Tag Archives: fiction

The Rumor

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Author: Elin Hilderbrand                                    rumor
Publisher: Little,Brown and Company
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  Madeline King and Grace Pancik are best friends and the envy of Nantucket for their perfect marriages, their beautiful kids, their Sunday night double dates with their devoted husbands. But this summer, something’s changed, and if there’s anything Nantucket likes better than cocktails on the beach at sunset, it’s a good rumor.

And rumor has it…

…that Madeline, a novelist, is battling writer’s block, with a deadline looming, bills piling up, and blank pages driving her to desperation–and a desperately bad decision;

…that Grace, hard at work to transform her backyard into a garden paradise, has been collaborating a bit more closely that necessary with her ruggedly handsome landscape architect;

…that Grace’s husband, successful island real estate developer “Fast Eddie” Pancik, has embarked on quite an unusual side project;

…that the storybook romance between Madeline’s son, Brick, and Grace’s daughter Allegra is on the rocks, heading for disaster.

As the gossip escalates, and they face the possible loss of the happy lives they’ve worked so hard to create, Grace and Madeline try mightily to set the record straight–but the truth might be even worse than rumor has it.

Ope’s Opinion: I am a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, so I was really looking forward to her latest book.  I am sad to say this was my least favorite of all her books.

I usually like having a book written from a bunch of different points of view.  This time I never got attached to anyone of the characters.  There was an affair going on and I didn’t even know if I wanted them to get caught.  I just never got that involved.  The story did not keep me wanting to come back for more.

The drama in this book was over the top.  No one was a stable anchor. Each character had their own set of issues going on – all at the same time.

I hope her next book will be one that holds my attention.

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In October I hope to read….

winter stroll

Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Goodreads: The Quinn family celebrates their most dramatic Christmas yet in this enchanting sequel to Elin Hilderbrand’s bestsellingWinter Street. 
Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn and his family busily preparing for the holiday season. Though the year has brought tragedy, the Quinns have much to celebrate: Kelley has reunited with his first wife Margaret, Kevin and Isabelle have a new baby; and Ava is finally dating a nice guy.
But when Kelley’s estranged wife Mitzi shows up on the island, along with Kevin’s devious ex-wife Norah and a dangerously irresistible old fling of Ava’s, the Inn is suddenly overrun with romantic feuds, not to mention guests. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it’s going to take a whole lot more than a Christmas miracle to get the Quinns–and the Inn–through the holidays intact.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

The Arrivals

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Author: Meg Mitchell Moore
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Genre: Fiction                                                  arrive
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

 

 

 

Goodreads:  It’s early summer when Ginny and William’s peaceful life in Vermont comes to an abrupt halt.

First, their daughter Lillian arrives, with her two children in tow, to escape her crumbling marriage. Next, their son Stephen and his pregnant wife Jane show up for a weekend visit, which extends indefinitely when Jane ends up on bed rest. When their youngest daughter Rachel appears, fleeing her difficult life in New York, Ginny and William find themselves consumed again by the chaos of parenthood – only this time around, their children are facing adult problems.

By summer’s end, the family gains new ideas of loyalty and responsibility, exposing the challenges of surviving the modern family – and the old adage, once a parent, always a parent, has never rung so true.

Ope’s Opinion:  At first I thought the mother of the adult children was intrusive and overbearing.  She said what she thought without taking into consideration of how other people might be effected by her opinion.  As I read the book she grew on me.  I saw that she really did love her children and wanted what was best for them.  Late in the book her husband asked her why she took how the children were doing so personally – she said “Because they’re my life work.”  It made me realize how deeply she loved each one of them.  

The reason I was most effected by the mother in this book is because I have been in her position.  My husband and I had an empty nest.  Our children came home with their significant others.  It was a wonderfully hard time for all of us.  Once again, we are back to our empty nest. I love my adult children – they are now my friends.

I think no matter your place in your family, you could see yourself in one of the characters in this book.

Rating: 4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

Conflicting Webs

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Author:  Darlene Quinn
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press           conflicting webs
Genre: Fiction
Source:  Darlene Quinn

 

Goodreads:  The Toddman-Taylor saga continues in a new direction, exploring love and loss, career and family, forgiveness and redemption in this stand-alone addition to the gripping Web series. Fast-paced chapters propel unforgettable characters through the turmoil of overlapping and often conflicting commitments.

Wedding bells are set to ring. April Toddman, the darling of the Jordon’s retail dynasty, feels blessed. Her handsome, amiable fiancé, Kyle Clark, is passionate and shares her dreams. No couple could ask for a more promising future. And yet, just days before they are to exchange their marriage vows, their perfect world begins to crumble. Fate steps in and puts April and Kyle to the test. Will they successfully thread their way through the conflicting webs to secure their happiness?

With unfamiliar ground beneath their feet, April and Kyle must confront an unrelenting tsunami of obligations: to other—to their budding careers—and to themselves.

