The adult Plumb siblings - Leo, Jack, Beatrice, and Melody - are happily expecting to share the trust fund left by their deceased father, which they call 'The Nest.' The Nest is due to be dispersed when Melody, the youngest, turns forty.
Dad meant the fund to be 'a little something extra' for his children, but it's ballooned into the millions, and the heirs - who reside in and around New York City - have spent recklessly and/or made plans in anticipation of the bonanza.
Shortly before Melody's fortieth birthday however, Leo throws a spanner into the works. He foolishly seduces a 19-year-old waitress named Matilda Rodriguez, and takes her for a drive. The resulting wreck causes Matilda to lose a foot and Leo to lose his marriage.
The subsequent settlements are enormous, and the Plumb siblings' mother Francie - who abhors a scandal - lets Leo use the trust fund to pay off Matilda and his wife.
As the story continues, Jack, Beatrice, and Melody - all of whom are appalled by Leo's actions - meet their brother at Grand Central Oyster Bar to discuss reimbursement.
Leo, who previously founded and sold a magazine called SpeakEasy, promises to look for a new opportunity.....so he can pay his siblings back. The would-be inheritors are skeptical, but have no choice but to hope for the best.
From here we follow each of the Plumb siblings, observing their current situation and how they got here.
*****
Leo Plumb is a self-indulgent former editor who uses drugs and burned bridges with most of his colleagues - whom he now needs to re-establish his career.
Knowing he's expected to pay back his brother and sisters, Leo sneakily tries to inveigle himself into a good opportunity.
Leo is a weasel, always willing to screw someone for his own advantage.
*****
Jack Plumb is a middling antiques dealer.....
….who recently married his long-time boyfriend Walker, a successful attorney.
Anticipating a windfall from The Nest, Jack took out a mortgage on his and Walker's vacation home, which is now in danger of foreclosure.....and Walker knows nothing about it. Jack is desperate for money, and - when he sees the opportunity - tries to sweet-talk himself into a shady deal. Jack is more foolhardy than rotten, and can't seem to foresee the consequences of his actions.
****
Beatrice Plumb is a writer who works for an online magazine. She's previously had success with short stories, but stumbled when she tried to produce her great novel.
Forced to return her publisher's hefty book advance, Beatrice had to use most of her savings, and was counting on The Nest for a comfortable future. Beatrice is the most rational and clear-headed of the Plumb siblings, willing to go out of her way for her family.
****
Melody Plumb is a happily married housewife with twin teenage daughters, Nora and Louisa, who she dotes on.
Melody has scrimped and struggled to give her daughters nice things, and was planning to use The Nest to send them to expensive colleges.
Now Melody can barely afford the twins' costly SAT prep course, which they secretly ditch to hang out in Manhattan.
Melody is a helicopter mom with high hopes, who's probably recognizable to many parents.
****
As the story unfolds we also get to know some of the important secondary characters, including: Matilda Rodriguez - now a hobbled amputee in a family of illegal immigrants; Stephanie - Leo's old girlfriend, who's still willing to take him in; Nathan - Leo's former partner, whom he shafted; Paul - Beatrice's boss, who owns a literary magazine; and others.
The story is warm, humorous, and insightful, and provides a compelling picture of siblings who've endured a 'tragedy' and are struggling to cope. Along the way, they learn the value of family and friendship. This is an enjoyable literary novel, recommended to fans of the genre.
Rating: 3.5 stars
In this memoir, Jen Waite tells the story of her failed marriage. I decided to read the book after I saw the author being interviewed on television, and became curious about her tragic tale.
Jen Waite
*****
The date January 20, 2015 will be forever etched on Jen Waite's brain. It was on that day - when her baby Louisa was 3 weeks old - that Jen saw the e-mail from her husband Marco Medina to a real estate broker.
Jen Waite with her baby Louisa
The message read, "My girlfriend and I have decided to go with another apartment, but thank you for your time."
(FYI: Marco Medina isn't his real name. According to Daily Entertainment News, "Waite, a former actress and model disguises her ex-hubby’s identity calling him “Marco” and also saying he is from Argentina but the real subject of her book is Carlos Beltran, originally from Colombia.")
