Summer by Karen Kingsbury

Dayne and Katie have just gotten married and are on their honeymoon in the Bahamas. While they're there, Dayne gets a phone call from his agent saying they'd like to do a reality show of their lives on the set. Dayne and Katy agree to do this. During the filming of their movie, there is alot of speculation that Dayne is having an affair with his previous co-star, Randi Wells. Katy also spends alot of time with the director of the movie. These things take a big toll on Katy and Dayne's relationship.

Kari finds out her and Ryan are expecting a little girl in August.

Ashley and Landon also find out they are expecting a girl, but they also find out that their little girl has a neural tube defect and that she will not live but a few hours once she is born. They are encouraged by Ashley's sister, Brooke to abort the fetus, which shocks and horrifies Ashley that Brooke would ever suggest such a thing. This causes a bit of a rift between them for awhile. They go back and have a second ultrasound to confirm the results of the first test were accurate. Ashley and Landon refused to abort the pregnancy, and she gave birth to baby Sarah. Sarah only lived a few hours. But, she was surrounded by her entire families, who were there to support Ashley and Landon. Sarah left an impact on each of Ashleys brothers and sisters, who were all struggling in one area or another.

My thoughts: There were a few other things going on in the book, but the storylines with Ashley's baby and Dayne and Katy are the two I want to remember. These books are definitely addicting, and Karen Kingsbury ends each book in a way that leaves the reader dying to get their hands on the next book!

Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury

Blurb: Sunrise mainly centered around Dayne and Katy's wedding and trying to keep their plans a secret from the Paparazzi. This starts out the day after thanksgiving and Dayne and Katy are at their new lake house in Bloomington. They work with a wedding planner who specializes in secret weddings, and plan for a March 18th wedding in the Mayan Riviera. Then the producer of an upcoming movie "But Then Again Now" wants to Dayne and Katy to star together in the movie. Katie agrees to go read for the part, and ends up getting the part.

Luke and Regan recently have moved back to Bloomington so Luke work exclusively for Dayne.

Ashley and Kari both announce they are pregnant at Christmas, and both are due in August.

John and Elaine are spending more and more time together. She is invited to the Baxter House on Thanksgiving for Dessert. Ashley is warming up to having Elaine around and Elaine's relationship with her dad, but Ashley still really misses her mom.

Cody, the boy who's living with the Flannigans was found unconscious laying next to an empty bottle of liquor. He wasn't successful. The flannigans rushed him to the hospital, and though he was in a coma for awhile, he did wake up later and recovered. He then announced that he was going to enlist in the army once he finished school. It was during this time that Jim found out that alot of the players on his team had been drinking alcolhol, and he made each of them sign contracts promising they wouldn't drink, and if they did drink they would be kicked off the team.

With her upcoming wedding and movie, Katy decides to pass on the role of CKT Director, over to Rhonda. There is also rumors that seem to threaten the future of CKT. The owners of the theater want to sell it to this developer who would then tear it down and build high-rise condos.

A guy from another CKT Theater group, Chad Jennings, agrees to move to bloomington for the spring and help direct the spring play, Oliver!

Thoughts: I loved this book just like all the others....my only complaint was that I didn't like Rhonda....I thought she was too jealous and insecure. And Bailey got on my nerves some too. But other than that, the book was great!

A Christmas Star by Thomas Kinkade

Blurb: Late one night, just days before Christmas, Jessica and Sam, and their two kids are woken up by a fire alarm. Their house ends up in flames, there is no time to save anything, and unfortunately, their dog doesn't survive. The whole family is devastated and has a tough time picking up the pieces and trying to move on. They stay with various family members, including Jessica's sister Emily, and Sam's sister Molly, but those arrangements don't last for very long. They soon move in to one of the Cabins at New Horizons where they try to get back into a normal routine. Through all this, Jessica and Sam's relationship is tested because they both have different ways of coping with things like this. But they pull through and they soon realize everything is going to be ok. Because Sam bought the house from an auction, and did alot of the renovations himself, the money they get back from insurance is not nearly enough to pay for building a new house exactly like the one they had. On Christmas, Lillian (Jessica's mother) surprises them by writing them a check for an amount that's more than enough to build a brand new house. They build their new house, that's not identical to the one they had before, but it's perfect for them. They also get a new puppy, much to Jessica's dismay in the beginning, but she seems to warm up to the idea as time goes on.

On that same night as the fire, Single mother, Julie and her young daughter Kate get stranded because of car trouble. They end up at Jack's Christmas Tree farm and she knocks on the door and asks to use the phone. Since it's so late at night, she's unable to find a tow truck so Jack offers to let her stay there for one night. Jack is a very lonely, disgruntled man who keeps to himself most of the time, and after losing his wife and son, has kind of given up and let everything go. The next morning, when Jack tries to help Julie get her car out from under the snow, he falls and sprained his ankle. Julie ends up staying with him longer to take care of him, and she soon works her way into Jack's heart. Then, Jack asks her to stay for Christmas. She leaves the day after Christmas. A week later, he decided he couldn't be without her any longer, so he goes to New York and tells her he loves her and asks her and Kate to come home with him.

Then, on Christmas night, Jack's son David shows up on his doorstep. He has been sent to Iraq and is to report to North Carolina in a few days. He came to spend a few days with Jack so they can talk and make amends and rekindle their relationship.

My thoughts: This book was definitely one of my favorites right along with A Christmas Angel and A Christmas To Remember. I can't wait until next year to read the next book in the series. The only people I didn't care for were Molly's sister and her kids. I thought the kids were spoiled Brats. I also really enjoyed hearing about Jack, Julie, and Kate, and hope to hear about Jack and Julie's wedding in the next book.

Forever by Karen Kingsbury

Blurb: This book starts out just after Dayne proposes to Katy. Dayne is ready to move to Bloomington, and one day Katie sees this perfect house thats right on Lake Monroe. It is really run down, and will need alot of work before they can move in, but Katy and Dayne both see the potential that house has. Then, a short time later, Dayne plans to go back to Bloomington to see the last performance of a show at the Drama camp. On the way to the airport the Paparazzi are trying to chase him and Randi Wells, his co-star Down. This results in a horrible accident leaving Dayne in a coma for 30 days and even the possibility of losing one of his legs. His prognosis does not look very promising. Through the Miracles of God, he pulls through, with Katy by his side the entire time. During this time, the media also finds out that the Baxters are Dayne's family and publish some nasty things about them in the tabloids. All of the Baxter Children seem very accepting of Dayne, and are eager to get to know him. All except Luke. He seems to be having a hard time getting used to the idea, and he feels like all anyone can talk about lately is Dayne. Almost like jealousy toward Dayne. He goes into a tumultous period for a short while and almost ruins his marriage. Luckily, John sends him a letter that Elizabeth had written each of their children. It was all about how to have a successful marriage. Regan finds the letter and realizes how some of this is her fault and realizes alot of things that she could've done differently. They have a long talk one evening and are able to work out alot of their problems. Luke also changes his mind about Dayne, and realizes how awesome it is to have that brother he always wanted. Dayne even offers him a position working exclusively on his contracts and holdings in Bloomington. Luke accepts this position, and they make plans to move their after Christmas.

After Dayne wakes up, though, and sees the article where Luke stated stated "Blood doesn't make him a Baxter" Dayne begins having second thoughts about moving to Bloomington. He is starting to wonder whether it was really a good idea to contact the Baxter Family. Katy still tries to assure him that it was a good idea to find them and that his sisters and his dad still love him. She talks him into at least going to visit for Thanksgiving and meeting Luke and Erin in person. Dayne agrees but is dreading the whole thing.

However, when they show up for Thanksgiving, they find their house is completed and BEAUTIFUL, even though they were told contractors wouldn't be able to get started until the spring. Instead the entire Baxter family, the Flanigans, friends of various family members, and family from CKT chipped in to help get their house ready. After seeing this, Dayne realizes that he is HOME and that this is where the belong. Now, it's time to start planning that wedding.

