Author:  Rachel Hauck

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson Publishers                                        
Pages: 343
Genre:  Christian Fiction
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads:   Four brides. One Dress.

A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.

Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can’t she find the perfect dress…or feel certain she should marry Tim?

Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new-shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been “redeemed.”

Charlotte’s search for the gown’s history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte’s heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love.

“The story of four loveable women, miraculously bound by one gown, whose lives span a century . . . will take your breath away.” -Beth Webb Hart, bestselling author of “Love, Charleston”

Author:  Elizabeth Scott

Publisher:  Simon Pulse                                            
Pages:  250
Genre:  Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads:    Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.

Until the accident.

Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it’s nothing compared to living without her.

She’s got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.

Abby is about to find out that truth isn’t always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could..

Author:  Karin Tanabe

Publisher:  Washington Square Press                                    
Pages:  384
Genre:  Drama / Politics
Source:  Edelweiss

Goodreads:   Meet Adrienne Brown, a twenty-eight-year-old Wellesley College grad who recently left her glamorous job at Town & Country for a spot at theCapitolist. Known simply as the List to Beltway insiders, it’s the only media outlet in D.C. that’s actually on the rise. Taking the job means accepting a painful pay cut, giving up perks like free Louboutins, and moving back in with her parents, but Adrienne is certain that her new position will be the making of her career. And it is—but not at all in the way that she expects. The Capitolist runs at an insane pace: Adrienne’s up before five in the morning, writing ten stories a day (sometimes on her BlackBerry, often during her commute), and answering every email within three minutes. Just when it seems like the frenetic workload is going to break her, she stumbles upon a juicy political affair, involving a very public senator—and her most competitive colleague. Discovering that there’s much more to the relationship than meets the eye, Adrienne realizes she’s got the scoop of a lifetime. But should she go public with the story?

Inspired by Washington insider Karin Tanabe’s experiences at Politico, The List is a riveting debut novel bursting with behind-the-scenes details about what happens when media and politics collide.

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

                 FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 

      I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelweiss. 

            I was not required to write a positive review

                 in exchange for receipt of the book;

         rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

                                                       

                                                          Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick

 Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers                                          
 Pages:  394
 Genre:  Young Adult
 Source: I purchased

Goodreads:   A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

�One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase’s family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

Author:  Anna Quindlen                                              
Publisher:  Random House
Pages: 320
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Purchased

Synopsis:  Ellen Gulden is enjoying her career as a successful magazine writer in New York City when she learns that her mother, Kate, is dying of cancer.  Ellen’s father insists that she quit her job and return home to become a caregiver.  A high – power career woman, Ellen has never felt she had much in common with her mother, a homemaker and the heart of their family.  Yet as Ellen begins to spend time with Kate, she discovers many surprising truths, not only about herself, but also about the woman she thought she knew so well.
                                                                           Later, when Ellen is accused of the mercy killing of her mother, she must not only defend her own life but make a difficult choice – either accept responsibility for an act she did not commit or divulge the name of the person she believes committed a painful act of love.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book brings out a lot of emotions for me.  I lost my mother a year and a half ago to Parkinson’s.  It was a slow disease.  We lost her a little at a time.  I,  like Ellen, wish I had given  her the opportunity to talk more, complain more, to weep and to feel free to say what she wanted.  I am not sure I sat still long enough for my mother to feel she could say what she wanted.  I was too busy “taking care” of her.
                     
                         I can’t imagine after dealing with the death, being accused of killing her.  It would be difficult to defend yourself and grieve at the same time.

                         Occasionally, the description in the story was too detailed for me.  I lost track of the story and what she was describing at the end of the paragraph.  I could picture what she was writing about, but I would get so lost in the wordiness of it.

                          I have her non-fiction book Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.  I hope I like that one more then I did this one.


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

Author: Randy Susan Meyers                                              
Publisher:  Atria
Pages:  336
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Source: Simon & Schuster

Pub date:   Today!   February 12, 2013
     Go buy it now!

Goodreads:  “Happiness at someone else’s expense came at a price. Tia had imagined judgment from the first kiss that she and Nathan shared. All year, she’d waited to be punished for being in love, and in truth, she believed that whatever consequences came her way would be deserved.” Five years ago, Tia fell into obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption.

Five years ago, Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead, she’s questioning whether she’s cut out for the role of wife and mother.

Five years ago, Juliette considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan’s affair. He promised he’d never stray again, and she trusted him.

But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his daughter? And if he’s kept this a secret from her, what else is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a collision course with consequences that none of them could have predicted.

Riveting and arresting, The Comfort of Lies explores the collateral damage of infidelity and the dark, private struggles many of us experience but rarely reveal.