Lost and Found by Danielle Steel – a Review

Lost and Found by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
What might have been? That tantalizing question propels a woman on a cross-country adventure to reunite with the men she loved and let go, in Danielle Steel’s exhilarating new novel.

It all starts with a fall from a ladder, in a firehouse in New York City. The firehouse has been converted into a unique Manhattan home and studio where renowned photographer Madison Allen works and lives after raising three children on her own. But the accident, which happens while Maddie is sorting through long-forgotten personal mementos and photos, results in more than a broken ankle. It changes her life.

Spurred by old memories, the forced pause in her demanding schedule, and an argument with her daughter that leads to a rare crisis of confidence, Maddie embarks on a road trip. She hopes to answer questions about the men she loved and might have married—but didn’t—in the years after she was left alone with three young children. Wearing a cast and driving a rented SUV, she sets off to reconnect with three very different men—one in Boston, one in Chicago, and another in Wyoming—to know once and for all if the decisions she made long ago were the right ones. Before moving forward into the future, she is compelled to confront the past.

As the miles and days pass, and with each new encounter, Maddie’s life comes into clearer focus and a new future takes shape.

 

 

Review:

Lost and Found by Danielle Steel is another wonderful story about families that grow distant over time. 

Madison Allen, our heroine, is a 58 year old woman, who has a successful career as a famous photographer; lives alone in a firehouse in New York City that was made into a glorious house and studio.  Madison has three grown children, whom she rarely sees, as they all have their own lives. One evening, Madison decides to look through some old letters, and falls from the ladder, thereby breaking her ankle.  Madison’s daughter, who comes across as a coldhearted b*tch, tells her she should move to an assistant living home, that she might be becoming senile, etc.   This will lead Madison to take a couple of weeks off, and go on a trip down memory lane, to visit some old flames along the way.  Her trek will take her to Boston, Chicago and Wyoming, and in the first two stops she meets the men whom she had a relationship, and knows she made the right choice in leaving.  When she gets to Wyoming, she goes to meet the one man she still thinks about, but learns that he died a couple of months ago.  Madison enjoyed her visit with the rancher’s family, and how he never forgot her. 

Since Madison is not far from California, where her son lives, she decides to visit him.  I did like her son, who was determined to pay more attention to his mother, as well as telling off his sister, who was so negative and nasty to their mom.  I also enjoyed when Madison visited her younger daughter, who is a loner and a writer. It was really nice to see the change in her daughter and her surprise boyfriend.

Prior to visiting her son, she meets a man at the Big Sur, who is a writer from England.  They both enjoy each other’s company, and she meets him after the visit with her son; the attraction between them is strong, and Madison needs to decide if she really wants to get into any relationship.

What follows is a heartwarming story, as Madison builds her confidence and rekindles her relationships with her son and younger daughter, as well as standing up to her older daughter.  Over a short period of time, Madison opens to love again, but a tragic accident overseas on a photoshoot, will bring her family and boyfriend together in a sweet wonderful ending.  Lost and Found was another great story by Danielle Steel.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis – a Review

The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis – a Review

 

 

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Description:
When Brooke’s older sister, Mindy, shows up at her door with her three kids in tow, she barely recognizes her sibling who looks like she’s on the verge of a total breakdown. While adventurous, wanderlust Brooke was always the problem child, eager to slip free of Wildstone and its small-town constraints, Mindy was the golden child, who never had a hair out of place or a GPA below 4.0. The Mindy that arrives at Brooke’s apartment however, is a far cry from the ever-perfect doctor’s wife.

Brooke’s further stunned when Mindy asks to trade places with her for a few days so she can pick up her pieces and put herself back together. What Mindy doesn’t realize is that Brooke is just as broken. Her sister needs her though, so Brooke takes the kids and returns to Wildstone.

But how does one go home after seven years away and what feels like a lifetime of secrets? It doesn’t take long for Brooke to come face-to-face with her past, in the form of one tall, dark, sexy mistake. But Garrett’s no longer interested, or so he says. Only his words don’t match his actions, leaving Brooke feeling things she long ago shoved deep.

The sisters begin to wonder if the childhood taunts were true, are they lemons in life? In love? True or not, they know one thing—you can’t run far enough to outpace your demons. And when long-dead secrets surface, they’ll have to overcome their differences and learn that sometimes the one person who can help you the most is the one you never thought to ask.

 

 

 

Review:

The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis is the 3rd book in her Wildstone series.  I have read all the books in this series, and not only enjoyed them all, but if you have not read the previous books, The Lemon Sisters reads great as a standalone.   Once again, I love reading Jill Shalvis’s books, as she is one of the best at romances. The Lemon Sisters is about a family that has become broken, with secrets and heartache trying to heal and mend.

We meet Brooke Lemon, our heroine, who lives and works in LA.  After a late night, Brooke is woken up very early with banging on the door of her apartment.  To her shock, her visitor is her sister, Mindy, whom she has not seen in a few years; on top of that, Mindy has brought her three kids.  Brooke will find out that Mindy is at wits end, totally exhausted and just about having a nervous breakdown. To give her sister a break to rest, she offers to take the three kids back to Wildstone (which she has not been for 7 years) and take care of the kids for a few days, while Mindy will stay at Brooke’s place and rest and calm down.

