My Recent Reads

Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs

2011-03-12T01:09:00.000-08:00

I waited anxiously for this book, yet it took me some time to read it! I think that is because "Life" got in the way. Anyway, I always predicted that Daisy would up with Julian and they'd live happily ever after, and even have a couple kids. Well....I was wrong. Or, the book started out going in that direction, but then came some unexpected twists and turns. Just when I thought I had figured out who Daisy was going to end up with, everything changed! I really enjoyed this book and expected it to be the last in the series, since this love triangle has been a huge storyline throughout this series. However, I have since heard that there WILL indeed be more books. I can't wait to find out what happens next. Too bad we have to wait another year. *Sigh*.

Ok....I need to write more but it will be spoilerish...

--SPOILER--

I, of course, thought Daisy and Julian would end up together, but then Julian was killed (or so everyone thought), and Daisy eventually ended up with Logan. Not my first choice, but I thought "ok they have a kid together, this might be for the best for Charlie's sake". Well, that marriage didn't quite work out. Around that time Julian was found out. He had been held captive all that time. After getting over THAT shock, Julian and Daisy start to work their way back to each other, and eventually Julian asks her to marry him AGAIN.....so HOPEFULLY in the next book we will FINALLY see the two of them marry. I though that was a nice little cliffhanger.

I finished this around February 25th.

Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr

2011-03-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

I finished this around February 28th. (Behind in my blog AGAIN!) I absolutely LOVED this book. Out of the 3 that came out this year, Promise Canyon was just ok, Wild Man Creek was awesome, in fact I thought that was my favorite, but that was until I read Harvest Moon! As I predicted Jillian's sister, Kelly moved to town and lived with Jillian for awhile. She met Greg, who was a writer, and who'd recently moved to Virgin River to get his stepdaughter, Courtney, out of LA. Courtney is a troubled teenager, who recently lost her mom and who was going through the grieving process. She felt like no one wanted her and was tired of feeling like she was being shuffled between Greg and her real dad. I really felt for Courtney. The book ended exactly how I wanted it to and I can't wait to read more about them in next year's books. I really loved Kelly too (she has an AWESOME name!) and really enjoyed hearing about all her cooking. I'm not into cooking, but alot of her recipes sounded good. Some people in my book group were upset that the "regulars" weren't really in this book much. I actually didn't mind that. I think if each book has the same characters, it would get boring after awhile. I enjoyed reading about new people for a change.

I definitely gave this one 5 out of 5 stars. And this should really go on my list of favorites.

Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr

2011-02-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Wild Man Creek. That will probably be my favorite book out of this set of 3. I loved Jillian, and hearing about her Garden. I thought her and Colin were meant for each other. And I did kind of predict that he'd come back earlier than expected.

Another character that I really like is Shelby. She seems so comfortable to be around.

Luckily I only have to wait a couple more weeks for the next book. I really don't know who that book will be about. Maybe Jillian's sister, Kelly? Hopefully. And I think Denny needs a girlfriend. I really liked that Storyline too.

For now, I'm moving on to Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs!

I just wanted to get my initial thoughts down before I forgot them. I hope I can add more to this post as time goes on.

Upcoming Releases I'm Looking Forward to

2011-02-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

Well for the first half of the year anyway...I'll add to this as I find more.

January

Promise Canyon- Robyn Carr 1/25

Marrying Daisy Bellamy 1/25 (Lakeshore Chronicles)

Here To Stay- Catherine Anderson 1/25 (Harrigan)

Against the Fire- Kat Martin (Raines Brothers)

February-

Angel’s Rest- Emily March 2/15 (Eternity Springs)

Harvest Moon- Robyn Carr 2/22

Against the Law- Kat Martin 2/22 (Raines Brothers)

A Light At Winter’s End- Julia London 2/22 (Cedar Springs)

A Creed In Stone Creek- Linda Lael Miller 2/22 (Creed Brothers)

Completely Smitten- Susan Mallery 2/22

March-

Sing You Home- Jodi Picoult 3/1

Night Road- Kristin Hannah 3/22

Hummingbird Lake- Emily March 3/22 (Eternity Springs)

Leaving- Karen Kingsbury 3/22 (Bailey Flanigan)

Almost Home- Mariah Stewart 3/22 (Chesapeake Diaries)

Already Home- Susan Mallery 3/29

Driftwood Cottage- Sherryl Woods 3/29 (Chesapeake Shores)

The Knitting Diaries- Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery, Christina Skye 3/29

The Goodbye Quilt- Susan Wiggs- 3/29

The Sweetst Thing- Jill Shalvis 3/29 (Lucky Harbor)

My One and Only- Kristan Higgins 3/29

The Welcome Home Garden Club- Lori Wilde 3/29 (Twilight, Texas)

April-

Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier- Lisa Dale 4/5
Exposure- Susan Andersen 4/5

44 Charles Street- Danielle Steele 4/5

Save Me- Lisa Scottoline 4/12

A Turn In the Road- Debbie Macomber 4/26 (Blossom Street)

Moonlight Cove- Sherryl Woods 4/26 (Chesapeake Shores)

Any Man of Mine- Rachel Gibson- 4/26

May-

Beach Lane- Sherryl Woods 5/31 (Chesapeake Shores)

Creeds Honor- Linda Lael Miller 5/31 (Creeds)

June-

The Creed Legacy- Linda Lael Miller- 6/21 (Creeds)

Learning- Karen Kingsbury 6/21 (Bailey Flanigan)

Sunset Bridges- Emilie Richards 6/21 (Happiness Key)

July-

Can't Hurry Love- Christie Ridgway 7/5 (Three Kisses)

Escape- Barbara Delinsky- 7/12

2011-02-02T12:26:00.001-08:00

A lady in my Robyn Carr bookgroup wrote this list and was nice enough to share, so I thought I'd post it in here for safekeeping. That's the thing with series, sometimes it's hard to keep track of who's who. Looking back through my entries I made a list for Grace Valley (Robyn Carr) and Lakeshore Series (Susan Wiggs) but surprisingly enough I never made one for Virgin River. Again, I didn't write this, so I can't take any credit for it. I'm just putting it in here so I'll be able to find it when I need to.

ROBYN CARR’S VIRGIN RIVER SERIES

CAST OF CHARACTERS

AS OF END OF OCT. 2010

Melinda (Mel) Monroe – nurse practitioner, widow (Mark, dec.) Worked with Doc Mullins. She is formerly from CA.

Jack Sheridan – owns Jack’s Bar – former marine

Children: Davy and Emma

John (Preacher) Middleton – cook in Jack’s Bar – former marine

Paige – ran away from ex Wes

Children: Christopher and Dana

Budd – her brother; bossy

Vanessa (Vanni) Rutledge – husband Matt killed in Bagdad

Paul Haggerty – Matt’s best friend

Children: Little Matt and Hannah (adopted from Paul’s friend Teri; dec.)

Walt Booth – Vanni’s dad; retired general; dates Muriel St. Claire; actress

Tommy – Vanni’s brother

North, Stan and Mitch – Paul’s brothers

Nikki Jorgensen – Vanni’s best friend

Carol and Lance – Matt’s parents. Cold people. Tried to fix Vanni up with

Cameron.

Marianne and Stan – Paul’s parents.

Mike Venezula – former marine, former LAPD, now police officer for Virgin

River.

Brie Sheridan – 30 yrs old. Jack’s sister. County DA, ex: Brad cheated on her with her best friend, Christine who is married to Glenn

Children: Ness

Luke Riordan – 36 yrs old. Retired from army; fixed up house and cabins that he recently purchased.

Shelby – Walt’s niece. Took care of mom for 25 years until she died.

Children: Brett Lucas

Luke’s brothers: Colin, Aiden, Sean and Patrick

Cameron – doctor

Abby – Nikki and Vanni’s friend. Her ex Ross is a rock star and left her right after the marriage.

Children: Julia and Justin (twins)

Joe Benson – designs houses for Haggerty Construction. He is Paul’s friend from Marine Corps.

Nikki Jorgensen – Vanni’s best friend.

Children: none so far.

Aiden Riordan – Luke’s brother. Navy med school.

Erin Foley – lawyer

Children: none so far.

Marcie – Erin’s sister.

Dewey – their brother

Marcie Foley; widow of Bobby (dec.)

Ian Bucannan

Children: Heath

Joey – Mel Sheridan’s sister

Bill – her husband

They live in Colorado

Hope McCrea -- elderly lady; deals in real estate; knows everything and

everyone

Doc Mullins – worked with Mel Sheridan at clinic. He died (Temptation Ridge); left clinic and his money to Mel.

Sam – Jack Sheridan’s father. Lives in Sacramento

His children:

Jack Sheridan – owns Jack’s Bar; married to Mel.

Jeanne – 43 yrs. CPA; married to a developer.

Donna – 45 yrs. College professor; married to a professor.

Mary – 37 yrs. Commercial airline pilot. Married to a real estate broker.

Ricky – joined Marines. (later called Rick).

Lydie Sudder – his grandma.

Liz – Ricky’s girlfriend. Was pregnant with his child (stillborn)

Rick lost a leg. Now goes to college. Will work with Paul and Dan Brady will be his supervisor.

Connie and Ron – own corner store.

Liz – Connie’s niece.

Connie had bypass surgery.

Joy and Bruce – Connie’s friend

Carrie and Fish Bristol

Doug and Sue Carpenter

Charmaine – waitress in Clear River. Divorced; mother of two.

Harv – lineman for phone company.

Buck Anderson – sheep rancher

Lily – had baby Chloe; left her at Mel’s for Mel to take care of her. Lily died of breast cancer.

Jo and Nick Fitch – rented rooms to Ellie Baldwin – former stripper.

Jo cannot conceived; got close to Ellie’s children.

Darryl and Polly Fishburn – Mel delivered Polly’s baby

Nick and Jo Ellen

June and Jim Hudson (Grace Valley)

June – doctor

Jim – retired law enforcement.

Children: Jamie

June and Jim Hudson’s friends from Grace Valley:

John and Sue Stone (Grace Valley)

Sue – nurse; is June’s friend

Children: Sydney – 7 yrs

baby boy

Anne and Jeremy Givens

Juliana and Mike Dickson

Tommy Rutledge – Vanni’s younger brother. 18 yrs old. Going to basic

Training then to West Point for four years.

Brenda – his girlfriend

Dan Brady (Shady Brady) – worked in construction at 18. Marines at 25. Works for Paul Haggerty. Saved Jack from fire. Has artificial leg, which he showed Rick. Dates Cheryl

Noah Kincaid – minister

Ellie Baldwin – former stripper. Worked for Noah and fell in love. Rents rooms from Jo and Nick Fitch.

Children: Danielle – 8 yrs. Trevor – 4 yrs.

Maureen Riordan – mother to the Riordan boys: Luke, Colin, Aiden, Sean and Patrick.

George – teacher; loves Maureen

Maureen sold condo and will travel with George in his RV.

Drew Foley – brother of Marcie and Erin; med school resident at UCLA.

Sunny Archer – photographer; visiting her Uncle Nate in Virgin River

CHARACTERS FROM MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS (2010)

Clay Tahoma – new to Virgin River. Originally from Flagstaff and the Navajo nation. Lately from LA, CA. Works for Nate Jensen.

Isabel – Clay’s ex

Gabe – Clay’s son

Ursula – Clay’s sister

Tom Toopeek – Ursula’s husband. Police Chief in Grace Valley. They have five children.

Lilly Yazhi – Hope Indian. Works in her grandfather Yaz’s fed store. She delivers feed.

Dane – Lilly’s good friend

Jillian and Kelly Matlock – rents one of Luke’s cabins for their vacation, along with their friends Penny and Jackie.

Kelly is a sous chef in San Fran.

Penny – works in Public Relations

Jackie – political analyst

Jillian (Jill) – Vice President in a software company

Denny Cutler – discharged from Marines….came to Virgin River to find his real father.

Promise Canyon- Robyn Carr

2011-02-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that I FINALLY finished a book. Once again, I enjoyed another awesome book. I love this series because everyone feels like family, and I definitely feel peaceful when I read them. We were introduced to some new characters in this book. Clay Tahoma comes to work at Nathan Jensen's Vet Clinic. He is the brother of Ursula Toopeek, from the Grace Valley Series. I love how Robyn incorporated the Toopeek Family into this series...now hopefully we'll start to hear about more characters from the Grace Valley Series. I really wish she'd continue with the Grace Valley Series. Anyway, Lily works for her grandfather at his feed store, and makes daily deliveries to the Vet Clinic. It is there that she meets Clay. Of course they fall in love, but with many bumps along the way.

I plan to start Wild Man Creek, the next book in the series today. There were several new characters introduced in Promise Canyon, to set the stage for Wild Man Creek. Jillian and Kelly are a couple of the new characters. They were passing through Virgin River on their way home from a yearly road trip/vacation with two of their girlfriends, Jackie and Penny. And it looks like we'll hear more about Collin Riordan and his brothers.

Can't wait!!

I am dying to start Marrying Daisy Bellamy by Susan Wiggs, but I want to read Wild Man Creek while Promise Canyon is still fresh in my mind, and also I can be ready for the next book when it comes out at the end of this month.

Other books I want to read very soon include:

Here To Stay- Catherine Anderson (I think I'm going to read this book out of order).

Against the Wind & Against the Fire by Kat Martin

The Backup Plan by Sherryl Woods

Home At Rose Cottage and Return To Rose Cottage by Sherryl Woods

And I really need to read Chesapeake Shores Christmas before Sherryl's 3 books for the year come out, starting in March or April.

2011-01-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

I really want to get back in the habit of writing in this blog. It was/is definitely one of my goals for the new year. But in order to do that, I need to actually READ something. I have started several books but seem to lose interest in them. And, I have too many other addicting hobbies so I haven't been doing ANY reading lately. :(. I hope to change that really soon.

Some books I want to read and/or finish include

Promise Canyon- Robyn Carr

Christmas Eve At Friday Harbor- Lisa Kleypas (I know it's past Christmas but I still want to read it).

The Christmas Clock- Kat Martin (I was about halfway through when I developed my case of "reading restlessness").

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas- Sherryl Woods *Need to read this ASAP before the next 3 books coming out.

After I finish this list, I would like to read the Bride Quartet Series by Nora Roberts. Since it has been so long since I read the first book, I think I'm going to re-read the first one so it will be fresh in my mind when I read the other three.

There's also alot of upcoming releases that I'm excited about. I think I will write that list in a seperate entry.

So Many Books...So Little Time

2010-07-01T12:38:00.001-07:00

This is the way I feel! I find new books to read, buy books, and check them out from the library faster than I can read them. With all the books I have on my shelfari shelf, I should NEVER be without a book to read for as long as I live. I will probably not even get to read all 3,000 + of them. Oh well, I can at least try. I really need to finish my current book so I can move on. And I want to start an ebook, and continue to have an ebook and a paperback going at the same time. That has worked well in the pass.

Way Behind!

2010-06-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am way behind. In an attempt to catch up, here are the books I have read recently (since reading The Summer Hideaway)

House Rules by Jodi Picoult- I really liked this book, and found myself thinking about the characters for days after I finished. The only thing I remember not liking was the ending. I thought the ending was too abrupt.

Take Three by Karen Kingsbury

I Just Want You To Know: Letters to my kids on love, faith and Family by Kate Gosselin

Despite what others may say, I like Kate Gosselin. I don't necessarily like the way she treated her ex-husband at times, but I really do think her heart is in the right place, and she only wants the best for her children, and will do anything to give them the best. This book was very heartwarming.