Jen Waite's husband Marco Medina (aka Carlos Beltran)
What? Girlfriend? Jen hysterically confronted her husband, who explained that he'd been helping a Croatian co-worker look for a new place to live, and had mistakenly used the word girlfriend. In her confusion, Jen accepted this account - but not really - and her suspicions increased when she looked at the Croatian's Facebook page and saw a sexy blonde vixen. In addition, Marco's behavior became more and more disturbing, and he claimed that something was wrong with him because he 'felt nothing' when he looked at Jen and Louisa.
Jen became terribly concerned about Marco's health, and tried to find ways to 'cure' him, but had little success.
Eventually Jen came to fear that Marco had been having an affair with the Croatian (who she dubbed Croella) for months - starting when Jen was pregnant with Louisa.
Cruella DeVille from '101 Dalmations'
Marco consistently denied any wrongdoing, insisting he was 'just friends' with the foreigner.....who 'wasn't his type.' For her part, Jen tried to convince herself that Marco was a faithful husband. But the evidence of cheating built up.....Jen's blinders came off.....and the marriage imploded. This left Jen a single mother - depressed, devastated, and barely able to go on.
The book alternates between 'Before' and 'After.' In the 'Before' chapters, Jen writes about meeting Marco, and the intense courtship that led to their marriage. In the 'After' chapters, Jen details her step by step unveiling of Marco's perfidy, her decision to leave him, and the subsequent fallout that almost destroyed her.
*****
Before: Jen was an aspiring model and actress from Maine, living in New York City to further her career.
Jen Waite was an aspiring model and actress
She was waitressing to make ends meet, and rarely saw her long-distance boyfriend Jeff.
When Jen took a job at an about-to-open new restaurant, she met bar manager Marco at the orientation - and it was like lightning struck her.
Jen Waite was attracted by Marco's dark good looks
Marco - a dark, handsome Argentinian - overwhelmed Jen with flattery and attention (a behavior called 'love bombing') and appealed to her sympathy when he admitted that he was living in the country illegally; had been in two long-term - but failed - relationships; and had a son Seb....who lived with his mother.
Long story short, Jen fell madly in love with Marco and dumped Jeff. Marco seemed to be the ideal boyfriend - affectionate, respectful, charming, and ambitious.....and he got a thumbs up from Jen's friends and family. Jen went so far as to invest $75,000 in a restaurant Marco wanted to open, certain that they would be partners for life.
Jen Waite and Marco got engaged
Marco soon proposed, which led to marriage, pregnancy, and the birth of Louisa. Jen thought her life was perfect and she was ecstatically happy.....until that fateful day, January 20.
*****
After: Once Jen started to suspect that Marco was seeing Croella, she began to check his emails, phone records, take-out deliveries, and Uber account - and uncovered evidence of innumerable lies and deceptions.
Jen decided to leave her husband, but he acted sad and pathetic and - with the help of his parents - (initially) convinced her to stay.
Marco's infidelity continued, however, and Jen finally left with Louisa - moving to Maine to live with her parents. (Jen's parents are the heroes of the book. They're supportive and helpful, and always have their daughter's back.)
Jen Waite and Louisa moved to Maine
Though Jen moved out, she couldn't move on, and felt compelled to know everything that was going on between Marco and Croella. Thus, Jen CONSTANTLY refreshed her smartphone to look at Marco and Croella's posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and so on. Jen spent hours and hours doing this every day.....unable to stop herself.
Furthermore, Jen discussed her sad situation with EVERYONE, and came to learn that Marco was serially unfaithful, and had cheated with waitresses throughout their courtship and marriage.
As Jen tried to make sense of the unhealthy partnership that she'd considered ideal, she became an amateur psychologist. Jen spent day after day looking up internet articles about cheating spouses, and concluded that Marco was a sociopath.
Jen Waite concluded that Marco was a sociopath
The urban dictionary defines a sociopath as follows: "Sociopaths are people who have little to no conscience. They will lie, cheat, steal and manipulate others for their own benefit. They're really nice and charming at first, but it's extremely fake. There is no reasoning with this person. Things have to be their way or it's the highway. They will blame you for hurting them (even if they're the ones who hurt you) or blame the world for all their problems. They are compulsive liars and even if they do apologize, it's never genuine. Piece of advice: Once you realize that you are dealing with a sociopath, RUN."
When Jen 'discovers' that Marco is a sociopath, everything becomes clear to her, and she 'comprehends' the reasons for his adultery and hurtful behavior. This doesn't make things any easier, though, and Jen continues to stalk Marco and Croella online. Jen's sadness - and her painful discoveries about Marco's new relationship - make her physically ill.
