Book picks similar to
Secrets & Sins by Bettye Griffin


african-american-lit
illinois
reading-bingo-challenge
women-s-fiction

Something About the Hood In Her


Nikki Brown - 2019
     Vinny’s love for Cami is unlike anything that he has ever felt before but in his heart, he knows that he’s not ready to give in to the fairytale life that she dreams of. The luxuries of being at the head of the Maler Empire affords him a plethora of “opportunities” that interfere with what he’s trying to build with her. Cami knows her worth, so the fact that she allows Vinny to do what he does shows just how much she loves him but that’s proving not to be enough anymore. In his mind, he’s young and has time but what he doesn’t know is that Cami is at her breaking point and when Skylar steps on the scene, his time may really be up. Spiff feels like he’s stuck in a relationship with the mother of his son, Porsha. Him and Cami didn’t have the best upbringing and all he ever wanted was a family to call his own. He knew early on that Porsha wasn’t the woman he wanted that with but when she got pregnant, he manned up and handled his responsibility. A situation arose and that caused a rift in Spiff’s life that left him single, and looking for care for his son. When AD Maler introduces him to Magic, he’s drawn to her instantly, but she has some dark secrets of her own. With Porsha still in the background, will the two be able to act on their attraction to each other or will LIFE intercept and end everything before it even begins. In this spin off to “He Brings Out The Hood In Me” you get to see the other side of the Maler Empire, while witnessing Spiff and Vinny battle the ins and outs of love.

Something Old, Something New


Lorna Barrett - 2021
    Life has been cruel and now it lands another blow. Luckily, she has her best friend Karen by her side to help her through. Then a chance encounter on the French Riviera leads Trish to think that maybe la vie est belle after all.Karen has it all. Sophisticated and successful, she is head of a Maternity & Fertility Clinic in Dublin’s city centre. Now, a new man who ticks all the boxes looks like he might be ‘The One’.Olivia is the perfect daughter with a steady boyfriend and a steadier job. But she wants answers. Haunted by the fact that her life has been a matter of chance, she is on a mission to unearth the truth.But, for each of them, the truth has the potential to blow their lives apart.

Hope on Sage Flats


RaeAnne Thayne - 2008
    She’s wary about the idea of equine therapy—and even more wary about former rodeo cowboy Jace McCandless, the man working as Hope’s therapist. But when her daughter responds well to Jace, Christa finds herself suddenly wondering if she might be able to take this one risk—for love. Originally published in 2008

Mother and Child


Annie Murray - 2019
    . .Jo and Ian’s marriage is hanging by a thread. One night almost two years ago, their only child, Paul, died in an accident that should never have happened. They have recently moved to a new area of Birmingham, to be near Ian’s mother Dorrie who is increasingly frail. As Jo spends more time with her mother-in-law, she suspects Dorrie wants to unburden herself of a secret that has cast a long shadow over her family. Haunted by the death of her son, Jo catches a glimpse of a young boy in a magazine who resembles Paul. Reading the article, she learns of a tragedy in India . . . But it moves her so deeply, she is inspired to embark on a trip where she will learn about unimaginable pain and suffering.As Jo learns more, she is determined to do her own small bit to help. With the help of new friends, Jo learns that from loss and grief, there is hope and healing in her future.'Humane, heartbreaking yet hopeful. Annie Murray at her absolute best.' - Kate Thompson, author of Secrets of the Homefront Girls

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg -- Review


Expert Book Reviews - 2014
    The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion compares the contrasting worlds of present-day Southern life and Midwestern immigrant cities during World War II. After learning that she was adopted, Sookie is filled with questions of self-doubt and becomes determined to learn the truth behind her roots. Fannie Flagg depicts adventurous and courageous women as WASPs during WWII as she tells the story of the Jurdabralinski sisters. These roles contradict Sookie's upbringing in Alabama where society is ruled by social norms and status. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion offers an inspirational tale with accurate historical details that are presented through an engaging plot. This review of Flagg's novel gives you a broader view of the author and her writing style. Read quotes from literary critics to discover the book's appeal, or lack thereof. Sookie counters a cast of larger-than-life characters as she finds adventure and realizes her underlying identity. The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion captures a journey of self-discovery mixed with realism and humor to delight all readers.

A Light Last Seen: When Jaynie Was...


