Book Birthday Shout Out #4

   Today we are celebrating a Book Birthday!  Book Birthday Shout Out, hosted by Bewitched Bookworms, is a meme to celebrate new releases, or 'book birthdays'. Each week, participants will post one or more new release they are looking forward to reading, along with synopses and cover art. Read more about it here at Bewitched Bookworms.

   I actually have two books to celebrate today. The first, 'Next to Love' by Ellen Feldman, is historical fiction set during World War II. The book rates 3.93 stars at Goodreads and reminds me a bit of 'The Postmistress'. Here is the synopsis from Goodreads.

A story of love, war, loss, and the scars they leave, Next to Love follows the lives of three young women and their men during the years of World War II and its aftermath, beginning with the men going off to war and ending a generation later, when their children are on the cusp of their own adulthood.

Set in a small town in Massachusetts, the novel follows three childhood friends, Babe, Millie, and Grace, whose lives are unmoored when their men are called to duty. And yet the changes that are thrust upon them move them in directions they never dreamed possible—while their husbands and boyfriends are enduring their own transformations. In the decades that follow, the three friends lose their innocence, struggle to raise their children, and find meaning and love in unexpected places. And as they change, so does America—from a country in which people know their place in the social hierarchy to a world in which feminism, the Civil Rights movement, and technological innovations present new possibilities—and uncertainties. And yet Babe, Millie, and Grace remain bonded by their past, even as their children grow up and away and a new society rises from the ashes of the war.

Beautifully crafted and unforgettable, Next to Love depicts the enduring power of love and friendship, and illuminates a transformational moment in American history.

   Visit the author's website here. You can pick up your copy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, or stop by your local bookseller. 

   The second book is 'Out of the Rain' by Debbie Macomber. This can be categorized as women's fiction or contemporary romance. I've read several of her books and they are all quick reads with happy endings. I'm sure this is no exception! The book is not yet rated at Goodreads. Here is a synopsis.

The old adage says Marry in haste, repent at leisure.

Marriage Wanted

Can you marry in haste and not repent at all?

As far as Nash Davenport's concerned, marriage isn't shelter from the storm, it is the storm. He's a divorce attorney, himself divorced, who believes no married couple can live up to their wedding vows. Savannah Charles, however, believes in the value—and the values—of marriage. She's a wedding planner who finds herself saying yes when Nash unexpectedly proposes. Even though it's strictly a business proposal…

Laughter in the Rain

Can you marry at leisure—and wish you'd done it in haste?

Abby Carpenter has been involved with predictable, practical Logan Fletcher for years. One day she meets the unpredictable, impractical—and very exciting—Tate Harding. Does an everyday guy like Logan have a chance against a handsome stranger like Tate?

   Visit Debbie's website for information about Debbie and her books. You can pick up 'Out of the Rain' up from either Barnes and Noble or Amazon, or stop by your local book store.