This month (Valentine's Day) is for lovers and there is never a shortage them. However, not all lovers play by the rules. If you are looking to spice up your reading list with a few tales of love gone wrong, check out the book list below! 1. My Husbands Wife : Lily is a lawyer who blossoms late in life as measured by societal standards, beginning as a bit of a plain Jane if you will. Determined to leave behind a family secret, she marries Ed for a fresh start. When her husband takes on a new wife in a bazaar twist, Lily is forced to appraise her choices and shameful past before retribution. 2. The Marriage Lie: Iris and Will are the perfect couple. Married for seven years, Will pampers Iris with complements, jewelry and cooks a decent celebratory meal when required. As a brilliant software engineer, he is content with his beautiful home, beautiful wife and portable computer. Iris get a call one day, receiving news that Will has been killed in a plane crash headed in the opposite direction of his itinerary. Devastated, Iris begins to investigate Will death and learns some unsettling facts about their marriage. 3. Dear Wife : Sabine, a beautiful real-estate agent has gone missing. Sabine's husband, unhappy with himself and the fate of his marriage previous to her disappearance, has to reluctantly collaborate with her lover and less pleasant twin sister to help detective Marcus bring Sabine home. Click Here for a list of more Fiction fun reads! Happy (Scandalous) Reading Friends! Xoxoxoxoxox ROTR

Looking to read more in 2021? Make it fun! Here are 5 ways to read more this year: 1. Make a plan: Like any other goal you'll need to plan for reading more this year. Here's how: Grab your phone or a notepad and begin jotting down the reason you would like to read more this year. Then answer the following questions: How many books would you like to read this year? How many would you need to read per month to reach your goal? How will you acquire your books (Library, Amazon, Bookstore, Trade)? How will you hold yourself accountable (a friend, a blog, a bookclub, instagram page)? Making and sticking to a plan will put your reading on autopilot. A wonderful resource to join others in meeting their reading goal is the website GoodReads by Amazon. Millions of readers log their progress, reviews and goals all while networking with other readers. Don't forget to add ReadingOnTheRun as a friend on GoodReads! 2. Pick a theme: Do you already have a specific topic of interest in your life? Maybe it's fashion, beauty, cooking, personal finance, trains, stock trading, etc. If so, commit to reading a variety of books within each book genre about that specific topic. It'll keep you interested and engaged since it's topic of interest you already have! For example, love cooking? Here are a few books across book genres that you'll love: Fiction: Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult Non-Fiction (Memoir): Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson Romance: Can't Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards Self-Help: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch 3. Join a bookclub: Reading is more fun with a friend! Most bookclubs have gone virtual this past year which makes them much easier to join and/or start. Grab a couple of bookish friends and start a group chat about a steamy romance book. Websites like Book of The Month, makes it easy for a group of friends to pick a current book of any genre and get it shipped directly to each person, removing some of the hassle of starting a bookclub. They have carefully curated options, ship directly to your door, and have a monthly subscription service so you'll always have a good book nearby. Get a ROTR discount to join #bookofthemonth for only $5 (over 75% off!). Click our link to get started!: https://www.mybotm.com/kv6kxt56p0t?show_box=true 4. Listen more!: One of the most common reasons for not reading is lack of time. We're all so busy with various responsibilities. Audible by Amazon is a great way to listen to the latest reads while driving, cooking, cleaning or just about doing anything. Another option to get more audiobooks is to use Libby, which allows you to download free audiobooks from your local library directly through the app. How great is that?! Always having an audiobook on hand is an easy way to prevent boredom with reading. You can always alternate between an audiobook and a physical book (of different titles) if one is rather slow to get your attention. This will prevent you from losing progress toward your reading goals. 