Tag Archives: 5

OUT NOW!!!

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Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Fiction
Source: Kristy Woodson Harvey

Goodreads: ​Two childhood friends discover that love—and family—can be found in unconventional ways in this timely, moving novel from the USA TODAY bestselling author of the “beautifully Southern, evocative Peachtree Bluff series” (Kristin Harmel, internationally bestselling author of The Winemaker’s Wife).

Recently separated Amelia Buxton, a dedicated journalist, never expected that uncovering the biggest story of her career would become deeply personal. But when she discovers that a cluster of embryos belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer have been deemed “abandoned,” she’s put in the unenviable position of telling Parker—and dredging up old wounds in the process.

Parker has been unable to move forward since the loss of his beloved wife three years ago. He has all but forgotten about the frozen embryos, but once Amelia reveals her discovery, he knows that if he ever wants to get a part of Greer back, he’ll need to accept his fate as a single father and find a surrogate.

Each dealing with their own private griefs, Parker and Amelia slowly begin to find solace in one another as they navigate an uncertain future against the backdrop of the pristine waters of their childhood home, Buxton Beach. The journey of self-discovery leads them to an unforgettable and life-changing lesson: Family—the one you’re born into and the one you choose—is always closer than you think.

Ope’s Opinion: Oh, My! Get yourself some chocolate, a nice cup of tea and get comfortable – you are not going to want to move when you start reading this wonderful story. This book had everything you want in Southern fiction.

There are a cast of amazing characters in this book. The two main characters you will root for from the beginning. The supporting characters all have their own strong personalities and are enjoyable to read about.

The ending was exactly what I wanted it to be!


Bookshop by the Sea

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Author: Denise Hunter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: Margaret at Harper Collins

Goodreads:  Eleven months had not been long enough to prepare Sophie Lawson for the sight of him . . .

After her mother was bedridden and her father bailed on the family, Sophie became a second mother to her twin brother, Seth, and younger sister, Jenna. Sophie supported her siblings through their college years, putting aside her own dream of opening a book shop in Piper’s Cove—the quaint North Carolina beach town they frequented as children.

But now it’s finally time for Sophie to follow her own pursuits. Seth just got a new job, the family house is sold, and Jenna is set to marry her college beau in Piper’s Cove. But the destination wedding reunites Sophie with best man Aiden Maddox, her high school sweetheart who left her without a backward glance to run an extreme sporting business in Florida.

Much to Sophie’s chagrin, seeing Aiden again resurrects familiar feelings—which she promptly tries to bury in the tumult of the day. As soon as the wedding crowd fades, Sophie turns her focus back to establishing her beloved bookstore.

But then an advancing hurricane strands Aiden in Piper’s Cove and with the hotels booked to capacity he asks Sophie to put him up until the storm passes. As the two ride out the weather, old feelings rise to the surface. But can Sophie trust Aiden to stick around? And does daredevil Aiden have the courage to risk his heart?

Ope’s Opinion:  This was the first book I read this year.  I have enjoyed starting my year with a book I was sure I would enjoy.  Denise Hunter wrote another amazing story with characters you can relate to.  

If you are gathering books for your beach bag – this one is a must!  You will enjoy all the time you spend reading this one.

She Gets that From Me

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Author: Robin Wells
Publisher: Berkley
Genre:Fiction
Source: A gift from my daughter Kristi

Goodreads:  Quinn never expected that her best friend’s courageous decision to be a single mother by choice would end up transforming her own life in this poignant novel from USA Today bestselling author Robin Wells.

When Quinn Langston’s best friend unexpectedly passes away, Quinn embraces Brooke’s three-year-old daughter Lily and elderly grandmother Margaret as the family she’s always wanted. She’ll do whatever it takes to help them heal, but she didn’t anticipate Lily’s biological father would be part of the plan. Margaret is old-fashioned, though, and she has no compunction about finding a way to reach Lily’s dad, a sperm donor. After all, he’s a blood relative, and she believes family should raise family.

Zack Bradley doesn’t know what to expect when he finds out he has a child. Sperm donors don’t usually get to meet their…well, he’s not sure what to call Lily yet, but he’s certain he wants to get to know her. There’s just one of problem: he’s about to move to Seattle with his wife, Jessica, who’s undergone multiple infertility treatments, desperately wants a family of her own and can’t stand the idea of Zack playing daddy to another woman’s child.

Together, they’ll all learn that the human heart is infinitely expandable and there are many different roads to family. 

Ope’s Opinion: This book was a very original story line that I throughly enjoyed. I liked all the different perspectives that moved the story along really well.  This book makes you reevaluate what makes a family and how is it created.  

A large part of the book is about infertility, sperm donors, and single parenthood.  If these are difficult subjects for you as a reader – you may want to pass on this one.  If not, you will enjoy this book.  There is romance in the book, but it is not the focus of most of the story. The end was exactly what I wanted.

This book made me want to read her other book on my shelf.

Christmas at Holiday House

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Author: RaeAnne Thayne
Publisher: HQN
Genre: Holiday Romance
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: In the town of Silver Bells, there’s always a feeling of Christmas in the air… Let love—and RaeAnne Thayne—melt your heart this holiday season!

This New Year will bring widowed nurse Abigail Powell a fresh start in a different city. Excited about the chance to create an unforgettable Christmas for her young son in picturesque Silver Bells, Colorado, Abby has been hired to take care of her dear friend’s recuperating grandmother. But sprightly senior Winnie insists she doesn’t need looking after. What she does need is help decorating her historic mansion, Holiday House, for a seasonal town fundraiser. Abby warms to the festive task, but she’ll have to contend with her own personal Grinch: Winnie’s prickly grandson, Ethan Lancaster.

Ethan Lancaster is good at a lot of things. Relationships surely aren’t one of them. His ex-fiancée convinced Ethan he was incapable of love, and he believes her…up until the moment he impulsively kisses Abby. What is it about this vibrant woman and her sweet son that knocks his world off-kilter? He knows they’re leaving town after Christmas. He just didn’t expect they’d be taking a little of his heart with them. But as he and Abby work together on the magical Holiday House through the record cold weather, visions of a different future dance in his head…one filled with warmth, love and a new beginning for them both.

Ope’s Opinion: RaeAnne Thayne hit this one out of the park!  From page one until the last page I read, I enjoyed it all.  The characters were wonderful and the story was captivating.  I felt like I was there with the way she described everything. It would make a great movie.

Of course the ending was exactly how a holiday book should end – happily around the tree with people you love.  I highly recommend this one.

The Last Flight

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Author: Julie Clark
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: Thriller
Source: Krstin at Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
                    THE INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

Two women. Two Flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets ― Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

The Last Flight is the story of two women―both alone, both scared―and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives. 

Ope’s Opinion:  I am not sure I have the words to explain how great this book is.  It made me hold my breath and feel the tension these characters were feeling.  Just start reading…. you won’t want to stop.

Thrillers always have twists, some times you can see them coming – not this one!  Just when you think you know where the story is going, Clark throws in a curve.  So you keep reading to see what is next!

This amazing story, was written really well and had an ending that just made the book perfect! I will be looking for her next book.