Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Rose Harbor in Bloom by Debbie Macomber--a Review

Good Morning Peeps!   It is another COLD day here in the midwest and I am wondering just what will March bring.   I fear it will come in just like a roaring lion and what if(?) it went out the same way.     March is a long month indeed and I am so ready for spring....gentle, fresh, brilliant spring.   Please may we have another?

As I am so tired of the harsh winter we;ve endured, it seemed like a good time to read Debbie Macomber's Rose Harbor in Bloom.   I am really enjoying the Rose Harbor series.

I'm sharing the synopsis from GoodReads:

Hailed as “the reigning queen of women’s fiction” (The Sacramento Bee), #1New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber is renowned for her novels of love, friendship, and the promise of fresh starts. Now Macomber returns to the charming Rose Harbor Inn, where each guest finds a second chance and every room comes with an inspiring new view.

Since moving to Cedar Cove, Jo Marie Rose has truly started to feel at home, and her neighbors have become her closest friends. Now it’s springtime, and Jo Marie is eager to finish the most recent addition to her inn. In memory of her late husband, Paul, she has designed a beautiful rose garden for the property and enlisted handyman Mark Taylor to help realize it. She and Mark don’t always see eye-to-eye—and at times he seems far removed—yet deep down, Jo Marie finds great comfort in his company. And while she still seeks a sense of closure, she welcomes her latest guests, who are on their own healing journeys.

Annie Newton arrives in town to orchestrate her grandparents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. While Annie is excited for the festivities, she’s struggling to move on from her broken engagement, and her grandparents themselves seem to be having trouble getting along. Worse, Annie is forced to see Oliver Sutton, with whom she grew up and who has always mercilessly teased her. But the best parties end with a surprise, and Annie is in for the biggest one of all.

High-powered businesswoman Mary Smith, another Rose Harbor Inn guest, has achieved incredible success in her field, yet serious illness has led her to face her sole, lingering regret. Almost nineteen years ago, she ended her relationship with her true love, George Hudson, and now she’s returned to Cedar Cove to make amends.

Compassion and joy await Jo Marie, Annie, and Mary as they make peace with their pasts and look boldly toward their futures. Rose Harbor in Bloom is Debbie Macomber at her heartwarming best.

From My Perspective:

Macomber's characters are always very human and facing life just doing the best they can.   Even the antagonists 
come to life and appear to be someone you may have known at some point in your life.    She uses Rose Harbor Inn as the destiny location for each visitor who signs the guest book and the stories are told of the visitors who have come for healing.   It may not be the reason they've signed the guest book, but they have aching wounds from life and Rose Harbor Inn is there to provide healing and restoration to their lives.

Macomber is definitely one of America's finest author's of women's fiction and opens doors to some of the sweetest and most loved romance stories ever told.     Go and getcha some!  5 WINKS!

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  

Monday, February 24, 2014

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio--a Review


Good Morning my Peeps!   I hope you have a fantastic day today!  I am enjoying myself as I have extra time to read and enjoy every word that meets my eye.    Thank God for vision!   we can travel to different times and faraway places through the words of an author.  I have learned much about different subjects, just by reading a good book.

I am probably the most fickle person on God's green earth.   One day I read Debbie Macomber and feel so satisfied, I just have to say she is my favorite author.   The next Sarah Jio hits the top of my reading list and she is my favorite author.     And soon I am reading Dan Walsh and realizing his words have such meaning and depth, well he has to be the best author I've ever read.   And on and on it goes.   Who is my favorite?

It will end up being a whole bunch of favorites...just like my grandkids.   With tongue in cheek I tell them each one is my favorite, always and forever.

My kids were always jealous of one another and would accuse me of liking the other child better .   Finally in his thirties, my son asked which one of the kids I liked the best, him or his sister.   I was so disgusted with this question, I put an end to it once and for all.   I replied, "truthfully, I never liked either on of you."    (Obviously that was indeed a lie), but it ended the nasty questioning once and for all.

