One True Loves

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one true loves

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  From the author of Maybe in Another Life—named a People Magazine pick and a “Best Book of the Summer” by Glamour and USA Today—comes a breathtaking new love story about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.

Ope’s Opinion:  You know how some authors have a similar rhythm to their books and after you have read a couple, you sort of know where the story is going to go?  Well Taylor Jenkins Reid is not one of those authors.  Each of her books is amazingly unique.  You will not know where she is going until she goes there. 

If you have not read Reid before – go get any one of ( or all )  her books.  You will not be disappointed in any one of them.   One True Loves took me down a road I did not expect and I enjoyed the journey.  She made me feel each character’s deep feelings.

Do you believe there is only one person in this world for you?  If you do, read this book and see if you still believe it or if this book changes your mind….

The ending is wonderfully satisfying.

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The Weekenders

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weekender

Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Mary Ann ( a friend )

Goodreads:  Some people stay all summer long on the idyllic island of Belle Isle, North Carolina. Others come only for the weekends-and the mix between the regulars and “the weekenders” can sometimes make the sparks fly. Riley Griggs has a season of good times with friends and family ahead of her on Belle Isle when things take an unexpected turn. While waiting for her husband to arrive on the ferry one Friday afternoon, Riley is confronted by a process server who thrusts papers into her hand. And her husband is nowhere to be found.

So she turns to her island friends for help and support, but it turns out that each of them has their own secrets, and the clock is ticking as the mystery deepens…in a murderous way. Cocktail parties aside, Riley must find a way to investigate the secrets of Belle Island, the husband she might not really know, and the summer that could change everything.

Told with Mary Kay Andrews’ trademark blend of humor and warmth, and with characters and a setting that you can’t help but fall for, The Weekenders is the perfect summer escape.

Ope’s Opinion:  There was a nice blend of story and mystery in this book.  I do wish the reader had been given more clues to attempt to figure out who did the murder.  I did care about the whole Griggs / Nolan family.  The characters were interesting and well developed.

I enjoyed the mother – daughter relationship between both Riley and her mother and Riley and her daughter.  They were both loving and difficult – which felt very realistic to me ( with two daughters of my own ).

The murder wrap up of the story seemed to come to a conclusion too quickly for me.  The rest of the story finished with satisfying ending.  I have another Mary Kay Andrews sitting on shelf waiting to be read.

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This Just In….

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All From HarperCollins.

swept awayPublished: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Mira

Goodreads:  The emotional story of a young woman’s journey as she leaves behind all the things she thought she wanted only to discover who she really is. #1 New York Times bestselling author ROBYN CARR explores the challenges facing women today as they are valued for what’s on the outside rather than the inside.

Jennifer Chaise is proud of her life. Coming from nothing, she’s used her beauty to her advantage and is swept up in a glamorous world of wealth and privilege as the mistress of a high-flying businessman. But when she walks in on a violent scene in their Las Vegas hotel room, Jennifer knows she can no longer ignore the truth about her boyfriend and she flees. Desperate to escape the men searching for her, she invents a whole new persona—with a new look and a new name—as she hides out in a small Nevada town.

Working as a waitress in the local diner, she finds a mentor in Louise, a retired professor who takes her in. As Jennifer begins to embrace a new life, she realizes how much was missing from her old one: a sense of community and purpose… But it’s not easy to simply disappear. Her neighbor Alex is a cop, and while he’s friendly enough, he may also suspect that Jennifer is not what she seems.

Although she is under constant threat of being discovered, Jennifer is surprised to realize that, for the first time, she’s genuinely happy. Suddenly this real world is all she wants. But will it be enough when her past catches up with her?

Robyn Carr is always known for a good story – I can’t wait to see where this one takes us.

after anna

Published: November 19, 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins

Goodreads:  The real nightmare starts when her daughter is returned…

A bone-chilling psychological thriller that will suit fans of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Daughter by Jane Shemilt, and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

A girl is missing. Five years old, taken from outside her school. She has vanished, traceless. The police are at a loss; her parents are beyond grief. Their daughter is lost forever, perhaps dead, perhaps enslaved. But the biggest mystery is yet to come: one week after she was abducted, their daughter is returned. She has no memory of where she has been. And this, for her mother, is just the beginning of the nightmare.

This looks like a good tense read.

who's that girl?

Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Harper

Goodreads:  A laugh-out-loud romance from the author of the bestselling YOU HAD ME AT HELLO

When Edie is caught in a compromising position at her colleagues’ wedding, all the blame falls on her – turns out that personal popularity in the office is not that different from your schooldays. Shamed online and ostracised by everyone she knows, Edie’s forced to take an extended sabbatical – ghostwriting an autobiography for hot new acting talent, Elliot Owen. Easy, right?

Wrong. Banished back to her home town of Nottingham, Edie is not only dealing with a man who probably hasn’t heard the word ‘no’ in a decade, but also suffering an excruciating regression to her teenage years as she moves back in with her widowed father and judgy, layabout sister.