When back at Wildstone, Brooke is determined to right some wrongs when she left years before.  Brooke had come off a major accident by a helicopter crash, and continues to have nightmares about it; which causes her PTSD in attempting to work as a photographer for onsite work, since she will not fly or do high heights. One of those that she wants to make amends is with Garrett Montgomery, her boyfriend at the time; whom she walked away from and left him with no explanation. 

Garrett lives next door to Mindy’s house, and is very good friends with the family; almost immediately they come face to face with each other.  Brooke has not forgotten Garrett, and can sense her feelings for him are still there.  But Brooke hides how she is still broken, and does not want to resume anything with Garrett; she just wants to explain to him why she left.  While Mindy is enjoying her freedom living in Brooke’s fancy place, and her coworkers, Brooke is running around taking care of her kids.  The kids were wild and fun.  Garrett goes out of his way to help Brooke with everything, at the same time hiding his true feelings; as he does not want to get hurt again. 

While Brooke and Garrett slowly deal with the past and the present, Mindy returns home after a week, and despite her break, is still having issues dealing with her everyday life.  Linc, her husband, is a workaholic, but he still loves Mindy. It will be Brooke, who can’t fix her own life, who will talk to Linc to find more time to help Mindy.  Personally, I was not really a fan of Mindy, though I understood her being buried with three active children, and other pressures, causing her to fall apart.  I felt that Mindy was a bit selfish staying away and leaving Brooke longer than anticipated, as well as assuming her husband was having an affair, which he wasn’t; Linc to me was pretty great.  The story for both couples would take work and willingness to change things.   Will Linc be able to change his work life to help Mindy?  Will Mindy learn to stop micromanaging and trust her family?  Will Brooke come to terms with her issues of the past and move forward with confidence?  Will Garrett allow himself to love Brooke again?

What follows is a heartwarming story about family and loves in different many ways. It is about getting beyond the hardships and allowing themselves to heal; to open up and move on and give themselves another chance to make amends.  I will say that I absolutely loved how the story ends.  The Lemon Sisters was very well written by Jill Shalvis.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Find the first chapter Excerpt here –> 
https://www.jillshalvis.com/excerpts/the-lemon-sisters

 


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

 

 

Author Links:
Website: http://jillshalvis.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillShalvis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JillShalvis/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22370.Jill_Shalvis
Newsletter: http://jillshalvis.com/faq/newsletter/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jill-shalvis

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Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel-Review

Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel-Review

 

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Description:
As a young intern at an art gallery in Paris, Isabelle McAvoy meets Putnam Armstrong, wealthy, gentle, older, and secluded from the world. Isabelle’s relationship with Putnam, and her time at his château on the Normandy coast, are the stuff of dreams. But it turns real when she becomes pregnant, for she knows that marriage is out of the question.

When Isabelle returns to New York, she enters a new relationship that she hopes will be more stable and traditional. But she soon realizes she has made a terrible mistake and again finds herself a single mother.

With two young daughters and no husband, Isabelle finally and unexpectedly finds happiness and a love that gives her a third child, a baby as happy as her beloved father. And yet, once again, life brings dramatic changes.

The three girls grow up to be very different women and Isabelle’s relationship with each of them is unique. While raising her girls alone, Isabelle also begins building a career as a successful art consultant. Then one final turn of fate brings a past secret to light, bonds mother and daughters closer, and turns a challenge into a blessing.

 

 

Review:

Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel is a wonderful heartwarming standalone novel that I read in one day, as I could not put the book down.  This is a story revolving around an independent woman, building a successful career in the art world, who has three daughters with different fathers, and the relationship over time with their lives.

We meet our heroine, Isabelle McAvoy, when she is spending the summer in Paris, working as an intern in an art gallery.  When she is assigned to deliver various paintings, she meets a wealthy recluse, Putnam Armstrong, who is an art connoisseur.  In a short time, Isabelle will fall in love with the older, Putnam and spend many weeks visiting him, as they succumb to their feelings for each other.  Isabelle knows there is no future for her with Putnam, as he is used to his ways as a loner, and cannot handle any kind of permanent relationship.   When she returns home to New York, she realizes that she is pregnant, and decides to keep the child, though her father warns her how difficult it will be for her, with no real income.   Isabelle manages to get a job at an art gallery, where she will work her way up, and Putnam is determined to help support Isabelle for whatever she needs.

The friendship between Putnam and Isabelle was an important part of the story early on, as she and her daughter Theo, travelled to France every year to spend the month of August with Putnam.  Though one month was all he could handle each year, he was very supportive, loyal and loving to Theo, as well as convincing Isabelle to find someone to love and marry.

Isabelle will eventually meet and marry another man, whom turns out to be a mistake, as he was a con man. When she realizes he was using her, she files for divorce, and is now also pregnant.  She has another daughter, Xela, and then becomes pregnant again a few years later, when she falls in love with a wonderful man, who gets killed before they marry, and again she is pregnant with a third daughter (Oona).  What follows is following Isabelle throughout her life of trials and tribulations, success, and dealing with her daughters as they grow up to lead their own lives.

