Category Archives: Book Opinion

Same Beach, Next Year

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Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Fiction
Source: William Morrow

 

Goodreads:  New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to her magical Lowcountry of South Carolina in this bewitching story of marriage, love, family, and friendship that is infused with her warm and engaging earthy humor and generous heart.

One enchanted summer, two couples begin a friendship that will last more than twenty years and transform their lives.

A chance meeting on the Isle of Palms, one of Charleston’s most stunning barrier islands, brings former sweethearts, Adam Stanley and Eve Landers together again. Their respective spouses, Eliza and Carl, fight sparks of jealousy flaring from their imagined rekindling of old flames. As Adam and Eve get caught up on their lives, their partners strike up a deep friendship—and flirt with an unexpected attraction—of their own.

Year after year, Adam, Eliza, Eve, and Carl eagerly await their reunion at Wild Dunes, a condominium complex at the island’s tip end, where they grow closer with each passing day, building a friendship that will withstand financial catastrophe, family tragedy, and devastating heartbreak. The devotion and love they share will help them weather the vagaries of time and enrich their lives as circumstances change, their children grow up and leave home, and their twilight years approach.

Bursting with the intoxicating richness of Dorothea Benton Frank’s beloved Lowcountry—the sultry sunshine, cool ocean breezes, icy cocktails, and starry velvet skies—Same Beach, Next Year is a dazzling celebration of the infrangible power of friendship, the enduring promise of summer, and the indelible bonds of love.

Ope’s Opinion: I have read many of Dorothea Benton Franks books, this one seemed to move slower then most of her stories.  I did like the format of the book.  Hearing Eliza’s and Adam’s perspective gave you the whole story.  It was an enjoyable way to read this story.

The setting was wonderful as usual.  The beach is always my favorite place for a story to take place.  Just recently I had the opportunity to visit the Isle of Palms and it made the story even more real to me.

The ending was fun!  It was a nice way to bring everyone together and finish the story.

 

Inconceivable

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Author: Carolyn & Sean Savage
Publisher: HarperOne
Genre: Nonfiction, Autobiography
Source:  Library

 

 

Goodreads:  A medical mistake during an IVF procedure. An unthinkable situation . . . you’re pregnant with the wrong baby. You can terminate, but you can’t keep him. What choice would you make?

Carolyn and Sean Savage had been trying to expand their family for years. When they underwent an IVF transfer in February 2009, they knew it would be their last chance. If they became pregnant, they would celebrate the baby as an answer to their prayers. If not, they would be grateful for the family they had and leave their fertility struggles behind forever.

They never imagined a third option. The pregnancy test was positive, but the clinic had transferred the wrong embryos. Carolyn was pregnant with someone else’s baby.

The Savages faced a series of heartbreaking decisions: terminate the pregnancy, sue for custody, or hand over the infant to his genetic parents upon delivery. Knowing that Carolyn was carrying another couple’s hope for a baby, the Savages wanted to do what they prayed the other family would do for them if the situation was reversed. Sean and Carolyn Savage decided to give the ultimate gift, the gift of life, to a family they didn’t know, no strings attached.

Inconceivable provides an inside look at how modern medicine, which creates miracles daily, could allow such a tragic mistake, and the many legal ramifications that ensued with both the genetic family and the clinic. Chronicling their tumultuous pregnancy and its aftermath, which tested the Savage’s faith, their relationship to their church, and their marriage, Inconceivable is ultimately a testament to love. Carolyn and Sean loved this baby, making it impossible for them to imagine how they could give him life and then give him away.

In the end, Inconceivable is a story of what it is to be a parent, someone who nurtures a life, protects a soul, only to release that child into the world long before you’re ready to let him go.

Ope’s Opinion:  I rarely read nonfiction, but I was very interested in reading this story.  It was well written – some parts were repetitive.  The Savages were very honest with their emotions and how they saw things.  I do wish I had the Morell’s perspective at the same time.  I felt the Savages were a bit critical at times of the Morells, but not being in that position I may have been too. 

It was a gift that Carolyn chose to give the Morells.  I am not sure how many people could do that.  There is really no ending – I just hope both families can heal and enjoy their children.

Ten Beach Road

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Author: Wendy Wax
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source:  Library

Goodreads:  Another perfect beach read from the author of The Accidental Bestseller.

Madeline, Avery, and Nikki are strangers to each other, but they have one thing in common. They each wake up one morning to discover their life savings have vanished, along with their trusted financial manager- leaving them with nothing but co-ownership of a ramshackle beachfront house.

Throwing their lots in together, they take on the challenge of restoring the historic property. But just as they begin to reinvent themselves and discover the power of friendship, secrets threaten to tear down their trust-and destroy their lives a second time.