When the world is asking who you are, it’s hard not to question yourself. Who’s that girl? Edie is ready to find out.

This will be my first book by Mhairi McFarlane.  I am interested to read her.

First Star I See Tonight

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first star

 

Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source:  BEA 2016

 

Goodreads:  A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel—a long-awaited new entry in the beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author’s fan-favorite Chicago Stars football series.

Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.

Which is why a good detective needs to think on her feet. “The fact is…I’m your stalker. Not full-out barmy. Just…mildly unhinged.”

Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding Piper find her very dead husband.

And then there’s Cooper Graham himself, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants is a feisty detective hell bent on proving she’s as tough as he is.

From the bustling streets of Chicago to a windswept lighthouse on Lake Superior to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, two people who can’t stand to lose will test themselves and each other to discover what matters most.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is the first Susan Elizabeth Phillips I have read, so I was a bit concerned that I might have missed something from one through seven.  It did not feel at all like it was part of a series.  It could have been a stand alone from my perspective. I do like to pick up new to me authors at BEA – and Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the reasons.

The book started out slow for me, but that is part of what I think helped me not feel like I came in the middle of series. There were a lot of people to get to know.  Piper is a interesting woman.  She sure can think fast on her feet!

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this one, I am not sure I will follow this series as closely as her fan base does.  But I do think I would read a stand alone by SEP.

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Beach Town

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beach town

Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source:  Mary Ann ( a friend )

Goodreads:  Greer Hennessy needs palm trees.

As a movie location scout, picture-perfect is the name of the game. But her last project literally went up in flames, and her career is on the verge of flaming out. Greer has been given one more chance, if she can find the perfect undiscovered beach hideaway for a big-budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town called Cypress Key. There’s one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino-which will be perfect for the film’s explosive climax.

There’s just one problem. Eben Thibadeaux, the town mayor, completely objects to Greer’s plan. A lifelong resident of Cypress Key, Eben wants the town to be revitalized, not commercialized. After a toxic paper plant closed, the bay has only recently been reborn, and Eb has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. But Greer has a way of making things happen, regardless of obstacles. And Greer and Eb are way too attracted to each other for either of them to see reason.

Between an ambitious director and his entourage-including a spoiled “It Boy” lead actor-who parachute into town, a conniving local ex-socialite, and a cast of local fangirls and opportunists who catch the movie bug, nothing is going to be the same in Cypress Key. Now Greer is forced to make some hard choices: about the people and the town she’s come to care about, and about her own life. True love is only for the movies, right? Can Greer find a way to be the heroine in her own life story? Told with inimitable heart and humor, Mary Kay Andrews’ Beach Town is the perfect summer destination.

Ope’s Opinion:   If you are a Mary Kay Andrews reader you will not want to miss this one.  I really enjoyed the light, easy read.Definitely a good one to take the beach.  I like her book The Weekenders a bit more. 

If you are interested in behind the scenes on a movie set, you will love all the details that Mary Kay went into about the sets.  At times I enjoyed this, at other times I got lost on the set and forgot about the story.

As usual, the ending was predictable, but that is what I expect with Mary Kay Andrews book. That is part of the charm of the book.

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Family Tree

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family tree

Author: Susan Wiggs
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: HarperCollins

Goodreads:  For readers of Kristin Hannah and Jodi Picoult comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes.

Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Manhattan home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child.

But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a year-long coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned ex-cop. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.

Ope’s Opinion:  I was enjoying this book so much, I slowed my reading down just so I could savor each page.  The whole story was wonderful, the characters are amazing and the writing just flows. I have read Susan Wiggs before, this is one of her best.

It was fun to see Annie travel outside her family home to find her happiness back at her family home.  It was a long journey, with a lot of turns along the way.

The ending is predictable and that is a good thing as far as I am concerned.  It was a sweet love story.

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Can I See You Again?

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can i see you again?

Author: Allison Morgan
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source:  Berkley

Goodreads:  From the author of The Someday Jar comes a witty and warm novel about a matchmaker who’s an expert at matters of the heart—except when it comes to her own…

Matchmaker Bree Caxton has a 98% success rate, a book about to hit the stands, and an amazing boyfriend. Until, that is, he gets cold feet about their future and runs from their relationship.

Afraid no one will buy a book on love from a woman whose love life is a mess, Bree begs her one matchmaking failure, Nixon Voss, to pose as her boyfriend. But when they become a hit with readers, they must carry on their charade just a little longer. Fortunately, they’re both having fun…

But then Bree’s ex decides he wants her back and a newspaper presents a challenge that could expose the truth about her rocky love life. Now she must find the courage to embrace what is, or risk losing something much bigger than her reputation: her heart…

Ope’s Opinion:  This book should be made into a Hallmark movie.  It is an adorable, fun, easy, summer read.  I love the characters!  The situations is probably unlikely, but so much fun to read.  