Jen Waite grew physically ill
She gets stomach aches and panic attacks; loses weight; doesn't shower; is unable to leave the house for any length of time; and so on. It's not until Jen seeks help from a professional psychologist that she begins to move on (very very slowly).
At the beginning of the book, Jen avers that she's not a mental health professional, and can't make a clinical diagnosis of psychopathy (mental illness). I'm not a mental health professional either, and I'm not at all convinced Marco is a sociopath. It seems to me that Marco - like many other men - might just be a serial cheater who can't keep his pants zipped. That said, Marco is not a nice guy....and IT IS telling that he shows no interest in little Louisa and never sees her.
Marco had numerous affairs with women
Other reviewers have mentioned that Jen should have allowed more time to pass before writing a book about her trauma, and I agree. I think that further distance from the breakup would have allowed Jen to pen a more objective narrative. It's very harsh to throw around the word sociopath....particularly with no clinical diagnosis by a trained therapist.
The book is readable, but it's repetitive, stuffed with filler, and feels fictionalized (to me). Jen 'remembers' incidents in remarkable detail and spends a good part of the book talking about her child. In the narrative, Jen is constantly kissing Louisa's head; smoothing the baby's hair; looking into the child's eyes; dressing the child; undressing the child; breastfeeding the baby; talking to Louisa; cooing at Louisa; walking to the beach with the baby; walking through the mall with the baby; passing Louisa to grandma; passing Louisa to grandpa; and so forth. I have no doubt that Jen loves Louisa, but I don't need to hear that much about it.
Jen Waite and Lousia
All in all, I wouldn't call this a great book, but I think it might be helpful to people who have doubts about their partner (to show them how to identify a cheater); and to people going through a painful breakup (to demonstrate that there's light at the end of the tunnel).
Jen plans to become a licensed therapist, specializing in recovery from psychopathic relationships - and I wish her the best of luck with that.
Rating: 3 stars
When Donald J. Trump was elected president on Nov. 8, 2016, William Robinson - like many Americans - was dismayed. Robinson recalls, " I had a sinking feeling in my stomach because we had just elected a man to be the leader of the free world who ran the most hateful and violent presidential campaign that this country has seen in at least a couple of generations."
Robinson hoped for the best, but it was not to be. He observes,"Shortly after the inauguration, it became painfully clear that my pessimism had been understated—and that things were going to be much worse for the country than even I had imagined."
To relieve his feelings as Trump's virulent presidency unfurled, Robinson wrote satirical 'first person' verses by Trump, his supporters, and his detractors. The 'authors' of the poems include Donald Trump, Kanye West, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Dr. Bornstein, Dr. Jackson, Rudolph Giuliani, Chris Christie, and Vladimir Putin.
The poems are biting, racy, offensive, politically incorrect, and hilarious....and they'd make great song lyrics (IMO). Volume One covers Trump's campaign and first two years in office. I look forward to Volume Two.
Here are brief excerpts from some of my favorite poems:
Red Hat Army by Donald Trump
"My Red Hat Army says that they're forgotten,
but little do they know my motives are rotten,
while Little Kushner and I planned to steal the National Treasure,
foreign leaders used my D.C. hotel for business and pleasure"
Screw me 2 by Donald Trump
"I have no respect for women unless you're my daughter
If you were on fire, I'd hide the water."
Kneel Down At My Feet by Donald Trump
"Now when I send a tweet,
you better rock to my beat,
kneel down at my feet
or you won't have a seat,
get down on your knees,
or I'll fire you with ease."
Friend of Mine by Kanye West
"DJT is a friend of mine;
I mastered his teachings; we're two of a kind
Us 2, we 2, we're smart as Einstein;
Relativity, Ingenuity, Creativity -
he'll fire your ass at the drop of a dime."
Is it Psychosis? by Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and Barack Obama
"He’s outlandish
He’s famished
He’s tweeting
He’s eating
McDonald’s burgers and fries
He keeps telling lies
He keeps telling lies
He keeps telling lies"
Two of a Kind by Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani
"I’ll create a distraction;
I’ll give a reaction.
Together we’ll ensure that Russia gets no traction.
Because of us America’s in a state of disrepair;
We love seeing America in despair.
DJT and America’s Mayor:
Together we make quite a pair."