5. Watch the movie...read the book Some of the best movies are based on books. Pick a few favorite movies to watch then commit to reading the book afterwards. This will help you read more and it'll be entertaining to compare the differences between the two. For example, The Queens Gambit by Netflix is an exciting drama touting raving reviews. By now almost everyone familiar with the series knows it's based on a novel written by Walter Tevis . Since all of the exciting details of a novel can't possibly be carried out on screen, reading this will be a real treat! Happy Reading Friends, Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Have to you ever unintentionally told a lie? If so, this book, Lies She Told by Cate Holahan, will make sure you never do again! Liza is married twelve years, desperately trying for a baby and has only 30 days to write a #1 bestseller. On top of juggling insurmountable pressure of writing her best novel yet, and the artificial pregnancy hormones, Liza must also help find who killed her husband's law partner before he spirals out of control and shatters her dreams of becoming a family of three. Cate Holahan is the author of five domestic suspense novels, including One Little Secret, previously reviewed by RTOR. The most recent Holahan novel, titled Her Three Lives, is due to release in March 2021. Holahan's writing style includes short plain sentences. Paragraphs are littered with dialogue between extensive scenic descriptions. Little dialogue between characters prevents extensive character development but there is enough to enjoy the story. With a very entertaining plot, much like One Little Secret, Holahan keeps the reader enticed with very little lulls in the storyline. Lies She Told is a dueling tale which parallels the story of Liza, Holahan's main character, and Liza's protagonist, Beth. Written in one position of voice (POV) with two different characters, each in different worlds, Holahan pulls off the difficult task of keeping the reader at bay as the suspense unfolds. The Audible version of this book, narrated by Amy McFadden and Lisa Larsen, boosts the writing to give the characters separate life celebrating the original delivery of a somewhat familiar phycological plot. Meet the Characters Liza, struggling to get back on the bestseller list after her debut novel, titled Drowned Secrets, is focused on writing the life of Beth. Unfortunately, she can't quite concentrate when it's found out how her husband's partner went missing...by drowning. David, married to Liza, is a New York City Lawyer having a tough time dealing with his partners disappearance. With the additional workload and the pressure of finding his missing partner, David isn't as focused as Liza would like him to be on starting their family. When finally confronted by Liza, he reveals shocking news. Trevor, real life is Liza's handsome and critical editor, consistently applying pressure for Liza's next masterpiece. Though, in Beth's world, Trevor is a sexy Psychiatrist in which she begins an affair. Leaving the reader of this book to wonder just how much of Beth's world will spill over into Liza's real world troubles. Nick, David's Law partner, is gorgeous, smooth and very much a ladies man. Unlike David, Nick hasn't settled down with one woman and argues that David married wrong, not keeping his dislike of Liza a secret. When he goes missing without a trace, everyone begins to wonder about the true Nick and whether they even knew him at all. Beth is the protagonist in Liza's fictional book. Beth suspects that her husband Jake is cheating on her with a law enforcement officer at his law firm. Newly a mother, Beth finds herself in a predicament causing her to choose saving her small young family or leaving her husband. The Verdict This book is worth the read. Cate Holahan doesn't disappoint. Happy Reading Friends, Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Imagine you and your spouse taking a much needed week long beach vacation trip with two of your favorite couples. Six of you basking in the sun, enjoying refreshing cocktails, and engaging conversation. Secrets may slip off the tongue and hidden passions may reveal themselves. Then, when time comes to return back to daily life, there are only five of you leaving the life of luxury. Well, you don't have to imagine, there is a book for that! One Little Secret by Cate Holahan is a phycological thriller following three couples on a wild ride of mystery, lies and deceit. A novel of thirty-two unabridged chapters, Holahan cleverly weaves a charming story and gives each character enough depth to keep the reader's attention. If you are a fan of the signature marriage plot duplicity of books by author Kimberly Belle, you will enjoy the similar array of domestic suspense novels by Cate Holahan. This book is currently available free with an Amazon Audible membership. Though this audiobook is well read by Hillary Huber, at various points throughout the story the sound likens to an automated voice which is distracting. Meet the Characters: Gabby is a newly minted Detective and one of very few women serving in the department. Married with a beautiful young daughter, Gabby intuitively navigates the murky waters of solving a domestic murder, a crime that occurs very rarely in their wealthy north eastern part of the United States. Jenny & Lewis are an attractive, successful couple at the hight of their careers. The couple met in medical school and continue to support one another as they raise their young bi-racial daughter. Jenny