My thoughts: I think this was my most favorite book out of the Baxter Saga yet. I got tears in my eyes when I was reading about that beautiful new house, and all the people who worked together to make it beautiful. And also the day that Dayne and Katy came home. I CANNOT wait to read the next book in the series and plan to rush to the library to pick it up ASAP.

This is the review I left on Amazon.com:

Normally I don't post reviews for books, but I wanted to for this one. I found myself with tears rolling down my face in several parts of this book. I have read the Redemption Series and all the previous books in the Firstborn Series but this is definitely my favorite so far. I always keep these books coming and reserve the next 1 or 2 from the library as I'm reading each book, so I don't have to go too long between them. I, too, think this series would make a great movie, and often find myself thinking of actors/actresses to play each part.
I've read several of Karen's other books and I don't plan to stop until I've read them all.

I finished this book on 11/8/2008. This is book #61 for the year!!!

A Cedar Cove Christmas

On Christmas Eve, a very pregnant Mary Jo Wyse comes to Cedar Cove, hoping to find David Rhodes, who happens to be the father of her baby. She doesn't find him, but she does find Grace Harding and Olivia Griffin, who happens to be David's stepsister. It is snowing and there isn't any room in any of the hotels, so Grace invites Mary Jo to stay at her place for the night. Later in the evening, Mary Jo goes into labor and delivers a baby girl, who she names Noelle Grace. Mack McAffee is the one who ends up delivering the baby, and sparks definitely fly between him and Mary Jo.

Meanwhile, Mary Jo's brothers, Ned, Mel, and Linc, are on their way to Cedar Cove to find Mary Jo. She left Seattle without telling them because they said they were going to make David Rhodes pay, and Mary Jo wanted everyone to hear the news from her first. The brothers get lost several times, but eventually find their way to the Harding Ranch where they are reunited with Mary Jo, and they meet their brand new neice.

My thoughts: I did enjoy this book, but at the same time it was somewhat of a disappointment. Kind of the way I felt about 74 Seaside Avenue. The storyline seemed a bit corny, but it was still cute. I hope Mary Jo will end up in Cedar Cove (and of course I hope she ends up with Mac!) and we will get to know her better in 92 Pacific Blvd. I didn't really care for Mary Jo's brothers.

I finished this book on 11/8/2008. It is book #60 for the year.

A Virgin River Christmas by Robyn Carr

After losing her husband last Christmas, Marcie comes to Virgin River to try and find her husband's best friend, Ian, a man who saved his life a few years earlier when they were in the marines. Ian lives in a secluded cabin in the woods, surviving without an indoor bathroom, no shower, and living off money he makes moving people and chopping wood. Deep down, he's lonely, but he survbves and prefers minimal to no contact with people. Marcie just wants to talk to him, give him Bobby's Baseball cards, and thank him for saving her husband's life. Originally, he is not happy that she's found him, and demands that she leave immediately. She is on her way to the outhouse when she falls and is knocked unconscious. He later finds her and brings her inside to get her warmed up. She ends up very sick, so she stays in his cabin for days, which eventually turn into weeks. Ian starts to enjoy her company, meanwhile Marcie realizes she's not ready to leave yet, and keeps calling her older sister and telling her she needs more time. As time goes on , Marcie gets Ian to take her into town and into the library, and he starts to realize that being around people may not be such a bad thing. They soon fall in love with each other, and she plans to go home to Chico on Christmas Eve. Then, while she ends up helping by driving the ambulance for him, Ian shows up in town, and finds Marcie and tells her he wants to go to Chico with her for Christmas and he wants to see his dad again. He also tells her that he can't imagine life without her and wants to see if they can make their relationship work. He doesn't quite ask her to marry him, but I could see them going in that direction.

My thoughts: Honestly, at first I wasn't sure if I'd like this, since it didn't center around the people in the other Virgin River books (Jack, Mel, Preacher, etc.), but there was plenty of mention of them as it was. I came to love Ian and Marcie and was hoping they'd end up together, but I think I have yet to see more of their story in Second Chance Pass. I can't wait. I would really like to find some other series that have this small town feel. I'm thinking the McKettrick Series by Linda Lael Miller might be similar. I even got tears in my eyes when (they thought) they were saying goodbye to each other on Christmas Eve. THATS how I know this was a good book!!

I finished this book on 11/4/2008 and it is book #59 for the year!!

Family by Karen Kingsbury

Blurb: Some of the major things in this book that happened were centered around Dayne and Katy. Katy goes to Los Angeles to testify against the stalker/fan that tried to kill Katy. The fan is found guilty. While Katy is in Los Angeles, she and Dayne spend some time together, and try to avoid the Paparazzi. They both realize their true feelings for each other, and desperately try to tell themselves that a relationship would never work for them because their lifestyles are so different. After some soul searching, and a talk with his friend, Bob Asher, Dayne makes a list of things that are most important in his life. The first thing on his list is having Katy in his life. The second thing is having a relationship with his birth family.

That was the other major thing that took place in this book. Dayne has known about his birth family, and has met his father, John Baxter, and talks to him on a regular basis. John has been struggling with telling the kids they have an older brother, and also telling them WHO that older brother is. One night, he decides to call each one of them and tell them about their older brother. At that point, the shock that they even have an older brother is enough, so he doesn't tell them who he is. They are all anxious and surprised, but seem pretty accepting of the news. I'm not sure who was the most shocked. Probably Erin, because she seemed to have the closest relationship with their mother. Later, during the trial, Luke Baxter happens to be the defense attorney. Katy realizes how closely he and Dayne resemble each other, but shrugs it off. Dayne knows the whole time, but doesn't say anything. Then, one day Ashley is at her father's house painting. John's cell phone rings and it is Dayne calling him for Luke. Ashley is curious to know why her dad has Dayne's cell phone number in his phone. But she, too, shrugs it off, until she is at the Flannigans talking with Jenny who tells Ashley that she's surprised that Dayne didn't come to Opening night of Narnia, especially since his birth family lives in Bloomington. Ashley puts two and two together and figures out that this must be their brother. She calls him herself and asks him, and Dayne admits that he is, in fact their brother. Ashley and Dayne make a plan for Dayne to come to the 4th of July picnic and spend the day with the family. That is when the rest of the family will find out who Dayne really is. That day arrives, and Dayne brings Katy, who he has just asked to marry him, to the picnic. Everyone is shocked, once again, but accepts Dayne into the family. They all have a great day getting to know one another. Unfortunately though, Luke, Erin, and their families could not be there..

My thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, just like all the others. I'm really going to miss this family when I'm done reading this saga. Luckily, I still have several books to go. I can't wait to hear more about Dayne and Katy getting married and starting their life. And I'm anxious to see how Dayne will fit into the Baxter family, and how Luke and Erin will accept him as their older brother. As always, I loved hearing about Landon and Ashley. I think theirs is my favorite relationship to read about. I plan to get right to the next book, Forever, as soon as I finish a couple other books I'm reading right now.

This was book #58 for 2008 and I finished it on 11/2/2008.

Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs

BLURB: Sarah Moon is a creator of a comic Strip called Just Breathe. She is pretty happy with her life with her husband Jack, despite the fact that they are having a difficult time getting pregnant. She comes home one day to find him in bed with another woman, and returns to her hometown, Glenmuir. Glenmuir is a fictional town based on the Marin area in Northern California. Soon after she arrives in Glenmuir, Sarah finds out she is pregnant, and later finds out she is expecting twins. She gets her life back on track, and meets friends, and even starts going to a support group for divorced people. She even becomes friends with a guy named Will Bonner, who she went to highschool with. They soon fall in love, and end up getting married. Will has custody of his stepdaughter, Aurora, who is entering those tough teenage years, and is beginning to have questions about her real mother. But, throughout the book Aurora and Sarah have a great friendship. And despite some tension when Aurora realizes Sarah and Will love each other, Sarah and Aurora manage to stay friends and keep the friendship strong.