Home In Carolina by Sherryl Woods

Sweet Tea At Sunrise by Sherryl Woods

Still the One by Robin Wells- this was a new to me author. I found out about this book through one of my online book groups. I really enjoyed it! I would like to read more by this author. Maybe even a sequel!

Honeysuckle Summer by Sherryl Woods

Even Now and Ever After by Karen Kingsbury- This is a 2 book series. I had started the first book once or twice and couldn't get into it, so I put it down. I started this time, and was sucked right in. I really don't know what took me so long to read these. I would definitely like to see this series be made into a movie.

Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery- this was the first in a new series. I LOVED Josh, and was especially intrigued by Ethan. Can't wait to read the next book.

The House On Olive Street by Robyn Carr- this was another book that I had tried to read before, but put down because I couldn't get into it. When I found out that Robyn updated and re-released it, I decided to give it another try. I'm so glad I did! I loved it! My favorite character was Barbara Ann.

Missing Max by Karen Young- I found out about this book from a lady in my online book group. I heard the storyline, and could definitely relate, so I waited quite awhile for this book to come out. It's about a 16 year old girl who loses baby half-brother...then her relationship with her stepmom deteriorates as well as the relationship between dad and stepmom. I could definitely relate to the family dynamics of this story (the blended family/stepparent). Though I couldn't imagine losing one of my siblings.

Take Four by Karen Kingsbury I'm so sad to see this series end. I really want to find out what happens with Andi, as well as Luke and Regan and their newly adopted baby. I really didn't care for Brandon Paul. And CANNOT wait to read Unlocked when it comes out in the fall! I'm definitely excited to read the Bailey Flanigan series.

And I'm currently reading Crush On You by Christie Ridgway and enjoying it so far. I have a whole slew of books to read after I finish this one, so it will be hard to decide what to read next.

The Summer Hideaway by Susan Wiggs

2010-03-06T00:49:00.000-08:00

Lakeshore Chronicles #7
Set in Avalon, New York
Finished 3/6/10 12:30am
book #13 for the year

I will say that the beginning was a little drawn out. I was eager to get to th part where George and Charles reunited. This DEFINITELY put a new spin on the series for me...I almost want to go back and read the books again, knowing what I know now. I probably won't since I hate re-reading books. I really liked Ross and Claire and hope to see them in future books...and the scenes toward the end of the book with the family surrounding George in his final days were very heartwarming. I would love to spend my finals days somewhere as peaceful and relaxing as Willow Lake. I also didn't remember that Phillip was George's son. For some reason, I vaguely remember a storyline about that, but I'm not 100% sure. And I was disappointed that Daisy wasn't in this book much. I also couldn't remember who a couple of the other characters were, It's too bad we have to wait a whole year for the next book in the series. But the next book will be about Daisy so it will be worth the wait!

.

Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr

2010-02-28T22:07:00.000-08:00

This was book #10 in the Virgin River Series, and like all the other books I've read by Robyn Carr, I was DEFINITELY not disappointed in this one. I really love the Riordan family, and can't wait to hear the other two brothers' stories. This book was based on Aiden Riordan. He goes up to a cabin in the mountains where he finds, a beautiful woman named Erin. Erin is the sister to Marcie, who we met in Virgin River Christmas, when she went to that very same cabin to find her late husband's best friend Ian. Marcie and Ian are now married and are expecting their baby boy, who Marcie gives birth to at the very end of the book. (They name him Heath. Erin has decided that she needs a summer of from the demands of her job as a lawyer, and has the cabin totally refurbished and made liveable. Aiden continues to "visit" Erin at her cabin. However, in the beginning it's hard to tell who is more enthused about these visits, Erin or Aiden. But as time goes on, Aiden and Erin develop feelings for each other, and even manage to survive through the drama that Aiden's ex-wife causes when she turns up. After years of caring for everyone else, Erin finally has someone to care for HER!

Luke and Shelby have their baby as well...also a little boy. They name it Brett Lucas Riordan.

I really liked this story. However, I still liked Forbidden Falls and Angels peak better. I saw a different side of Mel in this book, which was interesting. And, I really liked Erin, which was interesting because I remember when I read Virgin River Christmas, I thought she was really bossy. I can't wait to hear what happens next for them, and my only complaint is that we have to wait 9 whole months to find out!

Finished on 2/28/10.

Big Girl by Danielle Steel

2010-02-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

I have always been a huge fan of Danielle Steel; she was one of the first "adult" authors that I read (Mary Higgins Clark being the other). This book was just one more to add to my list of favorites. Victoria has struggled with her weight for her entire life, and unfortunately, her parents don't make it any easier, in fact they make it harder. Her dad makes fun of her any chance he gets and basically tells her she's been a huge disappointment to them right from the moment she was born, because 1) she wasn't a boy and 2) she was born with her great-grandmother's build (which was on the big side) and also her nose, and her mom never defends her to him. As Victoria grows up, this affects her in many ways. It doesn't help that when Victoria is seven years old, her mom gives birth to her little sister Gracie. Victoria loves Gracie to pieces, but she can't help notice how Gracie is "one of them" and she (Victoria) is treated like an outsider more and more as time goes on. As Victoria grows up, she learns to ignore her fathers hurtful comments, but at the same time struggles with her weight She finally meets a guy named Collin who loves her for HER, not what she looks like. He is sort of a misfit in his family too, and the two of them quickly find a special connection. Victoria's family, especially her dad, is shocked that she has found someone so good looking. Her dad would always tell her that she's too fat, and her mom would always tell her that she's too smart, both of them implying that looks are EVERYTHING. Meanwhile, Gracie ends up marrying someone that is just like her father. Victoria does everything she can to change Gracie's mind, but soon realizes that she has to let Gracie live her own life, and make her own mistakes. Victoria must also let go so she can live HER OWN life with Collin, the job she loves, and also her new body image/diet/exercise regimen.

I really loved this book, it was definitely one of my favorite Danielle Steel books. I stayed up until 2am this morning finishing this book, and to me, any book that keeps me awake until 2am autom atically goes on my favorites. I could definitely relate to Victoria on some level. While I wasn't overweight my entire life, I did become overweight as an adult, and reading this book, made me start to think about some of my own exercise/diet/weight loss goals. AND, once again it proved to me that there ARE men who will see women for who they are NOT what they look like. I think Danielle covered issue that alot of women struggle with, and it was a nice change from her usual books where they fall in love right away. I finished the book feeling really happy for Victoria. I spent most of the book with my jaw dropped, appalled at some of the things her dad said to her. I think if that were me, I'd curl into a ball and cry. I don't know how she was able to take that for so long. I was glad she got away from them when she did.

After I finished the book, I found a clip in youtube where Danielle Steel is discussing this book. She says "The message in big girl is that you don't have to look like everyone else, you don't have to be on the cover of Vogue to be happy, meet a great guy, have a nice life, and have self-esteem. I think it's about succeeding and prevailing and feeling good about yourself for who you are". This is exactly how I felt when I finished the book. I think I was able to relate to Victoria because she was a very "real" person. Danielle also mentioned that alot of books are about characters who are gorgeous, lead the perfect lives, have the perfect boyfriend. And Victoria was just the opposite. Though she did end up with the perfect guy, she wasn't gorgeous, perfect, and definitely had some issues with herself that most women do, therefore, very relatable. Normally I do read books to ESCAPE from reality, so it doesn't matter whether the characters are imperfect, but it is always nice when there's that one character that I can relate to.

Lake Magic by Kimberly Fisk

2010-02-18T11:02:00.000-08:00

You can find the link here.

Kimberly Fisk was another new author to me. Lake Magic is actually her debut book. I found this book when I was at Borders, and honestly, the cover---AND probably the title-was what urged me to pick it up and read the back cover. I didn't buy it the day I found it, but came home and mentioned it to some of book reading friends, who said they also planned to read it. So, the next time I went back to Borders (to pick up The Next Best Thing, and another book) I got Lake Magic too.

I will say this---I started out giving the book 3 stars, but ended up changing it to 4. I don't know what it was about the beginning..a little too slow going, perhaps? I had a hard time sticking with it. And the beginning VAGUELY reminded me of another book I've read in the past, but soon came enough twists in the story to make it unique. Toward the end I got more "into" the story and became eager to find out what happened. I didn't really care for Jared, and if you read the story it should be obvious as to why. I was able to relate to Jenny on SO MANY different levels, and that usually makes me like a book that much more.

I will also say that, in my opinion, it was quite obvious that this was Kimberly Fisk's debut novel. BUT, I definitely think she has alot of potential to improve with each future book she writes, and would definitely read any of her future books.

This book was set in Washington in a fictional town called Hidden Lake, near the Olympic Mountains.

I finished this book on or around February 10th (again this is what I get for not writing my thoughts AS SOON AS I finish the book!)

This was book #7 for the year.

The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

2010-02-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to Amazon.

I really, really, REALLY liked this book! It was definitely one of my favorites for the year. This was also a NEW author to me! I have her other 4 books on my ebook reader, but haven't read them yet. I LOVED her writing style and loved reading the interaction between the characters. She has such a sarcastic, witty way of writing. The main family was Hungarian, but I loved how the secondary family---I gues you could call them that--was Italian, and loved the descriptions of food, their restuarant, and whatnot. As for the characters there really weren't any that I disliked. I knew all along that Lucy belonged with Ethan, and the only times I wanted to smack Lucy was when she pushed Ethan away. But luckily both came to their senses. Obviously, in real life, a guy wanting to date his dead brother's wife WOULD bother me, but since this is fiction and I do, after all, read to ESCAPE reality, this aspect did not bother me one bit.

I would LOVE to see any book centered around these same characters, perhaps with one of the Black Widows as the main character. I also liked how this story was written in first person...a nice change from the usual books that aren't. And I can't wait to read her other books soon.

(I know this review does not do the book justice...my own fault for not writing this entry as soon as I had finished the book, when my emotions were fresh in my mind).

a few other tidbits:

This book was set in a small town in Rhode Island--The Lang family owns a Hungarian Bakery and Ethan's family owns an Italian Restaurant.

I finished this on 1/31/2009
book #6 for the year (not too happy about this total)

I first heard about this author through my friends in the Robyn Carr Chatgroup--one of my many online bookgroups---about a year or so ago.

Behind....AGAIN!

2010-02-17T23:22:00.000-08:00

So I seem to be in a reading slump...I have a TON of books I want to read, I just can't settle on any one of them. I started several, and maybe that was part of my problem...I should just focus on one at a time.

Anyway....here is where I'm at

I recently finished two great books. The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins and Lake Magic by Kimberly Fisk. Both were "new to me" authors and I will write in depth reviews soon...hopefully tomorrow.

Books I started but never seemed to finish:

Amazing Gracie by Sherryl Woods
It Happened One Night by Lisa Dale
Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl

Library books I have:

Between Husbands and Friends
Custody
Belonging

All of these are by Nancy Thayer

Lonestar Sanctuary- Colleen Coble
True Colors and The The Winter Garden by Kristan Hannah
Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
The Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin

Morgan
Sawyer

These two are by Lori Foster and are the first two books in her Buckhorn Brothers Series.

I really need to get moving if I plan to get all these books read!

I also recently bought Knock Me For A Loop by Heidi Betts- third in her Chicks With Sticks Series. And also Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl--the sequel to Talk Me Down--because none of the libraries had it. I hate when they have the first and third book but NOT the second. Oh well.

Ok thats my update.

Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr

2010-01-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

Angel's Peak--
Angel's peak centered around the story of Sean Riordan and Franci. They dated several years ago, but broke up after a huge fight. Franci desperately wanted marriage and a family, and that was the last thing Sean wanted. He thought a family would hold him back from enjoying life, and he preferred to give his life to the Army. Right after they broke up, Franci discovered she was pregnant with Sean's child- a baby girl. However, she does not tell him because she doesn't want him to marry her out of obligation. Sean doesn't find out until 3 1/2 years later when he runs into Franci at a bar, and then manages to track her down at her house. After introducing Sean to their daughter, Franci realizes how much she really does love Sean and what an amazing father she is. And they get married.
Meanwhile, Noah and Ellie, who were featured in Forbidden Falls, also get married. They also buy this really run down house, and the day after their wedding, the pulled up at the new house to discover the community had come together and was helping them clean up the place. Both Noah and Ellie were new to the town, so this act of kindness by their new friends was definitely touching to them and made them feel like they belonged there.
Shelby and Luke also announce they are expecting their lst child.
Out of the first 3, Shelter Mountain was definitely my favorite, I can't remember which was my favorite out of the second 3, and I had THOUGHT Forbidden Falls was my favorite out of the current 3, but I think Angel's Peak may now be my favorite! I LOVE the Riordan family...I definitely can't get enough of them. I see so many more stories for future books....Maureen and George, Aiden (although he'll be covered in next month's book--Moonlight Road), the other two brothers-Colin and Patrick.
One of the things that I noticed, especially in this book was that Robyn Carr definitely has a way with words. I like how she words alot of things, just general expressions, that make me want to burst out laughing. I was even reading at work and several times wanted to burst out laughing. There were also a few moments that brought tears to my eyes. I feel that any book that can bring out that many different emotions is amazing.
I loved this storyline...particular reading about Rosie, and her newfound relationship with her dad, grandma, and uncles. And my favorite thing about these books is the amount of detail Robyn goes into when describing a place. I especially love when she describes the various houses being built.

finished on 1/26/2010

Not My Daughter- Barbara Delinsky

2010-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed this book. I have never been disappointed by a Barbara Delinsky book, and have found her books to be a nice break from the cutesy little romance books that take place in small towns. There's nothing WRONG with those books at all, in fact I love them, however, sometimes its nice to change things up a bit.

Not My Daughter was quite an interesting read. Four highschool seniors and best friends, Lily, Mark Kate, Jessica, and Abby make a pact to become pregnant, much to the shock and dismay of their parents. Lily's mom, Sue, also happens to be the high school principal, who's gone to great lengths to educate and try to prevent teen pregnancy. SHE also became pregnant at the age of seventeen, the same age these girls are now. When word gets out, the families of the girls try to keep the names quiet, as there is alot of opinions and controversy right from the start. This also puts Lily's mom in an awkward position, having her credibility questioned, both as a principal AND as a mother. Some feel that Sue has enabled past mistakes to repeat themselves. This also creates tension among the mothers of the four girls who are also friends, as well as each of the moms and their husbands. Lily's mom is actually not married, but has support from Lily's dad, and instead of struggling in her relationship with her husband, she struggles with her relationship with her mother, after just losing her father.

toward the end of the book, we find out that Lily's baby suffers from a condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, in which the kidneys appear outside the abdominal cavity. It is not known whether or not this baby will survive. So, on top of the tension in her position as principal, her anger over Lily's pregnancy to begin with, Susan must also deal with this, and support Lily in dealing with this as well. They are able to do surgery before Lily gives birth, and the baby ends up being fine.

We get to the epilogue and find out that Mary Kate and Jessica have also given birth; Mary Kate has a boy, and Jessica, a girl. We also find out that Susan has married Lily's father, Rick.

