Always You

Ms. Whitney is excellent at crafting a sweet and heart-warming story. It's fun to see Lisbon through the characters' eyes. And to get an extension story of the Romano family. 

Plenty of conflict and tension and tender moments. Fun to have a secret identity angle. 

A good way to spend an afternoon. 

AMAZON

She longs for the man who’s been writing to her for fifteen years. He wishes he could tell her it’s him. Can they come to the truth before it’s too late?

Simon Ackerley arrives in Lisbon for his temporary job as a consultant, not expecting to find his secret penpal easily. After all, he doesn’t know what she looks like or what her real name is. But when a biking accident reveals that Simon’s prickly co-worker Isabel is the elusive Amélie, he has to win her trust before he can confess his true identity.

Isabel Antunes is content with her life as director of the English Academy in Lisbon, until the chairman hires a consultant without her knowledge. Despite Simon Ackerley’s repeated assurances to the contrary, Isabel believes he’s after her position, and she won’t hand it over without a fight. As if dealing with him at work isn’t enough, he shows up at her book club as well. Her only solace is writing to the penpal friend she knows simply as Elliot.

As they work together, Isabel realizes Simon is nothing like her first impression and a tentative friendship grows between them. But how can she explore the possibilities with him when her heart belongs to Elliot?


Always You is a sweet secret identity romance. It can be read as a standalone story and has a guaranteed happy ending. If you love You've Got Mail and To Sir, With Love you'll love Always You!

More Than a Body

My book club picked this out. I'm so happy they did. 

This book is reframing how I view myself and my body and pushing me toward body beach and out of the self-destructive waters we are wont to swim in. 

Thank you to the authors for putting this together and sharing stoires to help inspire each and every body. 

If you want to love yourself and your body, Read This Book. Apply it. Help others. Show kindness and not judgement. 

AMAZON

Positive body image isn’t believing your body looks good; it is knowing your body is good, regardless of how it looks.
 

• How do you feel about your body?
• Have you ever stayed home from a social activity or other opportunity because of concern about how you looked?
• Have you ever passed judgment on someone because of how they looked or dressed?
• Have you ever had difficulty concentrating on a task because you were self-conscious about your appearance?

 
Our beauty-obsessed world perpetuates the idea that happiness, health, and ability to be loved are dependent on how we look, but authors Lindsay and Lexie Kite offer an alternative vision. With insights drawn from their extensive body image research, Lindsay and Lexie—PhDs and founders of the nonprofit Beauty Redefined (and also twin sisters!)—lay out an action plan that arms you with the skills you need to reconnect with your whole self and free yourself from the constraints of self-objectification.
 
From media consumption to health and fitness to self-reflection and self-compassion, Lindsay and Lexie share powerful and practical advice that goes beyond “body positivity” to help readers develop body image resilience—all while cutting through the empty promises sold by media, advertisers, and the beauty and weight-loss industries. In the process, they show how facing your feelings of body shame or embarrassment can become a catalyst for personal growth.