I will not tell too much more, as you need to read this story for yourself.  I fully enjoyed reading about Isabelle, who made a fantastic heroine, as we watch her lead an interesting life, and also see how life changes for each of her daughters.  Blessing in Disguise was very well written by Danielle Steel.  I wholly recommend that you read this wonderful insightful story.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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Silent Night by Danielle Steel – a Review

Silent Night by Danielle Steel – a Review

 

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Description:
Paige Watts is the ultimate stage mother. The daughter of Hollywood royalty, Paige channels her acting dreams into making her own daughter, Emma, a star. By the age of nine, Emma is playing a central role in a hit TV show. Then everything is shattered by unforeseeable tragedy.

Now Emma is living with her aunt Whitney, who had chosen a very different path from her sister’s. Whitney was always the studious older sister, hating the cult of celebrity that enveloped their childhood. Instead, she is a psychiatrist who lives for her work and enjoys a no-strings-attached love affair with a wealthy venture capitalist. But at a moment’s notice, Whitney drops everything to help her niece.

Once famous, outgoing, and charismatic, Emma is now a shadow of her former self–without speech, without memory, lost and terrified. But with her aunt Whitney’s help, along with a team of caregivers and doctors, Emma begins to find her way, starting her young life all over again–and changing the lives of everyone around her.

Emotionally gripping and richly involving, Silent Night explores how the heart has mysterious healing powers of its own, and blessings happen when we think all is lost.

 

 

Review:

Silent Night by Danielle Steel is a standalone novel that is a bit different then her usual trademark romantic stories.  Yes it has a little of romance, but it is the story of family, tragedy, love and life changing events.  Silent Night was a wonderful and very emotional story.

Paige and Whitney Watts are sisters, and very much different, as their mother was a famous actress.  Paige loves the spotlight, and since she could not get her own career started, she lives through her daughter, Emma, who has become a popular young actress on a television show; she has become the ultimate stage mother.  Whitney is the opposite, as she is a psychiatrist, who loves her work, and enjoys life with her wealthy boyfriend, but frowns on how Paige pushes Emma to the spotlight. 

One night everything changes when a tragic accident kills Paige, and severely injures Emma.  Being the next of kin, Whitney is contacted while on vacation in Italy, and drops everything to rush home to be with her niece.  What she finds at the hospital is that Emma has serious brain damage in the frontal lobe, and is in a semi coma.  Whitney will change her life to take care of Emma, and help her recover from the serious damage she had to her brain.  Emma at 9 years old, will come out of the coma, unable to remember, or talk (she talks gibberish) and has a hard time overall with understanding and mobility. This is very emotional story, as we watch Whitney and Emma struggle through life and the determination to rise above the terrible effects and pain surrounding them now.   I really loved Whitney, as she loved her niece and was willing to change her life to become the caregiver for Emma.  It was sad to watch Emma, unable to cope with her inability to talk, and the ensuing violence, when her anger took control.  Whitney persevered and brought in specialists to work with Emma.  There is a slow built romance between Whitney and Dr. Bailey (he was one of her doctors), as they spent a lot of time together during their struggle to help Emma.   

I really enjoyed Silent Night, which was an emotional and heartbreaking story line.  Both Whitney and Emma were wonderful characters that had us emotionally pulled into their lives.  I do not want to give spoilers, but I will say that Silent Night was a different type of read for me from Danielle Steel; but it was a great story.Once again Danielle Steele blows it out of the park. I wholly suggest you read Silent Night.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella – a Review

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella – a Review

 

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Description:
Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” But since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will? It’s simply not in her nature to say no to people.

So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, Fixie not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. Turns out the computer’s owner is an investment manager. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, Sebastian scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. But Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

Then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. She wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. And Seb agrees, until the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?

 

 

Review:

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella is a standalone novel.  We meet our heroine Fixie Farr at the start, as she is always picking up on things her siblings miss or do wrong; hence her nickname Fixie.  The Farr family runs a local store that caters to their clientele with various items in demand.  The story focuses on Fixie, especially, when her mother decides to go to Europe for a few months, leaving Fixie and her siblings alone to run the business.  Everything begins to fall apart, as Fixie cannot even control her own life, let alone stand up to her family, who are ruining things with their inept ideas.

This story did have potential being family oriented, but from the start I had mixed feelings. We can start with Fixie), as she tries to prevent her brother and sister from implementing their ideas, and alienating their customers.   Then her brother’s friend (Ryan) returns to town, and Fixie has always had a crush on him since her childhood; she continues to gush all over him, being delusional into thinking they had a future, especially when he was here a year ago and she slept with him; but he went back to California leaving her hurt.  Now she does it again, allowing herself to think they had a future; she also goes to bat for him to get a job, which in a short time after he is fired, and she learns some truths about him; it took her awhile for her to open her eyes and see what a creep he really was.  

In the meantime, she met a guy at the coffee shop, and happened to save his important laptop and he gave her a voucher  “I owed you one”.  A friendship builds between Seb and Fixie, but she is too dense to see that he is a good one, not the douche bag Ryan.  I did like Fixie, but at times she was annoying, especially in the first half of the book. 

