Category Archives: Book Opinion

Barefoot Season

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Author:  Susan Mallery            barefoot
Publisher:  Mira
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source:  Purchased

 

 

 

Goodreads:  Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it.

To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is the first book in the Blackberry Island series. I read them all out of order.  I read the second, third and now this one.  They can each stand alone, but would be better read in order.  

Once again, Susan Mallery wrote a captivating story that had you rooting for the main characters. All the other characters feel real and add so much to the story.  She made me want to go stay at the inn or move to Blackberry Island.  

This is a  story of friendship.  There is some romance, but it is not the focus of this book.  I actually enjoyed the fact that this book was focus more the friendship.  Towards the end of the book a dog is part of the story – it is such an awesome part of this book.  I don’t want to give anything away, so that is all I will say.

Pick up this book and start reading.  You will  want to go ahead and get the other two books – Three Sisters and Evening Star.  So much fun to read!

 
Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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An April Bride

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Author:  Lenora Worth                      april wed
Publisher:  Zondervan
Genre:  Christian Fiction
Source: Netgalley

 

 

 

Goodreads:  War changes everything . . . even their love.
Bride-to-be Stella Carson can’t wait to marry her longtime sweetheart Marshall Henderson. But Marshall has been away serving his country and after suffering a head wound and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, he has distanced himself from Stella by asking her not to visit him in a Washington, D.C. hospital.
Marshall returns to Louisiana just four weeks before the wedding, but as the big day draws near, Stella wonders if the man she’s loved for most of her life still wants to marry her.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you like Christian Fiction you will like this book.  The characters are praying a lot.  Their lives are centered around their church.  

The whole book was centered around if Marshall and Stella would get married.  As short as this story was, being in limbo seemed to drag on, then all of a sudden it ended.

 

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek

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Author:  Jill Osborne              riley
Publisher:  Zonderkidz
Genre:  Young Adult
Source: BookLook

Goodreads: If you’re gonna run for your life, you gotta wear the right shoes. Riley Mae Hart loves sports and action—so when the Swiftriver Shoe Company offers her a contract to be the spokesperson for their new outdoor sport collection, she jumps at the chance. Soon she’s appearing in commercials and magazine ads, and every girl in town wants to wear Riley Mae shoes. Well, except for Riley. Because walking in those shoes means missing out on softball season, making her best friend TJ mad, and embarrassing her new friend, Rusty. It also means sneaking around, hiding, and keeping secrets—because suddenly something isn’t quite right at Swiftriver. But a contract’s a contract, so Riley laces up her ‘Rock Shocker’ hiking boots for a climb up Half-Dome in Yosemite. Will they be the right shoes to get her back on solid ground?

Ope’s Opinion:  If you are looking for an awesome book to share with a young reader or to read to a young person in your life – this book is an awesome choice.  The story is appropriate for a young person, but interesting enough for the adult sharing it.

There is a really good mystery, twist to the story.  The plot will keep your attention from the beginning until the end.

I liked that Riley Mae was into sports, her friends and God.  She was very relatable to any young girl.  She was very aware of other peoples feelings and needs.  An attribute I would love to see passed on to others.

This series will be fun to collect to for a young person in your life.
Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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The Girls from Ames

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Author:  Jeffery Zaslow               ames
Publisher:  Gotham
Genre: Non – Fiction
Source:  Purchased

 

 

Barnes and Noble:  As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life’s challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds.

The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. The Girls from Ames demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women’s lives-their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters-and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them. With both universal events and deeply personal moments, it’s a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by.

Ope’s Opinion:   This was an enjoyable read.  It was interesting to meet all these girls and see how the friendships grew, how each of them changed and where they are so many years later.  They reminded me of some of my friends that I grew up with and still have in my life.

Friendships are so important to us.   Even with all their changes and not living near each other, they kept in touch.

