Mariah Stewart

The Last Chance Matinee by Mariah Stewart is a 2017 Gallery Books publication.

I have all three books in this series- which started in 2017- and for some reason I never got around to reading them. The trilogy sounds like a great summer/beach series- so I decided to satisfy my ‘beach read’ craving and mark a few books off the TBR pile at the same time.

This first installment introduces us to the Hudson Sisters- estranged sisters-Allie and Des who, after their father dies suddenly, discover they have a half-sister named Cara- they knew nothing about. Cara, too, was ignorant of her father's double life and only met Allie and Des at the reading of her father's will. To add insult to injury, the will stipulates that for the women to inherit their father’s vast estate they will have to follow through on his final wish… to restore an old theatre in the Poconos. Naturally, this goes over like a Led Zepplin- but if one of the women backs out none of them will inherit a dime. So, like it or not the three women leave their lives behind to bring the old theatre back to life…

This is a solid enough start to the trilogy- this first installment truly belongs to Cara. Cara is out to get to know her sisters- even if they aren’t exactly reciprocating- and to find out who her father really was- not just the side he showed to her and her mother- plus fulfill her duty to the restoration of the theatre. This keeps her very busy- while she tries not to think about her ex-husband’s upcoming nuptials to one of her best friends. Still, it looks as though Cara has an admirer- Can she put her insecurities aside and trust her judgment enough to take another chance on love?

This is a continuing storyline instead of the more common approach in which each sister would get her own story without any lingering threads. So while everything wraps up nicely for Cara as far as closing the doors to her past and finding a new love- she still has few loose ends to deal with as the restoration continues.

But this chapter also sets up the other two sisters for stories of their own. Usually, this would be a very good idea- but… well… Allie was just a bit too much for me. I realize hers is the big story of the three- and that she’s dealing with an awful lot. But...

I’ve known bitter people who took out their discontent on every person in sight- but mostly bitterness is aimed at a narrower target- like an ex-husband or men in general perhaps- but Allie is rude to every single person she encounters- except her daughter and to her aunt -for the most part.

To me,though, there is never an excuse to speak to people the way she does. Her personality overpowers all the other characters and now, after realizing her personal story will wrap up the trilogy, I’m not as excited to get to the next installment as I might have been if we could get her attitude adjusted sooner rather than later.

That said, I am intrigued by the mystery left to be unraveled and I want see them all find contentment and a steady path forward- even if I have to put up with Allie’s disposition a little longer…

Overall, I liked Cara a lot- she handled her disappointments with life and relationships in a much more mature fashion- though she had to overcome her fear that any and all men would probably let her down so that she could allow feelings to develop with the right guy, I still found her to be optimistic, dedicated, open to learning and much more mature than her older sister- almost like a breath of fresh air by comparison. So, following her journey was rewarding and her HEA was lovely to see!

3 stars… (more)

Thank you to WriterSpace, the author, and the publisher for this book.

After reading the first book in this series (Wyndham Beach), An Invincible Summer, in 2021, about Maggie one of the three friends in the series, I couldn't wait to read this one about Lydia (Liddy). Like I said in my other review, it's refreshing to read about women in their 50s. Liddy is divorced and her daughter committed suicide and a year later, her husband wanted a divorce. What a double whammy! She decides to buy and renovate the towns bookstore. What a chore and challenge that was. Despite reading the first book in this series 2 years ago (Emma's story), I recognized the characters of course but also some of the scenarios that happened with the women which they reminisced about. Always romance in these books, but not over the top.

Just a side note, not sure who does her covers but they are beautiful especially this series and The Hudson Sisters series.

Not to play favorites, but I liked Maggie better than Lydie. Not sure why but that's my opinion. The other characters were well acknowledge including children, etc.
Edit Review… (more)

The Head That Wears the Crown by Mariah Stewart

How many of you have thought about being royalty? Living in a palace? Not having to lift a finger ever again to do mundane tasks? Would you step into a fairytale story at this point in your life whether 20, 40, 60, or more? Would you be willing to take your family with you to a place that needs help that you might or might not be able to provide? Would you question your right to wear a crown and wonder how to put a small portion of the European map on the MAP again? Hmmm…

Okay…I’m writing about a book that I almost left behind last night because I started reading, saw a diary-like retelling of a past-events story with a forty year old + divorced mother of teens being given the golden ticket to leave behind her mundane Philadelphia life to emerge in a beautiful alpine country never heard of before and then being tasked with creating a vibrant thriving place for her family settle in and create the perfectly perfect newly regenerated parcel of European soil to become what it might possibly maybe become.

Okay…right now in typing this up I am kind of lost for a way to go forward so will way:

* I almost stopped reading a few pages in because I could not connect with the writing style or the characters or the feel of it all
* I had trouble with the over-the-top feel at times..
* I loved the family influence and how it tied in throughout
* I was baffled at times with the mention of ancestors being felt by the main character and her conferring with them here and there along the way…was she psychic or was she just…feeling their presence?
* Couldn’t and still can’t understand why three sisters would still be available to leave the USA to head to Gilberti and be willing to do so for an older sister that at times seemed less competent than her siblings
*Loved the historical information but…felt there was a lot wanting
* and…okay…here it comes…as I type up this review after having stayed up late last night and thinking this book was a silly thing that wasn’t worth reading will say that **I seem to have read it** and you know what…I am kind of curious to find out what might happen to the “royal family” as they move/plod forward in the future.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes and no
Would I read more in this series? Perhaps

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the Arc – This is my honest review

3-4 Stars… (more)