I thought other then Fixie,  the secondary characters, her sister, her brother, her uncle, and Ryan were totally unlikable.  Seb was nice, but between her fixation with Ryan and his involvement with another girl held back their romance, until later when they finally made it work.

In last quarter of the book, Fixie became stronger, with her self- confidence improving, standing up to her family to put her foot down on their inept shenanigans.   I did like when Fixie finally stood up to Ryan once and for all.  It was nice to see Fixie bring her brother and sister together to work in harmony to help get the store back on track.

I Owe You One was a good storyline.  However, I feel that having characters you like (with the exception of villains or a bad person),  allows you to enjoy the story; in this case, many of the characters were just not likable.  I do enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella, though this was a good read, it was not one was not one of her best.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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The Military Wife by Laura Trentham – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

The Military Wife by Laura Trentham – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
Harper Lee Wilcox has been marking time in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina since her husband, Noah Wilcox’s death, nearly five years earlier. With her son Ben turning five and living at home with her mother, Harper fights a growing restlessness, worried that moving on means leaving the memory of her husband behind.

Her best friend, Allison Teague, is dealing with struggles of her own. Her husband, a former SEAL that served with Noah, was injured while deployed and has come home physically healed but fighting PTSD. With three children under foot and unable to help her husband, Allison is at her wit’s end.

In an effort to reenergize her own life, Harper sees an opportunity to help not only Allison but a network of other military wives eager to support her idea of starting a string of coffee houses close to military bases around the country.

In her pursuit of her dream, Harper crosses paths with Bennett Caldwell, Noah’s best friend and SEAL brother. A man who has a promise to keep, entangling their lives in ways neither of them can foresee. As her business grows so does an unexpected relationship with Bennett. Can Harper let go of her grief and build a future with Bennett even as the man they both loved haunts their pasts?

 

 

Review:

The Military Wife by Laura Trentham is the first book in her new Heart of a Hero series.  I am a fan of Trentham and her wonderful small town romances.  The Military Wife is a departure from the pure romance genre, though there is a romance.  Trentham knocks it out of the park with this book, as it was an emotional and wonderful story about military wives and those who have lost their spouses either by death or suffering from PTSD.

Harper Lee Wilcox, our heroine, is still unable to move on after the death of her husband, Noah, 5 years ago; she has a young son (Ben), and lives with her mother.  Harper decides to visit her friend Allison, who is married to Noah’s SEAL teammate, Darren.  When she arrives, Harper can tell that Allison is stressed out, and after pushing her to reveal what is wrong, she learns that Darren is suffering from PTSD, and it is taking its toll on her and their three children.  Darren was one of the men who saw Noah die, and can’t sleep at night due to nightmares about losing many of his men.  Allison confides to Harper that Darren refuses to get help.

Bennett Caldwell, our hero, is also a former teammate and good friend to Noah, and also watched him die.  Bennett has been able to curtail his own nightmares and work hard on his business.  In his promise to Noah, Bennett said he would watch over Harper, but he gave her a large check saying it was for bravery.  Harper will find out that Bennett, whom she only met the day he gave her the check, was falsifying that claim, and use his own money.  She goes to visit him, trying to give him back the money, and also find out more information on how Noah died.  Bennett cannot and will not reveal anything, and they start off on the wrong foot.

In a short time, Bennett and Harper will become friends, especially when Harper asks him to help Darren, who is mentally suffering. The more time Harper spends with Allison, and meets other women , she realizes that there is a need for those wives and widows to have a better support system, and find things for them to do, to keep them happy and active.  She comes up with the idea of using some of the money Bennett gave her to start a coffee shop on the base, with those wives actively working.  This also works in Harper favor, as she starts to come out of her 5 year rut.

Bennett and Harper see each other often, as he also wants to help start that business, as well as help his follow soldiers that need support.  A slow build romance begins, with them both beginning to fall for each other.  Bennett feels some guilt at falling for Harper, his best friend’s wife; and Harper is determined to learn more about Noah’s death, before she allows herself to become serious.  I loved Harper and Bennett together.  They made such a wonderful and very real couple trying to get beyond their grief. Harper was a fantastic heroine, who was strong, caring, independent and savvy.  Bennett was also great, and it was wonderful to see him feel love for the first time in his life.   I also loved many of the secondary characters, such as Allison, Ben (her cute son), YaYa (her mother nicknamed that by her grandson), and Bennett’s cute lovable huge dog, Jack.

There was so many emotional and tense moments, especially with situations with Darren and Allison, and with both Harper and Bennett doing what they can to help them. Also the flashbacks were done well, as we learn more about Noah; how he met and fell in love with Harper, and how he died.  Laura Trentham has written a fantastic story focusing on military wives and the life they live with their husbands on deployment, unable to cope, or just loneliness with no support.  Very well done.