A child without a mother . . . A wedding without a honeymoon . . . A mother without a family . . . Beloved characters old and new weave secrets, mistakes, accidents, and lies into intricate webs of conflict as they strive to protect the generation of tomorrow.

Readers young and old will be held captive by the bold decisions these characters make to take charge of their destinies.

Ope’s Opinion: This book started out a little slow for me.  Once I did get into, I was absorbed in the story right to the end.  Parts of it were very intense.  There were a lot of characters in this book.   Each one was well developed and had a large part in how the story moved forward and ended.  At times I made assumptions on how things were going to turn out and each time I was surprised at the turns the story took.  

This is my first book by Darlene Quinn.  I did not feel like I was missing anything since I had not read the previous books.  This book felt complete.

The ending left me wanting more.  Not that it was a bad ending, I just wanted to know more.  I guess that is because it is part of a series.

Rating: 4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

Eight Hundred Grapes

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Author: Laura Dave                   800
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction
Source: BookSparks

 

 

Goodreads:  A breakout novel from an author who “positively shines with wisdom and intelligence” (Jonathan Tropper, This Is Where I leave You). “Laura Dave writes with humor and insight about relationships in all their complexity, whether she’s describing siblings or fiancés or a couple long-married. Eight Hundred Grapes is a captivating story about the power of family, the limitations of love, and what becomes of a life’s work” (J. Courtney Sullivan, Maine).

There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide…

Growing up on her family’s Sonoma vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. The secret behind ending a fight: hold hands.

But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

Georgia does what she’s always done: she returns to the family vineyard, expecting the comfort of her long-married parents, and her brothers, and everything familiar. But it turns out her fiancé is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets…

Ope’s Opinion:  I really hope this book is the first in a series.  It has so many amazing characters that I would like to revisit.  Laura Dave does a such a great job of developing each of the characters.

Watching Georgia struggle to figure out what she wanted and who she wanted kept me reading.  I liked that she was not closed to forgiving and would listen to explanations even when things looked very messed up.  Her whole family had different relationships to work out.

There is a lot of family drama in this book.  Some of it seemed to be resolved by the end, but I think there is a lot more I want to read.  Please Laura – tell me there is more!!

Rating: 5 – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….

The Precious One

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Author:  Marisa de los Santos
Publisher: William Morrow & Company         precious
Genre: Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

 

 

Goodreads:  From the bestselling author of Belong to Me, Love Walked In, and Falling Together comes a captivating novel about friendship, family, second chances, and the redemptive power of love

In all her life, Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary has given her heart to only three men: her first love, Ben Ransom; her twin brother, Marcus; and Wilson Cleary — professor, inventor, philanderer, self-made millionaire, brilliant man, breathtaking jerk: her father.

Seventeen years ago, Wilson ditched his first family for Caroline, a beautiful young sculptor. In all that time, Taisy’s family has seen Wilson, Caroline, and their daughter Willow only once.

Why then, is Wilson calling Taisy now, inviting her for an extended visit, encouraging her to meet her pretty sister — a teenager who views her with jealousy, mistrust, and grudging admiration? Why, now, does Wilson want Taisy to help him write his memoir?

Told in alternating voices — Taisy’s strong, unsparing observations and Willow’s naive, heartbreakingly earnest yearnings — The Precious One is an unforgettable novel of family secrets, lost love, and dangerous obsession, a captivating tale with the deep characterization, piercing emotional resonance, and heartfelt insight that are the hallmarks of Marisa de los Santos’s beloved works.

Ope’s Opinion:  It was interesting to see a father from two different daughters points of view.  He did not have many redeeming qualities to me.  It is hard to believe one person could be so self centered.

I found the way Taisy’s and Willow’s relationship developed was believable.  Coming from two very different places it was hard for them to accept  each other.  Seeing the changes from both points of view was interesting.

There were a lot of issues dealt with in this book.  Maybe a few too many for me.

I did feel like the ending was predictable and took a little longer then necessary to get to.

Rating: 3 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Return to the Beach House

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Author: Georgia Bockoven
Publisher:  William Morrow                   return
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  Over the course of one year, in a charming cottage by the sea, eight people will discover love and remembrance, reconciliation and reunion, beginnings and endings in this unforgettable sequel to Georgia Bockoven’s The Beach House and Another Summer.
Alison arrives at the beach house in June to spend a month with her restless grandson before he leaves for his freshman year in college. Over a decade before, Alison lost her beloved husband, and has faced life alone ever since. Now she discovers a new life, and possible new love.
August brings together four college friends facing a milestone. Across summer’s final days, they share laughter, tears, and love—revealing long-held secrets and creating new and even more powerful bonds.
World-class wildlife photographer, Matthew, and award-winning war photographer, Lindsey, arrive at the beach house in January, each harboring the very real fear that it will mark the end of their decade-long love affair. Alone in the house’s warm peace, they will be forced to truly look at who they are and what they want, discovering surprising truths that will change their lives forever.

