Tag Archives: book review

The Good Wife

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Author: Jane Porter                   good wife
Publisher:  Publisher
Pages:  432
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: BookSparks

Goodreads:  Is it possible to love someone too much?

Always considered the beauty of the family, the youngest Brennan sister, Sarah, remains deeply in love with her husband of ten years. Boone Walker, a professional baseball player, travels almost year-round while Sarah stays home and cares for their two children. Her love for her husband is bottomless—so much so that her sisters say it will end up hurting her.

Living apart most of the time makes life difficult, especially since Sarah often wonders whether Boone is sharing his bed with other women on the road, even though he swears he’s been true to her since his infidelity three years ago. While she wants to be happy and move forward in her life, Sarah constantly fears that Boone will break his promise. Now with Boone facing yet another career change, tension rises between the two, adding more stress to an already turbulent marriage. Emotionally exhausted, Sarah can’t cope with yet another storm. Now, she must either break free from the past and forgive Boone completely, or leave him behind and start anew . .

Ope’s Opinion:  Again Jane Porter brought the Brennan  family alive!  Jane Porter is so good at making the people seem like real family members.  It was so good to see Sarah’s story.  When Jane introduced Lisa and Lauren, I wasn’t sure where their story was going to go and how it would intersect with Sarah’s.  It was an interesting twist.  I enjoyed watching all the interactions.

It was good to see the sisters all together again.  It was awesome to see them support each other and pull together.  Ridding their emotions through the struggles was a great ride!  Having a sister is such a blessing.    Jane wrote these sisters the way I think most sisters truly are with each other.

I love this book. I liked how Jane brought the stories of all the family members up to date.  I just wish she would continue this series.  I want to know more!!

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
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I’ll Be Seeing You

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Author:  Lurlene McDaniel                            I
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Pages: 208
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Kristi of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  Carley Mattea never expected to become friends with a boy as handsome as Kyle Westin–especially not in the hospital. Seventeen-year-old Kyle was blinded when a chemistry experiment exploded. His doctors don’t know whether he’ll get his vision back, and he’s deeply depressed. Carley understands how miserable it is to be in the hospital. At sixteen, she’s had plenty of experience. But Carley is keeping a secret from Kyle. She knows boys like girls who are pretty–and she’s not. Scarred by a facial deformity, she has always used her sense of humor to cope. But now that she’s become so close to Kyle, she’s worried that if his bandages are removed and he sees her, it will be the end of their relationship. Carley wants what’s best for Kyle. But what will that mean for her?

Ope’s Opinion:  This was  a very good, easy read.  The author made you feel for each of the characters situations.  The challenges in each persons life seemed unsurmountable.  The story showed that we each have our own issues to deal with.  Some seem more difficult then others.  

This book shows how we should get to know someone before we judge who they are.  You just don’t know how someone ended up in the situation that they are in.  Take a second look at that person, give them the time to get to know them.

I am going to read more of Lurlene McDaniel.

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

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Author: Susane Colasnti                   Colasanti_AllINeed_PreSales.indd
Publisher: Viking Juvenile 
Pages: 240
Genre: Young Adult / Contemporary 
Source: Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  The last night of summer is only the beginning.

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?

Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever.

 

Ope’s Opinion:  I really enjoyed reading this book.  I thought it was very realistic.  It is a carefree, quick, easy read.  I will be saving it for when my granddaughter gets older for her to read.

I really liked seeing what was going on from both Skye’s and Seth’s point of view.  In real life you can’t see what is going on with the other person, so it was fun to read it from both perspectives.

This is not a deep book, but I did not expect it to be. I enjoyed it for what it was – a wonderful light summer romance.  I have read other Colasanti books and I will read her again.

 

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

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Author:  Kristin Billerbeck                             back to life
Publisher:  Avon Inspire
Pages: 272
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: Kristi of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  Lindsay took to marriage like a starlet to stilettos, but her husband had a deeper love for his business. Left alone after his death, Lindsay must find out who she is when there isn’t a party to plan or another person’s life to be organized. Can she find her way Back to Life?

Lindsay realized when she married Ron, a man seventeen years her senior, that the odds were he’d see heaven before her, but she never expected to be a widow at thirty-five. She knows there’s too much of life remaining for her to just sit around in mourning, but she can’t seem to kick-start the rest of her life. Then unexpected help arrives…when Ron’s first wife, Jane, shows up at Lindsay’s front door.

The executor of their late husband’s estate, Jane is everything Lindsay’s not: strong, stubborn, independent…and a lot older. There are other surprises as well, including Ron Jr. (whom Jane insists is not “really” Ron’s son). But against all odds, a most unlikely friendship begins to develop—as each woman discovers how to own up to her past mistakes and to reevaluate what is really important. Told in the alternating voices of Jane and Lindsay, and featuring the return of many of the unforgettable characters introduced in The Trophy Wives Club, Back to Life is a lighthearted, relatable read about where to turn when life goes in a direction you never planned.

