Monthly Archives: September 2015

Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In October I hope to read….

winter stroll

Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Goodreads: The Quinn family celebrates their most dramatic Christmas yet in this enchanting sequel to Elin Hilderbrand’s bestsellingWinter Street. 
Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn and his family busily preparing for the holiday season. Though the year has brought tragedy, the Quinns have much to celebrate: Kelley has reunited with his first wife Margaret, Kevin and Isabelle have a new baby; and Ava is finally dating a nice guy.
But when Kelley’s estranged wife Mitzi shows up on the island, along with Kevin’s devious ex-wife Norah and a dangerously irresistible old fling of Ava’s, the Inn is suddenly overrun with romantic feuds, not to mention guests. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it’s going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns–and the Inn–through the holidays intact.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Evergreen Springs

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Author: RaeAnne Thayne          evergreen
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Holiday Romance
Source: Little Bird Publishing

Publication Date: September 29, 2015

 

Goodreads:  Celebrate the magic of Christmas in Haven Point with New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne, where hope, home, and happily-ever-after are as close as your holiday stocking…

Christmas is the last thing Cole Barrett is thinking about this year. He’s barely hanging on trying to care for his two grieving children since his ex-wife died in a tragic accident. For the reclusive Cole, this is no time for gift-giving and celebration—and certainly not for a sunny-natured optimist to blow into his screwed-up life.

In the years since her cancer treatments, physician Devin Shaw has researched the curative powers of Lake Haven’s mineral waters. Unfortunately, the hot springs are on Barrett property, forcing Devin to strike a bargain with the ranch’s attractively gruff owner: she’ll give Cole’s children the magical Christmas they deserve, and Cole will allow her patients access to the springs. But can she work her holiday magic to heal the Barrett family’s battered hearts—and her own?

Ope’s Opinion:  This is another wonderful read from RaeAnne Thayne.  She really knows how to write great characters that you really care about.  You want them to be happy.

Even though the endings are predictable, you want to keep reading to see how they get there.  It is always a great ride along the way.

I am looking forward to her next book.

Rating: 4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

BIGLAW

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Author: Lindsay Cameron                biglaw
Publisher: Ankerwycke
Genre:  Mystery
Source:  BookSpark

 

 

Goodreads:  The Devil Wears Prada meets One L, BIGLAW provides an insider’s view of the cut-throat world of big New York law firms.

Mackenzie Corbett has always dreamed of living in New York City. Now, almost two years into her job as an associate at a premier Manhattan law firm, she’s living her fantasy–big salary, high profile deals, cute boyfriend, designer bag on her arm. The giant bags under her eyes from lack of sleep don’t fit into the fantasy, though. To make matters worse, she’s being tormented by a bitter, bitchy senior associate, her cute boyfriend is annoyed she never has time for him, and now she’s stuck on the deal from hell with a partner whose biggest claim to fame is throwing a stapler at a cleaning lady because she touched his ficus plant.

With the opportunity to secure a prestigious secondment on line, the overachiever in her is determined to endure whatever it takes to close the biggest deal in the firm’s history. But when Mackenzie finds herself the focus of a devastating investigation her dream job begins spiraling into a nightmare.

In this pitch perfect, frightening accurate novel, Lindsay Cameron throws back the curtain to this intriguing world exposing the truth about life in Biglaw.

 

 

Ope’s Opinion:  The ending saved the book for me.  I was not enjoying the book.  It was about a female lawyer who whined the whole time how her superiors were over working her.  She felt like she couldn’t do anything about it, but I didn’t really see her trying to do anything either.  She sacrificed all for the job.

If you took the “f” word out of this book it would have been a significantly shorter book.  The word was used over and over and over and over again.  I am not exaggerating at all.

After reading most of the book, I was thinking it was a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5.   Then the last couple of chapters brought it up to a 3.

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

I Always Cry at Weddings

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Author: Sara Goff
Publisher: WhiteFire Publishing             i always cry
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Larrisa Ackerman
Claire McKinney PR, LLC

Publication Date:  September 15, 2015

 

Amazon:  Ava Larson is going to bring all the other brides to tears. 

Engaged to a wealthy NYC socialite’s son, Ava is ready to set the city abuzz with her glamorous wedding. At least until she realizes her relationship isn’t what it should be. Then, in a move as daring as a red satin dress, she does the unthinkable–she calls it all off and makes a promise to God that from now on, she’ll save sex for marriage.