My thoughts: I LOVED this book...I've loved all Susan Wiggs books I've read so far and can't wait to read more. My only complaint was that this book ended. I would've loved to have read further. And throughout this book I kept thinking how it would be a great movie.

I think my favorite character was Sarah. She sure had a lot on her plate, yet she managed to survive and deal with it all. I did expect her to get pregnant after moving to Glenmuir, but I expected it to come much sooner than it did, and I was definitely NOT expecting twins.

FINISHED: 10/31/2008 # OF BOOKS READ SO FAR THIS YEAR: 57

Catching up

I realized that I haven't posted anything in over a month!! I hate that so I wanted to try and catch up.



Since my last post, I've read the next two books in Karen Kingsbury's Firstborn Series. They were called Forgiven and Found. Both were really good stories. Forgiven focused on Dayne Matthews finding out more about his birth family. It also focused alot of Katy and the Christian Kids Theater. One night after one of their productions, there is a horrible accident which ended up being fatal, and resulted in two of the kids being killed in the accident. All of the kids at the Christian Kids theater took it really hard, but pulled through together with lots of prayer. They realized they should forgive the other driver, and try to move on and honor those two kids.

Ashley and Landon also find out they are expecting a child.

In found, Ashley gives birth during a horrible tornado to a little boy. The Baxters have another family reunion. Luke and Regan adopt a little girl, Malin. Hayley actually surprises everyone by taking her first steps without a walker since the accident. John Baxter also finds out who his first son really is. At first he thinks that Dayne wants nothing to do with him, after talking to Dayne's agent, which really isn't the case. And all this time Dayne is wondering about his parents. Finally, after John tries one last time to contact Dayne, he is successful and they meet in the park. Now, John must find a way to tell the other kids that they have another brother.

Next, I read Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets by John and Kate Gosselin, who are featured on TLC's John & Kate Plus 8. I love this show and tune in every week, and this book was GREAT!!! I only wish they wouldn't have ended it so early.....the kids were still young at the end of this book. Hopefully that means they'll write another book in the future.

I read Hold Tight by Harlan Coben. This book was about a 16 year old who's best friend committed Suicide, so his parents installed some spyware on his computer to monitor the websites he visited. This book was actually pretty disappointing so I ended up skipping alot of parts and skimming the rest.

I have also started the next book in the Firstborn Series, Family. I hope to finish that soon also.

Fame By Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 52

Title: Fame

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 9/21/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction/Inspirational

# of pages: 354

Series: Firstborn Series (Baxter 2)
blurb: This book mainly focused on Dayne Matthews, popular actor from Los Angeles, He had come to Bloomington to the Christian Kids Theater, where he'd seen Katy Hart directing a production of Charlie Brown. He could not get her out of his head. When it came time to cast his own movie, he wanted HER! He was able to track her down and get her to come to Los Angeles to audition for the lead part. This had actually been her childhood dream, which was shattered when her boyfriend, Tad. Died. In her heart, she wants to take the part, but in the end decides that she doesn't belong in a place like Los Angeles surrounded by Paparazzis and cameras, and that Bloomington, Indiana and the Christian Kids Theater are the place for her.

Meanwhile, we also get to catch up with the Baxters. Ryan and Kari's baby boy, Ryan Jr. is now 7 months old. It has been a year since Elizabeth died, and everyone is still grieving her loss. Ashley and Landon are getting ready to go on a Carribean Cruise for their late honeymoon and are talking about adding to their family. We didn't really hear too much about Brooke's Family or Luke's family, except that He and Regan are in the process of adopting. and hardly heard anything about Erin's family.

Ashley was worried about her father when he missed church one Sunday and went to the house to check on him. When she was there, she found some old letters that her mom had written to her dad. Her dad caughter reading one of the letters, which was actually the letter about their firstborn son that they put up for adoption. Her dad snatched it away and wouldn't let her finish reading it. Ashley asked him to make a scrapbook of all those letters. He's not sure if thats a good idea. He's trying to figure out whether he should tell his children about their brother and how to go about doing so.
personal thoughts/opinions: I honestly liked the Redemption Series better...but this building up to other things that happen with the family, so it was still good. I liked reading about Katy and Dayne, and wish Katy could've taken that part and gotten into a relationship with him. But I have a feeling Dayne will end up in Indiana, and they'll meet again. I thought the whole storyline with the cooky stalker was annoying and could've done without reading that. And I didn't like Kelly Parker at all. I thought she was too needy.
What did you like best about the book? Katy and Daynes relationship, friendship, catching up with the Baxters
What didn’t you like about the book? the stalker
why you read it? because 1) I'm reading ALL of Karen Kingsburys books, and 2) I'm reading the entire Baxter Saga, which includes this series.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I had found out about it on Karen Kingsbury's website, and then people in my book group said it was really good so I decided to read it now.
Would you recommend it to others? I already have and will continue to do so.
Do you want to read more books by this author? definitely!!!
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? not really
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? no
Was this book what you expected? I had hoped to hear more about the Baxters, and looked forward to the chapters that were about them. I kept looking in the next chapter to see if it would be about them. But, I knew this book focused mostly on Dayne.
What book are you planning to read next? Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery

Reunion by Karen Kingsbury

Elizabeth found a lump in her breast on March 7th. She has it tested and the cancer has come back. It's stronger and more aggressive than before. The doctor does a double Mastectomy. Elizabeth decides she wants a reunion with all her kids on Sanibel Island, Florida. They later find out that the surgery and treatments were not successful and Elizabeth is given 3-4 months to live.

Erin and Sam are in the process of adopting a little girl, who's due soon. Her birth parents try to blackmail them into giving them more money by telling them they won't give them the baby if Erin and Sam don't give them the money. Later they get another call from the social worker, who tells them Candy, the birthmother of the first baby has been charged with abandonment after leaving her baby with the neighbor and never coming back. Erin and Sam agree to adopt her after all and they also surprise everyone by adopting the baby's two older sisters.

Their first adoption fell through and they were devastated, but they found Heidi Jo, a little girl who's mixed race and was abandoned, left at the hospital after her mom gave birth to her in a bedroom. She is immediately available for adoption. Erin and Sam are thrilled and immediately agree to adopt her.

Ashley finally made an appointment with the doctor after finding out she tested positive for AIDS. The doctor does another blood test and they find out she was a false positive, which means that she tested NEGATIVE for AIDS.

Landon asks Ashley to marry him and she says yes! They set the wedding date for July 19th

Kari announces that she is pregnant again.

The book also goes back into the past a little bit telling how Elizabeth got pregnant and had a child before they were married. Her parents forced her to go away when she was pregnant and to put the baby up for adoption. She came back to them for a month, and by that time she was 8 so she moved in with John and they got married soon after that.

The child's name is Dayne Matthews and he's a popular actor from Los Angeles. Luke is doing an intership with one of the entertainment law firms in New York. Luke meets Dayne Matthews when his agent brings him into Luke's office. The pictures in the office catch Dayne's attention and he can't get them or Luke out of his mind and can't figure out why. He later goes back to Luke's office and looks at the pictures. He takes the picture of Luke's parents because the woman looks so familiar, but he still can't figure out why. Dayne's adoptive parents recently died and left him a bunch of pictures and papers. He goes through them and finds adoption papers, which he didn't know about before, and a picture of Elizabeth.

He hires a private investigator, who finds out where Baxter Family lives. And also finds out that Elizabeth is in the hospital dying of cancer. Dayne makes it to the hospital just in time to meet her. She dies that same night.

After meeting Elizabeth, Dayne ends up at the Christian Kids Theater and catches the end of the production of Charlie Brown. He sees the director and can't stop thinking about her. She notices him too, and has the same reaction. The is actually where the next series starts off.