Again, I really enjoyed this book. I wanted to strangle the girls on several occasions, yet at the same time, I could relate to how they were feeling. I was alot like them at that age, and when I was in my early 20s, I desperately wanted a child right then. (Now, I have gotten older, I still want children, I just value my freedom and SLEEP too much to have them now). The girls WERE very self-centered to go through with this, but thats really how kids that age are. And, I was honestly surprised to see how the parents reacted, I was surprised to see them so angry, I thought for sure they'd come to terms with this right away and forgive, and coddle their daughters from that point on, but instead they stayed mad. Jessica's mom didn't even want to see her.

At first I didn't think this storyline was very realistic, not so much teen pregnancy (because we all know that is VERY realistic), but more so the idea of the pregnancy pact. In the end of the book, it mentioned a smiliar case in Massachusetts that happened in 2008, where 17 girls made a pact to become pregnant. (I am now trying to google that news story for more information).

I can see how some people who prefer more "realistic" storylines may not like this book, because even though there are a high number of teen pregnancies, pregnancy "pacts" don't seem to happen very often. I, however, read to ESCAPE reality, and it really doesn't matter to me how realistic or unrealistic a book sounds. I read books based on the storyline, and also based on the authors who write them.

finished this book on 1/17/2010
Book #3 for 2010

The Sweethearts Knitting Club- Lori Wilde

2010-01-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

This was the first book I read by Lori Wilde, and DEFINITELY not my last. I had seen this in Borders recently, and of course the title caught my eye, but the fact that it was a story about a group of friends was an added bonus! I guess there really wasn't as much about the knitting group as I thought it would be. It was more focused around the Flynn/Jess/Beau triangle (I was on Team Jesse). Flynn and Jesse have been friends since highschool. Beau has also been envious and resentful of Jesse, and even had him arrested on graduation day. 10 years later, Jesse is finally out of prison and learns that Flynn and Beau are engaged. Flynn and Jess meet for the first time in 10 years, and after awhile Flynn realizes it's Jesse that she wants, not Beau.

The Sweethearts are a group of ladies who knit together. Flynn's mom, who passed away a few years ago was also in the group, and the ladies sort of took Flynn under their wing after her mom died. It was also Lynn's dying wish for Flynn to open a yarn store, which she names Lynn's Yarn Barn. It happens to be in the old theater on the floor above Jesse's Motorcycle Shop.

Luckily, this book is first in a series. The next book, the true love Quilting Club comes out in April 2010 and I'm excited to read that one. I hope We will hear more about Flynn and Jesse. She also has a 3rd book coming out around Christmas time about a Cookie Club, and another one about a gardening club coming out later. The other series of hers I want to read is the Wedding Veil Wishes series.

Date Finished: 1/6/2010 12:53am
book 2 for the year

Catching Up

2010-01-04T01:32:00.000-08:00

Well I see I am behind yet again. Sadly, in 2009 I read only 54 books. In 2008, I read 73 books. I was hoping to surpass that and get to 75. DIDN'T HAPPEN! I blame that fully on FACEBOOK! I wasted way too much of my life on facebook this past year. In 2010 things are going to be very different! I joined a 100 book challenge on Shelfari. I started this on December 26th, so I have until 12/26/10 to read 100 books. I am going to pace myself and try to read 8-9 books each month. I already finished one..Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr. It was a great book and I can't wait until next month. Robyn introduced some new characters in this book. Ellie, Noah's assistant. She was a former stripper (which I think added some "spice" to the storyline) and she was a CRACKUP! I really hope we'll be seeing more of her in future books, maybe even read about her and Noah's wedding! There was also quite an interesting storyline between Paul and Vanni. Paul's ex-girlfriend got pregnant, and tried to fool Paul into believing the baby was his. Paul found out the truth, after they'd broken up. NOW, the girlfriend was killed and in her Will, she stated that she wanted Paul to raise her daughter. This caused some tension between Paul and Vanni, but they worked it out, and little hannah became part of their family for good.

Right now, I'm reading Lori Wilde's "The Sweethearts Knitting Club". More on that later....SOOOO happy to be out of my reading slump!

Well...

2009-11-19T15:24:00.000-08:00

Before reading Summer of Two Wishes, I read several books that I never blogged about. I'm trying hard to get back into the blogging mojo.

Here are the books I read prior to Summer of Two Wishes. And a few thoughts on each one.

Best Friends Forever- Jennifer Weiner finished 7/31/09

This was a good book...not quite what I was expecting...I guess I don't really know WHAT I was expecting. Two best friends reunited after being apart for several years. I guess I had hoped the storyline would be different than it was, but surprisingly, I kept going back for more. This was an ebook. This was also a new author for me! (another goal for this year was to read as many new authors as possible).

Tangled Up In Love by Heidi Betts- finished 8/28/09

This turned out to be an awesome book. This is the first book in the "Chicks With Sticks" series. I heard about this from my friends in the Robyn Carr chatgroup. Once I heard it had a knitting theme, I knew I'd like it. Since I like books that take place in some type of store and are centered around a group of friends. This was ANOTHER new author for me. Sadly, this was the only book I finished in August.

Any Minute- Joyce Meyer Finished 9/6/09

This was a great book. I recently realized that I like storylines where characters have the perfect life, then suddenly something catastrophic and life changing happens to them. The woman in this book didn't realize how lucky she was. She just wanted to go, go, go, and always seemed to want more, more, more. She didn't seem to appreciate anything. I had originally seen this on a website...I can't remember where, and knew that I wanted to read. I was even tempted to buy it, but decided to hold off, which is a good thing because my library eventually got the ebook, so I got to read it for FREE. Free is good. I would definitely reccomend this one. I do enjoy reading some Christian Fiction and this was definitely a good one.

92 Pacific Blvd.- Debbie Macomber Finished 9/8/2009

#9 in Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series. It was ok. Not my favorite, but I didn't hate it either. Can't wait to read more.

Loves Me, Loves Me Knot- Heidi Betts Finished 9/19/2009

This was #2 in the Chicks with sticks series. I think I liked this better than the first book. This centered around Gage and Jenna, Ronnie's good friend. who were recently divorced. Also gave us a little background for the next book--Knock Me For A Loop. Can't wait to read that one!

The Castaways- Elin Hilderbrand Finished 9/19/2009

This was definitely one of my favorite books for the year. I loved reading about all the relationships/love triangles among this group of friends. I wish more authors would write storylines like this. This was an ebook and also another first time author for me! ALSO one that I had considered buying, but held off, and was delighted when it showed up at my library!!
I definitely plan to read more books by this author. She's a nice change from the cutesy little romance books I normally read.

No Time To Wave Goodbye- Jacquelyn Mitchard

I usually like to follow this author's new releases, and have yet to be disappointed by one of her books. I was walking around Barnes and Noble one day, when I came across this book. I was beyond delighted when I realized this was a SEQUEL to a book I read a long time ago...Deep End of the Ocean. This takes place 19-20 years later, and reflects on the aftermath of Ben's disappearance and the reunion of him and his family. Unbeknownst to Beth, Vincent writes a screenplay based on this exact event. Later the family suffers all over again, when Ben's baby is found, but luckily she is found and SAFE! This is another one that will go on my favorites list for the year. I hope they do a movie based on this book, even a made for tv movie would be great!

The Christmas Bus- Melody Carlson Finished 10/20/2009

I had been planning to read this anyway, but it became free in the Kindle Store, so I downloaded it to read on my ipod. A Very cute, feel-good Story. I have read two books by Melody Carlson now, and really enjoyed both of them. Can't wait to read more. I recommended this to several of my book reading friends, I liked it so much. It took place in a bed and breakfast inn, one of my favorite types of settings!

Lakeshores Christmas- Susan Wiggs Finished 10/31/2009

This is part of another one of my favorite series. The Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs. I liked this book, but it seemed like it was a struggle to finish it. I kept putting it down to read other books. I didn't really care for alot of the storyline, although the library closure storyline was interesting, and I did like Maureen. I was just hoping that it would be more about Daisy Bellamy, since she is my favorite character in that series. Oh well. At least we only have to wait a few months for the next book!

Shades of Blue- Karen Kingsbury Finished 10/25/2009

This was ANOTHER one of my favorite books. I think it was while reading this book that I realized I liked storylines where people have the perfect life, then something catastrophic happens to them. I have been waiting for this book since I found out she was writing it. This would make an awesome movie.

Ok...so this brought me up to a total of 52 books read for the year.

Summer of Two Wishes- Julia London

2009-11-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

I started Summer of Two Wishes on Saturday night (10/31) and once I started this book, I pretty much could NOT put this book down. I whipped through it and finished it a day later on 11/2/09 at 1:17am. When I went to bed, I started off on page 158 and figured my goal would be to get to page 200..well I passed right by page 200, and soon I figured "ok I'll stop at 300", which soon became "well why don't I just finished this book!" So that is what I did. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, only wanting to wait and see what happened. I had never really read a book with storyline before (the closest thing was the 9/11 series by Karen Kingsbury and even that was quite different). This was also my first book by Julia London, but definitely not my last! She writes mainly Historical romance, which I'm not that into, but she does also have some Contemporaries which I will definitely check out. I joined her fan page on facebook, where I read that she will have future books set in Cedar Springs, Texas, where Summer of Two Wishes Took Place. This is very exciting because (I'm hoping) it means that there will be a sequel to this book.

Here's a little blurb: Macy's first husband ,Finn, was killed in Afghanistan, while fighting in the war. She was devastated to lose him, but 3 years after he died, she married Wyatt. 7 months after THEY married, Macy finds out that Finn is, in fact ALIVE! This turns her life, as well as everyone's elses' lives upside down while Macy decides what she wants to do, or better, who she wants to be with. Basically she can either declare her marriage to Wyatt void, and stay with Finn, or divorce Finn, which would automatically make her marriage to Wyatt valid. She takes far too long to make this decision (in my opinion) and chooses Finn. In the meantime, she finds out that she is carrying Wyatt's baby!! But STILL chooses to stay with Finn. She says she loves both men, but she always has and always will love Finn. And poor Wyatt soon realized that he'd always been competing against Finn.

I was on Team Wyatt through the entire book. I didn't like Finn, and his mother drove me crazy. It drove me nuts how Finn just ASSUMED that Macy would come back to him, not even giving Wyatt a second thought. Finn and his Mom seemed really put out that Macy Moved on with life after Finn died. Isn't that what you'd expect someone to do? Even though I didn't like these characters, they obviously made the book what it was. And it was funny to see the drama between them. I cheered when Macy and Finn found that Wyatt had sold Finn's ranch, AFTER Macy put Wyatt through hell while she was deciding to go back to Finn (I think she knew what she would do all along). And I also cheered when Wyatt refused to give Finn's dog back. He deserved SOMETHING out of this horrible deal that he got.

I think it would be awesome if the sequel was centered on Wyatt's life. :)

Wow, I can tell I loved this book because I had a ton to say in my review!!

This is book #53 for the year. My "current" goal is to get to 75.

Finished 11/2/2009

Home At Last by Anna Schmidt

2009-07-27T02:28:00.000-07:00

It is now 2:28am and I have just finished Home At Last by Anna Schmidt. This is another book in the Harlequin Love Inspired Line. Like the previous book, I was walking down the book aisle at Walmart and saw this book, and after reading the back cover, I know instantly I would love. I had never heard of this author before, but after reading this book, I will definitely look for more of her books. I only wish that Home At Last was part of a series, and I could see many ways that the author could continue with the story.

Home At Last reminded me somewhat of one of the characters in Susan Wiggs' Lakeshore Chronicles Series--Daisy Bellamy, and her father. This book was centered around a teenager, Jazzamine or "Jazz", an indifferent, moody, somewhat rebellious teenager, and her single father, Daniel. Daniel is also the owner of a hotel in Manhattan, and when his mother falls and injures her hip, he adds that to his already full plate of things to deal with as well. His Ex-wife Gloria makes frequent appearances, causing a stir whenever she arrives. Then, when he goes to visit his mom's farm, he meets Jo, the lady his mom has hired to tend the cranberry crops. Daniel and Jo fight their feelings for each other and also can't agree on the best place for his mother to live her final days. But they soon give in to their feelings of mutual attraction.

This was definitely a feel good story, and I was very entertained, especially by Jazz. I could not put this down, and like I mentioned above, I only wish the author would make this book into a series. Any book that keeps me up until 2:30am is obviously a good one!!

Date Finished: 7/27/09 2:38am!!

Second Chance Family by Margaret Daley

2009-07-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

I just now finished Second Chance Family by Margaret Daley. It is part of the Steeple Hill Love Inspired Fiction line and is the last book of the Fostered by Love series. I found this book when I was in Walmart searching for another book by the same publisher, and when I saw that it had to do with foster care as well as children with special needs, I knew I'd love it.

Jason McCoy is a little boy about to start kindergarten. He is autistic and his (single) dad, Shane, is fighting the school district because he feels Jason should be placed in a regular mainstream classroom. The school finally agrees to honor Shane's wishes and try it. Whitney Maxwell has recently moved back to Cimarron City to be closer to her brother and start her life over. She has a bit of a troubled past that she's trying to get away from. She actually meets Shane one morning when she's passing by his house, looking for an address on his street, and little Jason darts in front of her car, because it is yellow, and he loves yellow objects. It just so happens that Whitney has also accepted a job as a teacher's aide at Jason's school and she ends up being Jason's special aide in his classroom, since his teacher really doesn't feel comfortable interacting with him. As time goes on, Shane and Whitney become friends, but soon Shane realizes he's just not ready for their relationship to progress that far. He lost his pregnant wife and baby daughter in a house fire, and feels he was responsible for not saving them. He soon turns to God for help in forgiving the arsonist, and once he's able to forgive, he's ready to move forward in his relationship with Whitney.

Steeple Hill books are considered Christian Fiction and/or inspirational so all of the characters in every one of their books has some type of relationship with God. I've started getting into Christian Fiction a little bit and have really enjoyed these stories.

I especially enjoyed Second Chance Family because it was about a child with special needs, Foster Care, and also one of the settings was a rescue center for children. I only wish I would've found about these books earlier so I could've read them in order, since each story builds on the previous one. But I still plan to go back and read the first 3 books if I can track them down.

Date Finished 7/23/2009
# of books for the year: 41

Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury

2009-07-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

I finished Where Yesterday Lives the other day. It was one of Karen Kingsbury's older books, but in my opinion, one of her best. In my mission to read every single one of Karen's books, I'd known about this book for awhile, but never had the urge to read it until now. After reading it, I have no idea why I waited so long. My favorite part of the book was the Family Dynamics. Where Yesterday Lives was about the Barrett family who lived in Petoskey, Michigan (Which I ALSO was able to relate to because my boyfriend is from Michigan). The five Barret children are grown now and have their own lives, and 2 of the older daughters have moved away from Michigan.

The book takes Place in July 1998 in Petoskey, Michigan, a little town off Traverse Bay. Most of the book takes place in the aftermath the Patriarch, John Barrett, dying of a massive heart attack. None of the Barrett children are very close to one another and it's been awhile since they were all together. Each one has their own issues they're dealing with as well as their own thoughts about their family.

Here's a brief description of each member of the Barrett Family

Jon Barrett worked for IBM and a few other jobs, which required constant relocating, and as a result their family moved around from place to place quite a bit, not establishing permanent roots until they arrived in Petoskey.

Ellen is the oldest child and is 31 years old. She is a reporter for the Miami Times. She lives in Miami with her husband, Mike, and so far they have been unable to have any children. In highschool, her best friend was Leslie and her boyfriend was Jake Sadler, the boy she thought she would end up marrying.

Jane is 29 years old, has been married to Troy for 7 years and they have 3 children--Koley, 6 year old boy, Kala--3 year old girl, and Kyle--one year old boy. They live in Central Arizona.