Ope’s Opinion:  I liked this one a little more then the first Trophy Wife book. Maybe I liked it a little more because I felt like I knew some of the people.   It was nice to see things from both Jane’s and Lindsay’s perspectives.  I feel like you need to read the first book to really enjoy this one.

Even though it would be unlikely for Jane and Lindsay to have much of a relationship – under these circumstances it sort of makes sense.  You need someone who understands your situation when things are difficult.

I do like Kristin Billerbeck books – this series just isn’t my favorite of hers.  Still a quick, easy read.

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

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Author:  Kristin Billerbeck                                   trophy wives
Publisher:  Avon Inspire
Pages: 272
Genre: Christian Fiction
Source: Kristi of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  Haley Cutler is the consummate trophy wife. Perhaps was is the more accurate term. Haley married Prince Charming when she was only twenty—back in the day when highlights came from an afternoon at the beach, not three hours in the salon.

Unfortunately, after seven years as Jay Cutler’s wife, a role that provided significance and what she thought was love, Jay walks out, and Haley finds herself with few life skills that translate to the real world, not to mention a sense of amnesia about who she used to be. But before Haley can find her way, she must meet with Jay’s lawyer, the strikingly handsome Hamilton Lowe. Although she can’t stand his self-righteous contempt for her divorce, she takes his suggestion to attend a group at his church called “The Trophy Wives Club,” a Bible study composed of women who have been dealt a raw deal. Haley’s never been into the whole Jesus thing but could really use some friends to walk her through this phase (how do you apply for a credit card anyway?).

As Haley begins to realize that she really can stand on her own two feet, she also learns that sometimes in losing we find the real reward . .

Ope’s Opinion:  This book was a light easy read.  It was not my favorite Kristin Billerbeck book.  She is a good writer, this just wasn’t my favorite.  

It was interesting to see how people in the church responded to Haley being divorced.  It is great to have a good support group to help you go through whatever you are dealing with.

Why do we feel that Haley would not be complete until she was with another man?  I would have liked to have  seen her be a little more independent before someone else came into her life.

I will read the next book Back to LIfe – I hope I like it a little more then this one.

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

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Author:  Yona Zeldis McDonough                two of a kind
Publisher: NAL Trade
Pages: 448
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads:  Ten years after losing her husband, Christina Connelly has worked through the pain, focusing on raising her teenage daughter and managing her small decorating business. But her romantic life has never recovered. Still, it’s irksome to be set up with arrogant, if handsome, doctor Andy Stern at her friend’s wedding. If he wasn’t also a potential client, needing his Upper East Side apartment redesigned, she would write him off.

This is never going to work, Andy thinks. Still grieving his wife and struggling with a troubled son, he’s not looking for a woman, and certainly not someone as frosty and reserved as Christina. Their relationship will be strictly business. Yet to everyone’s surprise—including their own—these two find themselves falling in love.

But if reconciling with their pasts is difficult, blending their lives and children to create a new family is nearly impossible. They’ve been given a second chance…but can they overcome all the obstacles in the way of happily ever after?

Ope’s Opinion:  I think this story shows that you never know where you might meet someone.  You also might be surprised by who that person could be.  Being very similar or very different, works depending on the two people.  These two characters in this story are very different, but it works for them.

At first I did not care for Andy.  Yona wrote him in such a way that I thought he was self centered and arrogant.    Some times I felt like he was doing things on his own terms without taking other people into consideration.  He grew on me as the story moved along.

Christina was a strong independent woman.  I liked that she had her own business and was doing fine on her own before she met Andy. She suddenly changed her mind ( no details – I don’t want to spoil the story ) towards the end of the book without an event to spark the change.  It seemed like it was out of no where.

I felt like the end was a little abrupt.  There were a lot of questions that I felt were left unanswered.

I will read another book by Yona Zeldis McDonough.

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

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Author: Diane Chamberlain                                         necessary lies
Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press
Pages:  352
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: St. Martin’s Press

Goodreads:  Bestselling author Diane Chamberlain delivers a breakout book about a small southern town fifty years ago, and the darkest—and most hopeful—places in the human heart.

After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.

When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed. She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients’ lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm—secrets much darker than she would have guessed. Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them, or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong.

Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy. Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: how can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it’s wrong?

Ope’s Opinion:  Historical fiction is not usually my favorite genre, but this book exceeded my expectations.  I am a Diane Chamberlain fan, so I was willing to take a chance on this book and I am glad I did.

This book was a slow build.  Chamberlain took her time to let us get to know each character as they lived in their situation.  We see their lives through Jane, the social worker and Ivy, a young girl on a farm point of view.

Part of what hit close to home for me was that I went to college to be a social worker and my professor discouraged me because he said I would get too emotionally involved.  Seeing Jane experience this made me grateful to this professor because I took my life in another direction ( teaching ).  I could feel all of what Jane was feeling.  It is hard to see someones needs and not want to meet them.