Ope’s Opinion: This is the third and I think final book in The Beach House series by Georgia Bockoven.  The renters in this book were enjoyable to read.  It was fun to see one of the renters in there during the winter season.

This is definitely a great series to take to the beach.  With the book divided into renter months, it lets you read each part easily.  The book cover really went with the stories inside – being at the beach house and feeling like it was a healing place.

I have a couple more of Georgia Bockovens books on my shelf and I am really looking forward to reading them.

Rating: 4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

Another Summer

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Author:  Georgia Bockoven
Publisher: William Morrow                                      another summer
Genre: Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Rambling   

 

Goodreads:  Weaving together love and laughter, heartache and hope, promise and passion, Another Summer returns to the world of The Beach House with new stories entwined in a powerful emotional journey.

A twentieth high school reunion reunites lovers who must learn to trust again. Teenagers from opposite worlds discover that having a chip on their shoulder only makes it harder to get through doors. An ambitious corporate attorney finds herself falling for the man she has vowed to destroy in the courtroom. A young family, reeling from a devastating loss, meets a mysterious older couple and a half-starved stray cat that will guide them back to each other.

None of these people will leave the beach house the same as they were before. . . .

Ope’s Opinion:  This is the second book in Georgia Bockoven’s series The Beach House.  The renters in the this book are very different from the first book and very different from each other.  You will probably find one that you really relate to.  

The July renters for me were not as well developed characters and the story went from really sad to really happy and all settled too fast.  I needed more on that story.  I would give the rest of the book a 5!

I am looking forward to reading the third book in the series.

 

Rating:  4 – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

 

Throw like a Woman

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Author: Susan Petrone                                   throw
Publisher:  The Story Plant
Genre: Fiction
Source:  The Story Plant

 

 

Goodreads:  Forty years old, divorced, with two sons on the verge of adolescence and an ex-husband who considers visitation to be optional, Brenda Haversham isn’t having a whole lot of fun. She’s also no longer qualified for the work she loves, so she’s working in a cubicle instead while trying to make ends meet.

Brenda is short on money, short on connection with her kids, and short on any kind of social life. The only thing Brenda has in abundance is her anger. And that turns out to be her greatest asset.

When she was a kid, Brenda’s father taught her how to throw a good fastball. That wasn’t of much use to a girl, but it is enough to astound onlookers at a “test your speed” pitching cage before a Cleveland Indians game. The more Brenda pictures her ex-husband’s face on the other end, the harder she throws. And when someone tapes her performance and puts it up online, Brenda becomes an Internet sensation – and then more than that.

Soon, the Indians come calling and Brenda finds her life taking a turn in a new direction. She finds herself standing on the mound as the first woman player in Major League history – and dealing with everything that comes with it. The money is great and the endorsement deals are even better. The fury of “traditionalists,” not so much. And the conflicting emotions of her teammates are even harder to manage.

Meanwhile, Brenda’s home life is evolving faster than she can keep up, redefining her role as a mother, a friend, and even a lover.

As the season winds down Brenda will find out if she has what it takes to be a winner – at both baseball and life.

Ope’s Opinion: The combination of baseball and a strong, independent woman drew me into this book.  Although, I like going to baseball games, I don’t enjoy reading all the details of the game.  Each time the baseball part of the story started to drag for me, Susan Petrone would bring in more about Brenda’s personal life, which kept me reading.

The cast of characters ( and there are many ) in this book, reacted to a woman playing baseball as I would expect them to.

Even though there was not an abundance of foul language, I still found it unnecessary.  It did not add to the story.

Overall, the story was a very good one and it kept moving throughout the whole book.

Rating: 3.5 – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Keep the Ends Loose

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Author: Molly D. Campbell            keep
Publisher: The Story Plant
Genre: Fiction
Source: The Story Plant

 

 

Goodreads:  Miranda Heath is a quirky fifteen-year-old with cinematic dreams and a safe, predictable family. That is until she decides to pull at the loose end that is the estranged husband her aunt never divorced. What seemed like the best way to allow her aunt to get on with her life sets off a series of events that threaten to turn Mandy’s world upside down. Suddenly, she’s embarking on adventurous road trips, becoming the center of an increasingly unstable household, meeting surprising strangers, and seeing everyone she knows in new ways. Sometimes loose ends just want to stay loose. But what happens if they want to unravel completely?

Ope’s Opinion:  This story is definitely written from the perspective of a 15 year-old girl.  I felt like I was reading her diary.  

This book reminds me of my childhood, when my mom used to read me stories.  I felt like I was hearing a story, but I wasn’t ever drawn into the story enough to feel like I was a part of it.

The ending of the book wrapped things up.  It was a predictable ending.

 

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