Jane has always resented the close relationship that Megan and their father have. Jane and her father have never been that close and Jane never felt that she was good enough for their father. Also, the one time when she needed him the most, he was not there to help her. This affected their relationship in many ways. Jane feels especially angry at their dad after he dies.

Megan is 27 years old. She is still single...she went through a period of time where she used some heavy drugs and drifted away from the family. She seems to be out of that now. Megan also seems to be in denial that her siblings' relationships are strained, as they are.

Amy is 25 years old. She has a degree in Child Development and is married to Frank. She is quiet and sometimes seems like the odd one out of all the children. Amy is especially close with her mother.

Aaron is 23 years old. He has anger issues and hasn't been able to hold down a job because of it. He is also the yougest, and the only son with 4 sisters, so he's had alot of issues because of that (or so he says). He and his dad did have somewhat of a good relationship. They enjoyed golfing together frequently.

The book shifted back and forth between the present (1998) and back when Ellen was in highschool and college, and dating Jake. While Ellen is visiting Petoskey for her dad's funeral, she is questioning her marriage to Mike, and whether their relationship can make it through dealing with their problems. She also runs into her old flame Jake Sadler, and spends time with her, but in the end realizes that Mike is the one she really belongs with.

No one really knows why Jane is so mean and nasty, and why she treats Ellen the way she does. At John's funeral, each of them read eulogies that they've written and alot of things are explained. Jane reveals that she was raped as a teenager, the same week that their dad took off, and that the fact that he wasn't there for her when she needed him most really hurt her and ruined their relationship. Ellen also begins to understand why Jane resented her all these years. After hearing each others' eulogies, they are all able to understand each other better and begin to have better relationships with each other.

I really enjoyed the family dynamics (and drama!) and even though characters made me really mad on a few occassions, it was easy to understand why they acted the way they did. I could easily see this book being made into a movie.

Catching up

2009-07-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Recently I've finished two books...not as far I had hoped to get in July, but I really enjoyed the two books I read. The first was Take Two by Karen Kingsbury, book 2 in her Above the Line Series. I finished this a week or so ago. I just finished the second book today, and that was Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel.

Take Two by Karen Kingsbury:

Blurb: Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of that excitement, the producers acquire rights to a novel that has all the ingredients they want for their next project. At the same time they cross paths with a well-connected player who introduces them to the right people, and suddenly every studio in town wants to talk to Chase and Keith. The producers’ dreams are on the verge of coming true, but Chase’s marriage is strained and Keith’s daughter — Andi Ellison — is making questionable choices in her quest for stardom. The producers are gaining respect and are on the verge of truly changing culture through the power of film — but is the change worth the cost?

My thoughts: As usual, with any Karen Kingsbury book, I absolutely LOVED it!! It was a great continuation to Take One. I was most interested in what was happening with Chase and his Wife, Kelly, and also with Andi. It was interesting seeing how she wanted become her own person, independent from her parents. I am very eager to find out what happens in Take Three, both with Chase and Kelly, and also with Andi, and even with Bailey and Cody. I didn't like Bailey so much in the Baxter Series, but I like her better in these books.

Matters of the Heart:

Blurb (from amazon): Hope Dunne has carved out a name for herself as a top photographer, known the joys of marriage and motherhood, and the heartbreak of loss. In her chic SoHo loft, Hope is content with her life, finding serenity and beauty through the lens of her camera. She isn’t looking for a man or excitement. But these things find her when she accepts a last- minute assignment to fly to London at Christmas and photograph one of the world’s most celebrated writers—an Irish-American author known for novels of thrilling literary darkness.

To Hope’s surprise, Finn O’Neill exudes warmth and a boyish charm. Enormously successful, he is a perfect counterpoint to Hope’s quiet, steady grace—and he’s taken instantly by her. He courts her as no one ever has before, whisking her away to his palatial, isolated Irish estate.

Hope finds it all, and him, irresistible. Finn’s magnetism and brilliance are undeniable. But soon cracks begin to appear in his stories: gaps in his history, a few innocent lies, and bouts of jealousy unnerve her. Suddenly Hope is both in love and suspicious, caring and deeply in doubt, and ultimately frightened of the man she loves. Alone, thousands of miles from home, her mind is reeling. Is she just being paranoid? How many lies has he told? Are there more secrets to come? Is it possible that this adoring, attentive man—like the characters in his novels—is hiding something even worse? The spell cast by a brilliant sociopath has her trapped in his web, too confused and dazzled to escape as he continues to tighten his grip on her.

My thoughts: Even though I put this book down to read other books on two seperate occasions, this still ended up being one of my favorite of Danielle Steel's books. I loved the element of suspense. I even stayed up until 3:30 am last night reading because I wanted to find out what happened. Then, when I woke up this morning, I got right back to it. I had a feeling I knew what was gonna happen at soon into the book, a couple of my predictions were somewhat correct, but there were still plenty of surprises. My heart was racing during the last 50 or so pages of the book. I was so happy with how it ended! I will definitely need to read something lighter for my next book.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

2009-06-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Book #37 for the year
Finished on 6/21/2009

I got the urge to read The Wednesday Letters when I recieved my library's e-newsletter, which includes excerpts from a different book each week. The first few pages seemed to grab my attention, and I wanted to read more, so I rushed to the library and checked out the book. My First impression was that it reminded me somewhat of Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family, which I absolutely LOVE. I guess it did on some level, but not as much as I originally thought.

The Wednesday Letters started on the night that Jack and Laurel Cooper died in each others arms, in their home, a Bed and Breakfast Inn, in Woodstock, Virginia. In the days following their deaths, their children find boxes and boxes of letters written by Jack. He wrote Laurel a letter each Wednesday, and wrote about any number of things including his heartfelt feelings and any happenings of their lives. Their children came to cherish these letters and spent alot of time in the next few days pouring over them, often finding out interesting things about parents' relationship, including a few troubling secrets that had been kept secrets until now. And then they had to learn to deal with these secrets and learn to move on.

I really enjoyed this book, and the book kept my attention the entire time. I had actually skipped ahead and accidentally saw what one of the secrets was, which didn't actually ruin anything for me. I was still eager to know how they got to that point, and also what would happen after, and even then, there was a twist in the story that I wasn't expecting. The only character I really didn't care for was Nathan. I loved all the other characters, and especially felt sympathy for Malcom.As the synopsis says, he really is the "Black Sheep of the family" and it was interesting reading his thoughts and emotions. I also really enjoyed the one scene where several of the past visitors of the Inn came together and shared Stories.

Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice by Maureen McCormick

2009-06-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I was a huge fan of The Brady Bunch. I can remember watching the show every afternoon during the summer. I was curious to find out more about Maureen's life. I actually checked out the audiobook version of this, which is also significant (to me). This also is continuing my current interest in memoirs and autobiographies. I really enjoyed listening to this, and had no idea Maureen had been through so much. I really felt for her, and at some points my mouth just hung open in surprise and awe. I sure wish I could email her and tell her how strong I think she is. She did mention some things that went on behind the scenes of The Brady Bunch, which I found interesting, since I was a fan of the show, but I think what I found more interesting was all the issues that her family dealt with, and how she came out of that. Maureen seemed to hold alot of the burdens herself, in addition to her own struggles, and I couldn't believe how well she dealt with everything, and how she felt years later. I'm not sure how I would've dealt with some of those issues!

Date Finished 6/21/2009
Book #36 for the year (first audiobook!)

The Promise by Danielle Steel

2009-06-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Book #35 for the year
finished on 6/18/2009

Description: Young architect Michael Hillyard and artist Nancy McAllister are determined to get married despite his wealthy mother's disapproval. Then, minutes before their wedding, a terrifying accident and a cruel deception separate Michael and Nancy -- perhaps forever. Each pursues a new life -- Nancy in California, Michael in New York. But eventually nothing -- and no one -- can keep them apart as they keep their vow never to say good-bye.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I figured this book was set in the early eighties, or late seventies, but it was really hard to tell. I thought it was amazing that Nancy was only 22 or 23, yet she had to deal with all this at that age. I really liked Nancy/Marie and identified with her on some level. It was interesting hearing her perspective as she was going through surgeries (I've had alot of surgeries in my life too). I'm not sure how I would've handled what she went through. Michaels mom was a shrew, and I wish Nancy would've stood up to her. I had hoped that Peter and Marie would get married. They seemed like a much better fit than Nancy and Michael. I thought Danielle Steel worked Nancy's name change into the story perfectly. This was definitely one of my favorite books of hers. Seeing that this was based on a screenplay, I'd be very interested to see the screenplay now. I'm also anxious to read more of Danielle Steel's older books.

Must Love Mistletoe by Christie Ridgway

2009-06-15T13:54:00.001-07:00

Book#34 for the year
Finished 6/15/2009

Description:

Bailey Sullivan can't stand Christmas, even though her family's business is a store specializing in the perfect holiday. But now her hometown's chief supplier of rooftop Rudolphs and treetop angels is in danger of going under—it's up to Bailey to save the shop.

She has it all planned: She'll arrive on December 1 and be gone by Christmas. Plus there's always spiked eggnog to ease the pain. But "Humbug" Bailey's not the only one home for the holidays. Finn Jacobson—legendary local bad boy-turned-Secret Service agent and Bailey's long-lost high-school sweetheart—is once again the boy next door. Only this time he's all grown up, and the sparks are flying faster and hotter than ever!

Bailey believes in true love about as much as she believes in Santa Claus. But as the holiday draws closer, she's starting to think about one thing she'd like to find under her tree . . .

My thoughts:

I found this book somewhat disappointing. I didn't feel like I was right there with the characters. At some parts it seemed to drag on, and I lost interest a time or two. However, I did enjoy the ending,....probably the last 100 pages or so. I will definitely read the next book just so I can find out what happens with Bailey and Finn....I loved them. I also am anxious to read Ridgway's knitting series.

Vision In White by Nora Roberts

2009-06-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

Book 32 for the year
Finished on June 7, 2009

I loved this book so much, I can only hope my review is written well enough to convey how much I loved this story. This was the first book I read by Nora Roberts, and DEFINITELY not my last. I have several of her books in my shelves and honestly don't know why I haven't picked any of them up. I really didn't know what this book was about before I started reading. I only knew that it was about a wedding, given the cover art. I figured it would be a good start to Nora's books since it's the first book in a series (YAY!) I was HOOKED before I even finished the prologue. When I found out that Mac was given a camera when she was a child, and was then designated "photographer" when she and her friends played their Wedding Day game, I knew this was the perfect book for me. I'm very into photography myself, so I could definitely relate to Mac. My favorite scenes were when she was setting up for a shoot and trying to decide how to capture the couples in the most creative way that was unique to them. If only I had more self-confidence, I might consider a career in Photography. For now, it's just a hobby and I'm just an amature.

I also loved Mac's three friends, Laurel, Emma, and Parker (Interesting names, I might add). Emma was in charge of Flowers, Laurel was in charge of cakes and goodies, and Parker was the "Boss" and kept everything running smoothly. These four ladies have been best friends since childhood and their favorite childhood game of "Wedding Day" turned into a business for them when they grew up. A rather SUCCESFUL and popular business! I loved the way they interacted, and were their for each other.

Mac's mom was something else! Her character was bitchy, but she added to the story. You never knew what was around the corner. And Carter's ex was another piece of work. I LOVED Carter though. I can't wait to see what's in store for he and Mac.

Obviously, as you can see I can't wait for December to get here. That is when the next book Bed of Roses will be released! Just in time for Christmas!

Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye

2009-06-05T00:23:00.000-07:00

# OF books read so far this year: 31
Date Finished: 6/5/2009

Blurb from back of book:

Rosalie Ronaldi doesn't have a domestic bone in her body ...

All she cares about is her career, so she survives on take-out and dirty martinis, keeps her shoes under the dining room table, her bras on the shower curtain rod, and her clothes on the couch ...

Nick Romeo is every woman's fantasy - tall, dark, handsome, rich, really good in bed, AND he loves to cook and clean ...

He says he wants an independent woman, but when he meets Rosalie, all he wants to do is take care of her. Before too long, he's cleaned up her apartment, stocked her refrigerator, and adopted her dog ...

So what's the problem? Just a little matter of mistaken identity, corporate theft, a hidden past in juvenile detention and one big nosy Italian family too close for comfort ...

My thoughts:

I heard about this author/book from one of my online book groups. I was excited to hear about it, because I enjoy reading books about Italian-American families, since I am part Italian myself. This book was somewhat hard to get into at first, but once I got into it, I found it very entertaining. I liked reading about the family dynamics, and enjoyed the happy ending. I am anxious to read one of Robin Kaye's other books, Too Hot To Handle, which is also about an Italian-American family.

Harbor Lights by Sherryl Woods

2009-05-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

# of books read so far this year: 30
Date Finished: 5/30/2009

Description from back of book:

Struggling in his role as a newly single father, former army medic Kevin O'Brien moves home to Chesapeake Shores. He wants a haven for himself and his toddler son, surrounded by the family he knows he can count on. But Kevin is suddenly faced with a risk he hadn't anticipated — Main Street bookseller Shanna Carlyle. Shanna immediately recognizes Kevin as a wounded soul — she's had way too much experience with the type. Still, this charming O'Brien man and his son are almost impossible to resist. But just when the barriers are toppling, someone from Shanna's past appears. With their hard-won serenity threatened, Kevin and Shanna face their toughest challenge — learning to trust again.

What I LOVED:

I LOVED Shanna. I loved the bookstore/game store. Perfect for a town like Chesapeake Shores.
Of course, I love the small town feel of Chespeake Shores, and the sense of community and how everyone knows everyone and helps each other in times of need.
I also loved the O'Brien Family dynamics. I found the banter between them entertaining, and enjoyed the chaos of a large family.
I liked how Kevin came to terms with Meg's leaving all those years ago, and especially Meg, who was the inspiration to pursue his dreams from long ago of becoming an Environmentalist.
I loved the fact that I was instantly hooked from the first page of this book. I was pleasantly surpried to read the
I love the way Gram is able to hold everyonew in the family together.
Most of all, I LOVED the budding romance between Kevin and Shanna and I thought they were perfect for each other!
I LOVED how Henry's grandmother had a change of heart and Henry and Shanna were reunited.

What I HATED:

Laurie (Shanna's friend). I thought she was really sel-centered and I wish she would've let Shanna live her own life instead of always trying to butt in. I couldn't STAND her.
Mr. and Mrs. Davis- I hated the way they made Kevin feel guilty about "moving on" so soon after losing Georgia. I would think/hope they'd want him (and in turn, Davy, their grandson) to be happy.

However, I recently realized that whether I like or dislike a character shouldn't influence my feelings of whether or not I like a book. Sometimes a character, no matter how sweet or nasty they might be, is what completes the feel of the book.

A few other things:

I'm interested to see if Sherryl Woods will continue this series and where she will go with it, a reunion between Mick and Meg, Kevin and Shanna's wedding....more babies for them!!!I REALLY hope she will continue this series.

Flowers On Main by Sherryl Woods

2009-05-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Book 29 (for the year)

Blurb from back of the book:

When her last two plays are dismal failures and her relationship with her temperamental mentor falls apart, writer Bree O'Brien abandons Chicago and the regional theater where she hoped to make a name for herself to return home. Opening Flowers on Main promises to bring her a new challenge and a new kind of fulfillment.