This is definitely one you want to take on vacation.  It is a relaxing read that will make you laugh a little and just enjoy it.  The ending is somewhat predictable, but that just made me like the story more.

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This Just In…

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From Kristin of Kritters Ramblings.

once upon a wine

Published:  July 26, 2016
Publisher: NAL

Goodreads:  From the “sharp, sassy, [and] surprisingly emotional”* author of Put a Ring on It, New Uses for Old Boyfriends, and The Week Before the Wedding, a new novel set in the charming seaside town of Black Dog Bay, Delaware…
 
Cammie Breyer needs a big glass of cabernet—her restaurant failed and her chef boyfriend left for a hotter kitchen. Just when she thinks she’s hit rock bottom, her Aunt Ginger calls with a surprise. She’s bought a vineyard—in Delaware. At Ginger’s command, Cammie returns to Black Dog Bay, the seaside town where she spent her childhood summers with her aunt and her cousin, Kat.

The three women reunite, determined to succeed. There’s only one little problem: None of them knows the first thing about wine making. And it turns out, owning a vineyard isn’t all wine and roses. It’s dirt, sweat, and desperation. Every day brings financial pitfalls, unruly tourists, romantic dilemmas, and second thoughts.  But even as they struggle, they cultivate hidden talents and new passions. While the grapes ripen under the summer sun, Cammie discovers that love, like wine, is layered, complex, delicious, and worth waiting for…

I have read Black Dog Bay 1 and 2 – they were both awesome reads, so I can’t wait to read 3 and now this 4!  Thanks Kristin.

From Christi Sheehan of HarperCollins.

free fall

Published:  July 26, 2016
Publisher: Mira

Goodreads:  CRISIS IN THE SKIES 

Pilots with no control… 

High above the Adirondack Mountains, a commuter flight to New York City turns into a rolling, twisting nightmare, plunging from the sky before the crew regains control. Then, in London, a jetliner crashes into the runway, killing fifteen people.

Investigators with no answers… 

Reporter Kate Page believes something beyond mechanical—or human—error is behind the incidents that have air investigators baffled. But the mystery deepens as teams scramble to pinpoint a link between the tragedies, and Kate receives an untraceable message from someone boasting responsibility and threatening another event.

A looming disaster… 

As Kate, the FBI and the NTSB race to find answers, the shadow figures behind the operation launch their most devastating plan yet, and time ticks down on one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known.

This is not my usual read.  I am excited to try something new!  Look for the review to see if I enjoyed a new genre.

From William Morrow
home field

Published:  July 26, 2016
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Goodreads:  The heart of Friday Night Lights meets the emotional resonance and nostalgia of My So-Called Life in this utterly moving debut novel about tradition, family, love, and football.

As the high school football coach in his small, rural Maryland town, Dean is a hero who reorganized the athletic program and brought the state championship to the community. When he married Nicole—the beloved, town sweetheart—he seemed to have it all—until his troubled wife committed suicide. Now, everything Dean thought he knew about his life and the people in it is thrown off kilter as Nicole’s death forces him to re-evaluate all of his relationships, including those with his team and his three children.

Dean’s eleven-year old son Robbie is acting withdrawn, and running away from school to the local pizza parlor. Bry, who is only eight, is struggling to understand his mother’s untimely death. And nineteen-year- old Stephanie has just left for Swarthmore and is torn between her new identity as a rebellious and sophisticated college student, her responsibility towards her brothers, and feeling like she is still just a little girl who misses her mom. As Dean struggles to continue to lead his team to victory in light of his overwhelming personal loss, he must fix his fractured family—and himself. And what he discovers along the way is that he’ll never view the world in the same way again.

Transporting you to the heart of small town America, Home Field is an unforgettable, poignant story about the pull of the past and the power of forgiveness.

Doesn’t this sound like just a great home grown read?

Giveaway: The Perfect Neighbors

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Sarah PekkanenThis is Sarah Pekkanen at the signing of this book!!

perfectGoodreads:  Perfect Neighbors takes us into the homes of an idyllic suburban neighborhood where we discover the burning secrets hiding just below the surface.

Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US.

It’s also one of the most secret-filled.

Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She’s adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office—and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie’s neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won’t eat any carbs. She’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour. And she’ll stop stalking her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Gigi Kennedy seems to have it all together—except her teenage daughter has turned into a hostile stranger and her husband is running for Congress, which means her old skeletons are in danger of being brought into the light.

Then a new family moves to this quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac. Tessa Campbell seems friendly enough to the other mothers, if a bit reserved. Then the neighbors notice that noone is ever invited to Tessa’s house. And soon, it becomes clear Tessa is hiding the biggest secret of all.

Click here to sign up for the giveaway. Winner will be chosen around 8:00 am Wednesday, August 10th.