However, today, I have a review for you of Sarah Jio's, Morning Glory.   She is one of several favorite authors.   Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Jio imagines life on Boat Street, a floating community on Seattle’s Lake Union—home to people of artistic spirit who for decades protect the dark secret of one startling night in 1959

Fleeing an East Coast life marred by tragedy, Ada Santorini takes up residence on houseboat number seven on Boat Street. She discovers a trunk left behind by Penny Wentworth, a young newlywed who lived on the boat half a century earlier. Ada longs to know her predecessor’s fate, but little suspects that Penny’s mysterious past and her own clouded future are destined to converge.


From My Perspective:

I love reading Sarah Jio's work.   She tells a tale from two time periods and somehow connects the stories flawlessly.   With one chapter focused on the present and the next on the past, two stories are spun deliciously together to a point where the past and the present meet.

Sarah's characters are realistic and human with relatable emotions, flaws and personalities.   There is always a mystery and a touch of romance and a storyline that both arouses and sooths the soul.   For those who enjoy a twist of fate, it's an element included that just adds frosting to the the cake....So very good!

I am always drawn in and enticed by Sarah's writing and she makes me feel her stories as well.   I think that's the part I always love the best.   To feel is to know, you are still human; I am still human.   Thank you Sarah Jio.   I rated this a 5 WINK read.    That's my review and I'm stickin to it!

Happy reading followers!



Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.

Friday, February 21, 2014

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield--A Review


Good Morning Peeps!Wow, all the moisture we got yesterday has frozen over in the night and it is gonna be one icy commute for the work force this morning.   Be careful out there folks!  What's it like where you live?

Life in my cozy little nook of the world will soon be changing again.   My son and his wife are divorcing and I  am charged with cleaning out a junk room in order to make room for my grandkids every other week when he will have them.   It is so sad when families fall apart and so not right.   The two boys are teen-aged and almost teen-aged, so not expecting this to be the smoothest transition for any of them.  I also hope I can encourage them to read more and game less.    That will be a challenge for all of us!

Well, today I want to review The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.  It was a different kind of a read, but enjoyable.

The Synopsis from Goodreads:

Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father’s antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise — she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels.

Late one night while pondering whether to accept the task of recording Miss Winter’s personal story, Margaret begins to read her father’s rare copy of Miss Winter’s Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation. She is spellbound by the stories and confused when she realizes the book only contains twelve stories. Where is the thirteenth tale? Intrigued, Margaret agrees to meet Miss Winter and act as her biographer.

As Vida Winter unfolds her story, she shares with Margaret the dark family secrets that she has long kept hidden as she remembers her days at Angelfield, the now burnt-out estate that was her childhood home. Margaret carefully records Miss Winter’s account and finds herself more and more deeply immersed in the strange and troubling story. 

Both women will have to confront their pasts and the weight of family secrets... and the ghosts that haunt them still.

From My Perspective:

I rated this story 4 Winks.   It became a bedtime read and therefore took a little longer to finish.  I wasn't quite sure about it in my mind until about the third or fourth chapters, but I enjoyed visiting the characters every evening until the book was read from start to finish.

Setterfield is a British novelist and I believe this was her debut novel.   She wrote with a strong storyline and her characters were fleshed out beautifully.   Margaret Lea was away from home for approximately a year, transcribing the life of Vida Winters.  As the story progressed, we have many questions along the way and for Margaret Lea, it was no different.   Many questions arose, but she had agreed not to ask those questions ; not to get ahead of the story.   As any biographical author can attest, the facts must bear the story out.   Margaret Lea also sought to bear the truth of the matter during her times away from Miss Winter's side.   I actually felt like I was in the story myself as I read.

The life of Miss Winter was indeed shrouded in mystery and in a form of madness with the March family at Angelfield.  It was a tale of mystery and turmoil during her childhood years.   Truthfully to say more, would reveal portions of the story that the reader must seek for themselves by reading.   It's a tale that captivated this reader and has lingered in my mind since. 