But not all is peaceful and serene in Chesapeake Shores, with her estranged mother on the scene and her ex-lover on the warpath. Jake Collins has plenty of reasons to want Bree out of his life, but none of those are a match for the one reason he wants her to stay: he's still in love with her.

Jake might be able to get past that old hurt if he knew Bree was home to stay, but is she? The only way to know for sure is to take a dangerous leap of faith.

My thoughts:

I think I liked it better than the previous book. As always I really enjoyed this book, and I love how Sherryl Woods makes you feel as if your right there with the characters. I loved Bree and her ideas for a flower shop, and I loved the interaction between her and Jake, and I thought Jake's friends were hilarious! I am excited to see whats in store for everyone in Chesapeake Shores next month! I'm most anxious to see what will happen with Meg and Mick, and also Kevin and Georgia. I wish we could hear more about Connor!

Date Finished: 5/20/2009

ANOTHER survey from ANOTHER group

2009-05-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

1. What author do you own the most books by?
Danielle Steel....I own most all of hers except for a few of her newest ones. I own alot of Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky, and Susan Wiggs too.

2. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Any of the Virgin River men

3. What book have you read more than any other?
I don't re-read books.

4. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
I loved the Baby Sitters Club

5. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
Angels Everywhere by Debbie Macomber, Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

6. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

7. What is your favorite novel?
Again cannot pick a favorite.

8. Who is your favorite writer?
Robyn Carr, Susan Wiggs, and Sherryl Woods..I also like the Stef Ann Holm books I've read

9. Who is the most overrated writer alive today.
Stephanie Meyer

Reading Survey

2009-05-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Got this from one of my book groups....

Why do you read? (escapism, stress relief, relaxation, improve yourself etc)

I read mainly for stress relief, relaxation, and to escape reality for a little while. It's nice to step into another world and be someone else for a short time.

When you are in the mood to read a favorite genre what genre would it be? And what author(s) would you look for to satisfy your mood?

Usually Contemporary Romance, and my favorite authors are Debbie Macomber, Robyn Carr, Sherryl Woods, and Susan Wiggs

If you were having the world’s suckiest week ever, what genre and author(s) would you turn to in order to escape?

Same as above OH! and Christian Fiction, more specifically Karen Kingsbury books.

If you needed a good cry which author(s) will guarantee you tear up?

Well I don't normally cry when reading. It takes alot to make me cry in general, but I have teared up on a few occasions

If you want a thinking readers book, what author(s) would you lean towards?

Jodi Picoult or Jacqueline Mitchard

If you needed sheer entertainment which author (s) would you choose?

I'm not sure....something in the Chic Lit genre perhaps. I got a huge Kick out of Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani (though I know thats not really a Chick Lit book)

The Inn At Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods

2009-05-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished The Inn At Eagle Point this past Wednesday (5/13/09). It took awhile to finish it because I seemed to keep putting it down to read other books. I do think, however that it was more ME than the book itself, because once I started reading, I really did enjoy the book. Sherryl Woods is great at making the reader feel a part of the book and the towns she creates are towns I wouldn't mind living in. Cheseapeake Shores is ne exception. The way she describes the town somewhat reminds me of the town in her Sweet Magnolias Series.

The Inn At Eagle Point starts out 15 years earlier when Megan O'Brien walks out on her husband and five children, due to her husband's workaholic tendencies. She doesn't actually say goodbye to her children, just sneaks away while they are sleeping. The youngest, Jessie, is only 7 at the time so in the years to come has a hard time adjusting to some things without the support of her mother. Abby, her older sister steps in and gives her the love and support she needs. Unfortunately, Abby is really the only one who maintains a relationship with Megan,once she(Abby) moves to New York.

Jump ahead 15 years and Jess is trying to open The Inn At Eagle Point in an old Victorian home on the beach. This "old" home needs alot of work and Jess tries hard to fix it up. She does a great job, but some of her ideas are too "big" which causes her to be in danger of foreclosure. Once again, Abby comes to the rescue and comes home to Chesapeake Shores and help get things back on track. She also runs into Trace, her old boyfriend, who she broke up with without much of anexplanation when she moved to New York after college. Trace's father owns the Chesapeake Shores Community bank, and Trace agrees to come run that bank for 6 months. One of his first jobs is deciding the future of The Inn At Eagle Point, which is how he crosses paths with Abby. He agrees to let Jess keep the Inn open under the condition that Abby oversees all financial matters, much to Jess's dismay, but she agrees to go along with it.

There are immediate sparks between the Trace and Abby, and Abby's five year old twin daughters just adore him. Abby and Trace decide to give their relationship one more try. They begin talking about a future but neither are sure wherre they will end up. Abby assumes she will be going back to New York once the Inn opens and Trace is not quite sure he wants to go back. Trace ends up buying a home that Mick O'Brien built, and Abby takes a new job in Maryland, thus putting her closer to her family, and allowing her to stay with Trace.

At the very end of the book Bre makes an appearance in town, and this sort of leads into the next book Flowers On Main.

The O'Brien's also have 3 other children. Bree, Kevin, and Connor. I'm anxious to hear about them also. Jess did bug me at times with her irresponsible spending habits, and her occasional disrespect of Abby's time and money, but other times I could relate to her on some level. And I thought that the sparks between Abby and Trace were predictible. I figured that they'd end up together again, which is what I hoped for. Again, I loved the setting in this book. Both the small oceanside town, and the Inn. I have since started reading Flowers On Main, and I'm looking forward to meeting Abby and Jess's other 3 siblings.

Date Finished: 05/13/2009

Diamonds In the Rough by Diana Palmer

2009-05-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Things I like about Diana Palmer's Diamonds In the Rough

I love the fact that one underlying theme is that Money can't buy happiness. John tells Sassy repeatedly that she has so few material things, yet she considers herself to have many blessings, whereas he has alot more than she does (material things) and he feels empty.
I love Sassy. I love the way that she steps in and takes care of everyone around her. But I also love that John comes in and takes care of HER for a change.
Of course, I love the setting--small town, ranch, with a little romance thrown in.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was how John lied to Sassy about who he was. I didn't see why that really mattered. I also thought that she sure forgave him fast....that almost seemed a little fake to me, not that I expect FICTION books to sound realistic anyway.

I am definitely eager to go back and read The Men of Medicine Ridge now, so I can get the background story on John's brother, Gil. I am also hoping that Diana Palmer will continue this series. I would like to see Sassy have a child or two (or three!)

Date Finished: 5/10/2009

Summer On Blossom Street By Debbie Macomber

2009-05-06T23:51:00.000-07:00

Summer On Blossom Street was so awesome that it kept me up until 2:30 in the morning reading! I loved this book! It included all the same characters as in last year's book, Twenty Wishes, which I loved. Anne Marie and Ellen had just returned from a trip to Paris, one of the things on Ellen's list of 20 wishes. Helen's biological father also turns up and asks Anne Marie if he can at least meet Ellen and tell her who he is. This happens to be another one of Ellen's 20 wishes. Lydia and Brad decide to adopt a child, and they are very excited until late one night they get a call from the social worker asking them to take in a teenage girl for two nights, which turns into a week, which turns to LONGER! At first they're not sure how they will get through it, the girl is really moody and stand-offish, but as time goes on, she becomes a special part of the family and The Goetz' end up adopting her! I actually cried during this part of the book.

Most of the book is centered around a new class that Lydia teaches at A Good Yarn. It's called Knit To Quit. We also meet some new characters. Phoebe, who is trying to get over her ex-fiance who cheated on her, and Hutch, who's doctor suggests he take up knitting to help lower his blood pressure. Alix also takes the class so she can quit smoking, because she plans to get pregnant soon. During the course of the class, Phoebe and Hutch fall in love and soon they announce they're getting married! Soon after, Alix announces she is pregnant!

I can't wait to see what next years book will bring!! I only wish Debbie Macomber would write a Christmas On Blossom Street book! Maybe someday she will.

The Matchmakers by Debbie Macomber

2009-05-03T15:47:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend, I read The Matchmakers by Debbie Macomber. It was a quick read, and in my opinion one of those stories where you know what the ending will be. My predictions were correct. Little Matchmakers is a story about an 11-year old boy who longs for a father, and begs his mom to start dating. They meet former pro-football player Gavin Parker, who happens to be a single dad to 13-year old Melissa who longs for a MOTHER! The kids join forces and try to get their parents together.

Debbie has written a couple other books with this same type of storyline. Darling Daughters and Yours and Mine. I thought all 3 of these books were cute stories and all had happy endings!

Halfway To Forever by Karen Kingsbury

2009-04-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

I decided to read the books in Karen Kingsbury's Forever Faithful Series out of order. I was so taken with the family in the first book, that the second book just didn't sound that interesting to me, so I skipped ahead to the third book, figuring that I would want to go back and read the second book once I was finished. And I was right! The third book, focused on Hannah and Matt. Hannah and Matt had just met at the end of Waiting For Morning, Matt was Hannah's lawyer in the trial against Brian Wesley. They have seen married, and currently live on the beach in Southern California with Hannah's daughter, Jenny. Their close friends, Tanner and Jade, live close by with their 13 year old son, Tyler. Tanner and Matt were partners at a law firm that specialized in religious rights. Both families are going through multiple struggles during the book. Jade is diagnosed with brain cancer, and is currently undergoing treatment for that. Meanwhile, after having a miscarriage, she gets pregnant again, and this time gives birth to a little girl, Madison Jade, 8 weeks early. Shortly after the birth, she undergoes a very risky surgery to remove her tumor. No one knows whether this will be successful or not, they simply must rely on the power of prayer. Through some miracle, the surgery is successful and later tests show absolutely no signs that there was ever a tumor.

Hannah and Matt are ready to add to their family. They decide to adopt a little girl, Grace and are waiting for the 6 month period to be up, to finalize the adoption, when the social worker calls and informs them that Grace's grandmother has shown up and wants Grace to live with her. They give her back, despite their devastated feelings. Then, a short while later, Hannah is volunteering at the hospital when a lady who has overdosed on drugs brings her 6 week old son to the hospital, so she can get help. The mom dies, and there is no next of kin. So Hannah and Matt end up adopting the baby, whose name is Kody Matthew. Then, right around the time of Jade's surgery, Grace's grandma decides to give Grace back to them so that her real mom will never be able to find her and put her in any more danger. Grandma feels this is the best situation involved, and once again this is an example of the many miracles that happen in this book.

I am now anxious to go back and read the second book. I know that book mostly centers around Tanner and Jade, but now that I know them I'm more interested to hear about their history. And I don't think the fact that I've already read the next book will give away too many spoilers for me. Once again, Karen Kingsbury did NOT disappoint!

I finished this book on 4/28/2009

Sunset Bay by Susan Mallery

2009-04-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

This was one book that had me hooked right from the beginning. It starts off when Megan is 18 years old, and she will be starting college soon. She goes to a party with her friend, Allegra where she runs into her ex-boyfriend Travis, who had been sent to jail. Megan and Travis go off to Vegas for a weekend, which causes Megan to lie to her parents about her plans. This would be a good time to explain Megan's family situation. Megan's mother is a hypochondriac, drama-queen who thinks the world revolves around her and who expects everyone to drop what they're doing and cater to her needs. She also never hesitates to tell Megan how ugly she is and how she'll never find happiness because she's not pretty enough. Mom also compares Megan to her sister, Leanna and keeps telling Megan how she's the uglier of the two. Leanne is an aspiring actress who seems to get whatever she wants, no matter what the cost is. Megan is the apple of her dad's(Gary) eye, and it's pretty much them two against Leanne and Mom. Megan also has dreams of becoming a Fashion Designer, a dream that her mom thinks is foolish. Her dad doesn't even take her dreams seriously.

When Megan and Travis return from Vegas, Megan's dad is furious and forces her to quit Design school and grounds her and banishes her to her bedroom for the entire summer. I personally thought this was a bit harsh, considering the fact that Megan IS, in fact, 18 YEARS OLD!

Thats nothing compared to what happens in Megan's life 10 years later. The book jumps ahead 10 years later. Megan is a successful accountant dealing with the entertainment industry, she has beautiful condo, and is getting ready to marry her fiancee, Adam. She is STILL the apple of her dad's eye.

Until one day, when her life comes crashing down. Megan gets a visit from an attorney who informs her that Gary is not her real father; that her REAL father has just passed away and has left her $250,000 inheritance. Megan discovers that her mom cheated on Gary and tried to pass Megan off as HIS daughter. Gary has no idea Megan isn't his either, until he walks in on Megan confronting her mother. He then refuses to speak to, or have anything to do with Megan. This leaves Megan crushed. THEN, Megan's co-worker, Carrie, is trying to get Megan fired, because she wants the promotion Megan is up for soon. As if all this weren't enough for poor Megan to deal with, Megan's fiancee Adam confesses that he has been in a relationship with someone else while they've been dating and even after they were engaged, but he assures her that this won't happen again once they are married. HA! what a bunch of BS. I wanted to smack Adam several times!! Adam kept coming crawling back (at the worst times too) begging Megan's forgiveness, and he couldn't understand why Megan didn't want to marry him. Soon after, Megan runs into Travis in Las Vegas, and finds out he is returning to Los Angeles to help his mom get her business ready to sale. They start seeing each other, and soon admit the love each other. I would've liked to have seen them get married!! THAT would've been the perfect ending.

I didn't like some of the characters in this book, obviously, but I think the characters are what made the story. I'm glad Leanne redeemed herself in the end and the sister started becoming closer. Their mom was another story though. I don't think I know anyone like her. And the Dad...I don't know which of the parents was worse!!

I finished this book on 4/19/2009

The Duggars: 20 and Counting by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar

2009-04-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

I read this book in March 2009. This is the story of The Duggars, stars of TLC'S 18 Kids and Counting. It basically told the story of how Jim Bob and Michelle met, the early years of their marriage, and how they raised their children all the way up to how they're doing currently. I had only seen this show a few times before reading the book, so I learned alot about them while reading. I really enjoyed this book and hope that they will write more books in the future.

Their personal website is here!

I finished this book on 3/25/2009.

Eight Little Faces by Kate Gosselin

2009-04-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

I went to Borders the other day and looked throught this book. It is a very cute little book with about 50 pages of photos of the Gosselin kids who are featured on TLC'S Jon and Kate Plus 8. I LOVE this show, and I have never missed a single episode. I read their other book Multiple Blessings: Surviving To Thriving With Twins and Sextuplets. I loved that book also!

Their website is here!

I finished this book on 4/14/2009.

Why I blog

2009-04-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling with how to write my thoughts on a book, yet at the same time, convey what I really feel about that book. Sometimes I worry that my writing abilities aren't good enough to truly represent how I felt about a book. I look at alot of other people's book blogs, who are GREAT writers and whose blogs look so professional compared to mine. However, I'm really only keeping up with this blog for my personal use. So that I can remember what books I've read and I can go back someday and remember what they were about, and what I thought about them. I've tried several different ways of capturing my thoughts on a book....1) answering a series of questions, using a pre-made survey and tweaking it, a little bit. 2) writing my own version of a book description and my thoughts. and 3) copying/pasting a book description from somewhere else and writing my own thoughts. I think the best option is #2, which I will keep working on. I want this blog to be MY OWN and I'm not sure I like the idea of copying/pasting from somewhere. So I will try some different things in the future....some books I might only have my thoughts and not necessarily a description of the book. Others I may use discussion questions as my entry for that book. And OTHERS, may have my personal thoughts and the descriptional all mixed together. I also shouldn't worry about giving away spoilers, because this is, after all, MY blog, and the whole purpose of me keeping this blog is so I can remember what happened in the book. I also want to add some other things, not just book review entries. Hopefully I can work on this as time goes on.

