Book Club Friday- Hiding From Reality & Unfinished Business

Helloooooo, Friday, so happy you have arrived!

Since I missed the past 2 weeks, I am reviewing 2 books today for Heather's Book Club Friday!

First up, Taylor Armstrong's (from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) book, "Hiding From Reality."

Here is the description that Amazon.com provided:

Reality hit Taylor Armstrong hard one tragic evening last August when she found the body of her estranged husband, Russell, hanging in his California home. Fans across the country were shocked at the horrific news of his death and even more shocked to discover that behind the glittering “reality” of Taylor’s life on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills lurked a painful story of emotional and physical abuse that she had been terrified to tell.


An estimated 80 percent of domestic abuse victims remain silent, suffocated by fear and relentless self-doubt. For Taylor, it was the threat of financial ruin and finding herself alone with her young daughter that kept her tethered to her volatile husband. But after a ferocious roundhouse punch from Russell fractured her face, resulting in reconstructive surgery, she finally made the brave decision to walk away from a man she loved and a legacy of physical abuse that she first encountered as a child and that haunted her throughout her adulthood.


To the outside world, the Armstrongs lived like royalty, throwing lavish parties—including a memorable tea party for their daughter’s fourth birthday—and mingling with their privileged Housewives co-stars. It was impossible to hide the cracks in their marriage from the cameras forever, though, and their darkest secrets slowly began to seep through the gilded façade.


With searing honesty, Taylor candidly examines her difficult journey from the abusive home in which she was born to the low self-esteem that kept her constantly on the run from herself, to the tumultuous marriage that ended in suicide, and ultimately to her realization that only by sharing her moving story could she help other women.

My opinion:
I flew thru this book. It was good...hard to put down because I kept wanting to know what happened next and how much she was really going to share. Well, she shares EVERYTHING. It was a very sad, heartbreaking story because it obviously ends in her husband's suicide. The stories she tells leading up to that day are very disturbing...she goes into a lot of detail about the abuse and how she was treated during their relationship. I watch her show and knew it was bad but I had no idea it was THIS bad. I definitely recommend this book. It is not an award winner by any means but a very informative read that sheds a lot of light on domestic violence.

Next up- "Unfinished Business" by Nora Roberts

Descrition from Amazon.com-
What was she doing here? Hyattown had changed very little in the years Vanessa Sexton had been away. In some ways her high school sweetheart, Brady Tucker, hadn't changed much either—he was still lean, athletic, rugged…But the once reckless boy had become a solid, dependable man. He'd stood her up on the most important night of her life; could she ever trust him again?

So Vanessa had finally come home, Brady thought. She could still turn him inside out with one of her sultry looks. He couldn't believe she hadn't forgiven him for that night twelve years ago—but he'd had his reasons for not showing up. He'd let her leave town then—but he wasn't going to let her get away this time…

My opinion-
Cute, easy read. I read almost the entire thing on my 2 hour flight to Kentucky and then finished it on my flight home. It is less than 200 pages and really easy to read and follow. I loved the story line and the main character's and loved the ending. If you are looking for a quick, easy, love story, I recommend this book!

What are you reading this week?