Summer By the Sea by Susan Wiggs

# of book read so far this year: 42

Title: Summer By the Sea

Author: Susan Wiggs

Date Finished: 8/13/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 407

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

Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 42

Title: Maggie’s Miracle

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 8/12/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 167

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

Rogue by Danielle Steel

# of book read so far this year: 41

Title: Rogue

Author: Danielle Steel

Date Finished: 8/10/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 305

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

Feels Like Family by Sherryl Woods

# of book read so far this year: 40

Title: Feels Like Family

Author: Sherryl Woods

Date Finished: 7/18/2008

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 393

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

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

A Time To Embrace by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 39

Title: A Time To Embrace

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 7/15/2008

Genre: Christian Fiction

# of pages: 315

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

A Slice of Heaven by Sherryl Woods

# of book read so far this year: 38

Title: A Slice of Heaven

Author: Sherryl Woods

Date Finished: 7/9/08

Genre: Contemporary Romance

# of pages: 395

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

A Time To Dance by Karen Kingsbury

# of book read so far this year: 37

Title: A Time To Dance

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Date Finished: 7/6/08

Genre: Inspirational/Christian Fiction

# of pages: 322

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

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