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

2009-04-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

I first heard about Very Valentine from friends in one of my online book groups. When they said it centered around an Italian family, I knew I had to read it right away! Very Valentine tells the story of the Roncalli and Angelini families. They own a customer Shoemaking business, Angelini Shoe Company, in Greenwich Village. The book centers around Teodora the matriarch of the family, and her granddaughter, Valentine, her apprentice. Valentine has two sisters, Jaclyn and Tess, and a brother, Alfred, who get to know quite well, along with their parents. This is the story of a typical Italian Family. Angelini Shoe Company was founded in Italy in 1903, and specializes in designer wedding shoes. The company is suffering financially, and Valentine fights to keep it in the family by trying some new designs that have a more contemporary look to them. During this time, She enters this contest at a department store for them to use one of her shoes in their display windows. During this time, she also meets and begins dating Roman Falcona, who's a chef at a nearby restaurant. We hear alot about their relationship and the struggles they go through trying to meet the damands of business while finding time for each other. Valentine also goes to Italy with Gram, to find new material for creating her shoes. When she returns from Italy, she finds that changes are happening all around her. She continues to work hard to increase the variety of their shoe designs to include current trends as well.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I had read some reviews from people who didn't like all the detail, but I LOVED it. Perhaps that is because I am part Italian myself. I loved hearing about the shoemaking, AND about the Italian food and the vivid descriptions of Italy itself. I also loved reading about the special bond between Grandmother and Granddaughter, as well as the hilarious Banter back and forth between various family members. Trigiani sure has a way with words, and I laughed more reading this book than I have with most other books. This book will definitely go on my list of favorites. The only character I didn't really care for was Roman. He seemed pretty flaky. I was also intrigued by frequent mention of Lucia, Lucia, which is another one of Trigniani's books, that I plan to read very soon.

I am anxious to read the sequels coming out in 2010 and 2011 and to hear what's in store for readers in those books. I only wish we didn't have to wait so long.

I finished this book on April 16, 2009. **ALSO** This was the first E-BOOK that I read from start to finish!!

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult.

2009-04-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Blurb from Bookbrowse:

Things break all the time.
Day breaks, waves break, voices break.
Promises break.
Hearts break.

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.

Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?

Emotionally riveting and profoundly moving, Handle with Care brings us into the heart of a family bound by an incredible burden, a desperate will to keep their ties from breaking, and, ultimately, a powerful capacity for love. Written with the grace and wisdom she's become famous for, beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult offers us an unforgettable novel about the fragility of life and the lengths we will go to protect it.

My thoughts:

I was born with a birth defect myself, though not as severe or life-threatening as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, so this book kind of hit home for me and gave me alot to think about. I didn't really like Charlotte, I thought she was selfish, and she was really only doing this for herself. So life would be easier for HER. And also it's not so much that she says she would've aborted...I just don't know why she waited 6 whole years to go ahead with this lawsuit. I can see why Sean changed his mind and chose to side with the Defense. I also really felt for Piper. And Amelia...alot of her problems were caused by Charlotte. I can only imagine how I would feel, having been born with a birth defect, if I found out people thought I should never have been born.

I finished this book on April 11, 2008

Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr

2009-04-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Blurb:
Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq—his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him mend his broken body and shattered heart?

As the people of Virgin River rally around Rick, another recent arrival tests the tightly knit mountain town's famous welcoming spirit. Dan Brady has a questionable past, and he's looking for a place to start over. He'd like it to be Virgin River…if he can find a way in. But he never expects to find it in the arms of a woman who was as much an outcast as himself.

For a favorite son returned from war and an outsider looking for a home, Virgin River offers them a chance to make peace with the men they once were…and to find the dreams they thought they'd lost.

My Thoughts:

Well, I can't believe I've already read the last "new" book in the Virgin River Series for 2009. I don't want to wait until 2010 to read more. The more of these books I read, the more I love this little town and all the residents who live there, my most favorite being Jack and Mel. I really felt for Ricky in this book. He came home from Iraq wounded, and in all of his grief, pushed away those who were closest to him. But I'm glad everyone gave him the space that he needed. I LOVED Liz in this story, and how she held her own around Ricky and didn't let him screw her around, and I was especially glad that Ricky got past his feelings of Liz deserving someone better. I think this was my favorite storyline. I liked hearing about Cameron and Abby. I thought her ex-husband was a loser, especially with the way he came crawling back to "try" and make amends. And Walt and Muriel...they're a cute couple. There wasn't too much about the other residents. I was hoping Shelby would've been pregnant by now.

My favorite book of this second part of the Series was Second Chance Pass, and my favorite book of the first 3 was Shelter Mountain.

Between now and 2010, while I'm waiting for the next books to come, I plan to read some of Robyn's stand-alone books including: Blue Skies, Runaway Mstress, Never Too Late, The House On Olive Street, and To Mother With Love.

I finished this on April 6, 2009.

While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky

2009-04-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

BLURB from Bookbrowse since I am too lazy to write my own.

Once again Barbara Delinsky brings us a masterful family portrait, filled with thought-provoking ideas about the nature of life itself, how emotions affect the decisions we make, and how letting go can be the hardest thing to do and the greatest expression of love all at the same time.

Molly and Robin Snow are sisters in the prime of their lives. So when Molly learns that Robin—an Olympic athlete and the favorite child—has suffered a massive heart attack, the news couldn’t be more shocking. At the hospital, the Snow family receives a grim prognosis: Robin may never regain consciousness.

Feelings of guilt and jealousy flare up as Robin's family struggles to cope and their relationships are put to the ultimate test. It’s up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that destroy some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew.

My thoughts:

I liked this book, for the most part. I definitely can identify with Molly and it was interesting reading her relationship with Robin. I hoped that Molly and Dave would get together. And I didn't really care for Kathryn at times. Robin was too into herself. Honestly, this wasn't my most favorite of Delinsky's books. I kept putting the book down to read other books, and then it became a chore to finish it. I'm not sure what it was about the second half that made it drag on. Maybe part of it is my mood lately. Nevertheless, I gave it 4 stars.

Finished on: April 2, 2009

Montsna Creeds: Dylan by Linda Lael Miller

2009-03-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

Dylan Creed, the Middle Creed Brother, returns to Stillwater Springs, along with his 2 year old daughter Bonnie. He finds Bonnie abandoned in his truck left in an alley late one night, and resolves to have permanent custody of her. He gets back together with his old girlfriend, Kristy, the town librarian. Kristy is dealing with alot in this book because she discovers there are two bodies in sugarfoots grave. The drifter that her daddy killed when he broke into their house, and the body of Ellie Clarkston. Later in the book, it is revealed that Frieda Turlow witnessed Sheriff book killing the drifter, and Frieda herself killed Ellie Clarkston. The book ends with Dylan and Kristy getting married, and Dylan and Logan forming a partnership to buy the old Madison Place.

My thoughts:

I didn't like this book as much as Logan's story. I loved Dylan and Kristy's storyline and loved hearing more about Logan and Briana's life. I am anxious to see what happens with Tyler. And if Kristy is really pregnant like she suspects.

Finished on 3/16/2009

Authors,Books, and Series

2009-03-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Authors/Books I like

Debbie Macomber...My favorites were her Heart of Texas Series, Blossom Street Series, Cedar Cove Series, and I liked the Dakota Series. I also really enjoyed Thursdays At Eight. I plan on reading her Midnight Sons series soon. I have found though that I haven't liked alot of her reprints...so I will stay away from those in the future.

I have really enjoyed the Montana Creeds Series by Linda Lael Miller. I definitely want to read her McKetrrick Series, Springwater Series, Stone Creek Series, and Primrose Creek series. I have alot of those books already.

Obviously I LOVE Robyn Carr. I still say she should continue her Grace Valley Series. I have Never Too Late, Blue Skies (which we had a very interesting discussion about at her book signing), and House On Olive Street her that I want to read very soon.

Sherryl Woods- LOVED her Sweet Magnolias Series and Seaview Inn--I also have the Trinity Harbor Series and the Charleston Trilogy here to read, as well as Flamingo Diner.

I've recently gotten into Stef Ann Holm- She reminds me alot of Sherryl Woods.

Susan Wiggs----I have read many of her books. the Lakeshore Chronicles Series is my favorite, but The Ocean Between Us is the book that got me hooked on her. Just Breathe was great also and I loved Summer By the Sea--probably because I'm Italian too. Table For Five was ok- but it wasn't my most favorite.

Barbara Delinsky---I like her too. I've kept up with her newest books starting with Family Tree, Secret Between Us, and currently While My Sister Sleeps. I've also read a few of her old ones. My highschool Math teacher is the one who got me hooked on her when she let me borrow Coast Road. The Woman Next Door was also a good one.

Other authors I like include Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, Karen Kingsbury.

Series/books I want to read soon are: Shenandoah Album by Emilie Richards
Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan Series by Catherine Anderson
Calder Series by Janet Dailey
Hawk's Way series by Joan Johnston
books by Jodi Thomas

Above the Line:Take One by Karen Kingsbury

2009-03-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Keith Ellison and his best friend, Chase Ryan are on their way to Bloomington, Indiana to begin filming their movie, The Last Letter, which is about a college kid who loses his father, and doesn't quite know how to cope with his loss, until his mother finds a letter that his father had written for him. Some of the residents of Bloomington, especially students attending Indiana University, are used as extras in this film. Keith's daughter, Andi, is Roommates with Bailey Flanigan, and some members of the Baxter Family (which is my absolute FAVORITE!) make an appearance on the set as well.

The thing about this film is that their company, Oak River Films is an independent filmmaker and they're using money from investors to make this film, as opposed to a studio, and their budget is Two Million dollars and they're giving themselves four weeks to finish filming.

Keith and Chase live in San Jose, California with their families. Keith lives there with his wife, while his daughter Andi attends school in Indiana, and Chase has a wife and two daughters who he must leave behind for a month.

As they start filming, they run into several problems. A few of the cast members claim this film is targeted for the Christian Market, and threaten to walk off. The lack of funds for this movie hangs over Keith and Chase's heads, and the union finds out about this and threatens to stop production, until Luke Baxter steps in and draws up a contract that everyone agrees with.

Bailey Flanigan ends up getting a part as the girlfriend of the main character. When the original actress walks off the set, her and Andi both read for the part, but in the end, Chase and Keith decide that Bailey is really the better choice.

Andi is struggling with trying to decide who she is. All her life she's been a sheltered missionary kid, and she desperately wants to live on the edge a little. All this leads to almost getting herself raped, and showing up to a fraternity party and getting drunk, and ruining her reputation with her peers, and humiliating herself in the process.

Bailey is confused by her feelings for both Cody and Tim. She and Tim are dating, but she's not 100% sure he's the one she's meant to be with. Cody has told her that she deserves someone better than him. Bailey is definitely attracted to him, despite this. And what she doesn't know, is he has since realized that he was wrong and that he is in love with her too, but since she is with Tim, he will never tell her his feelings. Andi was somewhat attracted to Cody too, which made Bailey a little jealous. But unbeknownst to Bailey, Cody really doesn't share Andi's same feelings.

During the 4th week of filming, they come to the realization that they're not going to make it with the funds they have. So they agree its time to have a meeting and send everyone home. Right before this meeting is scheduled to start, Chase recieves a fax from Ben Adams, who has decided to invest in this film, and every film following. His daughter, Kendall, had seen their interview on Entertainment Tonight, and it caught her attention. She also informs them that a author of a book on the New York Times Bestseller list, wants to give them movie rights for her book, and that Brandon Paul, a disney star popular with the young generation, wants a lead part. Lastly, Kendall becomes their production assistant.

My thoughts on first half:

Well as of today, I'm almost halfway through. But so far this book is AWESOME.....I kinda get the feeling that this might turn out sort of like a couple books in the Sunrise Series....Rita the lead actress has tried to make a move on Chase once already, and I'm sure she'll try again. I'm interested to see how that turns out.

In the Baxter Family Saga, I didn't really like Bailey that much. But, for some reason I like her better now. She is still torn between Tim Reed, who's her current boyfriend, and Cody Coleman, who she can't stop thinking about. Then, she gets kind of jealous when she gets the feeling that Andi is attracted to cody. I think Bailey is used to being the spotlight as the girl that everyone loves, and now Andi has come on to the scene, and perhaps Bailey sees her as competition. That's the vibe I got. But then, I often feel as though Andi is Jealous of Bailey because of her innocence, and the family that she has.

I can't wait to read more of this book, and I definitely can't wait for the next two books in the series. Take Two comes out in June 2009, Take Three comes out in Spring 2010, and Take Four comes out in Summer 2010. AND she also has a book, Shades of Blue, coming out in fall 2009, so I'm definitely looking forward to that as well.

My thoughts on second half:

Well Luckily, I was wrong about the book turning out like the books in the Sunset Series. I thought for sure Chase would end up having an affair with Rita. His marriage to Kelly sounds like it has some issues. It was also interesting reading about Andi and all that she's going through. I loved how things that happened in the end of the book set the stage for the next book, so to speak. I'm interested to see what will happen next. If that play will be in Bloomington, how things will go with production, also how big of a role the Baxters will play, and what will happen with Andi and Bailey, and last but not least, what happens with the Bailey/Cody/Tim triangle.

I finished this book on March 14, 2009.

One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling

2009-03-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Nora Peterson wants this Christmas to be perfect, because it is their last Christmas as a family before her twins, Charlie and Christie go off to college. She goes all out in preperations. A couple days before Christmas, Charlie is killed in a car accident. He has marked on his license that he wishes to donate his organs.

Jenna is worried that this might be her daughter Heather's last Christmas. She is awaiting a new heart. By some miracle, they get a call right before Christmas, that a new heart has come available. They fly to Omaha, Nebraska for her surgery. Of course, Jenna can't begin to imagine what the other family must be going through right now, but she is so glad her daughter has been given another chance to live.

My thoughts:

This was my first book by Lauraine Snelling. I had heard about it in my Christianbookreaders group and I'd been wanting to read it for a long time. Much to my pleasant surprise, this was a recent acquisition of my library. I snatched it up right away! I really enjoyed the story. It definitely opened my eyes to organ donation and the way I react to death of a loved one. I couldn't imagine being in Christie's shoes; losing a twin, not to mention just the loss of a sibling. And losing a child....though I don't have children yet, I hope I never have to experience that. I did feel for Christie at times, she had no one to talk to. I also couldn't understand why they bought Charlie a car and not Christie.

As for Jenna and Heather, I loved reading about them too. I'm not sure what I think about Jenny marrying her brother in law though. I was glad to hear the ending. When Heather's new heart was going through the rejection, I thought maybe the ending would've been different.

I would've liked to have heard the Petersons' reaction to Heathers Letter. I think if I had an organ from donor, I'd want to meet them too. I also wish Jenna and Nora, and maybe even Heather and Christie could've met somehow.