The Military Wife is a wonderful story that is very emotional, heartwarming and at times tense.  You need to read this book, as it is that good.  Bravo to Laura Trentham for writing this fabulous story.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

Present Day

Winters in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, were temperamental. The sunshine and a temperate southerly breeze that started a day could turn into biting, salt-tinged snow flurries by afternoon. But one thing Harper Lee Wilcox could count on was that winter along the Outer Banks was quiet.
The bustle and hum and weekly rotation of tourists that marked the summer months settled into a winter melancholy that Harper enjoyed. Well, perhaps not enjoyed in the traditional sense . . . more like she enjoyed surrendering to the melancholy. In fact, her mother may have accused her of wallowing in it once or twice or a hundred times.
In the winter, she didn’t have to smile and pretend her life was great. Not that it was bad. Lots of people had it worse. Much worse. In fact, parts of her life were fabulous. Almost five, her son was happy and healthy and smart. Her mother’s strength and support were unwavering and had bolstered her through the worst time of her life. Her friends were amazing.
That was the real issue. In the craziness of the summer season, she forgot to be sad. Her husband, Noah, had been gone five years; the same amount of time they’d been married. Soon the years separating them would outnumber the years they’d been together. The thought was sobering and only intensified the need to keep a sacred place in her heart waiting and empty. Her secret memorial.
She parked the sensible sedan Noah had bought her soon after they married under her childhood home. Even though they were inland, the stilts were a common architectural feature up and down the Outer Banks.
Juggling her laptop and purse, Harper pushed open the front door and stacked her things to the side. “I’m home!”
A little body careened down the steps and crashed into her legs. She returned the ferocious hug. Her pregnancy was the only thing that had kept her going those first weeks after she’d opened her front door to the Navy chaplain.
“How was preschool? Did you like the pasta salad I packed for your lunch?”
“It made me toot and everyone laughed, even the girls. Can you pack it for me again tomorrow?”
“Ben! You shouldn’t want to toot.” Laughter ruined the admonishing tone she was going for.
As Harper’s mom said time and again, the kid was a hoot and a half. He might have Harper’s brown wavy hair, but he had Noah’s spirit and mannerisms and humor. Ben approached everything with an optimism Harper had lost or perhaps had never been gifted with from the start. He was a blessing Harper sometimes wondered if she deserved.
“Where’s Yaya?” She ruffled his unruly hair.
Of course, her mom had picked an unconventional name. “Grandmother” was too old-fashioned and pedestrian. Since she’d retired from the library, she had cast off any semblance of normalcy and embraced an inner spirit that was a throwback to 1960s bra burners and Woodstock.
“Upstairs painting.” Ben slipped his hand into Harper’s and tugged her toward the kitchen. Bright red and orange and blue paint smeared the back of his hand and arm like a rainbow. At least, her mom had put him in old clothes. “Yaya gave me my own canvas and let me paint whatever I wanted.”
“And what did you paint?” Harper prayed it wasn’t a nude study, which was the homework assignment from her mom’s community college class.
“I drew Daddy in heaven. I used all the colors.” The matter-of-factness of his tone clawed at her heart.
No child should have to grow up only knowing their father through pictures and stories. Her own father had been absent because of divorce and disinterest. He’d sent his court-ordered child support payments regularly until she turned eighteen but rarely visited or shown any curiosity about her. It had hurt until teenaged resentment scarred over the wound.
Noah would have made a great dad. The best. That he never got the chance piled more regrets and what-ifs onto her winter inspired melancholy.
“I’m sure he would have loved your painting.” Luckily, Ben didn’t notice her choked-up reply.
He went to the cabinet, pulled out white bread and crunchy peanut butter, and proceeded to make two sandwiches. It was their afternoon routine. Someday he would outgrow it. Outgrow her and become a man like his daddy.
She poured him a glass of milk, and they ate their sandwiches, talking about how the rest of his day went—outside of his epic toots. His world was small and safe and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.
Her mom breezed into the kitchen, her still-thick but graying brown hair twisted into a messy bun, a thin paintbrush holding it in place. Slim and attractive, she wore paint-splattered jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt that read: I make AARP look good. Harper pinched her lips together to stifle a grin.
“How’s your assignment coming along?” Harper asked.
“I’m having a hard time with proportions. It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure my man’s you-know-what shouldn’t hang down to his kneecaps.”
Harper shot a glance toward Ben, who had moved to the floor of the den to play with LEGOs. As crazy as her mom drove her, she was and would always be Harper’s rock. The irony wasn’t lost on her. As hard as she’d worked to get out of Kitty Hawk and out of her mother’s reach when she was young, she’d never regretted coming home.
“It’s been a while for me, too, but that’s not how I remember them, either.”
“A pity for us both.” Her mother pulled a jar of olives out of the fridge and proceeded to make martinis—shaken, not stirred. She raised her eyebrows, and Harper answered the unspoken question with a nod. Her mom poured and plopped an extra olive in Harper’s. “How was work?”
Harper handled bookkeeping and taxes for a number of local businesses, but a good number closed up shop in the winter. “Routine. Quiet.”
“Exactly like your life.”
Harper sputtered on her first sip. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I hate seeing you mope around all winter.” Her mom poked at the olive in her drink with a toothpick and looked toward Ben, dropping her voice. “He’s been gone five years, sweetheart, and you haven’t gone on so much as a date.”
“That’s not true. I went to lunch with Whit a few weeks ago.”
“He was trying to sell you life insurance. Doesn’t count.”
Harper huffed and covered her discomfort by taking another sip. “What about you? You never date.”
“True, but your father ruined me on relationships. I have trust issues. You and Noah, on the other hand, seemed to get along fine. Or am I wrong?”
“You’re not.” Another sip of the martini grew the tingly warmth in her stomach. Their marriage hadn’t been completely without conflict, but what relationship was? As she looked back on their fights, they seemed juvenile and unimportant. It was easier to remember the good times. And there were so many to choose from.
She touched the empty finger on her left hand. The ring occupied her jewelry box and had for three years. But, occasionally, her finger would ache with phantom pains as if it were missing a vital organ.
“You’re young. Find another good man. Or forget the man, just find something you’re passionate about.”
“I’m happy right where I am.” Harper hammered up her defenses as if preparing for a hurricane.
“Don’t mistake comfort for happiness. You’re comfortable here. Too comfortable. But you’re not happy.”
“God, Mom, why are you Dr. Phil–ing me all of sudden? Are you wanting me and Ben to move out or something?” Her voice sailed high and Ben looked over at them, his eyes wide, clutching his LEGO robot so tightly its head fell off.
“You and Ben are welcome to stay and take care of me in my old age.” Her mom shifted toward the den. “You hear that, honey? I want you to stay forever.”
Ben gave them an eye-crinkling smile that reminded her so much of Noah her insides squirmed, and she killed the rest of her drink. She was so careful not to show how lonely she sometimes felt in front of Ben.
“Harper.” Her mom’s chiding tone reminded her so much of her own childhood, she glanced up instinctively. Her mom took her hand, and her hazel eyes matched the ones that stared back at Harper in the mirror. “You’re marking time in Kitty Hawk. Find something that excites you again. Don’t let Ben—or Noah— be your excuse.”
Harper looked to her son. His chubby fingers fit the small LEGO pieces together turning the robot into a house. She had built her life brick by brick adding pieces and colors, expanding, taking pride, until one horrible day she’d stopped. Maybe her mom was right. Was it time to build something new?