I would hope after you read this book, you might look back on someone you would love to reconnect with or someone you want to call and thank them for their friendship.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Where I Belong

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Author:  Gwendolyn Heasley                          where i belong
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Genre:  Young Adult
Source: Little Bird Publicity

 

 

 

 

Goodreads:  Meet Corrinne. She’s living every girl’s dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . . When Corrinne’s father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she’s stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she’s supposed to be living. She doesn’t care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed.

Ope’s Opinion:  Corrinne was very whiny in the beginning of this book.  I thought she was very self centered.  Some times it takes a difficult situation to bring out the best in someone.  There are always lessons to be learned in each event in life.

Corrinne’s attitude toward drinking really bothered me.  She acted like most people did it and she was just staring high school.  When Rider said he didn’t drink, she acted like he was weird.  I don’t think I would want a young person to read this and think that it was acceptable.

I did like that the story was mostly about Corrinne and her friendships.  There were boys involved, but that wasn’t the center of the story.  Her family was great, especially her grandpa and her brother.

In the end, this was a good, easy read with lessons learned.

Rating: Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Recipe for a Happy Life

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Author:  Brenda Janowitz               recipe
Publisher:  St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  Author

 

 

 

Goodreads:  There’s more than one recipe for a happy life.

Hannah Goodman doesn’t grow up like most kids on the Upper East side. Her mother, Gray, is an award-winning photojournalist with little time for the banalities of child-rearing, and when she’s not jetting off to follow the latest scoop, she’s camped out at the Hotel Chelsea. The closest thing Hannah’s got to a traditional matriarch is her grandmother—a glamorous widow six times over with a sprawling Hampton’s estate. But Gray is determined that her daughter resist the siren song of the trust fund set, and make her own way in the world. So Hannah does just that—becoming a successful lawyer in New York City, and dating a handsome musician. Hannah has it all, or so it seems, until one hot June day the carefully constructed pieces of her life break apart. When she throws it all in and seeks solace at her grandmother’s estate, she discovers that where happiness is concerned, you don’t have to stick to the recipe.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you like family relationship books – you will really like this one!  It has a very deep loving relationship between granddaughter and grandmother.  There is a difficult relationship between mother and daughter.  There are some romantic relationships as well.  

The writing sweeps you away to the Hamptons – I did not want to come back!  You can see the houses as she describes them.  You can hear the waves hit the beach.  Janowitz draws a beautiful picture with her words.

I love strong women characters.  This grandmother was so much fun to read – everyone should have someone like her in their lives.

I want to read another Brenda Janowitz book.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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Saving Grace

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Author:  Pamela Fagan Hutchins               saving grace
Publisher:  SkipJack Publishing
Genre:  Mystery
Source:  Shelf Awareness

Goodreads:   2010 Winner of the Writers League of Texas’s Romance Manuscript contest
2012 Winner of the Houston Writers Guild’s Ghost Story contest

Katie Connell is a high-strung attorney whose sloppy drinking habits and stunted love life collide hilariously in a doomed celebrity case in Dallas. When she flees Texas for the Caribbean, Katie escapes professional humiliation, a broken heart, and a wicked Bloody Mary habit, but she trades one set of problems for another when she begins to investigate the suspicious deaths of her parents on the island of St. Marcos. She’s bewitched by the voodoo spirit of an abandoned house in the rainforest and discovers that she’s as much a danger to herself as the island’s bad guys are. As the worst of her worlds collide, Katie drags herself back to the courthouse to defend her new friend Ava, an island local accused of stabbing the senator she’s been sleeping with.

Pamela Fagan Hutchins, a former attorney and native Texan, lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands for nearly ten years. She refuses to admit to taking notes for this novel during that time.

Ope’s Opinion: This is the first in a series of books.  Hutchins took a lot of time in this book to set up the story behind Katie Connell being on the island of St. Marcos.  The description of the island is vivid.  Hutchins made you feel like you were there.

The jumbie ( ghost ) part was not my favorite.  I do not care for super natural things in stories.  If you do, you will probably like that part of the story.