Have a blessed day reading my peeps!


 

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  

Friday, February 14, 2014

The Execution by Dick Wolf--A Review and GiveAway



Synopsis from Goodreads:

NYPD Detective Jeremy Fisk—introduced in Law & Order creator Dick Wolf’s New York Times bestselling debut The Intercept—must stop an assassin in the pay of a shadowy cartel in The Execution, a tense thriller that superbly blends suspense, politics, intrigue and high-flying action in the tradition of Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, and Robert Crais.

Ten days after the Mexican presidential election, twenty-three bodies are discovered beheaded on the United States border, each marked with a carving of a Hummingbird. Detective Cecilia Garza of the Mexican intelligence agency recognizes it: it is the signature of an assassin called Chuparosa. Garza has been pursuing the killer for years, yet knows little about him, except that he’s heading to New York—with the rest of the world.

It’s United Nations Week in Manhattan and Jeremy Fisk can’t let grief over a devastating loss keep him from safeguarding his city. Complicating matters is the startling news of a mass murder in nearby Rockaway—and the arrival of a disturbingly beautiful and assertive Mexican cop.

To have a chance at finding Chuparosa, these uneasy allies must learn to work together and fast. As they soon discover, there’s more to this threat than meets the eye—and that justice is not always blind.


From My Perspective:

Second book of the Jeremy Fisk series is The Execution by Dick Wolf.   I think Wolf knows how to spin a great story.   Although the storyline to this second book was rather raw and revolting, it was a great adventure story.  This story had an intensity and detailed imagery.  Jeremy Fisk was basically still in mourning for his girlfriend, Krina Gersten, and he was looking for another line of work.   He had been released back to duty and as any cop will tell you, crime never stops.   He is basically assigned to desk duty and coordinating the over all aspect of United Nations week.

But, Jeremy Fisk is not satisfied with his assignment and gets pulled out to check out some dumped bodies, who are missing their hands, feet and heads....then dumped.   It is the same signature as an assassin from Mexico City.
A female federale' recognizes the signature and wants to be involved in his capture.   Wolf did provide an interesting history for Detective Cecelia Garza which left us knowing more about her than we ever found out about Gersten.   And although there was something between the two of them, they went their separate ways.   I hope in a future story we get to revisit and develop the something between Garza and Fisk.   Again there is a lot of action,
adventure, tension and criminal activity to focus on when reading Wolf's work.   The chapters are many but short and the writing flows easily to capture the reader and keep them baited.   A very good read to be sure!

I rated this book a 5 Wink read.   And for those who follow this blog, we're offering a Rafflecopter giveaway!  One grand prize winner will receive one copy of both of Wolf's Jeremy Fisk books, The Interecpt in paperback and The Execution in hardback.    Plus three runners up will receive copies of The Intercept in paperback.   If you love great crime reads, these books will be right up your alley.   So be sure and sign up for the Rafflecopter and leave a comment on my blog.   Who is your favorite crime writer?   I'd love to know!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Intercept by Dick Wolf--A Review










Synopsis from Goodreads:

Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer: that this is just the work of another lone terrorist. 

Fisk—from the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti-terror unit modeled upon the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department’s food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin. 

Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weakness and anticipate Fisk’s every move. And time is running out.

From My Perspective:

Spellbinding!  Mind Boggling and a page turner.   I left The Intercept to be my bedtime reading book and that wasn't the smartest thing to do.   I would read until I was thoroughly tense and then I had to read even more before I could settle down and close my eyes,   At one point I was so invested in the story, I felt like I crept into the arms of a panic attack, just empathizing with the Six.    It was so easy to love the six who fought off a terrorist trying to take down their flight.   They were successful in preventing the attack and then became America's newest sweethearts of the day, being hailed as national heroes!

