Evening Stars

Posted on February 25, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Susan Mallery
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Harlequin

Goodreads: New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery returns to Blackberry Island with the poignant tale of two sisters on the verge of claiming their dreams.

Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More “Mom” than their mother ever was, she sacrificed medical school—and her first love—so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn’t exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially when Nina’s life has suddenly become…complicated.

Nina unexpectedly finds herself juggling two men—her high school sweetheart and a younger maverick pilot who also wants to claim her heart. But as fun as all this romance is, Nina has real life to deal with. Averil doesn’t seem to want the great guy she’s married to, and doesn’t seem to be making headway writing her first book; their mom is living life just as recklessly as she always has; and Nina’s starting to realize that the control she once had is slipping out of her fingers. Her hopes of getting off the island seem to be stretching further away…until her mother makes a discovery that could change everything forever.

But before Nina and Averil can reach for the stars, they have to decide what they want. Will Averil stay? Will Nina leave? And what about the men who claim to love them? Does love heal, or will finding their happy ending mean giving up all they’ve ever wanted?

Ope’s Opinion: Susan Mallery can really tell a story! This was a great read. All her characters are flawed and are realistic people you can relate to. There are several supporting characters that are an important part of the story. All the family interactions lets you see all the personalities.

Although this book is part of a series, you can read it as a stand alone. It is written so well you will not feel you have missed anything from the previous books.

This would make a good book club book. You can weigh in on the side of things happening to you, so you live with them or you choose your path regardless of what life throws at you.

The ending answered all my questions and left me feeling good.

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

The Chance

Posted on February 24, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Robyn Carr
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Little Bird Publicity

Goodreads: Share the joys, heartbreaks, challenges and triumphs of the people who inhabit the small Oregon town of Thunder Point with #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr 

With its breathtaking vistas and down-to-earth people, Thunder Point is the perfect place for FBI agent Laine Carrington to recuperate from a gunshot wound and contemplate her future. The locals embraced Laine as one of their own after she risked her life to save a young girl from a dangerous cult. Knowing her wounds go beyond the physical, Laine hopes she’ll fit in for a while and find her true self in a town that feels safe. She may even learn to open her heart to others, something an undercover agent has little time to indulge. 

Eric Gentry is also new to Thunder Point. Although he’s a man with a dark past, he’s determined to put down roots and get to know the daughter he only recently discovered. When Laine and Eric meet, their attraction is obvious to everyone. But while the law enforcement agent and the reformed criminal want to make things work, their differences may run too deep…unless they take a chance on each other and find that deep and mysterious bond that belongs to those who choose love over fear.

Ope’s Opinion: Oh, this book is so good!! It is the fourth in the series. You could read it alone, but the back story makes you more involved with the people. Meeting new characters and getting up dates on the past people we met in Thunder Point made the story move really fast.

One of the new characters was a family with three boys. It was a heart wrenching story line. I hope we see more of them in future books.

Laine’s family had a lot to deal with in this book. It had some really good twists and turns. Not everything was solved at the end of this book, so I am anxiously waiting for the next one!

Side note: This book will be available for purchased tomorrow – it will be worth buying!

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

Alice on Board

Posted on February 21, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: In her last adventure before starting college, Alice takes to the open sea for the summer and nothing can stop the tides of change.

Everything Alice has ever known is about to change from where she sleeps at night to how close her closest friends will be. So Alice is meeting that seasick feeling head-on by setting sail as staff on a Chesapeake Bay cruise ship. And like any last great adventure before starting college, Alice knows she will need sunblock, an open mind, and oh yeah, all her best girlfriends. It is the perfect summer job. Perfect, that is, when things are going perfectly. But when they are not, Alice has to figure out how to weather unexpected storms of all sorts. Which could be perfect after all;perfect training for her next big adventure college.

Ope’s Opinion: It was great to see a young lady work before she leaves for college. Alice was very independent.

I have lived near the ports that the ship stopped at, so it was interesting to read about them.

I did feel like nothing really happened in this book. Alice and Patrick’s relationship did not move forward – they did not break up. Actually, they had little contact with each other. The other girls in the group did not change their relationships much at all.

I will read the last one to see what happens when they all leave for college.