I really liked how Chamberlain wrapped up the book in the end.  It really answered all your questions.  It was done in an awesome, realistic way.  Great writing!

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

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Author:  Nancy Thayer
Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press                                             between husbands
Pages:  241
Genre:  Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Source:  Library Sale

 

 

Goodreads:  Can you marry young and remain faithful all your life? Will marriage fulfill your deepest desires? Is a secret the same as a lie? To whom should you be most loyal, your best friend or your spouse? These are some of the questions troubling Irene West, the wife of goodhearted Max West, the editor of a small town Massachussetts newspaper. The Wests’ best friends are the glamorous Cunninghams; their four children are friends, too. For ten years the two families vacation every August in Irene’s summer house on Nantucket. In August one of the children is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetically-based disease that will force Irene to expose all the secrets she’s been hiding.

 

Ope’s Opinion:  First let me say I am a Nancy Thayer fan.  So I went into this book with high expectations.  It was a slow start and I thought I was going to have my first disappointment with Thayers books.  Keep reading, it just keeps getting better and better.

Nancy Thayer’s  build of the friendship between Lucy and Kate was believable.  You could see the two of them grow together, trust each other and share things no one else would be a part of.  There is so much that binds these two women and their families, that is hard to separate them.

There are several twists and turns throughout the book that if I shared them, it would ruin the story.  It is worth reading to see where it goes and how everyone deals with the secrets and lies .  You will want to have time set aside to be able to just keep reading…

 

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

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Author: Linda Lael Miller                                       big sky wedding             
Publisher:  Harlequin HQN
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source:  Little Bird Publicity

 

 

 

Goodreads:  The “First Lady of the West,” #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller, cordially invites you to Parable, Montana-where love awaits. Wedding bells are ringing in Parable, Montana, but Brylee Parrish hasn’t enjoyed the sound since being jilted at the altar by Hutch Carmody. She’s over Hutch now, and running a multimillion-dollar business is challenging enough for this country gal. So she should avoid falling head-over-boot-heels for A-list actor Zane Sutton. He’s come home to his rodeo roots, but Hollywood lured him away once and just might again. Yet everything about him, from his easy charm to his concern for his young half brother, seems too genuine to resist…. 

Zane didn’t come to Parable for love-but count on a spirited woman to change a jaded cowboy’s mind. Problem is, Brylee’s not convinced he’s here to stay. Good thing he’s determined to prove to her, kiss by kiss, that she’s meant to be his bride.

Ope’s Opinion:  I did not realize this book was part of a series until after I read it.  I think that is a complement to the author.  

The beginning of the book seemed to move at a slow steady pace. Towards the end I felt like  Brylee had two personalities – she couldn’t decide if she wanted to be with Zane or not – that part was like whip lash for me.  The end all of a sudden wrapped up.

Zane really took care of Nash, the way his mother had taken care of him.  It was nice to see a male character nurture another male.  You usually read about the female character stepping in and taking care of siblings.   I also liked that Zane corrected Nash’s language when he used foul words.

The love scenes at the end of the book could have been left out and the story would have been the same ( or better ).  It didn’t add anything for me, so I skimmed over that part.

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

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Author:  Susan Mallerythree sisters
Publisher:  Harlequin MIRA
Pages:  325
Genre:  Romance
Source:  Library

Goodreads:   After Andi Gordon is jilted at the altar, she makes the most impetuous decision of her life – buying one of the famed Three Sisters Queen Anne houses on Blackberry Island. Now the proud-ish owner of the ugly duckling of the trio, she plans to open her own pediatric office on the first floor, just as soon as her hunky contractor completes the work. Andi’s new future may be coming together, but the truth is she’s just as badly in need of a major renovation as her house.

When Deanna Phillips confronts her husband about a suspected affair, she opens up a Pandora’s Box of unhappiness. And he claims that she is the problem. The terrible thing is, he’s right. In her quest to be the perfect woman, she’s lost herself, and she’s in danger of losing her entire family if things don’t change. 

Next door, artist Boston King thought she and her college sweetheart would be married forever. Their passion for one other has always seemed indestructible. But after tragedy tears them apart, she’s not so sure. Now it’s time for them to move forward, with or without one another. 

Thrown together by fate and geography, and bound by the strongest of friendships, these three women will discover what they’re really made of: laughter, tears, love and all.

Ope’s Opinion:  Susan Mallery hit another home run!  This book read so fast!  The story of all three women were relatable and fast moving.  It was great to see each woman’s story move forward in each chapter.  It made it seem more like real time.  

The intimate details of the romance  is my least favorite part, but at least each woman was with only one man.  They were real relationships with flaws and heart felt struggles.  As you read, you will want each woman to be happy at the end.  You can’t help but route for them.

I want more of the Blackberry Island books!  This may be my favorite Susan Mallery book to date.  So keep writing!

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

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