becomes a minor celebrity when deciding to make a career change to Medical Sports Anchor and Lewis, an Emergency Room Physician, struggles to process the emotional impact of his wife's rising success. Susan & Nadal, a stay-at-home mom and tech start-up owner respectively, are the proverbial "couple next door". As Nadal spends an increasing amount of time driving the company to success, Susan struggles to adjust to the new neighborhood after leaving her thriving career as a high powered west-coast lawyer behind. With two young sons, one of which with special needs, Susan plans the week long beach vacation for the neighbors in hopes of making friends and fitting in. Rachel, also a high powered Lawyer, is married to Ben, a self-publishing mystery writer and unofficial flirt of the neighborhood. While on the getaway, Rachel receives some disappointing news from their daughter which ignites an unexpected turn of events for the couple. The Plot: This is a classic mystery of finding the murderer among the trusted. Wait until the very end for the plot twist. The Verdict: This book may be worth the read however the listen (audible audiobook) may be less enjoyable. The storyline maybe a bit predictable at times yet still enjoyable. This book is recommended to spice up a weekend full of laundry and beauty treatments! Happy Reading Friends! Xoxoxoxoxoxo, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Meet Cortney! Cortney (@cortwithnou) lives on the East Coast of Canada where she works in Healthcare Philanthropy. She loves being with friends and family and spending time near the ocean. Cortney stopped by ROTR to tell us all about her trip to Barbados! Barbados is most known for being the home of famed international superstar Rihanna. It's an island located in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 km (62 mi) east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. Fun fact: It's technically located on two continents and a region: North America, Central America, and South America! Keep reading to get the details on Courtney beach bummin' in Barbados. Enjoy! A Week in Barbados I had no idea what to expect as I walked out of the airport in Barbados. Honestly, prior to boarding the plane in Toronto, I hadn’t done much research about the tiny Caribbean country located just northeast of Venezuela. My friend had recently moved to the island for a work placement and I jumped on the opportunity to visit her. The little I knew about Barbados was it was famous for pristine beaches, rum and Rihanna. While all of these things proved to be true, to say the island exceeded my expectations is an understatement. Beaches When I first caught a glimpse of the ocean from the bus window, I was in awe. The water looked like blue Kool-Aid and it was crystal clear. There are many beaches to visit in Barbados, but we stuck to the ones on the West coast as they have calmer waters for swimming. Among the many beaches we visited was Miami Beach. It’s a short 25 minutes south of Bridgetown and can easily be reached by bus. This beach in particular was memorable as shortly after getting in the water we saw a huge sea turtle! We learned later that there is a lot of fishing in the Miami Beach area which is why there’s turtles around. It’s important to note that all beaches in Barbados are public and there’s some hidden gems to explore. Food & Entertainment The fact that Barbados is so small is what makes it charming and allows you to really immerse yourself in the culture. Unlike other touristy countries where there seems to be a divide between locals and vacationers, Barbados is very inclusive. One of my favorite memories of the trip is the evening we spent at Oistins Fish Fry, a popular hotspot for tourists and locals of all ages. This place came highly recommended for a Friday night out and for good reason! Oistins Fish Fry has several food vendors with locally sourced seafood and flavorful dishes. There is live music and a fun vibrant atmosphere to take in. This place was BUSY though, we waited over an hour for our food, but it was well worth it and we met some kind people during our wait. Accommodations I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with my friend in her long-term Airbnb. The apartment was in a quiet neighborhood in the Garrison district, making it easy to catch the bus and walk down to Carlisle Bay. Although there are luxury resorts and hotels in Barbados, I recommend staying in an Airbnb. You will save a lot of money and it’s not like you’re missing out on private beach access. Airbnb’s under $100 per night can be found across the island and some are directly on the beach. Barbados is a fantastic option for a tropical getaway. It was by far one of most unique trips I’ve ever taken. To be able to visit a place where you feel safe, can easily get around, and where the people are friendly and helpful is genuinely one of a kind. Happy Travels Friends! Xoxoxoxoxo, ROTR Are you interested in being featured in the ROTR Travel Inspiration series? Visit our Contact Us page to submit a request.