Because of her mom's health, Ashley decides to move up her wedding date by a week because it's really important to her that her mom be there. They end up getting married on July 12th.

John and Elizabeth were married August 22, 1968. They had Brooke in 1972. Then they had Kari, Ashley, and Erin, in that order. They had Luke in 1980.

I LOVED this story. I felt so sad for Elizabeth, but I'm glad everything happened when it did. She got to see all of her children get married and got to see her son she put up for adoption all those years ago. Im so glad everything worked out for Erin and Sam too. The birth parents were horrible!!! I'm so glad they ended up with 4 beautiful girls.

I have since started Fame...the first book in the next series, and can't wear to hear more about the Baxters.

I finished this on 9/12/2008

Rejoice by Karen Kingsbury

REJOICE-



Brooke and her family are at a pool party. She happens to be on call at the hospital, and leaves to take a call. She leaves Peter in charge, but he's too wrapped up in a baseball game to pay attention to their two daughters. He had taken their life jackets off so they could have cake, but Hayley, their 3 year old went back in the pool without her life jacket. She was found in the bottom of the pool several minutes later. She was rushed to the hospital. When they take her to the hospital, she has a pulse but she's not breathing. Doctors say she has severe brain damage. They also tell Brooke and Peter that she's blind. Brooke learns to comfort her by her touch and her voice. Peter, on the other hand, withdraws and turns to pain pills, and becomes addicting. Brooke is constantly at the hospital, and Maddie moves in with Brooke's parents. Peter tells Brooke he wants a divorce, something I think they both knew was coming.



Later doctors tell Brooke that Hayley, can in fact see.



Landon gets called into the Captains office for a meeting. They tell him that they want to promote him to Captain and eventually promote him to Chief of the department.



Erin and Sam announce to the family that they are in the process of adopting a child. A little girl, who's due in 6 months.


The whole family goes to New York for Luke and Regan's wedding on Christmas Eve.




A short while later, peter almost overdoses on the pain pills when he realizes how important Brooke and his girls really are to him and how much he misses them. He calls 911 and is brought to a detoxification clinic to recover. He and Brooke decide to try and work things out.

Shortly after New Years, Irvel Dies suddenly

I think this book and Reunion were my favorites out of this series. Again, I honestly don't have much to say, not because I hated this book, but because I LOVED this series!!! I don't even know where to begin

I finished it on 9/11/2008

Return by Karen Kingsbury

I read these 3 books in 3 days. I am HOOKED on this series. I read so fast, I didn't have time to stop and do my reviews like I normally do. I will do these entries a little different and just mention the highlights of the book.

Regan discovers she's pregnant with Luke's child. She decides not to tell Luke. Landon later finds her, and tells Ashley. Regan begs them not to tell Luke. Ashley later tells Luke and Luke moves to New York to be with Regan and baby. He also makes up with his family and realizes who he really is and important faith and his religion really are to him.

Kari and Ryan announce they are getting married. Regan and the baby show up at the wedding and the family is reunited with Regan and they meet their little nephew/grandson for the first time.

Ashley is still working at Sunset Hills adult home. She is the manager there and is very close with all the residents there. For the very first time, Cole tells Ashley that their family thinks her artwork belongs in a musuem. This means more to Ashley than any of them will ever know. She decides to call around to some art galleries in New York, One gallery asks her to email them some pictures of her art work. The gallery likes her work so much, the invite her to come to the gallery and bring 3 pieces with her. Ashley is beyond thrilled. Ashley goes to the gallery for her meeting and finds out they want to price her paintings at Three thousand dollars each.

Then Ashley gets this call from Paris on the way to the airport. She decides it's nothing important and dismisses it. She didn't think of it until a week later when her dad visited the adult home, and asked her about it. She replied that she figured it was a mistake. Several days later she gets another call from Paris, this time from a man at the gallery where she used to work. Ashley finds out the guy she was with in Paris, and who's Cole's father, is dying of AIDS.

Ashley gets tested right away and the test comes back positive. A few days later, when Ashley is getting ready to board a plane to New York, she gets a call about the test results.

Landon asks Ashley to marry him, but Ashley says no because he deserves someone healthy and someone who can give him a beautiful family. Landon doesn't care about any of that. He wants HER!!

Brooke's daughter Maddie continue's to get horrible fevers. This time she has a temperature of 103. Peter resents Brooke because she didn't take Maddie's temperature, and he feels she should've. Brooke finds out that Peter made an appointment with a specialist without talking to her first, and is hurt. Dr. Ruiz decides to admit her for a few days to get some antibiotics into her system and to rule out infection. Tests indicate that the problem is with an anomaly in the bladder, and it doesn't drain properly. Maddie can have laser surgery to correct this problem.

I really enjoyed this book. I don't know what else to say. I loved all the characters, loved the sense of family and loyalty to one another. I liked different things about each character so I really don't have a favorite. I think the one I most identify with though is Ashley.


Finished 9/10/08

Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery

28 year old Claire is a famous Piano Player who was sent away when she was 6 years old. She has a twin sister Nicole, who runs the family's bakery, and they have a younger sister, Jessie. Nicole is sick and Jessie asks Claire to come back and take care of Nicole, much to Nicole's Dismay. Nicole always resented the fact that Claire went away and she thinks Claire took their mother away from her. Nicole also thinks Claire is the reason their mom is dead. As time goes on, Claire and Nicole make amends and bridge the distance between them, and become friends. Meanwhile, Nicole catches Jessie in bed with her husband, and after, catches Nicole selling cakes using their cake recipe from their bakery online. Nicole says she never wants to speak to Jessie again.

Claire hasn't done a performance since her last show ended with her having a panic attack. She's almost afraid to do another show, but she really misses playing. While visiting Nicole, she starts playing again, learns how to cope with her anxiety.

Also while she's visiting, she falls in love with Wyatt, the stepbrother of Nicole's husband, Drew. Wyatt has a daughter named Amy, who's deaf, and she becomes great friends with Claire. It takes Wyatt a long time to admit his attraction to Claire, especially since Amy's mom, Shanna left him. He's not sure he can trust another woman not to hurt him again. Also they sleep together, and do not use protection, and Wyatt doesn't learn until later that Claire is a Virgin. Claire ends up pregnant, much to her delight, and much to Wyatt's dismay.

After Claire goes back to New York, Wyatt finally realizes how he really feels about her. Claire is performing at a concert, which Wyatt attends. He tells Claire that he's willing to move to New York so Claire doesn't have to give up her career. Claire tells him she wants to move back to Seattle to be with him and Amy.