Grace Greene - 2020
    Can she give up searching for the one and reclaim the other? Or is she fated to repeat the mistakes her mother made?Jaynie Highsmith grows up in Cub Creek on Hope Road acutely aware of the irony of its name, Hope, because she wants nothing more than to escape from it and the chaos of her childhood.Desperate to leave her past behind and make a new life, she is determined to become the best version of herself she can create. But when she does take off, she also leaves ~ and forgets ~ important parts of her past and herself.The new life is everything she wants, or so she thinks until she finds herself repeating the same mistakes her mother made. Is Jaynie destined for unhappiness? Is it like mother, like daughter? Did running away only delay the unhappiness she fears she is destined for?Seventeen years after leaving home, Jaynie needs a new fresh start and returning to Cub Creek is critical, but she is determined that the visit will be as short as possible and then she'll be out and free again. However, a longer stay may be vital to her future because if she has any hope of changing her destiny, Jaynie must reconcile the past she turned her back on with her present.

Only Human


Diane Chandler - 2020
    One family... one summer... one woman...Anna Bond is floundering. Tiger mum to tricky teen Sophie, now slipping through her fingers, and loyal wife to big sociable Ollie, whom she no longer trusts, what does she do next with her life? Once a confident career woman, after so many years at home and the school gate, Anna now finds her mind is chattering and her soul is searching - for what matters. Then Jack walks into their lives. Sophie’s first boyfriend is a breath of fresh air for the whole family, and Anna gradually discovers new purpose for herself. But when deceit creeps in, tensions surface, and she finds herself propelled through a tangled web of secrets and lies towards a devastating climax.

Just for the Summer (Willowbury #3)


Fay Keenan - 2021
    While her three sons spend the summer holiday with their father, Kate has an opportunity to prove to herself that there is a new life, after her divorce.Harry Sinclair is the owner of Vale Volumes book shop on Willowbury High Street. Content, if a little bored with his lot, his shop, as well as his life, could do with freshening up. When Kate offers to spruce up Vale Volumes ready for the visit of a famous author, they find they have a lot more in common than colour schemes.But both have secrets and responsibilities, and when the trials of family life threaten their burgeoning friendship, can they overcome the experiences of their pasts? Will Somerset’s most magical town cast its spell on them? Or will Kate and Harry have to concede that their friendship really is just for the summer?Let Fay Keenan transport you to the perfect British summertime, with beautiful countryside, an unforgettable romance, and just the right dose of escapism. Perfect for all fans of Debbie Macomber, Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde.

An Unconventional Love


Alexandra Warren - 2015
    A fling here and there? Definitely. But full blown commitment? No way in hell. Dealing with a man full-time is just not worth the trouble when you can get what you want and get away like it never happened. That was the plan when she met Rich, a good and worthy fling, but exactly that...a fling. Until the cravings start. And Jasmine is forced into a whole new realm of life when she least expected it. (Warning : This book contains a few spoilers for Getting The Edge)

The Child I Never Had


Kate Hewitt - 2022
    She opens the door to see a teenage girl standing in the shadow beyond the porch light—and in an instant she knows who it is. Daisy, the daughter she gave up as a baby. Daisy steps forward, as she says tearfully “I’m sorry I didn’t call first. But something happened. And I really needed… you.”Seventeen years before, knowing she couldn’t possibly give her beautiful little girl Daisy the future she deserved, Mia made the hardest decision of her life—to give her up. And Suzanne seemed the perfect adoptive mother: calm, stable, and full of love for the daughter she’d always dreamed of having. The two mothers promised to keep communication open, so Daisy could have Mia’s love and support along with Suzanne’s. But as the years passed, Mia moved away, and their visits happened less. Now Daisy is almost a stranger to Mia—angry, closed and broken—nothing like the tiny girl she once couldn’t bear to say goodbye to.But now Daisy has arrived on Mia’s doorstep, and she says she has a terrible secret. One she can never tell Suzanne. And she believes the only person who can help her is Mia. Her birth mother.Mia, however, has secrets of her own. Ones she is afraid to let Daisy or anyone else know. And while Suzanne desperately seeks a way to bring her child home, can Mia overcome her past to help the girl they both call their daughter in her darkest hour before it’s too late? Totally gripping emotional women’s fiction from the author guaranteed to make readers cry. Kate Hewitt’s story will grab you by the heartstrings and never let you go. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Jojo Moyes.