Warning : Be prepared for plot twists that may require several wine breaks during reading this book. Characters may not be who or what they seem. Please read while sitting in the case of falling dizzy. The Wife Between Us (394 pages) is a phycological thriller, more like a rollercoaster ride of delicious mystery and suspense, critically acclaimed for its plot twist. Delivered in a three part storyline, authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen masterfully deliver each word leading readers wandering down dead end roads, only to be detoured when least expected. The narration or position of voice (POV) is from both first and third person, a difficult technical feat executed superbly by the authors, making it a slippery tale of two. Authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen are each veterans of the publishing world in their own right. Hendricks spent 20 years as an editor at publishing house, Simon & Schuster before becoming a novelist by co-authoring The Wife Between Us. Pekkanen is an internationally best-selling solo author of eight previous novels. The two developed a special relationship while working together as an editor-writer duo with Simon & Schuster. Pekkanen offered to team up with Hendricks on a novel which delivered us, The Wife Between Us. Boy are we glad! Meet the Characters: The main character Vanessa is a recently divorced high-end retail clerk determined to stop her ex-husband, Richard from remarrying. Ravaged by guilt of destroying their marriage, Vanessa is obsessed with rectifying their slit. She is committed to do whatever it takes to make sure her ex doesn't make it to the alter for a second time. Nellie is a young, beautiful preschool teacher deeply in love with Richard. With the pressures of their approaching nuptials, Nellie is haunted not only by Richard's past, but that of her own. The transition from the young, fun, single girl in New York City, to a married mother in the upstate New York suburbs, at times seem too much for her to bear. Richard is wealthy, handsome and every woman's dream. A self-made man, emotionally healing from the loss of his mother and father in a car accident as a child. Richard is refined, loving, doting, specific and protective of the things in which he loves. Emma is Richard's assistant and equally as beautiful as Nellie with an interfering motive of her own. The Plot: Nothing like you've ever read before. You'll second guess yourself a few times reading this book. Guaranteed. Verdict: This book is worth the read. Happy Reading Friends, Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

You may know Stacey Abrams as an American Politican and lawyer who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007-2017. You may also know that in 2018 Abrams became the first African American woman gubernatorial electorate from a major party. Abrams did not win that election which resulted in accusations of voter suppression. Less than a year later during the 2019 presidential election, Abrams was hailed by pop-culture as single handedly turning the long time red state blue due to mobilizing thousands of latent democratic voters in the state of Georgia through leading the Fair Fight Initiative. I'm making it my mission to advocate for free and fair elections. Join our fight to ensure access to democracy for all.— STACEY ABRAMS What you didn't know: You may not know however that Stacey Abrams has another name. Abrams carries a pen name or "pseudonym" in the literary world known as Selena Montgomery, and has published eight romance novels under the moniker, on average one every year since 2001. Wow! In recent times, Stacey Abrams has dropped the moniker, for now, to publish another fiction novel. In While Justice Sleeps, scheduled to release later in 2021, Abrams tells the fictional story of astute young law clerk Avery Keene in a twisted tale of political deceit. Check out the links below for a robust list of Abrams' eight romance literary works! Rules of Engagement (2001) The Art of Desire (2002) Power of Persuasion (2002) Never Tell (2004) Hidden Sins (2006) Secrets and Lies (2006) Reckless (2008) Deception (2009) Will you be reading any of these books this year? As always, Happy Reading Friends! Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Hi 👋🏽Bookish friends, Happy New Year!🎊 Do you have plans to read more this year? If so, readingontherun.com is here to take the ride with you! I started ROTR (@readingontherunblog) for many reasons of which I am prepared to share the full list with you over coffee, if you’re interested 😉. Until then... One of these reasons is to do my part in spreading a little empathy in the world 🌎. I believe as we crack open the ends to a book and set about getting lost in stories that are nothing like our own, we begin to build better connections in real life that lead to better bridges merging ideas to better solutions- at home, at work, in society, in life. It makes for a better human experience for us all. Here are a few top 2020 blog accomplishments we are celebrating as we look forward to connecting with even more book lovers, authors, readers and just everyone involved with the human experience, in the year 2021. 