Claire also stands up to her Manager, Lisa. Lisa has realized that Claire is not a child anymore and deserves to have control over her life and when and where she performs. Lisa also realizes that she wants to start her own life and do some things she missed out on.

~~~~~~~MY THOUGHTS~~~~~~~~~~

I really felt for Claire, she was blamed/resented for a lot of things that were really beyond her control. I couldn't imagine being taken away from my home and the only family I've known at just 6 years old. I thought Nicole was a snot at first, but I did come to like her and see things from her perspective toward the end. I could see why she felt the way she did, but that doesn't excuse some of the things she said. Now, Jessie...I'm not so sure. She was obviously pushed aside so it's really no wonder she is the way she is. It seemed like maybe there was more to the whole "sleeping with Drew" story but she was never able to speak for herself.

This was my first Susan Mallery book and it won't be my last!!!

Finished: 9/8/08

Reading Next: Return by Karen Kingsbury

8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber

# of book read so far this year: 47

Title: 8 Sandpiper Way

Author: Debbie Macomber

Date Finished: 9/3/2008

Genre: Romance

# of pages: 371

Series: Cedar Cove Series
blurb: Pastor Dave Flemming's Wife thinks he's cheating on her when she finds a pair of diamond earrings in his coat pocket. He had been visiting Martha regularly when she passed away. She told him she wanted him to have her watch, but there is no paperwork to prove it. Then, Martha's daughters report some jewelry missing. Sheriff Troy Davis and Detective Roy McAfee some investigating and find the missing jewelry. Olivia is dealing with her Breast Cancer, and is getting ready to start Chemotherapy. Terri Polgar is expecting Triplets!!! Troy's old girlfriend, Faith, is back in town. I think they're both still attracted to each other, but neither wants to admit. Megan really likes Faith and thinks they should start Dating. Little does Megan know, she's part of the reason they broke up before. Tanni and Shaw find a skeleton in this cave that they found. Around the same time James, Bobby Polgar's Driver went missing, after the truth about his identity and real name, were revealed in a newspaper article. I think the skeleton in the cave is James and that he committed suicide.
personal thoughts/opinions: I liked this book a lot better than the last book in the series. I didn't like some of the characters though. My least favorite were Linnette McAfee, and Christie, Terri's Sister.
What did you like best about the book? getting to hear about all the characters again. I also thought it was clever how she connected this series with the Dakota Series....Linnette is Living in Buffalo Valley, which is where those books are set. Debbie even mentioned some of the characters in that series, like Hassie Knight and a couple others.
What didn’t you like about the book? The characters I mentioned above.
why you read it? I've read ALL the books in this series and I'm eagerly awaiting the next one! This time I only have to wait 2 months for the Christmas In Cedar Cove to be released!! I can't wait!!!
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I had found this series on my own a long time ago when I was looking on amazon for books. I used to look at that website all the time and find books that I had read, and then go to the "people who liked this book also liked" section. Thats how I originally found out about the Cedar Cove Series. When I found the series, only the first 3 books had been written.
Would you recommend it to others? definitely!!
Do you want to read more books by this author? yes I sure will!!
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? not really
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all....I just didn't have much time to read, so it took me a little longer to finish than I thought it would.
Was this book what you expected? yes
What book are you planning to read next? I'm currently reading Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery.

Remember by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 46

Title: Remember

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 8/23/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 401

Series: Redemption Series (Baxter 1)
blurb: This book takes place around the time of 9/11. Landon, who has loved Ashley since childhood, goes to New York, to help in the rescue and cleanup of 9/11 in order to try and find his good friend Jalen. Ashley gets a job in a group home for people with Alzheimer's and also finally is able to talk about what happened to her when she was in Paris. Luke's girlfriend, Regan's Father, worked in the Twin Towers, and was never found after 9/11. After that, Regan refused to take Luke's calls and their relationship ended. This caused Luke to question his beliefs in God. The pain that both Luke and Ashley are going through brings them closer together, than they have been in several years.
personal thoughts/opinions: I can still identify with Ashley. I really enjoyed this book, and can't wait to start the next book in the series. I like how each book in this series builds one the previous book.
What did you like best about the book? the flow of the story, the writer made me feel like I knew the characters so well, I could've been living in the Baxter home.
What didn’t you like about the book?
why you read it? I am trying to read all of Karen Kingsbury's books. I had started this series and really enjoyed the first two books, I want to go ahead and finish the last 3 in the series as well, and move on to the next series about this family!!
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I found it on my own when I was looking at Karen Kingsbury's book list on her website. It has also been discussed in a couple of my reading groups.
Would you recommend it to others? definitely!
Do you want to read more books by this author? definitely!! I plan to read all her books!!
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? Somewhat of the Cape Light series....I think the gentle tones of the storylines, if that makes sense, and also the characters. Perhaps because it's set in a small town, and it's has more of a religious feel to it.
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all!!! In fact I'm thinking I'll put my current book I'm reading aside to start the next one
Was this book what you expected? yes
What book are you planning to read next? Well since reading this, I've read 8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber and I'm now reading Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery.

Baxter Family

This Family lives In/Near Bloomington, Indiana.

They were married August 22, 1968. They had Brooke in 1972 followed by Kari, Ashley, and Erin, and then they had Luke in 1980.

John Baxter- Physician. married to Elizabeth Baxter for more than 30 years . They have 5 children. 4 girls and 1 boy

Elizabeth Baxter- majored in Nutrition. Used to be meal Planner at hospital. Was in remission from Breast Cancer. The cancer came back, and the treatment and surgery were unsuccessful. She died after a few months.

Brooke West - Mom to 2 year old Hailey and 4 year old Maddie. About to get her Medical License to practice Pediatrics.

Peter West- Brooke's Husband. Top Internist at St. Ann's Hospital.

Kari Baxter Jacobs- Twenty Eight years old. Models part time for department store catalogs. Also teachers Sunday School, Church Choir, and Volunteers at the Musuem. Becomes pregnant with her first child. Gives birth to a daught, Jessie Renee, named after Kari's grandmother. Later marries Ryan Taylor. They have a son.

Tim Jacobs- Kari's Husband. Journalism professor. He is killed by a student.

Ryan Taylor- Kari's Teenage crush. Now her husband. Just came back to Clear Creek is now the coach at Clear Creek Highschool. Former Pro Football Player.

Ashley Baxter- 25 years old. Single Mom to Three year old Cole. She's an Artist. Spent a year in Paris. Marries Landon Blake, who has ALWAYS had a crush on her.

Erin- Kindergarten Teacher. married to Sam. They adopt 4 girls: Heidi Jo, Amy Elizabeth, Chloe and Clarisse.

Luke Baxter- Student at Indiana University. Plays Basketball on Intramural team. Marries Regan after finding out got pregnant shortly after 9/11. and gave birth to his son, Thomas Luke


Dirk Bennett- Angie's ex-boyfriend. college student

Pastor Mark Atteberry- Pastor at Clear Creek Community Church.

Landon Blake- Firemen. Has had a crush on Ashley since they were teenagers.

Dayne Matthews- Hot Actor from Los Angeles. He is actually John and Elizath's oldest son. Elizabeth got pregnant with him before they were married and put him up for adoption.

Redemption by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 45

Title: Redemption

Author: Karen Kingsbury & Gary Smalley

Date Finished: 8/20/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 373

Series: Redemption Series Baxters 1
blurb: Kari finds out her husband, Tim is cheating on her with one of his students, Angie. She refuses to divorce him as he requests, and wants so desperately to work on their relationship. Tim soon realizes he really is in love with her and wants to be with her. Kari also finds out she's pregnant with Tim's child, thus another reason why Tim decides to come home to Kari. Tim's Student, Angela Manning, is devastated that Tim decides to go back to Kari, and in her heart Angie still believes Tim loves HER. Angie's ex-boyfriend Dirk, desperately wants Angie back and sees Tim as the only thing that ever came between them. Angie lies to Tim and tells him she's pregnant with his child. Tim goes to her apartment one last time to tell her goodbye and that he can't be with her. This ends up being the same night that Dirk plans to propose to Angie. Dirk runs into Tim on his way in to Angie's apartment. He shoots Tim 3 times and ends up killing him. He confesses what he has done and is convicted of Murder. Angie is able to confess to Tim that she really isn't pregnant and Tim asks her to tell Kari that he's really sorry and that he loves her.
personal thoughts/opinions: This was one of those books that leaves you wanting to read the next book NOW....which I luckily checked out the first two books in the series at the same time. I can already tell it won't take me long at all to get through this series. I thought they did a great job introducing us to each member of the family, and letting us into their lives. Though I did feel like there were some unanswered questions about Kari's brother sisters. What happened to Ashley in Paris? Why does Erin's baby always seem to be sick? What happened to Brooke and her husband to test their faith? What happened between Luke and Ashley? I really felt sorry for Ashley at some times. Then other times I really hated her? Personally I think Ryan and Ashley should be together? Although I can understand why he doesn't want to if he says he'd be imagining Kari every time he looked at Ashley?