The Beach House by Sally John

2009-03-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

This is the first book in The Beach House Series. On her 40th birthday, Joe decides to call her three friends from school, Molly, Andi, and Char, and invite them to stay with her at a beach house for a week. This will be the first time in 12 years. These ladies' lives have all changed and their trying to decide where to go from here.
Jo is single, an ob-gyn and a recovering alcolholic. She is grieving the 16 year old patient who died while under care due to complications of abortion (which she did not perform). She also grieves for her own child she lost due to miscarriage.
Molly has 4 children and is trying to rekindle the love with her husband. When they first arrive at the beach house, she is very worried about calling home and making sure her family is doing ok. But, as time goes on, this becomes less and less of a worry for her. While at the beach house, Molly finds out she is pregnant with her 5th child. She is NOT happy about this, her husband, however, is.
Andi is realizing that she's really not her husband's doormat to walk all over. She arrives at the beach house afraid of everything, but soon braves the ocean and finds that she loves Boogie Boarding. She also decides to give him an ultimatum of leaving the girlfriend and seeing a marriage counselor, or ending their marriage. Unfortunately, he chooses the second. Andi moves into a condo with her two sons, and continues her work as a reflexologist.
Char has two teenage children, and seems to be drifting apart from her husband as well. She also enjoys nightly flirty phone chats with the single guy, Todd, who lives next door to her and her family. On her birthday, Todd surprises her by showing up in San Diego. They spend the day together, and that night he tells her that he's in love with her and wants to sleep with her. This makes Char very uncomfortable, and she immediately calls her husband, Cam, and tells him what has been going on. Cam hightails it out to San Diego and they have the talk they've needed to have for a long time. Cam assures her that he really does love her, he just may not always do a great job of showing it. He also expresses his desires to open a restaurant.

My thoughts:
I had been wanting to read this book for awhile, after hearing so much about it from the ladies in my Christian book group. I finally grabbed it from the library. When I first started reading it, I wasn't too sure if I would actually like it, because of the age difference between myself and them, and thinking I might not be able to relate to what they are dealing with, since I am not yet married and have no children. For some reason, I see Char as the strongest person out of this group. And sometimes Molly as well. Andi and Jo seem to be a little more timid and reserved, perhaps weaker. But as I got further and further in this book, I realized they all have strong points and weak points. I think Andi had the biggest growth of them all, by moving on her own. I was glad to see Cam and Char work out their issues. It was also interesting to see their relationships with each other and how they interacted with each other. At times, I felt that Jo could not relate to the other three because she was not married and had no children, but then other times it felt like Char was the outside because she came along after the other 3 had known each other. Molly, at times, seemed to get to people with her devotion to God. In the beginning, Andi let alot of things keep her experiencing life. But they all overcame these things.

I finished this book on March 5, 2009.

Waiting For Morning by Karen Kingsbury

2009-03-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

One Sunday, Hannah Ryan is waiting for her husband, Tom, and two daughters Alicia (15), and Jenny (13), to return home from their yearly summer camping/fishing trip. As it starts getting later and later, Hannah starts getting more and more worried. Finally, two police officers come to her home, and tell her there has been a horrible accident. Tom and Alicia die instantly and Jenny is in critical condition. They also tell her the other driver was drunk. She rushes to the hospital, where she says her goodbyes to Tom and Alicia, and goes to be with Jenny. She immediately sets out on a mission to make sure the other driver, Brian Wesley will pay for what he has done.

Jenny makes a full recovery, physically, but emotionally, is another story. In her desperate attempt to make Ryan pay for what he has done, Hannah pretty much ignores Jenny, and makes her take care of herself. Despite the fact that Jenny is 13 years old, Hannah grows frustrated with Jenny for not being there for HER, when in reality, it should be the other way around! Jenny feels like Hannah wishes it was HER who had died, instead of Alicia and even contemplates suicide, so she can be with her dad and sister, the only two people who she feels still love her. Jenny and her mom grow further and further apart as time goes on, and Jenny continues to contemplate suicide, while Hannah ignores people's attempts to get her to notice that Jenny is withdrawing more and more from everything as time goes on. It isn't until the day the verdict is read, that Jenny tries, unsuccessfully, to kill herself. Luckily Matt and Hannah find her and Matt is able to save her life by performing CPR, then getting her to the hospital just in time.

They reach the day of the trial, where Brian is found guilty of the crime of drunk driving, and gulity of the crime of first degree murder of Tom and Alicia. This was the most severe punishment anyone had ever recieved for drunk driving in the State of California, which was what Hannah and her attorney, Matt, had been hoping to accomplish all along.

During this time, Hannah also lost all faith in God. She felt that since God took her husband and her daughter away from her, that she didn't want to believe any longer. She shrugs off anyone who tries to tell her to pray, and refuses to even look at a Bible. It isn't until Jenny is in a coma, that she finally gets the urge to pray, and finds God again.

She also insisted that once Brian was found guilty, she would find peace within herself. However, it isn't until she finds it in herself to forgive Brian, that she finds that peace.

My thoughts: I could not put this book down. I finished it in right around 24 hours. And I'm very eager to read the next two books in this series. The thing that got to me the most was Hannah's reaction toward Jenny. Hannah was really not there for Jenny in the months after the accident at all. Hannah claimed that Jenny was being really selfish for not wanting to help put Brian behind bars, when really I felt that HANNAH was the selfish one. Jenny was only 13 years old, and no way could she have or SHOULD she have been able to deal with all those emotions on her own. It really bothered me how Hannah blew off everyone's warnings that Jenny wasn't doing so well and to get help immediately. I'm looking forward to reading the next books to see how their relationship is going.

I finished this on 3/1/09

Montana Creeds: Logan by Linda Lael Miller

2009-02-28T21:19:00.000-08:00

Logan returns to his hometown, Stillwater Springs, Montana, to restore his ranch. He finds single mother, Briana, living in Dylans cabin with her two young sons, Josh and Alec. He soon becomes friends with the boys, and realizes he is falling in love with their mother. Their dad, Vance, abandoned them one night in the Walmart parking lot, and they've been living in Dylan's house ever since. Logan is also hoping to get back in touch with his brothers, Dylan, and Tyler. They haven't spoken to each other since their father Jake's funeral five years earlier. There was a big fight after Logan said some horrible things about their father. In time, Dylan comes around, but it takes Tyler, who's the youngest of the 3 brothers, awhile longer to agree to talk to Logan.

After months of hardly any contact and missed child support payments, Vance shows up in Stillwater Springs, with his new wife in tow. He claims he wants to make things right and be a father to his two sons. Things go well for awhile, then Heather, then his wife acts irresponsibly, while in charge of the children. The last straw is when she tries to kidnap the boys. That is pretty much the end of her and Vance's relationship.

This was my first Linda Lael Miller book, and definitely not my last. I am definitely going to read more of her books very soon, starting with the next book in the Montana Creeds Series. I also have several books from her other series' here too, that I am eager to read as well. I also want to ask my book reading friends if they can recommend any good western Romance Authors/Series/books. I love the small town feel, as well as the rugged men who find their ladies to love. My favorite character in this book was Briana. She lived very simply and made sure she had enough to get by, and was satisfied with that. I wish I could be more like her! I hope to hear more about them in the next books.

Temptation Ridge by Robyn Carr

2009-02-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

Shelby McIntyre is moving to Virgin River to live with her uncle walt, while she's trying to get over the pain of recently losing her mother. She wants to take a break before going to nursing school. She is 25 years and old could be considered a "late bloomer". She doesn't plan on falling in love, but it happens. She meets Luke Riordan on her way into town, and they run into each other again soon after, at Jack's bar. Luke doesn't want to fall in love with her, he insists that he's not the type who will settle down and establish roots. He has come to Virgin River to take over the Chapman cabins. He soon finds a homeless boy named Art living in one of them. Art has Downs Syndrome, and has run away from his group home and his abusive care takers. Luke decides to let Art stay in the cabins, and gives him odd jobs to do around the cabins. He and Art soon become great friends. Luke's brothers Sean and Aiden show up occasionally.

As time goes on, Shelby decides that maybe it is time to move on, that maybe she wants more than Luke has to give her. She is accepted into San Francisco State's nursing program, but first She goes to Maui for a couple weeks, where she runs into Luke's brother Aiden, who gives her a better understanding of Luke. Shelby returns to Virgin River because she realizes Luke is the one she wants to be with. During this time, Luke realizes that he really can be happy, and realizes the person he wants is Shelby. He asks Shelby to marry him.

Mike and Brie give birth to a little girl.

The beloved Doc Mullins passes away after suffering a Heart Attack.

Joe Benson and Nikki (Vanessa's friend) get married. At this wedding, their other friend, Abby, is Depressed because of her non-existent marriage to her cheating husband. She sneaks away from the wedding and ends up to the bar, where she runs into Cameron (the guy who wanted to Date Vanessa) and they end up having sex. Abby ends up pregnant with his twins, but doesn't want him to find out. Eventually people start putting two and two together, and Cameron tries to assure her that he is nothing like her husband and he just wants to be there for his children.

Walt and Muriel continue to spend time to each other, and their feelings for each other grow as time goes on. Soon, Muriel accepts another role in a film and goes back to Los Angeles.

My thoughts: Once again, another AWESOME book in the series. I won't say this is my most favorite book in the series, I think that is still Shelter Mountain. But it was definitely a great addition to the story. My favorite characters are still Mel and Jack. I love reading about their relationship, easygoing and relaxed, and the interactions between Mel and the other residents of Virgin River. She's so easy to talk to, it's no wonder everyone loves her.

Shelby reminded me alot of myself. I'm 27 but I feel like I haven't experienced as much as other 27 year olds have. I didn't get into my first relationship until I was 25. I definitely still have growing up to do, but it's figuring out how to get to the next stup that is difficult. I did think, at times, that Walt and Vanni were a little too overprotective of Shelby. I think Shelby is alot stronger than either of them give her credit for, and they can't keep her from being hurt. It's part of life and also part of being in a relationship.

The Sparkling One by Susan Mallery

2009-02-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

The Sparkling One is first in The Marcelli Sisters of Pleasure Road Series.

The Marcellis are an Italian family that own their own vineyard and make their own Wine. Lorenzo and Tessa Marcelli live with their son, Marco, his wife, Colleen, and their 4 children. Colleen's mother, Mary Margaret O'shea also lives with them.

Marco and Colleen have 4 daughters. 28 year-old Katie is the oldest and she owns a party planning company. She was almost married once, but she and her fiance broke up right before their wedding. Then come 27 year old twins Franchesca and Brenna. Brenna and her husband are currently going through a divorce after Brenna finds out he was cheating on her. Brenna has returned home to work at the winery, something she has always had an interest in. Francesca is currently working on her doctorate, where she has to study peoples' reactions to different appearances, which lead to some pretty interested costumes, getups. Mia, the youngest is 18 years old, and is engaged to David Striker. This really is the main theme of this book. David's father, Zach feels they are too young to get married and tries to come up with a scheme to break up their wedding. His is successful family Attorney, and when his firm needs to plan a charity event, he hires Katie, with an alterior motive to get her on his side. Instead of getting her on his side, they end up falling in love and at the end of the book, when Mia and David decide to call off the wedding, Katie and Zach announce they have fallen in love and decide to get married.

There is a section in here that mentions the sinificance of the titles of a few of the other books in this series. When they were younger, Katie, Brenna, and Francesca had made their own bottles:

Katie~~~ The Sparkling One: Katie Marcelli is a carbonated combination of wit and charm. She dazzles, she sparkles, she shines. Like the champagne she embodies, she is only ever special, iridescent, and valued.

Francesca~~~The Sassy One: Francesca Marcelli tosses her long hair in a gesture that marks her as not just the pretty one, but also the Sassy One. Bold, inventive, with just a hint of irreverence, she is the essence of blossoming illucution.

Brenna~~ The Seductive One: Brenna Marcelli's sultriness proves that she is the Seductive One. Dark, sweet, and slightly mysterios, she is a gleaming testament to all young women on the verge of lush ripeness.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this story and loved reading the characteristics of an Italian Family, since I'm 1/4 Italian. Though I thought Lorenzo was sometimes a little too hard headed. I also thought it was kinda pathetic how Francesca tried to get Brenna's ex to come on to her. My favorite characters in this series (so far) have been Katie, and the two grandmothers. I can't wait to read the rest of this series, and after reading this book, I really don't know what took me so long to start. This sort of reminds me of the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, except this family seems a little larger.

I finished this on 2/18/2009.

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

2009-02-05T22:57:00.000-08:00

Evelyn moves to New Bern after her divorce. One day she stumbles upon this charming little shop in a courtyard, which reminds her how she's always dreamed of having her own quilt shop. She takes a risk by opening the shop, and although in the beginning things are a bit shaky, she meets some great friends. She puts on this quilting event to support a Breast Cancer charity and on this day she meets 3 people who become her best friends:

Abigail is very well-known around town. She donates her time and money to many charities, and a quilting shop is really the last place she expects to find herself, but at her neice's encouraging, she goes to one event and finds she really enjoys herself. Especially after she makes a beautiful quilt for this 12 year old girl she meets at the shelter.

Liza is Abigails neice and has recently been turned over to Abigail's care after shoplifting and stealing a sweater. She lost her own mom to Breast Cancer and when she finds out about the event that Evelyn is having, she blackmails her aunt into going with her.

Margot is between jobs and finds herself in New Bern, and also attends the quilt shop for the first time on the day of the event, where she meets Abigail, Liza, and Evelyn.

Evelyn finds out she has Breast Cancer on the day before the event, and turns to her 3 friends for support, since her family doesn't live anywhere nearby. They help her with running her store and make sure she has meals, and Abigail helps her find the best doctor in the area. She has a lumpectomy, but then finds out they did not get all the cancer out, so she needs to have a full mastectomy. Her shop is in danger of having to close. Right after she has her surgery, she comes up with a plan to keep her store from closing.

Liza makes it through the year on probation, and after some shocking discoveries about her aunt and her mother, they become closer. Liza decides to apply for art school.

Abigail continues to do alot of charity work at the shelter and even donates some funding to Evelyn's shop.

My thoughts: I liked this book. This was a first time author for me, and I would like to read more of her books. I liked reading about the characters and I liked reading about their interactions with each other. It did take awhile for the author to reveal what had happened between Abigail and her sister. I think my favorite character was Evelyn and I was always interested what was going to happen to her next.

I finished this book on 2/9/2009

My thoughts: This is a nice change from the type of book I have been reading lately. I like the way it switches back and forth between Evelyn and Abigail. Although it would be interesting to read things from Liza's point of view. I get a kick out of reading the exchanges between Abigail and Liza. Abigail is hilarious! I'm not real sure what I think about Margot.

Fireside by Susan Wiggs

2009-02-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

This book is 5th in the Lakeshore Chronicles Series, set at Camp Kioga in the fictional town of Avalon, New York.

After being dumped and fired, Kimberly Van Dorn goes to visit her mom, Penelope, in Avalon. Her mom has turned her home into a boarding house, which is now called Fairfield House. Kim is not sure about this in the beginning, but grows to love the people who are staying at Fairfield House. However, there's more to this story. Bo Crutcher got a girl (yolanda) pregnant 12 years ago, and has not been allowed to see his son, because of her, despite the fact that he has always sent money. Until one day, when he gets a call saying Yolanda has been to a detention center and it's quite possible she could be deported. He gets immediate custody of his son, AJ. AJ IS terrified of what is happening to his mother and it takes him awhile to warm up to Bo. Bo, meanwhile, is about to get his shot at the Majors. He hires Kimberly to do all of his Public Relations work for him. They eventually fall in love with each other and Bo wants to ask her to marry him .Right around this time, AJ gets an idea from researching on the internet, that if Bo marries Yolanda, that she will not be deported. Bo agrees to do this, as hard as it is to leave Kimberly behind. As sad as she feels, she understands, that AJ is the most important thing here.