🥳 Top Trending Blog Posts of 2020 Book Review| The Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Souljah Book Review| Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes Travel Inspiration| Arizona Spa Secrets Book List| 101 Books You Must Read According to Instagram (Volume 1) Book Review| Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Book Review| Heart & Hustle by Patricia Bright Travel Inspiration| Sunsets in Australia Book List| July 2020 #TBR List Book Review| A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult Book Review| James Baldwin-Beale Street & Collected Essays Travel Inspiration| The Awe of that Alaska Glow Top Blog Accomplishments of 2020 Building empathy and compassion for others! Introduced new authors to the ROTR audience with YouTube series: Author Exclusives. We love independent authors with authentic stories. Authors Lynette Davis and Mia Creswell sat down with ROTR blog to promote their book and to have an up close and personal conversation with the audience. Kudos! Accepted Author Solicitations: In 2018 ROTR received its first publisher box full of Toni Morrison novels. Since then, various independent authors have reached out, sent a copy of their book and requested it be reviewed on the ROTR blog. These opportunities are privileges in which we are grateful. Boosted Travel Inspiration Series: Although this wasn’t the year for travel, ROTR blog connected with inspirational people across the globe to bring moving content motivating audiences to visit Australia, Alaska & Arizona. Grew blog social media audience >2k% as compared to January 2020 and increased monthly blog traffic >100% as compared to 2019. As always, Happy Reading Friends! Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR Feel free to contact me and join the book chats by joining our mailing list: www.readingontherun.com and following us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Mia Creswell is a newly Licensed Social Worker and Non-profit Founder of Own Your Peach Organization. While studying for exams and working with young girls to build confidence, Mia fulfilled a passion to publish writings, produced while a young girl. Accompanying these deeply personal writings are healthy family recipes making this book a devotional cookbook intended to nourish the body and soul. Refections from the kitchen can be found on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited Check out the ROTR YouTube channel for an exclusive interview with author Mia Creswell. Video Timestamps: (0:07) What is your favorite book? (1:56) Introduce yourself and tell us about the book! (4:56) What inspired you to write Reflections from the Kitchen? (7:07) What is a fun fact about yourself? (9:47) Any advice for authors looking to self-publish? (12:36) What are you currently reading? (14:59) Do you see yourself writing in the future? Happy Reading friends! Xoxoxoxoxo, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Have you ever wondered what a lovestruck woman in a problematic relationship may feel, think or rationalize? Within the courageous non-fiction pages of this novel, Maggie, Lina, and Sloane have one thing in common: they are lovestruck and their stories are untraditional. They have all gone beyond what is expected for love, some unrequited. To find these stories, debuting author, Lisa Taddeo, totes driving across the country six times, over a span of eight years for research. The prologue is a treat inside the raw thoughts of the author. "It's the nuances of desire that hold the truth of who we are at our rawest moments." ~Lisa Taddeo Lina’s story: Lina, a middle-class housewife, argues “all women just want to be kissed”. Trapped in a lackluster marriage, Lina is looking for excitement and to be deeply desired. She dreams about being kissed deeply, an act that her husband doesn’t enjoy. Lina reconnects with a past lover from high school, who is also married, and begins an affair. The affair leads her down a path of broken promises, broken vows and a broken heart. Albeit she gets plenty of the passion in which she seeks. Taddeo began creating the story idea of Three Women with a long-time interest in male passion and lust. Left with interesting stories from her childhood of how these intense feelings could make a man give up everything for one moment with someone they desired. Subsequently, this lead Taddeo to ponder the implications these actions have on the women involved in these situations. The aftermath of the intense pursuit and attention once the moment has passed. Beginning from these origins, the constructed a book of stories in many ways highlighting the victimology of women in love. Alternatively, in another light, this book could have easily been a triumphant story about women owning their sexuality and choices, with the exclusion of Maggie falling into a predatory situation. With so many incongruities, this book would have been difficult to market despite it being everything readers want: well written, intimate and brash -leaving it faintly off-center. Sloane’s story: Sloane, a beautiful restaurant owner and hostess, has everything that she could ever want. A handsome chef husband in which she co-owns a restaurant with, children and a wealthy loving family. The only caveat is that her husband likes her to sleep with other men but she actually enjoys it. Constantly trying to escape judgmental eyes, Sloan ponders many internal questions: Why do others expect her to feel the need to apologize for her sexuality, but not her husband? Why is it accepted for her to carry the badge