What did you like best about the book? probably Tim and Kari's relationship...I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did though.
What didn’t you like about the book? I didn't like Angie AT ALL. I don't approve of anyone "cheating" on spouses or partners, and even worse, willingly "helping" someone cheat by dating married people.
why you read it? I had wanted to read the Forever Faithful Series, but found out that this series is connected and should be read before. I'm sure glad I read this book.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I found it on my own. I'm trying to read all of Karen Kingsbury's books.
Would you recommend it to others? definitely!
Do you want to read more books by this author? I plan to read the rest of this series, and the other series that are connected, as well as all of her other books!
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? In a way it reminds me of the Cape Light Series.....,John Baxter reminds me of the Pastor from that series.
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all
Was this book what you expected? yes
What book are you planning to read next? I think I will continue with this series and read the next book "Remember"

Hannah's Hope by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 44

Title: Hannah's Hope

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 8/14/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 162

Series: Red Glove Series
blurb: Hannah is 15 years old and is the daughter of Jack and Carol Roberts, who are both politicians and seem to make their work a higher priority than spending time with their only daughter. They break the news to Hannah that they won't be coming home for Christmas. Hannah is crushed....she's been really lonely. Carol decides it's time to finally tell Hannah that Mike isn't her real father; that she left Hannah's real father, Mike, when Hannah was 4 years old, because she felt that she was too grown up for him. Now, Mike was an officer in the Army. He was sent on a mission and almost died. Hannah recorded a message that would air on the country music video channel. And it was by pure luck that Mike happened to see it. In the meantime, Hannah was able to find out where Mike was stationed and get ahold of him. They were reunited at last.
personal thoughts/opinions: I didn't care for Hannah's mom and her husband at all. I thought they had their priorities all wrong. Other than that it was the perfect feel-good story.
What did you like best about the book? It was a nice QUICK read. I finished it in one evening.
What didn’t you like about the book? probably the parents
Who was you favorite character/least favorite character and why? My least favorite character was Hannah's mom
why you read it? I have been trying to read all of Karen Kingsbury's books.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? Well I found it by looking at Karen Kingsbury's backlist of books she's written.
Would you recommend it to others? yes I definitely would
Do you want to read more books by this author? DEFINITELY! I brought several of her other books home from the library the other day.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? not so much
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all
Was this book what you expected? yes
What book are you planning to read next? Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery and Gideon's Gift also by Karen Kingsbury, and also part of the Red Glove Series.

Summer By the Sea by Susan Wiggs

# of book read so far this year: 42

Title: Summer By the Sea

Author: Susan Wiggs

Date Finished: 8/13/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 407

Series: n/a
blurb: Rosa Capoletti had her heart broken 12 years earlier when her boyfriend, Alex Montgomery, left her without any explanation, right when her father was in a horrible car accident, leaving him death. He has now returned to Winslow, after his own Mother committed suicide. During this summer, they learn a lot about the past and about what really happened that night. Rosa must also come to terms with the fact that her father is growing older and starting to need more help. Rosa and Alex finally rekindle their feelings for each other, though neither of them want to admit their true feelings at first.
personal thoughts/opinions: I really enjoyed this book. I liked how it went back and forth between present time and the past (this book was set in 2004 or somewhere around there). I was hoping Rosa and Alex would get married or he would at least propose to her. I loved the way the book opened with the scene in the restuarant...probably irrelevent as far as the story goes, but I still liked it.
What did you like best about the book? I don't think there was a single character that I DIDN'T like...a nice change.
What didn’t you like about the book? that it ended. I was hoping to see Rosa and Alex get married
Who was you favorite character/least favorite character and why? Rosa and Alex
why you read it? probably Alex's Ex-fiancee, but even she wasn't too bad.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? After I read The Ocean Between Us, I found Susan Wiggs' complete list of books. So, I found it on my own. I got the urge to actually read it after several people in one of my book groups began talking about it.
Would you recommend it to others? yes
Do you want to read more books by this author? I definitely want to read more books by her...I plan to read all of her books.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? It reminds me of Summer At Willow Lake, and that series in that it alternated between the past and the present.
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all
Was this book what you expected? yes...well I did expect Alex to at least propose to Rosa....there were a lot of unexpected twists though.
What book are you planning to read next? The Surrogate by Judith Henry Wall

Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 42

Title: Maggie’s Miracle

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 8/12/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 167

Series: Red Glove Series
blurb: Megan (Maggie) is a busy New York Prosecutor, and is a single mom of Jordan. Her mother also lives with them. Maggie’s husband died of a heart attack, and even before then, they had a very distant relationship. Her husband was really only interested in Jordan. Jordan really wants a “daddy” and is desperate for a role model. Maggie finds out about this program that pairs willing adults with children who are grieving the loss of a loved one. That’s how they meet Casey. Casey lost his wife when she was in labor with their son. It’s been two years and he’s still having a tough time moving on without her. Casey and Jordan become great friends, and the program ends up being really good for both of them. Best of all, Casey and Maggie meet and develop a connection. They also soon discover (on Christmas Day!) that they knew each other when they were teenagers. Casey is the one who told Maggie to “Hold out for real love, because real love never fails”. Maggie and Casey end up getting married, and she later gets pregnant with a baby girl.
personal thoughts/opinions: This was such a sweet story. It’s one of those stories that leaves you with a great, warm feeling.
What did you like best about the book? The story itself. The moral of the story that you should never give up on finding true love and that Miracles really can happen.
What didn’t you like about the book? I only wish that it would’ve been longer
why you read it? I’m trying to read every book by Karen Kingsbury
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? Well it only caught my attention because someone in one of my bookgroups mentioned it. But since I’m trying to read all of Karen Kingsbury’s books, I think I would’ve found it sooner or later
Would you recommend it to others? Definitely!!
Do you want to read more books by this author? Definitely!! I brought home a whole stack from the library and have more on hold.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? It reminds me of the Richard Paul Evans books, the Donna Van Liere Christmas Blessing Series, and Debbie Macomber’s Angel books.
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? Not at all. I finished it in LESS THAN 6 HOURS
Was this book what you expected? Yes, maybe even more
What book are you planning to read next? Still reading Summer By the Sea by Susan Wiggs.

Rogue by Danielle Steel

# of book read so far this year: 41

Title: Rogue

Author: Danielle Steel

Date Finished: 8/10/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 305

Series: N/A
blurb: Maxine, a Psychiatrist who works with suicidal teens, is a busy mother of 3, living in New York City. Her ex-husband, Blake, is basically a grown-up kid with houses all over the world, and expensive toys and gadgets. He likes to have fun and doesn’t accept responsibilities as an adult. Maggie meets Charles, a physician, who is much more like her than Blake ever was. They fall in love and decide to get married. Charles does not feel comfortable around her children and can’t understand why or accept the fact that Blake is so involved in Maggie’s life. This creates a lot of tension between them, in face the night before the wedding, after a number of events, the wedding is called off, and Maggie and Blake end up getting-remarried, much to their childrens’ delight. Maggie’s children are Daphne, who’s 13, Jack, who’s 12, and Sam, who’s 6.
personal thoughts/opinions: I really enjoyed this story. I actually could see how opposites would attract with Maxine and Blake. I love what Blake did with the opening the orphanage. I’m so glad Maxine was able to appreciate that as well.
What did you like best about the book? The characters.
What didn’t you like about the book? I didn’t like Charles at all. I thought he was too uptight, and I felt like he didn’t give himself a chance to get to know Daphne’s kids, he just kind of barged in on them. I also didn’t like how he didn’t respect that Blake was a big part of their lives.
why you read it? Because I read all of Danielle Steel’s books.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I keep up with all of Danielle Steel’s releases, so I found it on my own.