The mystery part of it only seem to happen in the last part of the book.  It was all solved at the end of this book.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Crash Into You

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Author: Katie McGarry                                               crash
Publication:  Harlequin Teen
Genre:  Young Adult
Source:  Library

 

 

 

Goodreads:  From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

Ope’s Opinion:   As always Katie McGarry knows how to write a book that captures you on page one and keeps your attention through to the end.  

The story made progress by seeing things from alternating point of view of Rachel and Isaiah.  Beth, Ryan, Logan and others make an appearance in this book.  It is good to see some of their relationships move along.

This book has similar angst as her other books.  There seems to be a common thread in her books of one person coming from a family of privilege and another from a difficult family.   They meet and fall in love.  The other common link in her books is the constant use of the “f” word.  I understand that it is part of the vocabulary for some people, but it is over used in her books.

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

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Four Friends

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Author:  Robyn Carr                        four
Publisher:  Mira Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source:  Little Bird Publicity

 

 

 

 

 

Goodreads:   Gerri can’t decide what’s more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair the damage. Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it’s time to look carefully at herself. The journey for Gerri and her family is more than revealing—it’s transforming.

Andy doesn’t have a great track record with men, and she’s come to believe that for her a lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to her down-to-earth, ordinary contractor—a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her—she questions everything she thought she wanted in life.

Sonja’s lifelong pursuit of balance is shattered when her husband declares he’s through with her New Age nonsense and walks out. There’s no herbal tonic or cleansing ritual that can restore her serenity—or her sanity.

Miraculously, it’s BJ, the reserved newcomer to Mill Valley, who steps into their circle and changes everything. The woman with dark secrets opens up to her neighbors, and together they get each other back on track, stronger as individuals and unfaltering as friends.

Ope’s Opinion:  I really enjoy reading books about female friendships.  I expect conflict and difficulties, but I think this was a bit over the top.  All the friends were having issues at the beginning.  It was a little overwhelming to keep it all straight.  

I do love the friendships that were built in this book.  It is great to see women who support each other – not talk behind each others back and tear each other apart.   These women encouraged each other to figure out what would be best for themselves.  They accepted each other with their differences.  I like strong women characters.

 Robyn Carr is one of my go-to authors.  When I read one of her books, I am usually in for a good read full of great characters.  This book just didn’t live up to her usual standards.  It was a little too sad for me.  After saying that, I will tell you, I will read her next book because she has many more hits then misses.

I will read Robyn Carr again and again.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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Safe Keeping

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Author: Barbara Taylor Sissel                 safe keeping
Publisher:  Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Mystery
Source:  Harlequin

Side note:  This book is available
March 25, 2014

Goodreads:  At the heart of every crime, there’s a family.

My son is a murderer…. So begins this chilling and emotionally charged mystery from highly acclaimed author Barbara Taylor Sissel.

Emily Lebay had always thought of her family as ordinary. Sure, they’ve endured their share of problems, even a time of great trouble ;what family hasn’t? But when a woman’s body turns up in the dense woods near their home, and Emily’s grown son Tucker is accused of murder, Emily is forced to confront the unfathomable, and everything she believed about her life is called into question.

This isn’t the first time Tucker has been targeted by the police; a year ago he was a person of interest when another woman was found dead in the same stretch of woods. Still, neither Emily nor her daughter, Lissa, can reconcile their Tucker with these brutal crimes. Terrified, convinced there’s been a tragic mistake, Emily and Lissa set out to learn the truth about Tucker, once and for all. And while his life hangs in the balance, what they discover proves far more shocking than their darkest fears.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book is a really good read.  It kept me turning the pages.  I wanted to know who was the guilty person.  It is hard to write this review without talking about the ending – which was amazing and unexpected. 

This story is about more then who is guilty – it is about family and how each member views the others.  Could you believe someone in your family was guilty of hurting another person?  I think that would be a hard concept to accept. How hard would you fight to prove their innocents?  This book gives you a glimpse inside a family, their history and how they relate to and protect each other.

I would read another Barbara Taylor Sissel book.  She writes in such a fluid manner that I just flew through the pages.


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