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

Anna and the French Kiss

Posted on February 19, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Speak
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. She is less than thrilled about boarding school in Paris – until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, he has it all – including a serious girlfriend. Will Anna get her French kiss?

Ope’s Opinion: Amazing! That is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this book. It is well written, easy to read and hard to put down. The descriptions are so vivid I could see the exact picture Perkins was drawling.

Stephanie Perkins wrote the most engaging characters. I enjoyed watching their relationships grow and change. It was great to see how they related to each other and their families. It all felt realistic to me. I liked seeing the friends of the Anna and St. Claire have their own story lines.

The pace of this story was a steady incline. I did not want the story to move any faster because I was savoring each moment. I was in no hurry for this one to end.

I could recommend this to teens or to adults. It captures the attention of anyone who enjoys reading young adult books. I like that the language and sexual content are appropriate for age.

I am anxiously waiting to read Lola and the Boy Next Door. And Isla and the Happily Ever After will come out this summer.

Side note: My daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings
and I were fortunate to meet Stephanie Perkins at an
author signing. She is sweet and fun to talk to.
Thanks Stephanie!

Rating: Five Chairs – this book is so good it will be pass on and on and on …..

Collision Course

Posted on February 17, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Chuck Gleason
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Genre: Fiction
Source: Virtual Author Book Tours

Goodreads: Is there a literary Grandpa Moses in our midst? Author Chuck Gleason age 84, is writing love stories at a prodigious rate. Author of Collision Course, Chuck Gleason says,”We’ve been married 63 years. Ought to know something about love.” Collision Course is a warm loving story about two college kids off on a rocky road to romance. A story filled with excitement and love, guaranteed to leave readers smiling.

Ope’s Opinion: I did like the general story this book told. Two college students who fall in love sounded like a good read to me. The romance between Lincoln and Keli was on and off so often, I couldn’t keep track.

The writing was choppy, the dialogue was stiff and unrealistic. I don’t know people who talk to each other the way this book was written.

Lincoln’s mother had no redeeming characteristics. There wasn’t any background to really know why his mother was such a difficult person, so you had no connection to her.

Overall, I was disappointed in this read.

Rating: Two Chairs – I may have one friend who might like this book.

Relative Love

Posted on February 14, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Amanda Brookfield
Publisher: Hodder
Pages: 534
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Amanda Brookfield

Goodreads: The Harrison family gathers as usual for Christmas in their big Sussex house – a tight safe world of festivity and family ritual. This year, however, outside realities are pressing hard: Pamela and John, married for four decades, know that time is catching up with them. And trouble is brewing in the lives of their four children. Cassie, the cossetted youngest, is in the throes of an affair with a married man; Elizabeth, her awkward older sister, is struggling with a faltering second marriage; Peter, the eldest and designated inheritor of Ashley House, is beginning to meet resistance to such a prospect from his career-orientated wife. Only Charlie, the charming and carefree younger son, and his wife Serena, seem truly content, with nothing to worry about except their adolescent twin girls and the simpler teething troubles of their toddler.

Everywhere the scent of change is in the air. Yet, change, when it comes, strikes in the form of a tragedy of the most unforeseeable and devastating kind. The family, so apparently secure, begins to unravel.And secrets, past and present, are exposed, laying bare the fragility of human happiness and the myriad faces of love in an imperfect world.

Ope’s Opinion: If you are a fan of family saga stories, this book is for you. It involves a family of four grown children, their families and all that comes with it. I think you can find yourself or your siblings in this book.

Each chapter was a month at a time for a year. I thought this was a clever way to divide the story. It made it easy to see the progression in the relationships.

Overall, I would say this book was alright, but I didn’t get lost in it.

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

Circle in the Sand

Posted on February 12, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Lia Fairchild
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 327
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Book Review Bay

Goodreads: Four life-long friends bound by two decades of laughter, love, promises, and secrets. Once inseparable, the four grow into independent adults pursuing very different paths.

Sage, raised by career-driven parents, follows a carefully laid out future of success that leaves her wondering what she’s missed out on.

Emily, the college drop-out, now has three children that have become her whole life. She’s slowly lost herself, subconsciously seeking dangerous ways to cope. Can she find herself in time?