Would you recommend it to others? Yes
Do you want to read more books by this author? Definitely. I already know she has one more book coming out in 2008 and another coming out in early 2009. I can’t wait to read them.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? Not really
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? Not at all
Was this book what you expected? Yes
What book are you planning to read next? Summer By the Sea by Susan Wiggs

Feels Like Family by Sherryl Woods

# of book read so far this year: 40

Title: Feels Like Family

Author: Sherryl Woods

Date Finished: 7/18/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 393

Series: Sweet Magnolias
blurb: Helen has been too caught up in her career to even think about getting married and start a family. She just assumes that in time it will happen. As she gets older she starts to worry that it will never happen. As she spends more and more time at Sullivan's, she gets to know Erik and becomes attracted to him, no matter how much she may deny it. She also thinks that he may be the answer to her worries. She comes up with a scheme to get him into bed, hoping to get pregnant. Her plan works. Erik was previously an EMT, and he lost his wife and their unborn baby while trying to save them one horrible night. So he does not want to marry or have any more children, because his greatest fear is suffering yet another huge loss. Eric finally finds out that Helen is pregnant, and demands that they marry and insists that he will be a part of their baby's life. Both of them are worried that they're only marrying for convenience with no true feelings for each other, yet they're really too stubborn to admit they really do have feelings for each other. Helen gives birth to a baby girl at the very end of the book. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the baby in the next book.

Maddie and Cal also have another baby, this time a baby boy.
personal thoughts/opinions: I didn't really like the whole storyline of Helen LYING to Erick. That is not the way to treat someone you have feelings for. I didn't really like Erick to begin with, nor did I really like Helen, but since I can identify with some of the feelings she had, I guess my feelings toward her did soften a little bit. I'm hoping that in the next book, Dana Sue and Ronnie will have another baby. They need a playmate for Helen's Baby and Maddie's babies.
What did you like best about the book? My favorite character is Maddy.
What didn’t you like about the book? I didn't like the whole Brad/Caroline storyline.
why you read it? because I've enjoyed the other two books in the series...and also 3 new books are being released soon, so I wanted to be ready for those.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I think after I mentioned how much I liked Mending Fences, someone recommended these to me.
Would you recommend it to others? yes
Do you want to read more books by this author? definitely...I have several more of her books here in my shelves to read.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? no
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? no
Was this book what you expected? yes....there were some extra storylines that I wasn't expecting, and honestly I don't think I was expecting Helen to lie to someone just so she could get pregnant. I could think of tons of other storylines for her that would've been interesting (adoption, surrogacy, etc.) But overall, I liked it.

A Time To Embrace by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 39

Title: A Time To Embrace

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 7/15/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 315

Series: Women of Faith Fiction
blurb: John and Abby have recently fallen back into love with each other. John is the coach for the high school football team, and is going through a tough season. A lot of the parents feel that he's falling short as a coach and petition to have him fired. This leads to John sending a letter of resignation to the school board.There are certain players on the team that seem to think they are better than everyone else. One night, John is in a tragic accident with two students who are street racing. This accident leaves John paralysed from the waist down. The prognosis does not look good, until later, when he begins to have feeling in his toe...and sees small movements. The doctors tell him he is a candidate for surgery that would repair his spinal cord and help him to regain feeling in his legs. The surgery is a great success and Doctors tell the family, that once John is recovered, he will be able to walk again. John also decides that he will continue teaching and coaching at the school next year. John and Abby's daughter, Nicole, gets pregnant. She goes into labor very early and delivers a little girl which she names Haley Ann. Haley has a lot of complications and no one knows if she will survive. Then, by some miracle, on the same day that John is supposed to have surgery, she begins breathing on her own, and her condition changes from critical to serious. They soon realize that Hailey is going to be ok.
personal thoughts/opinions: I really enjoyed this book, maybe even more than A Time To Dance....this was a very intense book and had a lot of twists in the storyline that I wasn't expecting. I thought it would simply be the story of John and Abby after they rekindled their romance.
What did you like best about the book? All the twists in the story! Some of the more intimate/special moments between John and Abby
What didn’t you like about the book? I honestly don't think there was anything I didn't like
why you read it? I enjoyed A Time To Dance so much and I was really excited to find out there was a sequel.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I decided to read it myself
Would you recommend it to others? yes I definitely would, along with all the other books I've already read by Karen Kingsbury
Do you want to read more books by this author? definitely. I want to read ALL of her books
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? It reminded me of something that Jodi Picoult would write
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all, in fact I was reading two books at once and this book was definitely the preferred book.
Was this book what you expected? yes and no...It was what I expected PLUS MORE!!! I wasn't expecting all the twists in the storyline.

A Slice of Heaven by Sherryl Woods

# of book read so far this year: 38

Title: A Slice of Heaven

Author: Sherryl Woods

Date Finished: 7/9/08

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 395

Series: Sweet Magnolias Series
blurb: This book centered around Dana Sue, and her daughter, Annie. Annie suffers from Anorexia and manages to hide it for so long that she passes out at a slumber party. This brings Dana out of her denial and forces her to realize that it's time to get her daughter some help. Her ex-husband, Robbie, comes back to Serenity, and they realize how much they missed each other. Robbie decides to stay in Serenity and re-opens a hardware store where the old store closed down.
personal thoughts/opinions: I rhought Dana Sue was too much in denial, and I thought she should've realized Annie had a problem way before she actually did. She should've been more forceful about taking Annie to see a doctor.
What did you like best about the book? probably the small-town feel and the way the story kept my interest. And the fact that Dana Sue and Ronnie are back together!! I think Dana Sue needs to get pregnant again
What didn’t you like about the book? I didn't really like Dana Sue's Character
why you read it? I really enjoyed the other books I've read by Sherryl Woods and I heard so many good things about this series. Plus, this series is being continued, with 3 new releases coming out soon, so I wanted to be sure I was caught up and ready for those books.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? It was recommended to me by one of my reading groups.
Would you recommend it to others? I sure would
Do you want to read more books by this author? definitely
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? not so much
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? no
Was this book what you expected? yeah.....I think Dana Sue getting back together with Ronnie was a pleasant surprise though.

A Time To Dance by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 37

Title: A Time To Dance

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 7/6/08

Genre: Inspirational/Christian Fiction

# of pages: 322

Series: Women of Faith
blurb: Abby and John Reynolds have been married 22 years. The spark in their marriage went out a long time ago, when they became too busy for each other and eventually started to resent each other. John is a highschool teacher and football coach, which is how he met Charlene, a young, single woman who is divorced. They fall in love and have an affair, which makes John fall OUT of love with Abby. They decide to get a divorce. They plan to tell their 3 children during their family meeting, but then their daughter Nicole announces that she and her boyfriend Matt are engaged and plan to marry in 6 months. John and Abby agree to wait until after the wedding is over to tell their children. They pretty much avoid each other for 6 months and Abby makes John promise not to hang around Charlene. Of course, in Charlene’s eyes, this just makes John that much more enticing. Right before Nicole’s wedding, her younger brother Kade, does his senior project on the eagle and the theme of his project is how the eagle is supposed to be strong and to fly above the storm. While Nicole and Matt are on their honeymoon, John realizes he really DOES love Abby, and he can’t be without her. They decide not to get divorce and try to work things out.
personal thoughts/opinions: I did not like Charlene AT ALL...I thought John was pretty degrading sometimes with how he was always talking down to Abby. I was reading the synopsis of the sequel to this book, so it did kind of ruin the ending for me. But it was the events that lead up to the ending that made it entertaining. I did not like Matt's mom...she was a kooky old lady.
What did you like best about the book? the storyline.
What didn’t you like about the book? the way that John acted at times, Matt's mom
why you read it? because I want to read ALL of Karen Kingsbury's books and this storyline caught my eye.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I found it on my own
Would you recommend it to others? yes I already have