 

Laura Trentham’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of THE MILITARY WIFE to ONE lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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The Good Ones by Jenn McKinlay-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

The Good Ones by Jenn McKinlay-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

 

 

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iTunes / Google Play / BAM / Book Depository

 

Description:
Ryder Copeland is an accomplished architect and one heck of a father…not to mention tall and sexy. He’s everything a hero should be, and Lord knows, Maisy Kelly has read enough of her great-aunt Eloise’s romance novels to recognize one when she sees one. But like all fairy tales, Maisy can’t help but wonder if this Prince Charming is too good to be true…

Ryder is drawn to the shy, curly haired professor who hires him to convert the Victorian house she’s inherited from her aunt into a romance bookstore. Attracted to a woman for the first time since his divorce, Ryder finds himself wishing for a future with Maisy that he knows is impossible. Ryder has never wavered from his plan to leave the small town of Fairdale, North Carolina, so he can give his daughter the life she deserves. But suddenly he’s not so sure. And the closer he gets to Maisy, the harder it’s going to be to walk away…

 

Review:

The Good Ones by Jen McKinlay is the first book in her new Happily Ever After series.  This was a fun sweet romance, with a wonderful couple and outstanding secondary characters.

We meet our heroine Maisy Kelly at the start, as she awaits the arrival of the architect to arrange for improvements to the house she inherited from her great aunt, who recently was deceased.   Maisy is coming off having quit her job as a professor, when her ex boyfriend betrayed her by working behind her back to steal the promotion she expected.  When her ex tries to convince her to stay on the job working for him, she refuses.  Instead, Maisy plans to renovate the mansion to create a romance book store, as the house is full of romance books.

Ryder Copeland, our hero, is an architect, and a single dad, with a teenage daughter.  Ryder wants this job to renovate the old sturdy mansion, and then plans to take a job out of town, as he arranges to send his daughter, Perry to an expensive school.  Ryder does a double take when he meets Maisy, who was in her sloppy casual work clothes looking extremely young.  Ryder will learn later on the Maisy is close to 30 and an accomplished woman.  When Maisy meets Ryder, who is wearing a cowboy hat, she can’t take her eyes off him; he looked like a hot handsome cowboy from many of her romance books. 

Maisy was a wonderful heroine, who was fun, spunky, and independent. I loved her, and the other savvy great friends of hers that we got to love too.  Major kudos to McKinlay for giving us such great women, such as Maisy, Savy, Jeri and Hannah. I also loved Ryder’s daughter, Perry, who quickly became close to all the women.  King George, the little kitten who brought them all together was such a sweet plus to the story.

What follows is a fun, amusing story, with Maisy and Ryder slowly falling for each other, despite Ryder’s determination that he is too old, not to mention he is moving away.   They were a fun couple, with hot chemistry, that had us rooting hard for them to stay together.  Jenn McKinlay also gave us some enjoyment with various mentioning of famous authors or book titles, during the renovation of the home, making it a fabulous book store with a turret and calling it ‘Happily Ever After’.