Ope’s Opinion:   I just received Wendy Wax’s book One Good Thing from Kristin of Kritters Ramblings.   She suggested that it would be better if I started this series from the beginning.  So here I am at book one of the series that is five deep now.  I hope I can catch up. 

The introduction of these three women was detailed, so you could understand them and how they ended up working on a house together.  I like independent women who step up and take care of things and that is how these woman are.

The ending left things open because there are more books in this series to be read.   I will review them as I read them.

Come Sundown

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Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: St. Martin Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  A saga of love, family ties, and twisted passions from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obsession…

The Bodine ranch and resort in western Montana is a family business, an idyllic spot for vacationers. A little over thirty thousand acres and home to four generations, it’s kept running by Bodine Longbow with the help of a large staff, including new hire Callen Skinner. There was another member of the family once: Bodine’s aunt, Alice, who ran off before Bodine was born. She never returned, and the Longbows don’t talk about her much. The younger ones, who never met her, quietly presume she’s dead. But she isn’t. She is not far away, part of a new family, one she never chose—and her mind has been shattered…

When a bartender leaves the resort late one night, and Bo and Cal discover her battered body in the snow, it’s the first sign that danger lurks in the mountains that surround them. The police suspect Cal, but Bo finds herself trusting him—and turning to him as another woman is murdered and the Longbows are stunned by Alice’s sudden reappearance. The twisted story she has to tell about the past—and the threat that follows in her wake—will test the bonds of this strong family, and thrust Bodine into a darkness she could never have imagined.

Ope’s Opinion:  This wonderful mystery has a lot of characters.  At first it was hard to keep up with everyone.  Slowly the major characters became obvious and it was easier to keep track of everyone.  There is also some past and present going on, but it is well mark – you know which time period you are reading.

This definitely has it’s romance side.  There are several couples falling in love with some detailed descriptions of their physical relationship, but that is not the focus of their whole relationships.

I think my favorite part was all the family relationships and how they all loved and supported each other.  It was great to see multiple generations living near each other or together and taking care of each other.  That part was heart warming.

Overall, it is a little predictable and thoroughly enjoyable.

This Just In….

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From MIRA

Published:  December 29, 2016
Publisher: MIRA

Goodreads:  She’s watching you, but who’s watching her?

Lily Gullick lives with her husband Aiden in a new-build flat opposite an estate which has been marked for demolition. A keen birdwatcher, she can’t help spying on her neighbours.

Until one day Lily sees something suspicious through her binoculars and soon her elderly neighbour Jean is found dead. Lily, intrigued by the social divide in her local area as it becomes increasingly gentrified, knows that she has to act. But her interference is not going unnoticed, and as she starts to get close to the truth, her own life comes under threat.

But can Lily really trust everything she sees?

Also In….

Published:  April 11, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin Press

Goodreads:  On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He’s applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he’s ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable.

But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie.

Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he’s being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil.

Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Justin’s baseball games. But Justin is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans.

Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon’s wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them.

At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it?

Enthralling and suspenseful, One Perfect Lie is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will have readers riveted up to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget.

MORE GREAT BOOKS TO READ!

In This Moment

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Author: Karma Brown
Publisher: Row Parks Books
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Row Parks Books

Goodreads:  Bestselling author Karma Brown is back with a morally infused and emotionally riveting exploration of one woman’s grief and guilt over an unexpected yet avoidable tragedy.

Meg Pepper has a fulfilling career as a real estate agent, a hardworking husband on the verge of starting his own medical practice and a surprisingly good-natured teenage daughter. Most days Meg is able to keep it all together—thanks to an endless stream of alerts on her phone—and (more or less) seamlessly glide through life.

After school pickup one day, Meg and her daughter, Audrey, are driving home when they see Jack, the twin brother of Audrey’s boyfriend, up ahead. Seeing a group of boys on the other side of the road, Meg stops her car to wave him across the street just as an SUV comes hurtling down the road and slams into Jack. The driver—a high-school teacher in the process of texting—did not see Jack crossing the road.

Meg can’t help but blame herself for this horrific accident. Guilt-stricken and desperate with grief, Meg throws herself into helping Jack’s family as he rehabs from his injuries. But the more she tries to absolve herself of what she feels responsible for, the more she alienates her own family. The ripple effects that follow tear at the ties that bind her to those she loves the most, causing her to risk losing everything she holds dear to her heart.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book was about how one decision can effect the rest of your life.  After stopping to let Jack cross the street, Meg’s entire life’s course changed.  It really made me think about something I think as so simple, may end up being a fork in the road that makes a big difference.

Although I am a huge fan of Karma Brown, and I did like this book, it is not my favorite of hers.  If you read her before, you don’t want to miss this one.  If you haven’t read her before, look on Goodreads and start with a different one.

I will definitely be reading her next one.  Keep writing Karma Brown and I will keep reading.