So, Bo takes AJ back to Texas, and is ready to marry Yolanda. THEN, the private investigators discover that Yolanda's dad was in fact born in the U.S., so Yolanda does not have to be deported. So, Bo is free to marry Kimberly, and Yolanda and AJ move to Avalon so they can be closer to Bo.

My thoughts: The only thing I did not like about this book was the fact that all the characters from the previous books were hardly mentioned. My favorite character in this series is Daisy. I also really loved Olivia and her husband, and Jenny Majesky. My favorite part of this book was hearing how Bo's relationship with AJ progressed and how they became closer as time went on. I was not expecting the twist in the story at the end of the book, but I was so happy that Bo ended up being able to marry Kim. I hope the next book Lakeshore Christmas will start out with their wedding!! I didn't think I would like Kim so much in the beginning of the book, but I grew to really like her.

I finished this book on February 3rd, 2009.

Second Chance Pass by Robyn Carr

2009-01-27T14:09:00.001-08:00

First off, Second Chance Pass takes place right after Whispering Rock. A Virgin River Christmas, was written after these two books were written so it was just thrown in between the two books.

Paul has returned to Grants Pass after helping Vanni deliver her baby, Matthew. He misses her terribly and already realizes that he is in love with her. He is seeing this woman named Terri in Grants Pass, and after one night of sleeping tonight, Terri announces she is pregnant with Paul's child. Paul is devastated, but he wants to do the right thing, by supporting Terri and the baby. He has to find a way to break this news to Vanni. Meanwhile, Vanni assumes he has moved on and that he is in love with Terri. Paul is finally able to assure her that he is, in fact, in love with HER! He asks her to marry him. They make plans to build a house right next door to the general's house. Paul later finds out that Terri's baby is not in fact his, much to his relief. Paul and Vanni get married right before Tom, Vannie's brother goes off to the Army. Walt becomes really good friends with his new neighbor, Muriel

Then, Matts mom tries to set Vanni up with one of her friends, Cameron, who's a doctor. Vanni thinks Cameron is a great guy, but Paul is really the one who has her heart.

Mel and Jack have a baby daughter, Emma. Paige and Preacher also have a daughter, Dana Marie.

Due to the dry conditions of the area, there is a danger of fires throughout the forest area. Shortle after Paige has her baby, several of the men go out and assist the Cal Fire in putting out fires. Unfortunately, Jack gets caught up in the fire and doesn't make it back to the bar, until a day later, much to everyone's horror.

Mike and Brie announce they are expecting a baby.

Ricky comes home for a 10 day visit, and then he leaves for Iraq.

My thoughts:

I really didn't like Vanessa, but thats actually what made the story entertaining! I loved that little triangle they had going on. I think she was kind of unfair to Cameron, with how she was stringing him along. Her and Paul should've been open and honest with each other alot earlier. I also secretly hoped Paul would get together with Terri, only because I didn't like Vanni. I didn't really like the way Vanni reacted to that situation, and how she questioned Paul about wanting to support the child. It's not like Paul cheated on her!

My favorite couple is still Jack and Mel. And Paige and Preacher.

I also didn't like Nikki and the way she ran off from Joe after their night together, and how she treated him afterward. I thought Vanni blew everything WAY out of proportion. She shouldn't be a bit surprised that Joe doesn't want to be around them.

I was waiting for Tom to announce that his girlfriend, Brenda, was pregnant.

Finished on 1/27/2009

Distant Shores by Kristin Hannah

2009-01-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Shore has always been behind her husband, Jack, putting some of dreams aside so she can support him. Her two daughters are gone to college, and she finds herself feeling alone and like she's missed out on something. She feels like she's followed Jack from city to city as he's followed HIS dreams, and was never able to put firm roots down anywhere. She has finally found her dream HOME in Oregon right on the ocean. But for Jack, that's not enough, he still wants MORE. Jack gets a job in New York City as a sportscaster. Elizabeth makes plans to go with him to New York and try to start over there. But then her father passes away, and after alot of contemplating, Elizabeth decides she can't bring herself to leave Oregon. So, they live apart for awhile. Neither of them is sure whether not this is the actual end of their marriage. They tell their girls that Elizabeth is waiting to find a renter for the house in Oregon. They keep that charade up for awhile. Meanwhile, Elizabeth attends this Passionless Women meeting, and finds herself again. She signs up for a painting class, and brings out all her painting supplies that she put away so long ago. Her and Jack finally realize how much they really do love each other; and how much they miss each other. Jack finally gets his dream job on NFL Sunday, and Elizabeth finally agrees to move to New York with him.

My thoughts: I'm not sure what gave me the sudden urge to read this book. I'd had it on my TBR list and when I was at the library the other day, I saw it on the shelves, and picked it up. I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was quick moving, and definitely kept my attention. There weren't really any characters that I didn't like except for Sally. I have not really read many of Kristin Hannah's books, but she is definitely someone whose books I would like to read more of.

Finished January 24th, 2009

The Manning Brides by Debbie Macomber

2009-01-24T00:27:00.000-08:00

This book contained two stories~~ Marriage of Inconvenience, which focused on Rich Manning, and Stand-In Wife, which focused on Paul Manning.

Marriage of Inconvenience- Jamie Warren desperately wants to have a child. She considers adopting and also artificial insemination. She asks her long time friend, Rich Manning to be her donor. He agrees, but he feels they should be married and he wants to be active in the childs life. Both of them have feelings for each other, and want the marriage to be more than just a marriage of convenience. But, unfortunately, it takes them a long while to admit their feelings. They also keep the marriage and pregnancy a secret from both families. Then, when they do tell their families, Jamie thinks that Rich sees this all as a big joke, based on the way he is acting. They finally do realize they really LOVE each other and they agree that Rich should move in with Jamie. And pretty much it's a Happily Ever After.

My thoughts: I didn't really like the whole premise of this story. I thought Jamie was way too needy and desperate. She also seemed to play mind games with Rich. I honestly don't know how Rich put up with her for so long. I think Jamie could've gone through an adoption agency, and part of the time I felt like she was just using Rich to get what she wanted. At times, it really didn't seem like she wanted to be married to him.

Finished on January 24th, 2009

Stand-In Wife focuses on Paul Manning. He recently lost his wife Dianne and trying to get through his grief. She died right after giving birth to their daughter, Kelsey. They also have 5 year old twin sons, Ryan and Ronnie. Dianne's sister, Leah comes to live with them to help Paul take care of the children. Eventually, Paul's parents suggest that Paul and Leah get married, which they end up doing. It starts out really being a marriage of inconvenience, but they soon realize they are attracted to each other. Then, Leah thinks she might be pregnant, which frightens Paul because he doesn't want to lose his wife again. This almost breaks up Leah and Paul's relationship, until they both recieve signals from Dianne that they are meant to be together.

My thoughts: I liked this story better than the other story. But I'm not sure what I think about a man marrying his dead wife's sister. It was a cute story though. Not very realistic, of course, but to me, I read to escape everyday life, so it's ok if a story is not realistic or has a Happy Ending, when it normally wouldn't. I think I will wait a little bit before reading Manning Grooms.

Finished on 1/28/2009.

All the Right Angles by Stef Ann Holm

2009-01-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

This book is about the same family that was in All that Matters. It centered around Francesca, who is the secretary for Moretti Construction, and also has her own Architecture Design business. She meets Kyle Jagger, and can't seem to get him out of her mind. Kyle owns Legacy Construction, kind of like the Rival to Moretti Construction. When Giovanni dies, the family discovers that Giovanni and Kyle have this private deal that Kyle owns part of the company. And the family is not able to buy him out, and is worried about his own company as it is. So, he deals with both companies for awhile. During this time, he and Francesca admit their attraction for each other, even when Francesca's friends put an personal ad on the internet. Eventually the Morettis find out that Giovanni had taken out a 2 million dollar life insurance policy and they are able to buy Kyle out. But, Kyle stays and works with Moretti just like he's been doing, only so he can stay close to Francesca. He also asks her to marry him.

My Thoughts: Let me start off by saying I just realized that I was so eager to read this book only because it was about the Morettis, that I didn't even look at the back cover. I was just reading the back cover and realized based on what I read, I probably wouldn't have set it down if I was in a store browsing and happened to see this book and read the back cover. That goes to show you that you never know how good a book will be just by reading the cover. I really enjoyed this book, although I liked the other book better. I liked all the characters and liked the feel of a big Italian Family. I think Kyle was perfect for Francesca...she needed to loosen up a little. I am so glad I found Stef Ann Holms books. I went to the used bookstore the other day and bought Lucy Gets Her Life Back and I also have Leaving Normal, that I got several months ago. And then I'm eagerly awaiting for the 3rd Moretti book later this year.

This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury

2009-01-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Josh Warren, a 28 year old, was previously a tow truck driver, until he was hit by a drunk driver. He had been talking to these two girls, and when he saw the tow truck driver coming toward them, he pulled the girls out of harms way, a very heroic act. He, unfortunately, was hit, and suffers from severe back pain, and he is no longer able to work. He has a younger sister, and parents who live close by, who haven't always been very happy (or supportive) about his career choices and where he is in life. Josh also believes he is the father of a 7 year old girl named Savannah, as a result of a one night stand in Vegas. No one believes him about this. This all comes to a head when Josh chews (instead of swallows) an Oxycontin pain killer and dies in his sleep. Just before he dies, he is in court for a deposition to determine the amount of his settlement. He tells the judge he has one daughter, and she will be the heir of his settlement. His Lawyer then orders a paternity test, which indicates that Josh is, in fact, the father. The girls mother, Maria, doesn't even want the child. She is a prostitute, and lives off the money she earns from that, and from begging from people in the park. Savannah's bed is on the floor underneath a desk. Maria ends up getting arrested, and gives up her parental rights. After visiting with Savannah for an afternoon, they decide to adopt her.

My thoughts: This was an awesome book. I realize my review may have ended on a jerky, rapid note. I could definitely identify with some of the feelings Josh had and he reminded alot of my boyfriend. (They even have the same first and middle name!) I couldn't stand Marie at all and hated the way she treated Savannah most of the time. I cried when Savannah met her grandparents for the first time. I thought Annie, Josh's mom, was a bit snooty, and couldn't believe that she wanted to use the settlement money on her husband's reelection. And the scene where Lindsey was trying to tell her how much Josh had changed and Annie just blew her off really irked me too. This book is listed as a stand-alone book on Karen's website, but it is connected to the Cody Gunner Series. Josh's neighbor Carl Joseph is Cody's brother, so there was mention of them in this book. So, I am really anxious to go back and read the two books in that series. Since finishing the book, I rushed to the library and checked out the first book in the series A Thousand Tomorrows! I can't wait to read it.

I finished this book in January 2009

All That Matters by Stef Ann Holm

2009-01-21T00:12:00.000-08:00

Chloe Lawson has worked hard to get her Bakery up and running, until a major grocery store chain threatens to shut it down, by buying the property. Chloe seeks the legal guidance of John Moretti, as a favor to his brother Robert, who owns a restaurant and buys all his desserts from the bakery. John is going through a tough time with his two children, after loosing his wife. While working with Chloe, he finds himself attracted to her, and helps her fight for her bakery. All ends well and Chloe ends up having her bakery right in the grocery store, which allows her to expand like she's been wanting to do and also brings her more business.

My thoughts: This was the first Stef Ann Holm book I read. My resolution for 2009 was to expand my tastes and try some new authors. I don't know what it was about this book that caught my attention, but something sure did. I found it very easily to get hooked on this book once I started reading and did not want to put it down. I was thrilled to find that this book is connected to another book All the Right Angles (which centers around the sister Francesca), and that there is even ANOTHER book coming out later in the year, which centers around their brother Mark. I enjoyed this book so much I rushed out the next day and bought All the Right Angles. I especially enjoy the fact that this family is Italian, just like my family!! This was my first Stef Ann Holm book but it definitely will NOT be my last.

One other cool thing was that I emailed Stef Ann Holm to find out about the next book and she emailed me back!!! I thought that was very cool.

I finished this on January 9, 2009

Catching Up

2009-01-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

So, I got lazy in November and didn't keep up with blog posts. So I'm gonna try to catch up.

I was really sorry to see the Sunrise Series end. I really can't believe how fast I got through the whole Baxter Family Saga, which includes 14 books. Karen Kingsbury is writing a sort of spin off of this series, called the Above The Line Series. The first book will be released in March. I can't wait!!!

Other books read in November:

Someday by Karen Kingsbury- this starts just after Baby Sarah died. After seeing the way Elaine was there throughout out the whole thing, He decides to ask her to marry him. Dayne and Katie are adjusting to married life and are getting ready to go shoot their movies. Luke and Regan also begin to have some trouble in their relationship.

Sunset by Karen Kingsbury- this was the final book in the Baxter Series. I was so sad to see this end. John marries Elaine, and Ashley and Landon give birth to a little boy, completing their family.

Let it Snow by Debbie Macomber- very short, but SWEET!

On Strike For Christmas by Sheila Roberts - This was funny at times, but kinda stupid-funny at times too. I honestly struggled to finish it.

Reconstructing Natalie by Laura Jensen Walker. I enjoyed this book, but did put it aside to read other books. Natalie was very strong and her friend was hilarious!

Books read in December:

Welcome To Serenity by Sherryl Woods- AWESOME BOOK!!! 4th book in the Sweet Magnolias Series. This was centered around Jeanette Brioche and Tom McDonald.

Small Town Christmas by Debbie Macomber-- I was somewhat disappointed in this book too. I had already read the first story, Return To Promise, and that was fine, but I didn't like the second story, Mail Order Bride AT ALL!

Every Now and Then by Karen Kingsbury: Third book in the 9/11 Series...AWESOME....I really liked Alex. I hope Karen Kingsbury continues this series!

Angels Everywhere by Debbie Macomber. This was somewhat disappointing also. I had started this last year but never finished it. I tried again this year, and struggled to get through the first story. Then the last story was so bad, I skimmed through most of that.

My 2009 goal was originally to read 50 books by June 30th and 100 by December 31st. But at this rate, if I could meet or exceed the number of books I read in 2008 I would be happy.

I do have some books/series Id like to read this year though:

Shenandoah Album by Emilie Richards

Midnight Sons Series by Debbie Macomber

Charleston Trilogy by Sherryl Woods

Trinity Harbor Series by Sherryl Woods

Roommates by Kathryn Stone

Keepsake by Antoinette Stockenberg

Just Desserts- Barbara Bretton

Flamingo Diner- Sherryl Woods

I recently found a new author that I LOVE!!! Stef Ann Holm . I recently finished her book All That Matters (review coming soon). I loved it!!! It reminded me of something that Sherryl Woods would right. I even emailed Stef Ann Holm to tell her how much I liked that book and she replied!!! I'm currently reading another one of her books right now, All the Right Angels. These two books are connected..they're about the same family. The family is even ITALIAN!!! So these books are perfect for me!

Until next time....

Summer by Karen Kingsbury

2008-11-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-11T12:47:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T00:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-04T13:38:00.001-08:00

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

2008-10-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-09-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-18T23:03:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-09-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-08-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-08-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-08-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-08-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-08-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-07-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-07-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-07-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-07-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-07-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-06-28T01:12:00.000-07:00

# 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

2008-06-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

# 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!!!!