The Good Ones was a wonderful story, with the backdrop of the creation of the romance bookstore; a wonderful couple in Ryder and Maisy; the daughter and the adorable kitten, and a fantastic group of secondary characters.  If you enjoy a sweet fun pure romance, you need to read this book written so very well by Jenn McKinlay.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

When Jake took off his cowboy hat and pulled her close, Claire wrapped her arms around him and the two became one. When they kissed she knew they were making each other a promise for today, tomorrow, and forever. Clare sighed. For the first time in her life, she knew that no matter what happened this man, who was her partner and her best friend, would be by her side. For all time.

Maisy Kelly closed the book and pressed it to her chest and sighed. Jake Sinclair, the perfect man, why did he reside only in the pages of a book? It wasn’t fair. She was twenty-nine and none of the men she’d ever dated had been even remotely as caring or charming as Jake Sinclair.
Knock knock knock.
Maisy blinked. Someone was at the door. No, no, no. She had a book hangover and she didn’t want to deal with the world right now.
Knock knock knock.
They weren’t going away. Maisy rose from where she’d been seated on the bottom step of the stairs. In theory, she was supposed to be cleaning out her Great Aunt Eloise’s house, in reality she was binge reading Auntie El’s hoarder’s trove of romance novels. It wasn’t making the task, which was heartbreaking to begin with, any easier.
Knock knock knock.
“All right, all right,” Maisy grumbled. “I’m coming.”
She strode to the door and yanked it open. Probably, if she had bothered to glance through the peep hole she would have been prepared, but she hadn’t and she wasn’t.
Standing on her front step, looking impossibly handsome and imposing, was a cowboy. Maisy glanced down at her book. On the cover was the artist’s rendering of Jake Sinclair, in jeans and a white shirt, leaning against a split rail fence, with a brown cowboy hat tipped carelessly over his brow. Maisy could practically hear the cows mooing in the background.
She glanced back up. Jeans, white shirt, and a cowboy hat. This guy had it all going on, except where the artist had left Jake’s face in shadow and not clearly defined, this guy was a full on 3D HD of hotness, with full lips, faint stubble on his chin, and quite possibly the bluest eyes Maisy had ever seen this side of the sky. She had a sudden urge to poke him with her pointer finger to see if he was real.
“Mornin’, Miss,” the man drawled, drawled!
Miss? Huh, she hadn’t been called “Miss” since she’d started teaching at Fairdale University. Why would he…she glanced down.
She was wearing her favorite floral Converse All-stars, ripped up denim shorts, and her old Fairdale University sweatshirt, the one with the sleeves that hung down past her hands, oh, and she had on no makeup and her hair was held back by an enormous pink headband. She probably looked like one of her college students, possibly a freshman.
In that brief shining moment, she was certain if it was possible to die of embarrassment, she would expire in three…two…one. She gave it a second. Nope, still standing. Damn it.
“Listen, I’m sorry, sir, but whatever you’re selling, I’m not interested—,” she began but he cut her off.
“Oh, I’m not selling anything,” he said. He looked confused. “This is three-twenty-three Willow Lane, right?”
“Yes, it is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back–,” she let her voice trail off, hoping he’d get the hint. He didn’t.
“I have an appointment with a Ms. Kelly,” he said. “Or Mrs. Kelly, I’m not sure.”
Maisy knew she didn’t have any appointments today. That was why she’d indulged herself in a good long reading sesh. This guy was probably a hustler, trying to con her to buy some property insurance or new windows. Ever since she’d inherited this monster of a house from Auntie El she’d had all sorts of scammers climbing out of the cracks in the sidewalk, trying to get her to refinance or buy a security system. It was exhausting.
The man met her squinty stare with one of his own. He shrinkled up one eye and mimicked her look of disbelief right down to the small lip curl. The nerve! Then she saw the twinkle in his one open eye, and Maisy couldn’t hold it. She burst out laughing.
He grinned at her and her ire diminished as she noted the cowboy had a sense of humor. Okay, she decided to give him a break and at least take his name and number.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “What was your appointment with Ms. Kelly about?”
“It’s about the house, actually,” he said. “My name’s Ryder Copeland. I’m a restoration architect, and you are?”
“Ryder Copeland?” Maisy’s eyes went wide. “But our appointment isn’t until tomorrow, you know, Tuesday.”
“Today is Tuesday,” he said.
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “It’s Monday.”
“Sorry, it really is Tuesday. Wait,” he said. “Our appointment? You’re Maisy Kelly?”

In Defense of Romance

An interesting thing happened when I was writing THE GOOD ONES, a story about an English professor, Maisy Kelly, who inherits an old Victorian stuffed with romance novels from her Aunt Eloise and decides instead of pitching the books to hire architect Ryder Copeland to remodel the place into a bookstore. While fictionally sorting through years of romance novels with my heroine Maisy, I was reacquainted with the many brilliant and talented writers who I had sadly forgotten over the years. There really is some phenomenal writing in romance, just as in all genres, but romance, I believe, is the most frequently dismissed, which is a shame.

The character of Aunt Eloise, Auntie El, in the Happily Ever After books is that of a woman who was widowed in middle-age, losing the love of her life without ever having had children. In the dark days after losing her husband, she turned to romance novels to pull her through her grief and they became her comfort. Let me say here that there have been a lot of rough patches in my life where the only thing that pulled me through the bad, sad, mad days was a well crafted romantic comedy.

