This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Josie Malone lives and works at her family business, a riding stable in Washington State. Teaching kids to ride and know about horses, she finds in many cases, she's taught three generations of families. Her life experiences span adventures from dealing cards in a casino, attending graduate school to get her Masters in Teaching degree, being a substitute teacher, and serving in the Army Reserve - all leading to her second career as a published author. Visit her at her website, www.josiemalone.com to learn about her books.
Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
Family Skeletons is the third book in the Baker City: Hearts & Haunts series by Josie Malone, a compulsive romance that is emotionally loaded and psychologically rich. Sullivan Barlow is a first-class Sergeant who has served in Afghanistan and it was there that she lost her best friend. When she sleeps with a man one night, she doesn’t plan to see him again. Tate Murphy is a career soldier who is due to retire in three years. He is unable to forget the girl he met at the hotel bar and had sex with. Then three weeks after meeting Sully, he meets her again, and this time, he is not going to let her get away as easily as she did the last time. When he discovers that she is pregnant with his baby, he immediately proposes. The ride might not be as smooth as Tate had imagined.
I love complex and memorable characters, and I love it when an author justifies the complexity in their characters, and that is what Josie Malone does. Sully is a broken person, suffering from guilt, which is understandable after losing her closest friend. But then she discovers she is pregnant, everything changes. The descriptions of her emotions and her psychological state when she finds out she is pregnant are so real that I could relate, and the same can be said of every scene in the story. She does not want adoption and is ready to raise her child. But there are twists that I never expected would happen in the story. Family Skeletons is not just tightly-plotted but also written with such elegance that it becomes impossible to put down. The prose is charming, the characters adorable and sophisticated, and the whole story so impregnated with realism that it is so delightful to read. Tate and Sully are interesting to watch as they navigate their differences and confront their inner demons and past hurts. And the dead people they have loved seem to play a strong role in their lives. Now, I am looking for the next book from this author.
