began to fall in love with Jane and Aidan. Jane, despite her misgivings of repeating her past fiasco, couldn’t resist Gabe. Though she knew he was trying to avoid being too close, Jane invited him to stay for dinner one night, as payment for the extra work he was doing on the bakery on his own time. The dessert that Jane served was the temptation that was beyond resisting.:)

What follows is a wonderful story about two people who found themselves again, and despite the road blocks, such as Gabe’s worry of not being good enough for Jane; Jane’s fears of getting hurt again; her father’s terrible treatment of Gabe, and how will young Aidan react; a beautiful sweet romance grew.

Needless to say, I loved Carolina Dreaming, not to mention the town of Dare Island. Virginia Kantra does a wonderful job of bringing two lost people together, making us care strongly for them, as well as for Aidan. The secondary characters were also great.   I suggest if you like a well written sweet romance, in a small town, with wonderful stories and couples, read California Dreaming and the whole Dare Island series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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