Jax always lived on the edge, skating through life with no apparent ambition, yet remained the energy and emotional cement of the group. She longs for her friends to accept her without trying to fix her.

Ned, Emily’s twin brother, yearns to stand up and be counted. But his old loyalties and new feelings for one of the girls has him pulled in different directions.

Will the ties that held them together as kids be strong enough for them as adults? These four friends will discover the true meaning of friendship and unveil truths about themselves they never knew existed.

Ope’s Opinion: It took some reading to get into the story. Meeting all the characters involved and figuring out their relationships and their history took a little while. Each person had a secret or two and some issues they needed to deal with. You will be able to find a character to relate to. They are each very different.

The setting at the beach is always my favorite place to be and read about.

This is not a predictable read. When you start it, you don’t know where it is going to go. There a several twists and turns that keep you reading. You will like where it ends.

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

Dare You To

Posted on February 10, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 456
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Purchased

Goodreads: Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. “Dance with me, Beth.”

“No.” I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again….

“I dare you…”

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s home life, they’d send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom’s freedom and her own happiness. That’s how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn’t want her and going to a school that doesn’t understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t get her, but does….

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn’t be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won’t let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all…

Ope’s Opinion: Oh My Goodness … This was an awesome read! At times I found myself holding my breath, not being able to read fast enough. I am a slow reader, this is a long book and I read it three days! I recommend you don’t start this book unless you have time to finish it.

As usual, Katie McGarry wrote deep characters with a lot of depth to their personalities. Beth frustrated me a few times during this book. Because of her back ground, she struggles trusting people. Ryan isn’t what he seems at first. It was good to see he had his own issues to deal.

My only problem with the book is the language – which I understand was probably a part of their lives, but I thought it was a bit over used.

Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….

A February Bride

Posted on February 7, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Betsy St. Amant
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 120
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Netgalley

Goodreads: In A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant, history repeats itself when this bride runs out of the church on her wedding day—in the same dress that had been passed down for generations and worn by her mom, grandma and great-grandmother who also ran out of their weddings. The heroine struggles to break destructive cycles of the past. Can this bride shuck expectation and discover who SHE is as a bride and in the Bride of Christ? And if she finally walks down the aisle, what dress will she be wearing? Readers will enjoy this novel of redemption centered on a winter wedding.

Ope’s Opinion: I am really enjoying this series of A Year of Weddings. This is the third one I have read. Each one is being written by different authors, but it feels very cohesive. You can feel each authors touch on their story.

In the February bride, she tells herself things that just aren’t true. The dialogue going on inside her head needed editing. It took someone from the outside to set her thinking straight.

Although you know God is at the center of their lives, it is not pushy at all.

It is a very easy, quick read. Each page was enjoyable. You won’t want to stop reading.

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

The Three Month Plan

Posted on February 3, 2014 by opesopinions

Author: Kimberley Patterson
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 260
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Virtual Author Book Tours

Goodreads: Kelly Callahan had everything going for her. Everything that is, except for a relationship. It wasn’t for the lack of trying, it just seemed like she was a magnet for all the wrong ones. But all of that was about to change the minute she laid eyes on Jake.
On a dare from her close friend, Michelle, Kelly accepts a challenge to date and become Jake’s girlfriend within three months. The consequence of losing is global humiliation, and she refuses to lose.

Enlisting the help of her childhood friend and confidant, Brian, Kelly manages to catch Jakes attention. She also unknowingly hooks Brian who tries to sabotage the plan. Kelly finds herself with a dilemma; take the final step with Jake and win the plan or follow her heart and reveal her feelings for Brian.

Ope’s Opinion: I really enjoyed reading this book. It is definitely young adult love. It has a predictable ending, but getting there has some fun twists and turns along the way. This was a fast and easy read.

The characters are well develop, realistic and very likable. It was great that it was written from both Kelly’s and Brian’s perspectives. It gave you the inside view of each of their thoughts. I was so proud of Kelly and her values. I do wish I had known what Jake was thinking.

The ending was cute and there was a little surprise. I would recommend this to YA fans.

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

Ope's Opinions

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Tag Archives: book review

Evening Stars

The Chance

Alice on Board

Anna and the French Kiss

Collision Course

Relative Love

Circle in the Sand

Dare You To

A February Bride

The Three Month Plan