Blossom Street Collection Volume 1: The Shop on Blossom Street\A Good Yarn\Susannah's Garden\Back on Blossom Street


Debbie Macomber - 2018
    Now in a 4-in-1 box set, this collection of beloved stories from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber will delight you! The Shop on Blossom Street is owned by Lydia Hoffman, and it represents her dream of a new beginning, a life free from cancer. A life that offers a chance at love… When Lydia starts a knitting class at A Good Yarn, Jacqueline Donovan, Carol Girard and Alix Townsend join her first class. These four very different women, brought together by the age-old craft of knitting, make unexpected discoveries—about themselves and each other. Discoveries that lead to friendship, to laughter and to dreams… A Good Yarn is a place of welcome and warmth, friends old and new. Lydia has fallen in love with Brad Goetz, but then Brad’s ex reappears, and Lydia is suddenly afraid to trust her newfound happiness. Meanwhile, three women join her newest class—Elise Beaumont, Bethanne Hamlin and Courtney Pulanski—and soon they form an unbreakable bond as they listen, learn, and help each other solve their problems. Susannah’s Garden becomes a new destination on Blossom Street. When Susannah Nelson turned eighteen, she said goodbye to her boyfriend Jake—and never saw him again. She never saw her brother Doug again, either. He died unexpectedly that same year. Now, at fifty, Susannah returns to her hometown to help her mother, and discovers that things are not always as they once seemed…B ack on Blossom Street, Susannah Nelson, owner of Susannah’s Garden, has just hired an assistant named Colette Blake, a young widow who’s obviously hiding a secret—or two! When Susannah and Colette both join Lydia Goetz’s new knitting class, they discover that Lydia and her sister, Margaret, have worries of their own. Margaret’s daughter, Julia, is the victim of a random carjacking, and the entire family is thrown into emotional chaos. Then there’s Alix Townsend, whose wedding is only months away. She’s not sure she can go through with it, though. But, like everyone in Lydia’s knitting class, Alix knows there’s a solution to every problem…and another woman can usually help you find it!

A Winter Memory


Lulu Taylor - 2021
    They met as students and Helen fell in love, not just with Angus but with the romantic Ballintyre family and their beautiful house on the edge of a loch. But marriage to Angus has not proved happy.Now, years later and with a family, Helen and Angus have been forced to move back to live at Ballintyre with his older brother, Charlie. Helen is surprised to find that Sylla, Charlie’s wife, has disappeared and no one seems to know where she is. Helen is worried, not least because Charlie and Sylla lost their teenage daughter, Rose, only a year before. Surely someone should be looking for her . . .Sylla Ballintyre has spent her life ministering to her husband, Charlie, and coping with the presence of his overbearing mother, Josephine, until the tragedy of losing Rose drained her happiness away. When she stumbles on the path to freedom, she knows she must take it, whatever the cost.As Helen struggles with the fallout of recent events and its effect on her life, Ballintyre House becomes the setting for revelations of love, obsession and betrayal that have resonated beyond the present and into the past, affecting the lives of all those who have called it home.

When Robins Appear


Densie Webb - 2020
    But her daughter, Amanda, is heading to college soon, and Deborah worries about having an empty nest. She thinks another child might be the answer. Her husband, Richard, however, may not be willing to start over so late in life.Amanda is excited about attending NYU next year, but she meets Graham, a handsome older boy, falls hard, and considers postponing her education to stay close to him. Her mother takes an instant dislike to Graham, but Amanda refuses to let her keep them apart.As Deborah watches her daughter rush headlong toward heartache on an all-too-familiar path, the secrets lurking in Deborah’s past continue to echo in her present. When tragedy strikes, Deborah faces a future she could never have imagined.

Love At Last


Sharon C. Cooper - 2016
    After two failed marriages and numerous short-term relationships, she’s ready to wave the white flag and give up on love. Yet, with Christmas quickly approaching, she dreads spending the holiday alone. Will a chance encounter with a handsome stranger make all of her Christmas wishes come true? After thirty years of a nearly perfect marriage, widower Lincoln Richwood struggles to move on with his life. The idea of dating at his age seems daunting … until he meets the vivacious Carolyn Jenkins. Normally a straitlaced kind of guy, there’s just something about the woman that tempts him to walk on the wild side. Opposites attract, but will their differences derail their relationship and keep them from embracing the love they both desire? A Jenkins Family Novella

In My Dreams It Was Simpler


Tolulope Popoola - 2010
    They have been through many ups and downs together, from their pre-university days to the present time as young career women. They constantly have to deal with the measures of success - striking the perfect balance in all aspects of their lives - careers, relationships, cultural expectations, moral dilemmas and the demands of 'having it all'. Then there are the men: Tade - a guy from Temmy's recent past who is now stalking her, Dayo - who Titi is initially reluctant to introduce to her friends, and Wole who appears to tick all the boxes that Lola is looking for but has a shady past she wants to uncover by all means. They are thrown together in a series of intriguing events and twists, their dreams are shattered, and loyalties are tested to breaking point. Against all odds, the six friends have tried to stay afloat, but they don't know what the future holds.Will they pull through and become stronger? Or will they become victims of circumstances they cannot control? Find out in this intriguing and exciting new fiction series!