Fern Michaels (1933–2025)

I started this yesterday and didn't something I haven't done in ages...I stayed up until morning to finish it. I then found that I was actually disappointed that it had ended...that there wasn't any more story. Just when Alison starts to make friends and is happy with her decision and her new home.... strange things begin to happen. This is where I knew I COULD NOT stop reading! She finds a bone. ...you can use your imagination to guess what kind...as she's clearing up overgrowth on her show more property. She then learns this is not the first time that bones came from here. Then she hears the rumors of missing children and cult activity, or is it just rumors? Slowly she knows that her first thoughts on the discoveries were right. Still, she wants to spend time in her nice cottage on the beach. She has now set herself on a course that may change her life forever. The characters are both likable and questionable. The plot is breathtaking and events are sometimes horrific, but be assured the book will hold onto you until the end and afterwards. show less

I wanted something light and easy to read and this was perfect. It's a revenge story, or rather, the start of what will be a revenge series. Myra's daughter was killed in a hit-and-run but the driver was never even charged because he is a diplomat: diplomatic immunity. After many months of depression over the loss of her daughter without any justice, Myra learns of a local woman that kills the man that murdered her child after his trial was dropped because of a technicality. That's when Myra show more decides she'll pursue justice for her daughter's death herself, since government and the law won't do it.

In all, there are seven women in the Sisterhood. They will take turns helping one another get their own forms of justice for the wrongs that have been committed against them. They've all had such awful things done to them, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the Sisterhood does in each instance. In this first story, Kathryn gets revenge on the three men that raped her seven years ago while her disabled husband helplessly watched.

YES, you have to suspend your disbelief. YES, the Sisterhood is operating entirely outside of the law. But that's what makes this series so fun!! These characters are quirky and relatable, and there is a whole lot of friendship and the building-up of other women. There is no romance in this first story.

Easy, breezy and a little bit funny. I immediately bought the next four books in the series so I can keep going.

Audiobook Notes: I added the audio to my read and enjoyed listening, although I did stop it eventually and read the last third or so on my Kindle. The narrator does a fine job, although I imagine a few of the characters as younger than the narrator portrays them.

Title: Weekend Warriors by Fern Michaels
Series: The Sisterhood #1
Narrator: Laural Merlington
Length: 6 hours, 6 minutes, Unabridged
Publisher: Brilliance Audio show less

Fear Thy Neighbor is Fern Michaels' newest mystery and it is a fantastic read. It's hard to believe that she has written 150 novels to date. She is 89 years old and while I can't do the math, that's alot of books per year to write. She evidently has the it factor.

The story opens with a teenage Alison Marshall fighting off a man from her foster family. The scene quickly moves 11 years into the future with Alison visiting Palmetto Island for a few days while she travels south to Key West. show more After renting a room in a cheap hotel, the Courtesy Court, she runs across John Wilson, the owner of the local bait shop, who has been following her in her car. Later in the day, their paths cross again at Mel's Diner where John tries to sit at her table. Alison quickly eats and returns to her hotel. The owner, Betty, seems to he a nice but lonely old lady. Betty invites Alison into her unit for tea and Alison happily agrees, believing Betty to be a friendly person. When she wakes up the next day feeling groggy Alison wonders whether she was drugged. Her car keys are gone as is her gun and the kitties she rescued the day before. Planning to quickly leave the island, Alison decides to have a fast breakfast before leaving. She can't stop thinking, though, about the island's charm and beautiful beach. Seeing an ad in the local paper for a realtor, Alison calls to see what properties are available on the island. She is shown a dilapidated beach house that she cannot resist buying. At 29, she is ready to put down roots.

Alison was a great character. Her paranoia about people, while understandable given her childhood, added to the suspense. She did not trust anyone and she overanalyzed every encounter with the human race. I would too if I came across the secondary characters in the novel. All the men were abusive and tried to get her into bed. Betty was not such a nice old lady as she presented herself to be but rather a wolf in sheep's clothing. Alison eventually met some decent new friends but she had trouble accepting them because her arrival on Palmetto Island was fraught with danger. I though it odd that she wanted to buy a house there given what happened to her when she initially arrived. Her decision to buy the house was overanalyzed as well but since Alison was cautious about everything in life it did not seem realistic.

All in all, a fun read. show less

I thought these stories were wonderful. Not only did they satisfy my christmas and holiday story needs, they were all different in some way from what I'm used to seeing.

The first story--"Mister Christmas" by Fern Michaels--was my least favorite. Somehow the trope of "scheming to bring them together" didn't work for me, at least not in the space of this novella.

"The Yellow Rose of Christmas" by Marie Bostwick was my favorite. It was a tender and touching story about the secret admirer of Miss show more Velvet Tudmore, an elderly woman. While receiving gifts of yellow roses Miss Velvet begins to think of herself as desirable and worthy of love and starts to change, first in small ways like buying a new dress, and later in bigger ways like a increase in confidence. The way the town rallied around her and the way she bloomed in love were beyond sweet. Loved, loved, loved it.

"Nightmare on Elf Street" by Laura Levine was a murder mystery about a dead mall Santa and the elf who wanted to clear her name. Surprising and cute.

"Room at the Inn" by Cindy Myers was an unbelievably sweet story about people stranded in a blizzard who make the best of their christmas. I liked seeing all these different people come together and share their skills to make a happy christmas for the children of their group. And I very much loved Barb regaining a sense of her own worth as she participates.

(Provided by publisher) show less