Fake News by Donald Trump
"It’s all fake news;
She’s making me get the blues.
This porn star said she turned me in to mush;
She claims in my cabana, she spanked me on my tush."
Stormy and Avenatti by Donald Trump
"Avenatti got an attitude like me,
Can’t hit him too hard, cuz he’s not afraid of a bully.
The most I can do is call him a third rate lawyer
Cuz he fights back, hits back, punches hard
like Oscar De La Hoya."
Maverick aka The Ghost of John McCain by Barack Obama
"He’s not at all like Donald Trump, so looney.
Tunes into the needs of all citizens,
McCain’s so ornery;
Fought his own party, McCain’s mutiny;
Loved to read books, so literary.
He understood it takes compromise,
not simple as One, Two, Three;
He knew you can’t get peace in the Far
and Middle East by saying Open Sesame."
Anomoniss aka Anonymous by Various Cabinet Members
"Our poor President couldn’t say anonymous;
Speaking to reporters he said anomoniss;
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a mistake;
He said it three times, he can’t enunciate,"
Robinson tunes into the frustration experienced by those Americans who believe Trump is a narcissistic dishonest president who advances his own interests rather than those of the country. It would be fun to see Robinson's take on Trump and the pandemic, a subject ripe for satire.
The book is fun and entertaining, recommended to political junkies and people who like to laugh.
Thank you to Kim Masiello and Hilary Pratt at California Lifestyle Marketing for a copy of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
In this second book in the 'Marygene Brown Mystery' series, the baker/amateur sleuth discovers two crispy corpses. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Marygene Brown escaped from an abusive marriage and returned to her home in Peach Cove Island, Georgia. There Marygene helps run the Peach Diner with her sister Jena Lynn. Marygene is a wonderful baker, and prepares most of the diner's scrumptious desserts.
Marygene has a secret that's shared only with her best friend Betsy. Marygene is haunted by the ghost of her Mama - Clara Brown - whose spirit is tied to Peach Cove Island until she 'makes amends.'
The amends involve Mama getting Marygene to investigate local murders, so the perpetrators can be brought to justice. Because of this 'jinx' Marygene is always finding dead bodies.
In this book Marygene finds two corpses, both burnt to a crisp. The first body bumps into Marygene when she's skinny-dipping in the ocean, and Marygene finds the second body when she's catering a home-viewing event.
Mama's ghost tells Marygene she has to solve the murders so Mama can get 'points' toward entering the pearly gates.
Marygene's biological father, Eddie Carter, is the sheriff of Peach Cove Island, and Marygene vows to help him solve the crimes.....much to Eddie's chagrin.
In any case Marygene snoops around and wheedles information out of her 'informants', including Deputy Sheriff Alex Myers and coroner Teddy Gaskin.
It turns out the murders are cold cases tied to some of Peach Cove Island's older residents, including Marygene's deceased Mama and Betsy's Meemaw. The scenes with Meemaw - who has a healthy appetite and blurts out whatever's on her mind - are very amusing.
While Marygene is investigating the murders she's also dealing with events in her personal life. Marygene and deputy Alex Myers were 'a thing' until Alex was caught flirting with a blonde knockout.
While Marygene is debating what to do about Alex she's attracted to a new deputy sheriff, Javier Reyes.
This 'triangle' leads to jealousy and potential conflict in the sheriff's office. (In my opinion Marygene should look OUTSIDE the sheriff's office for a love interest.)
The book has an array of colorful characters, including Marygene's friend Yvonne - who's starting a career in home makeovers; Marygene's brother Sam - who cooks at the Peach Cove Diner; Evelyn Gentry - the snobby wife of the mayor; Junior Gentry - Evelyn's son, who's hired as a busboy; Aunt Vi - who likes yoga pants and string bikinis; and more.
The story builds to an exciting climax where the killer is revealed. The perp was a surprise to me, so well done Kate Young. 😊
Like other 'culinary cozies' there's a good deal of cooking, baking, and eating in the story, with recipes included at the end.
This is an enjoyable cozy, recommended to fans of light mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Kate Young), and the publisher (Kensington Books) for a copy of the book.
Recipes in the book include:
Cheese Biscuits
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Sourdough Croutons
Roadkill (Ground Beef)
Chicken and Dumplings
Peach Muffins
Lime Cream Puffs
Rating: 3 stars
