Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for The House Guests by Emilie Richards. I have read a couple of her previous books and very much enjoyed them, this one was no exception. I definitely need to check out more of her backlist. Scroll down for more about this wonderful book.
The House Guests : A Novel by Emilie Richards Published June 29, 2021 by HQ Fiction Trade Paperback, 544 pages
About the Book: USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards returns with a fan-favorite story.
Teenage Savannahβs father passed away recently and she has been rebelling against her stepmother, Cassie, since. When she happens upon a pouch filled with cash in a parking lot with some new friends sheβs trying to impress, she decides to keep it in an act of defiance. When Cassie learns of her crime after Savannah has already spent the money, and learns that the money belonged to a woman, Amber, who has since been evicted along with her teenage son Will because they couldnβt pay the rent after losing the pouch of money, she invites Amber and Will to move in with them. As they become involved in each otherβs lives, the teenagers develop a friendship while the mothers do the same. But while Cassie is trying to figure out what happened to her husband in the months before he passed away β why he was becoming distant and draining the funds in their bank accounts, leaving them destitute upon his death β Amber is clearly trying to outrun something dark in her own past.
5 Stars: βββββ
Cassie Costas and her stepdaughter Savannah have recently moved to Tarpon Springs Florida after the sudden death of their husband and father. Savannah is having a hard time fitting in as well as dealing with the death of her dad, which she blames on Cassie. Then she makes a decision that proves to have long-range effects. Due to Savannah’s unwise actions, single mom Amber and her teenage son Will move in with Cassie and Savannah. While Cassie tries to find out what happened to her husband before his death and where all their money disappeared to, Amber is keeping secrets from everyone, including Will.
I really enjoyed this story. It is women’s fiction with a couple of mysteries embedded into the story. The characters are wonderful. I like that they are realistic and relatable, flaws and all. Both Cassie and Amber are loving mothers, who would do anything to protect their children. I felt so bad for Cassie and how Savannah treats her, but Cassie continues to love her and do what she thinks is best for her. I really liked the theme of family in this story. Cassie is part of a large Greek family and their welcoming nature, love of family and friends and loyalty to one another was amazing. You didn’t have to be blood to be family. Roxanne and Yiayia, Cassie’s aunt and grandma were such great secondary characters. Amber’s secrets are gradually revealed to the reader and bring this story to it’s climax.
I was totally immersed in this story and the lives of these characters. This is a story that pulled me in from the beginning and held me right to the end. There are some twists, and suspense, but most of this story is about the bonds between people who call themselves family, whether by blood or by choice. This is a story of family and friendship, grief, secrets and sadness, hope, trust and eventually love. I definitely recommend this book.
I did a read/listen with the audiobook narrated by Vanessa Johansson. She does a nice job with the narration and voices. Her voices for the female characters, including their regional accents, are well done. The male voices are feminine sounding, but I was able to identify them when they were speaking. This book felt like it was being read to me, with great expression and feeling. I really enjoyed this reading and it added to my enjoyment of this book. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
About the Author: USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards has written more than seventy novels which have been published in more than twenty-one countries and sixteen languages. She has appeared on national television and been quoted in Readerβs Digest, right between Oprah and Thomas Jefferson.
Emilie has won the RITA from Romance Writers of America and multiple awards from RT Book Reviews, including one for career achievement. She regularly appears on bestseller lists, and ten of her books have been made into television movies in Germany.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Richards has been married for more than forty years to her college sweetheart. She splits her time between Florida and Western New York, where she is currently plotting her next novel.
I am a retired teacher/librarian. I love to read, especially to my grandchildren. I read most genres, but lately have gravitated to cozy mysteries, romance (not erotic) and Christian Fiction. I do enjoy a good thriller every now and then, as well as some fantasy and the odd sci-fi. I have ventured into Blog tours, but I do not do well reading under pressure. I travel to Florida for 2 to 3 months in the winter (Canadian Snowbirder) but otherwise live in Windsor, Ontario Canada. Feel free to follow and comment on my blog. I try to respond to all comments.
Good review. It seems like a dark book, but one in which the darkness has a purpose. Cassie and her family are shining lights of goodness during bad situations. This novel sounds like a winner.
Great review Carla! I’m looking forward to this one but I think since everyone loves it I’m going to save it for when I get a couple of duds in a row so I know it’ll be a winner.
I completely agree – it was more of a womenβs fiction book with suspenseful/thriller threads. Once I realized that, it was easy to get completely immersed in the story. Wonderful review!
Excellent review, Carla. And thanks for the excerpt. It really heightened my interest in the book. Iβm really determined to read this now after yours and Susanβs reviews. π
Awesome review Carla! I loved this one too and today I’m going to scour my shelves to see how many of her backlist I own! Then off to see what the library has!ππ€βπ»π
July 4, 2021 at 10:50 pm
Love this review, Carla. Iβve been wanting to try one of her books, and this sounds like the right place to start.
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July 5, 2021 at 12:18 am
Tanks Jennifer. I have only read two, but really enjoyed them both. This one was good and had a few twists that were fun.
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July 4, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Good review. It seems like a dark book, but one in which the darkness has a purpose. Cassie and her family are shining lights of goodness during bad situations. This novel sounds like a winner.
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July 4, 2021 at 10:42 pm
Thanks Linda. It was a good story, but there are some unexpected twists at the end. I did enjoy it.
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July 4, 2021 at 7:03 am
Great review Carla! I’m looking forward to this one but I think since everyone loves it I’m going to save it for when I get a couple of duds in a row so I know it’ll be a winner.
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July 3, 2021 at 3:55 pm
Wonderful review! I definitely like the sound of this story. xx
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July 3, 2021 at 4:55 pm
Thanks Yvo, it was a great story.
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July 2, 2021 at 9:54 am
Excellent review. Thank you for sharing a new read with me.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com
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July 2, 2021 at 12:48 pm
Thanks, it was a good one for sure. I hope you get a chance to read it and enjoy it as much as I did.
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July 2, 2021 at 9:40 am
I completely agree – it was more of a womenβs fiction book with suspenseful/thriller threads. Once I realized that, it was easy to get completely immersed in the story. Wonderful review!
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July 2, 2021 at 12:50 pm
Thanks Tessa, I did enjoy it. I am glad I wasn’t expecting a thriller, or I would have been greatly disappointed.
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July 2, 2021 at 9:17 am
Excellent review, Carla. And thanks for the excerpt. It really heightened my interest in the book. Iβm really determined to read this now after yours and Susanβs reviews. π
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July 2, 2021 at 12:51 pm
Thanks Laurie. Now that I can add the excerpt box, I hope to do it more often. I hope you get a chance to read it and enjoy it as much as we did.
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July 2, 2021 at 8:50 am
Excellent review, Carlaπ I hadnβt heard of this one and will definitely check it out.
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July 2, 2021 at 12:52 pm
Thanks Jo. I really enjoy a lot of the Harlequin books. They are not just the romances that my mom used to read. ππ
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July 2, 2021 at 8:37 am
Awesome review Carla! I loved this one too and today I’m going to scour my shelves to see how many of her backlist I own! Then off to see what the library has!ππ€βπ»π
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July 2, 2021 at 12:53 pm
Thanks Susan. Family of Strangers was a good one and I really enjoyed it.πππ
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July 2, 2021 at 4:11 pm
Thats the only other one I have read so far!π€£ππ
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