She’s convinced the future is hers for the taking, especially when an undercover cop promises a new romance…and an unexpected friendship with the homeless guy under her stoop brightens her days.

But when her carefully balanced life teeters out of control, weddings aren’t the only thing to make her cry. Ava has to figure out what life she really wants to live…and what in the world love really means.

Ope’s Opinion:  When you read the synopsis you know that Ava calls off her wedding.  So I thought that would be the down part of the book and you would see Ava work her way out of a bad relationship into a good place.  Well, it did happen, but it took almost the whole book before the good stuff happened.

I didn’t think Ava could have anymore trouble or make any more bad decisions, yet another came along.  I was starting to think no one person could have this many bad things in their life.

Slowly and I do mean slowly Ava figured out who she was and what she should be doing.  I thought end was very good, it just took a long time to get there.

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Wildest Dreams

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Author: Robyn Carr          wildest
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Little Bird Publicity

 

 

Goodreads:  Blake Smiley searched the country for just the right place to call home. The professional triathlete has traveled the world, but Thunder Point has what he needs to put down the roots he’s never had. In the quiet coastal town he can focus on his training without distractions. Until he meets his new neighbors and everything changes.

Lin Su Simmons and her teenage son, Charlie, are fixtures at Winnie Banks’ house as Lin Su nurses Winnie through the realities of ALS. A single mother, Lin Su is proud of taking charge and never showing weakness. But she has her hands full coping with a job, debt and Charlie’s health issues. And Charlie is asking questions about his family history—questions she doesn’t want to answer.

When Charlie enlists Blake’s help to escape his overprotective mother, Lin Su resents the interference in her life. But Blake is certain he can break through her barriers and be the man she and Charlie need. When faced with a terrible situation, Blake comes to the rescue, and Lin Su realizes he just might be the man of her dreams. Together, they recognize that family is who you choose it to be.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is another wonderful Robyn Carr book from the Thunder Point Series.  She just keeps writing great characters who make Thunder Point more interesting and fun to read.

Lin Su’s story was a steady slow moving one.  Being a mom and being hurt in the past made her reluctant to get into a relationship that might hurt her or her son.  I loved the way Blake slowly, cautiously eased Lin Su into a friendship first.

It was great to see all the other people in Thunder Point get updated.  Robyn Carr does a really good job of naturally including the other town people in each book.  She also does a great job of telling you who everyone is if this is the first book you picked up.

Rating: 4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

If You Only Knew

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Author: Kristan Higgins                       if you only knew
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source:  Little Bird Publicity 

 

Goodreads:  Sisterhood in all its drama, hilarity and tears is at the heart ofNew York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins’s thoroughly captivating new novel, featuring the wit and romance that readers have come to expect from the much-loved creator of the Blue Heron series…

Wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate understands the happily-ever-after business, yet somehow she’s still involved in her ex-husband’s life. In fact, Owen’s new wife may—inexplicably—be Jenny’s new best friend. Sensing this, well, relationship isn’t helping her move on, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she’ll be able to bask in her sister Rachel’s picture-perfect family life…and hopefully make one of her own.

Her timing couldn’t be more perfect, since Rachel will need her younger sister. Her idyllic marriage has just fallen to pieces in spectacular fashion after she discovers her husband sexting with one of his colleagues. Second chances aren’t in Rachel’s nature, but the desire for an intact family has her rethinking her stance on adultery, much to Jenny’s surprise. Rachel points to their parents’ “perfect” marriage as a shining example, but to protect her sister Jenny may have to tarnish that memory—and their relationship­—and reveal a secret about their family she’s been keeping since childhood.

During this summer of secrets and lies, temptation and revelation, Jenny and Rachel will rely on each other to find the humor in their personal catastrophes, the joy in their triumphs…and the strength to keep hanging on.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book was about sisters and mothers – their marriages, love, divorce and finding yourself.  Through most of the book I was wishing the female characters were stronger and more independent.

I loved the pace of this book.  Kristan Higgins kept it moving with small surprises all along the way.  She made me care about each character.  They were very well developed.

The end brought it all together for everyone.  It made me like the book.

*** If you find the “f” word offensive, this book used it a lot in the beginning.

Rating: 3.5 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.