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.