Do you just love this cover? It says so much… warm sunny days, beachy moments, and friendship… all things I value in my heart. ~Sheila
Nicole Lord does her best to be a good wife but when her husband up and quits his job with no warning because he feels he wants to write a screen play, Nicole is floored. Now juggling the children and her full-time job at her Pilates Studio as well as managing the household and the bills, Nicole knows something has to give and she feels she has given quite enough.
Shannon Rig prides herself on her accomplishments. Now Vice President of her company she is a force to be reckoned with, yet now she wonders if the cost for this success was too much. When Shannon has a change to connect with a great guy gives her hope – she discovers that the perfect “have it all” package may look different from what she has planned.
Pam Eiland has the perfect home, the perfect loving husband, and wonderful grown children. Now, as she looks around her perfect life she wonders what becomes of her now that all she had to do as a stay at home mom is over. Looking for ways to keep her marriage spicy may be the answer, but life as we all know… is full of surprises we do not see coming.
These three women who meet for Pilate classes and share their hopes and dreams find that friends can truly be like family when life takes you where you never thought you would be.
Author Susan Mallory is one of those authors that you can count on for a pretty smooth experience. You will meet characters you wish you were friends with and neighborhoods that you wish you lived in. That is exactly what I found in The Girls of Mischief Bay. I wanted to grab my mat and join them at the Pilates studio sharing trials and heartaches and knowing they were safe to share.
When I think of Susan Mallory I think “beach read”. My definition of a beach read is a good solid read that is not over the top with hard topics or twists and turns that cause frown lines in the sun. A beach read is a book that is kind to your soul and you usually meet characters you would like to be friends with.
The Girls of Mischief Bay turned out to be just an ok read for me. While I liked the characters well enough and enjoyed the story line it never really wowed me in any way. Problems arose, and then they were solved. No more really than a bump in the road. It is a good book on the power of friendships and much the same plots that you tend to find… guy troubles.
Narrated by Tanya Ebby, I did enjoy the flow of the words. While I found the audio “listen worthy”, this is the start of a new series by Susan Mallery and I do not feel I connected enough with the book to continue on with whatever comes next. (not to say it could not happen… I have done stranger things).
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 10 hours and 23 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Brilliance Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: February 24, 2015
Book Journey 
I find sometimes/rarely the first book in a series doesn’t give us enough to love any one character and want to carry on reading, but the other books focus on 1 character and are better.
I feel like I’ve seen this cover a lot lately, the backs of a group of women looking at the ocean.
That’s funny you mention the cover as the one I am listening too also has three women facing away…. that must be a thing… three.
I like it, but I find I’m often drawn to images of people looking forward
And I normally do not like any pictures of people because I don’t want to know what the image in my head of who they are and trying to figure out who is who when the cover people almost never match the books description of the people 🙂
Sheila, thank you for sharing your thoughts about this “beach read” audiobook. I don’t think I’ve read (or listened to) any books by Susan Mallery yet.
I am not sure if I have read/listened to her before either… at this time in my life she seems to write books that look safe to me.
I actually loved this one! I liked the characters and really look forward to the next one. We’re out of alignment on this one, but that’s okay. Hope your next listen hits the spot better.
I’ll probably read or listen to it. I enjoy her books. And I agree about not wanting to see people on a cover – I like to imagine them myself 🙂
I love books that take place at the beach and books about friendships, so I may have to read/listen to this one.
I love that cover, and you are so right about what it screams. I haven’t read Susan Mallery in a long time, but I always used to love her books.
I really liked this one and can’t wait for the next. I’m hoping it will be like the Blackberry Island series, the 2nd one in it (Three Sisters) was amazing!