Secrets in Summer

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Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Random House

 

 

Goodreads:  The queen of beach books (The Star-Ledger) returns to the shores of Nantucket in a novel about one memorable summer when flirtations flourish, family dramas play out, and scandalous secrets surface.

Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It s also Darcy s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.

Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen.

As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you are a romance reader you will definitely love this story.  There is plenty of steamy scenes for you – too many for me.  I felt like sex was casual for Darcy.

This is one for your beach bag this summer.  It will take you to the beach, it is a very light read and repeats itself enough you can be interrupted and still follow the whole story.

The ending is exactly what you expected and want when you read Nancy Thayer.

Allie and Bea

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Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction
Source: Little Bird Publicity

 

Goodreads:  Bea has barely been scraping by since her husband died. After falling for a telephone scam, she loses everything and is forced to abandon her trailer. With only two-thirds of a tank in her old van, she heads toward the Pacific Ocean with her cat—on a mission to reclaim what’s rightfully hers, even if it means making others pay for what she lost.

When fifteen-year-old Allie’s parents are jailed for tax fraud, she’s sent to a group home. But when her life is threatened by another resident, she knows she has to get out. She escapes only to find she has nowhere to go—until fate throws Allie in Bea’s path.

Reluctant to trust each other, much less become friends, the two warily make their way up the Pacific Coast. Yet as their hearts open to friendship and love from the strangers they meet on their journey, they find the courage to forge their own unique family—and begin to see an imperfect world with new eyes.

Ope’s Opinion: I understand that Bea had some hard things happen to her, but I just didn’t enjoy reading how she turned it on other people.  Allie on the other hand, at no fault of her own was also in a hard place.  Allie reacted to it all in a very different way.

Knowing where Bea and Allie came from helped to understand how they ended up helping each other.  Their adventure together got a little long for me.

The ending was a little disappointing – I think it was tied up too easily for me.

 

A Day at the Beach

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Author: Jedd & Todd Hafer
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Devotional
Source: Tyndale House Publishers

Goodreads:  Do you yearn for a day at the beach where your mind and soul can wander away from life’s troubles? Do you gaze up at the sun or the nighttime stars and wonder if God is really on your side? Do you long to hear his quiet voice in the roll of a gentle wave? In A Day at the Beach, brothers Todd and Jedd Hafer don’t have the answers to all of life’s troubles, but they’ll help you see that the God who built the universe also wants to help you build a great life. Let these encouraging words bring a ray of warm sunshine to your doorstep as Todd and Jedd offer their joy-filled perspectives on life and faith. So take a deep breath, unplug from life’s daily grind, and follow the call of your heart to Jesus, the ultimate source of life.

Ope’s Opinions:   What a perfect way to start each day and/or end each day – read one of these inspirational segments.  These are reminders that God is full of peace and ready to give it to you, even when life seems very crazy.

As many of you know the beach has always been my go-to place – when I need to hear God, when I need peace and when I am happy and want to celebrate!  So always at the beach is a good place for me!!  When I can’t be there these devotionals give me a little feeling of being there.  This feels like one of those devotionals that I could reread.

This would also be a wonderful gift to someone you know who could use this peacefulness in their days.

It Happens All The Time

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Author: Amy Hatvany
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  “Bravely sheds light on sexual assault and consent. In alternating perspectives friends Tyler and Amber recount an alcohol-fueled night that changed the course of their lives.” –Us Weekly

From master storyteller Amy Hatvany—whose writing has been hailed as “gripping and emotionally honest” (Stephanie Evanovich, New York Times betselling author)—comes a provocative and compelling novel about two friends whose lives are changed by a drunken kiss.

I want to rewind the clock, take back the night when the world shattered. I want to erase everything that went wrong.

Amber Bryant and Tyler Hicks have been best friends since they were teenagers—trusting and depending on each other through some of the darkest periods of their young lives. And while Amber has always felt that their relationship is strictly platonic, Tyler has long harbored the secret desire that they might one day become more than friends.

Returning home for the summer after her college graduation, Amber begins spending more time with Tyler than she has in years. Despite the fact that Amber is engaged to her college sweetheart, a flirtation begins to grow between them. One night, fueled by alcohol and concerns about whether she’s getting married too young, Amber kisses Tyler.

What happens next will change them forever.

In alternating points of view, It Happens All the Time examines the complexity of sexual dynamics between men and women and offers an incisive exploration of gender roles, expectations, and the ever-timely issue of consent.

Ope’s Opinion:  Where to start?  The characters are deep, the writing is amazing, the story line hard to deal with, but done exceptionally well and a very believable read. The alternating points of view ( male and female ) really showed how differently we think and perceive the exact same event. 

I have always been a fan of Amy Hatvany and this book just keeps me wanting to following her and read her next book.  Thank you Amy for handling a hard subject with wonderful bluntness.

The ending may not be the normal outcome for these circumstances, but it felt good.