It occurred to me as I wrote THE GOOD ONES that I was inadvertently becoming an advocate for the genre. I have absolutely no problem with this since romance novels have been truer to me in my life than most of my boyfriends. And, in fact, when the drudgery of wife-ing and mothering is too much, romance novels do some of the emotional heavy lifting for my Hub and our hooligans.

Why? Because on a regular Tuesday, or any day but we’ll go with Tuesday, I wake up to the alarm clock’s flashing light and hit the ground running. It’s breakfast for two teens, two dogs, and three cats. Then it’s laundry, dishes, and a quick calendar check of everyone’s schedule. Things need to be bought so there’s an errand, oh, then there’s work stuff to do that doesn’t include writing. Done. Now it’s writing time. Ten pages a day must be accomplished or I’ll fall off deadline. On a good day, it’s done while everyone is out. On a bad day, and there are a lot of bad days, work is stopped by orthodontist appointments, gym workouts, school activities, and homework checks. Then it’s family dinner. And back to the writing for however long it takes to grind those final pages out. Finally, it’s time to curl up with a book and read. At this point in my day, I am emotionally exhausted. I’ve given all I’ve got to everyone I love. I am done.

This moment. This moment is when I reach for a romance novel. Asking the Hub to refill my dry emotional well is a Herculean task to dump on a man, who also hit the ground running and partnered in the chores, obligations, and responsibilities of the day. Plus, his football team probably lost so he’s happier unconscious at the moment. Sliding into a world where the heroine has her own struggles, where she can be sassy and smart, strong and brave, where she can fall in love and have someone fall in love with her in all her quirky weirdness in return, floods the wasteland of my emotional reserves and I am restored. When the alarm goes off the next morning, I am duly prepared to face another day and this is why I think everyone should read romance. Truly, it’s like medicine for the emotionally bereft.

Wishing you nothing but happily ever afters!

XOXO, Jenn McKinlay

 

 

Jenn McKinlay’s publisher,  is offering a paper copy of THE GOOD ONES to ONE (1) commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz – a Review

The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz – a Review

 

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Description:
Inspired by the true story of a kleptomaniac cat who stole his way into America’s heart . . .
 
HE’S THE CAT THIEF OF LOVE
MacGyver the tabby is feeling very pleased with himself. His human, Jamie Snyder, has found the perfect packmate—and it’s all thanks to Mac. By stealing personal items from the home of Jamie’s handsome neighbor David, the matchmaking cat brought these two L.A. singles together. Now, while the newlyweds are off on their honeymoon, MacGyver is ready for a well-deserved cat nap. That is, until he meets his cat sitter Briony. Like most humans, she’s hopeless when it comes to romance. And Mac can’t resist a challenge . . .
 
SHE’S FOUND THE  ESCAPE CLAWS
Briony feels terrible about leaving her fiancé at the altar. When her cousin Jamie offers her the chance to cat sit MacGyver, the runaway bride leaps at the chance to cuddle up with the only male creature she trusts herself around. But MacGyver has other plans. He lures Briony to a friendly neighborhood retirement community—run by a charming young hottie named Nate. Briony and Nate hit it off instantly. But Briony’s still not sure she’s ready for a relationship. And Nate’s got problems of his own—someone is sabotaging his community.
 
Crazy humans. Why can’t they follow their instincts and go after the love they deserve? MacGyver is on the case. And this time, he’s not pussyfooting around . . .

 

 

 

 

Review:

The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz is a cute fun story about a cat, who is also known as a matchmaker.  We meet Mac (MacGyver) from the start, as he lives with Jamie and David and a dog, he loves to tease.  Jamie and David, whom Mac previously brought together, are going on their honeymoon, and her cousin Briony has come to stay for the month to care for Mac and the dog.

Briony is our heroine in this story, as we learn that she came to help out Jamie, after she fainted at her wedding ceremony, and left the groom at the altar.  Briony feels guilty about what she did to her fiancée, but her anxiety attacks confirm that perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. She does fall in love with Mac and Dioggy (the dog), and finds herself constantly looking for Mac, who is also an escape artist.

Nate, our hero, manages a local retirement community (The Gardens), and we get to meet many of the residents and employees throughout the story.  Mac of course, senses that he needs to help out with the residents of the home, and with the little gifts he pickpockets, help bring Briony and Nate together, not to mention some other people at The Gardens.  

What follows is a cute romance, with a bit wild story with a little mystery as to who is sabotaging the home, with Nate beside himself with things going wrong.  The secondary characters were all very good. Nate and Briony were great together, as you found yourself rooting for them; even though her ex-fiancée (who actually was a good guy) shows up, but all turned out good.  The resolution to the mystery turned out to be a surprise, though I did guess who the saboteur was, but not who the partner was. 

As much as I liked all the characters, I absolutely loved Mac; who to me was the star of the show.  I will end this review with a short blurb from the description that says it all…. ‘MacGyver is on the case. And this time, he’s not pussyfooting around . . .’ . If you enjoy cute stories featuring animals, a appealing cozy romance,  then look no further than The Secret Life of Mac.  It was a fun quick read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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