of sexual deviant while her husband gets to remain the respectable pillar of the community? Better yet, why does she accept these social norms? Author Lisa Taddeo’s first novel Three Women has been critically acclaimed as “Astonishing” and “Revolutionary”. Taddeo’s writing style is complex, fiercely intentional and slow, with many commas and complex sentences, allowing the reader’s emotions to keep pace with the story. Taddeo plays on words and sentence structure just to make sure you are paying attention. To keep the synapses firing the first-time author construct sentences that mingle words like trail and trial, scarred and scared, and uses raw, unapologetic language to describe emotions. Maggie’s story: Maggie is a young woman in less in control of her decisions than Lina and Sloane. In that way, her story is much different, troubling even. Maggie is going through a court trial accusing her high school teacher of statutory rape. However, she grapples with whether it was actually rape because in her mind, they were in love. In fact, the reason she had involved the courts is because he had refused to see her again after his wife found out. And once her had been awarded the Teacher of the Year Award, he wouldn’t even take her calls. She desperately just wants everything to go back to the way it was. This book gives insight to the thoughts and emotions of women who would normally be shunned by peers for their actions. The author’s goal, in part, was to illicit empathy for these women, these situations; to show that a normal relationship, in some cases, can turn into something completely unrecognizable. Depending on the reader’s life experiences, views, and moral compass, each person will feel something different and unique from this book. However, we can all agree that gaining more empathy, even if it’s just a little, is always virtuous. Happy Reading Friends, Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Iris and Will are the perfect couple. Married for seven years, Will pampers Iris with complements, jewelry and cooks a decent celebratory meal when required. As a brilliant software engineer, he is content with his beautiful home, beautiful wife and portable computer. Iris is a child phycologist at a private elite high school who is completely in love with everything she knows about her husband and couldn’t be happier with life. Author Kimberly Belle is no stranger here at ROTR. Earlier this year I reviewed Belle’s more recent novel Dear Wife published in 2019. The Marriage Lie was published in 2016 and adheres to the writer’s trademark undemanding writing style and theme: Marriage Scandal. This book opens with Iris and Will relishing in their seven-year wedding anniversary and finally taking pleasure in agree to the right time to starting a family. The next day, Will is due in Orlando, Florida as the Keynote speaker at his company’s technology conference. Only, he never makes it…. On the same morning of Will’s departure, a plane crashes in a mid-western field on route to Seattle, Washington, traveling in the opposite direction of Florida. When Iris sees the massive wreak on the news broadcast, she is relieved to know that it isn’t Will’s plane. Especially after referencing all of the travel details he had given her. However, Iris gets a horrific call from the airline company explaining Will was indeed on the plane when it had crashed. The next few chapters of the book follow Iris through unraveling one lie from her husband after another, evolving into an unofficial investigation of the husband she may not have known at all. The plot is interesting and entertaining. Character development is just deep enough to draw readers into the story. Iris is borderline antagonistic as a grieving wife; her twin brother is sweet and supportive, only occasionally confronting what seems like a lack of common sense from his sister. Some incongruities in character attributes may jump off the page adding to frustrations either with the book itself or the main characters. For example, Iris, a well-educated and trained Psychiatrist apparently didn’t pick up any negative intuitions about her husband prior to the accident, even though up until that point he had no records of family, friends, or friendly co-workers. She had never even seen his Facebook or bank accounts and knew none of his passwords. It reads almost as if she married a complete stranger and remained such after the wedding. “When you know what to look for, spotting a lie is pretty easy. You see it in the fidgets and sudden head movements or sometimes, when the person is overcompensating, through no movements at all. In how their breathing changes, or how they provide too much information, repeating phrases and offering up irrelevant details. In the way they shuffle their feet or touch their mouths or put a hand to their throats. It’s basic psychology, physical signals that the body doesn’t agree with the words coming out of its mouth.” ~Iris If you are looking for a plot twist shock similar to Dear Wife, you may be disappointed. Although, The Marriage lie delivers a complete, sequential, logical story -it is somewhat predictable and surface level. While in prior books by Belle, the reader may feel some marital nuances in the story are relatable, this one is a hard sell. Nevertheless, if you are able to reach the ending pages of this book you may be delighted in