What’s Not Said + Giveaway

 

Join us for this tour from Sep 28 to Oct 16, 2020!

Book Details:

Book Title:  What's Not Said by Valerie Taylor
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  316 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction, Chick Lit
Publisher:  She Writes Press
Release date:   Sept 15, 2020
Format available for review:  print, and NetGalley Download (mobi for kindle, epub, pdf)
Will send print books out:  USA
Tour dates: Sep 28 to Oct 16, 2020
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. WHAT'S NOT SAID is rated PG-13+M because of four F-words, moderate cussing, two explicit sex scenes, and a couple of implicit sex scenes.

 

Book Description:

In WHAT'S NOT SAID, we meet Kassie O’Callaghan, a middle-aged woman who’s on a mission to divorce her emotionally abusive husband and start a new life with a younger man she met while on a solo vacation in Venice. When she learns her husband has chronic kidney disease, her plans collapse until she pokes around his pajama drawer and discovers his illness is the least of his deceits. Then again, Kassie is no angel. As she struggles to justify her own indiscretions, the separate lives they lead collide head-on into a tangled web of sex, lies, and DNA. Still, mindful of her vows, Kassie commits to helping her husband find an organ donor. In the process, she uncovers a life-changing secret. Problem is, if she reveals it, her own immorality will be exposed, forcing her to decide whose life to save—her husband’s or her own.

WHAT'S NOT SAID (She Writes Press) is Valerie Taylor's debut novel. Its sequel, WHAT'S NOT TRUE (She Writes Press), will be published in the fall of 2021. While WHAT'S NOT SAID is the first installment of a series, it is written and can be read as a stand-alone novel.

My Review

I liked this book. There are a few twists along the way. One that I really did not see coming; well not in the beginning. I figured it out as the story progressed. There were good things about this book that would make me want to read the next one by this author.

While, I felt for Kassie and Mike and what they both were experiencing; this is where the struggle for me came into play with this book. In my opinion this story is meant to be character driven. Which means I need to establish a good, emotional bond with the characters to really feel their story. Not downplaying what Kassie and Mike were going though as it is real life. 

The more secrets and long periods of noncommunication that couples experience can make the resentment and distance grow stronger. Both Kassie and Mike were not innocent victims as it takes two. However, I like how the story all played out in the end. 

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Meet the Author:

Valerie Taylor was born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. She earned a B.S. Marketing degree and an MBA from Sacred Heart University, as well as a graduate certificate in health care administration from Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). She had a thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer. After her divorce, she spread her wings and relocated her career to Boston and then to Seattle. When she retired, she resettled in her home state to be near her two grown children and granddaughter. She’s a published book reviewer with BookTrib.com; and a member of Westport Writers’ Workshop, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator. WHAT'S NOT SAID (She Writes Press) is her debut novel. Its sequel, WHAT'S NOT TRUE (She Writes Press), will be published in the fall of 2021.

connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

 

Surviving or Courage?

By Valerie Taylor

Author of What’s Not Said (She Writes Press, 2020)

The most courageous thing I’ve ever done occurred twenty-five years ago when I joined seven strangers (five women, two men) on a weeklong Outward Bound canoeing and camping adventure on the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota. I was 45, out of shape, and more comfortable reading a book than a map of a massive lake with its narrow waterways, swamps, and hidden campsites.

Why did I take myself out of my comfort zone? That’s easy. My daughter was exploring a two week Outward Bound program in the Rockies. She was 16, in shape, and approached risk with less trepidation than I ever had. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t allow her to do something as dangerous as that without me there to protect her unless I experienced something similar first.

So, I bought heavy hiking boots, walked miles around town to break them in, and packed bug spray, three pairs of socks, the few other vital items they’d allow in our backpacks. I even went to the gym in a futile attempt to build up stamina and upper body strength. After all, there was a 70-pound canoe waiting for me to singularly hoist above my head.

As it turned out, portaging was easier than mastering knots, steering a canoe, or rescuing the huge brown pack back containing the team’s cooking utensils as it and I tumbled into the icy cold lake waters when our canoes attempted to navigate rapids.

I tried rock climbing, rappelling, and a ropes course, slept solo one night on a secluded cliff, pitched tents, and out-canoed a thunderstorm. I listened to the loons sing, oohed and aahed at meteor showers, and admired our national bird swoop along the tops of trees. 

What did I discover about myself? While I might lack courage, I am a survivor. The Outward Bound experience has had a profound everlasting impact on the way I approach life’s challenges, and I’d recommend the program without reservation.

Please contact me at: www.valerietaylorauthor.com

Or follow me:

Facebook.com/valerietaylorauthor

Twitter: @ValerieEMTaylor

Instagram ValerieETaylor

Tour Schedule:

Sep 28 – Welcome To MLM Opinion's Reviews – book review
Sep 29 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 30 – Pick a Good Book – book review / giveaway
Oct 1 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Oct 1– Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 2 - A Mama's Corner of the World - book review / spotlight
Oct 5 – All Booked Up Reviews – book review
Oct 6 – Thoughts on This 'n That – book review / author interview / giveaway
Oct 6 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 7 – Alexis Marie Chute Blog – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 7 - On My Book Shelf – book review / giveaway
Oct 7 - I'm Into Books - book spotlight
Oct 8 – Rajiv's Reviews – book review
Oct 8 - Books for Books – book spotlight
Oct 9 – Sefina Hawke's Books – book spotlight
Oct 9 - Cheryl's Book Nook - book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 12 – Momfluenster – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 13 – eBook Addicts – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 13 - Falling Into A Good Book - book review
Oct 14 - Book Lover In Florida – book review / giveaway
Oct 14 – 411 ON BOOKS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHING NEWS – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 14 - Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 - Novels N Latte Review – book review / giveaway
Oct 14 - Books and Zebras @jypsylynn  - book review
Oct 15 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 15 - Amy's Booket List - book review / giveaway
Oct 16 – melanatedreader – book spotlight
Oct 16 - Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway
Oct 16 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway

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