Do you want to read more books by this author? yes...I have the sequel on hold at the library and plan to read several of her other series.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? no, but I think I could see a contemporary fiction author writing a storyline like this
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? no, except for the part with Matt's parents....I skimmed through that a couple times.
Was this book what you expected? definitely

What book are you planning to read next? I'm currently finising A Slice of Heaven by Sherryl Woods, and then I think I will start Promise Me by Harlan Coben

Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods

# of book read so far this year: 36

Title: Stealing Home

Author: Sherryl Woods

Date Finished: 7/1/08

Genre: Romance

# of pages: 394

Series: Sweet Magnolias Series
blurb: Stealing Home Centered around Maddie’s Family. Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen have been friends since highschool and were fondly known as the “Sweet Magnolias”. Maddie’s husband recently left her for a younger women, who he also got pregnant. Her and her children are having a tough time dealing with things. Her oldest son, Ty, is a star pitcher on the highschool’s baseball team, and the Coach notices a change in his attitude and calls Maddie to talk about it. They soon develop a friendship, and eventually admit their attraction to each other. Despite some opposition of other parents and teachers, they make their relationship known to everyone, and end up getting married and Maddie gets pregnant, and later has a baby girl, Jessie Lynn. Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen are tired of the current Gym and they open a spa/gym designed only for women. It becomes a huge hit around the town. It has workout equipment, a relaxing atmosphere, and even a café with HEALTHY treats for the women to enjoy when they are at the gym. The book also touched on Annie's (Dannie Sue's daughter) eating disorder, but the second book in the series goes into greater detail about that.
personal thoughts/opinions: My favorite character is Maddie. I did not like Noreen at all, and being a child of divorce, I could totally identify with Ty, Kyle, and Katie. I thought Maddie and Cal were perfect for each other. And I hated how the school and the community tried to come between them. I didn't really care for Helen. She was too much of a loudmouth.
What did you like best about the book? The small town feel and the happy ending!! Also the fact that due to personal experience, I could really relate to the storyline.
What didn’t you like about the book? probably Helen, and the principal from the highschool.
why you read it? because I'd heard a lot of good things about this series and after reading Mending Fences, I was anxious to read more of Sherryl Woods' books.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? I think it was recommended after I mentioned how much I liked Mending Fences.
Would you recommend it to others? definitely!!
Do you want to read more books by this author? yes I'm now almost finished with the second book in the series, and plan to read the 3rd book. I also have a couple more books at home by her, as well as some anthologies that include her work, and I plan to read her other series.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? not so much
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? no
Was this book what you expected?What book are you planning to read next? I have since read the second book in the series, A Slice of Heaven, and also A Time To Dance by Karen Kingsbury.

Seaview Inn by Sherryl Woods

# of book read so far this year: 35

Title: Seaview Inn

Author: Sherryl Woods

Date Finished: 6/28/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 394

Series: ~~~~
blurb: Hannah comes to Seaview Keys, Hoping to persuade her grandmother, Jenny, who's getting old, to see Seaview Inn and move into a retirement home. Hannah is worried that it's getting to be too much for Granny Jenny and she wants her to move into a retirement home. Hannah has also recently lost her mother to breast cancer, and also been diagnosed with breast cancer herself, so she's also coming to Sea View Keys to try and get herself back together and get her life back in order. Hannah's daughter, Kelsey, announces that she's pregnant, and while she loves the baby's father, she's not yet ready to marry him and she's unsure of whether she wants to keep the baby or put it up for adoption. She drops out of college at Stanford University and comes to Seaview Inn to try and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Luke, Hannah's childhood crush , is an orthepedic surgeon. He has just returned from Iraq, where he was an army doctor. He is recovering from an car bomb that shattered his leg. He has also just gone through a painful divorce, after finding out that his wife and best friend cheated on him while he was in Iraq. He, is also in Seaview Key to try and figure everything out, and figure out what he wants and where he wants to be. Later in the story, when Hannah is cleaning out her mother's suit, she finds letter from her father that were addressed to her. They answered some of her questions about why he abandoned her and her mother all those years ago. Hannah and her father, and her half brother are able to meet and try to catch up for lost time. After coming to Seaview Keys, Kelsey realizes she wants to stay there and help Grandma Jenny run Seaview Inn. Her boyfriend, Jeff follows her there, and she eventually realizes she really does love him and wants to spend the rest of her life with him and their baby daughter is born. They get married right before their baby is born. Grandma Jenny gets her wish and Seaview Inn stays open. Hannah and Luke are immediately attracted to each other, and despite her fears that her cancer will come back, Hannah soon realizes that there's no place that she'd rather be than in Seaview Keys with Luke, and even gives up her job (where she's accomplished ALOT) in New York to move to Seaview Keys
personal thoughts/opinions: I really enjoyed this book. I thought Grandma Jenny was a crack up and kept everyone on their toes. Toward the end of the book, I thought Hannah was going to end up pregnant, and did get a little teary eyed when I was reading about her cancer scare. I am so glad that she got to reunite with her father and meet her brother. And I think her and Luke are perfect for each other! I hope there will be a sequel that includes Hannah and Luke's wedding, and maybe a baby for them, and also the birth of Kelsey and Jeff's Baby.
What did you like best about the book? I really like books with the small town setting where everyone knows everyone.
What didn’t you like about the book? I thought Kelsey was being pretty selfish in the beginning but I'm glad she came around in the end and decided to marry Jeff.
why you read it? I had read and really enjoyed Mending Fences so I wanted to try this book too.
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? both
Would you recommend it to others? yes I definitely would
Do you want to read more books by this author? I'm planning to read the Sweet Magnolia Series next. I also definitely want to read the Charleston Trilogy and Flamingo Diner.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? yes it did sort of remind me of the Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs and somewhat of Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? not at all
Was this book what you expected? yes, maybe even exceeded my expectations.
What book are you planning to read next? Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods- Part of the Sweet Magnolia Series.

Down By the River by Robyn Carr

# of book read so far this year: 34

Title: Down By the River

Author: Robyn Carr

Date Finished: 6/20/2008

Genre: Romance

# of pages: 377

Series: Grace Valley Trilogy
blurb: June's secret Lover retires from the DEA and comes to Grace Valley for good. They annouce that they're pregnant and make plans to get married. Chris and his boys are still in Grace Valley, and the boys are recovering from the car accident. June and Chris's Wife, Nancy, become really close. The Forrest family decides to stay in Grace Valley. The Mull family is still living in Grace Family. Jurea befriends Erline, her neighbor, and another mom with a bunch of kids. Sam gets her into an empty house, and helps her start her life over. Myrna's husband, Morton returns to Grace Valley, much to everyone's surprise, after writing her letters under a different name, which actually happens to be his REAL name...he's just always went by Morton. The new Preacher, Harry, is having some addiction problems with gambling, and as a result looses a lot of money, and ends up borrowing from a lot of people. He runs in Shame, but soon learns that according to the residents of Grace Valley, "Everyone Makes Mistakes" and they all welcome him back in Grace Valley with open arms.
personal thoughts/opinions: I love his this book started off the day after Just Over the Mountain ended. I came to really love the residents of Grace Valley, and was really sad to see this series end. I miss them already. I sure wish Robyn Carr would continue this series. I got a different vibe from the residents of Grace Valley than I did from the residents of Virgin River, though I loved the residents of Virgin River just as much!
What did you like best about the book? I loved June...and how she kept her love a secret for a long while. I sort of did the same thing so she reminded me a lot of myself.
What didn’t you like about the book? I didn't really like the who Myrna/Morton storyline. I could've done without that.
why you read it? because I've really enjoyed the first two books in the series, I had to finish it off!
Was this book recommended to you or did you find it on your own? It was recommended to me by friends in Bookloversgroup in yahoo groups.
Would you recommend it to others? yes I definitely would
Do you want to read more books by this author? I have two more books of hers already that I want to read, and she's coming out with A Virgin River Christmas later this year, and 3 more books in the Virgin River Series in 2009.
Does it remind you of other books you’ve already read? yeah the Virgin River Series.....OH...I wish she would've mentioned the Virgin River Residents in this series....I kept waiting for their names to appear, but they never did.
Did you find it hard to stay interested in this book? Not at all!
Was this book what you expected?What book are you planning to read next? Blue Skies ALSO by Robyn Carr!!!!