Iris’s cleaver revenge. If you are looking for an easy, entertaining read on a sunny afternoon this book is for you! Happy Reading Friends! Xoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Hi Friends! This is a review of another one of the insightful random book picks found on sale at Barnes and Nobles several weeks ago leading the collegiate humanities sector. And it is sure to become an asset to many bookshelf collections around the business world. Laura Huang, a Harvard business professor, hypothesizes that everyone is subject to stereotypes and bias therefore, depending on what that stereotype or bias is, hard work might not be enough alone to get ahead in the business world. Huang writes about how to use the opinions of you as a person, from others (good or bad) as an advantage in communication, branding and business relations. In other words, about finding your distinguishing factor using the lens in which the world already sees you. Huang is one of the youngest Harvard business professors, making the 40 Best Business School Professors Under 40 list by Poets & Quants. The pages of Huang’s first book, Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage, aims to teach the reader how to create their own edge and open proverbial doors-wide open-for themselves. In this read, through personal stories, the reader will learn that gaining an Edge, in business and life, is likened to rowing with the current carrying you. The writing is fun and relational with a mix business and psychology. A good weekend binge, it is a neatly packaged lesson on Emotional intelligence for beginners. It’s an easy read, but may require some reflection time, as a 257-page hardback inclusive of the acknowledgements and index. According to the author and business researcher, people usually underestimate two things when pursuing an opportunity: 1. How hard it is to get their foot in the door as an outsider (whatever “outsider” means to you). 2. How wide doors are open once they are on the “inside”. Huang shares techniques used in Harvard business classes and from her professional research which focuses on how soft factors drive the outcomes of individuals and firms. Soft factors include personality, the extent to which a person is seen as trustworthy, passionate, or committed, and the way others interact with you. “This is not a book about “gaming the system” or relying on insincere methods; There is no magic formula offering you success.” ~Laura Huang This non-fiction, self-help read is broken down into four parts, each entitled by 1 of 4 stages to create your personalized Edge: 1. Enrich: …the ability to provide value to those around you; the ability to effectively communicate the value your bringing, rather than leaving it up to others to guess is vital. 2. Delight: This step occurs before Enrichment. Before you can enrich you have to be let in to gain the opportunity to show how you can add value. Delight is not synonymous with being charming or entertaining, or charismatic in the typical sense. 3. Guide: “Navigating the perceptions we have of ourselves, the perceptions others have of us, and the attributions about our skills, competence, and character that are made as a result.” Guide your own context. 4. Effort: “Effort and hard work reinforce the edge that you create for yourself. Sometimes it is as much what we do as it is the effort that we put into not doing other things.” Hard work in critical…. gaining an edge requires hard work, plus. “With an eye on your true assets and shortcomings, you can create your own unique advantages…When we are more fully own what is that we more fully own what is within us, by making allowances for what is around us, we actually end up affecting others more organically and authentically, furthering the edge that we have.” ~Laura Huang Huang continues to weave lessons into the 4-step journey to creating an edge (Enrich, Delight, Guide Effort) by offering 13 Edge Principles. These principles appear throughout the book following a preceding example story: 1. Hard work should speak for itself. (But it doesn’t) 2. It’s not about giving it your all. Your basic goods help you get it all. 3. To use your basic goods in distinct ways, go where others don’t. 4. Embrace constraints. Constraints provide opportunities. 5. Your powers of discernment come from trusting your intuition and your experiences. 6. Before people will let you in, they need to be delighted. 7. Don’t overplan. Instead, aim for flexibility and opportunities to delight. 8. Stay authentic and embrace how delight occurs in situ. 9. “Being yourself” entails guiding others to all the glorious versions of yourself. 10. Know how others see you, so you can redirect them to how they should see you. 11. Guide others to what is within you by recognizing what is around you. 12. It’s now where you’ve been; it’s where you’re going. Guide how others see your trajectory. 13. Turn adversity into your edge. This is a great read for anyone looking to improve business relationships, work outcomes and/or personal communication. Yes, just about all of us! Happy Reading Friends, Xoxoxoxoxox, ROTR As always feel free to join the book chats by following www.readingontherun.com on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. Check out Laura Huang describe the inspiration for Edge -Turning Adversity into Advantage at the Rotman School of Management.