Those police detectives serving to protect the six, and FBI agents investigating the occurence knew there was going to be a terrorist attack on the fourth of July, a national holiday, but who was the perpetrator and what was the target?   The suspense grew steadily and right down to the wire when the treacherous one was revealed.   He had left a bloody trail behind and a sadness for those who so easily gave up their lives and those who went out fighting all the way.   The plot was strong, the intelligence commander was like a cat chasing its tail, until finally, the last piece of the puzzle dropped succinctly into place.   The characters were strong and held the attention of this reader late into the night.

Very happy indeed to have been able to read this Jeremy Fisk Novel and looking forward to the next one.   I rate 
this a  5 WINK read!


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, February 10, 2014

The Widows of Braxton County by Jess McConkey--A Review

Have you ever misplaced the book you were almost halfway through?     I did and my normal routine is to read a little before I go to sleep at night.    Sometimes this backfires because I stay awake and continue to read either until I finish the book or I am too pumped up for sleep.     So last night, I grabbed another book off my unread shelf and I was thoroughly hooked within the first pages.   That so seldom happens, to be lured in by the first one or two pages, but such was the case with Jess McConkey's,  The Widows  of Braxton County.


Synopsis from Goodreads:

Family secrets can bind and destroy

Kate is ready to put her nomadic, city-dwelling past behind her when she marries Joe Krause and moves with him to the Iowa farm that has been in his family for more than 140 years. But life on the farm isn't quite as idyllic as she'd hoped. It's filled with chores, judgmental neighbors, and her mother-in-law, who—unbeknownst to Kate until after the wedding—will be living with them.

As Kate struggles to find her place in the small farming community, she begins to realize that her husband and his family are not who she thought they were. According to town gossip, the Krause family harbors a long-kept secret about a mysterious death that haunts Kate as a dangerous, unexplainable chain of events begins.

From My Perspective:

This was my surprise read for the first quarter of the year.   I was surprised to be "hooked" by the first couple of pages.   I liked that it took place in Iowa.   Kate absolutely loved the idea of love, a family, a homestead on an Iowa farm that had been in the family for over 100 years.    That spoke of steadfast family and Kate had always wanted that, but had never experienced anything steadfast.   Her grandmother who raised her had only belittled and put her down.   Imagine grandma with a very wide mean streak!

Kate gave herself over to the man she had met through the web.   He was kind, loving and poetic.   Somehow he knew how to speak to Kate's heart and convinced her of his love and promise for a bright family future.   Joe however, kept a secret until after they were married and Kate was in for one surprise after another.

I loved the characters in this book and I loved how the story was told from past to present.   The mystery was created with a murder that took place a century ago....was it a curse from the past that haunted Kate's future or was it something more like modern day greed?   This story was told with feeling and depth. The characters were interesting and convincing.  This was a story of how women were considered as property at one time, definitely not the equals we are today.   It was one woman's journey into a life totally unfamiliar with rights of modern day woman, and with her commitment to her marriage and the course of true love.

I rate this as a 5+ Wink as it was a mesmerizing read!


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.




Monday, February 3, 2014

The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen--A Review

Hello Gang!   We had a beautiful Iowa Day for my niece's wedding yesterday!    She was so lovely in her beautiful white and silver sequined gown!   She sports dark auburn hair and married a ginger as well!   They are an adorable couple....Congratulations Alix and Ben!   Hopefully, their happy vows will reverse the streak of sadness following my family around for the past couple of months!

On to Today's review!!   THE BUTTERFLY SISTER by Amy Gail Hansen was a very interesting read and here;s the GoodReads SYNOPSIS:

"My past was never more than one thought, one breath, one heartbeat away. And then, on that particular October evening, it literally arrived at my doorstep."

Eight months after dropping out of Tarble, an all-women's college, twenty-two-year-old Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year-a year marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that not only caused her to question her own sanity but prompted a failed suicide attempt.

And then a mysterious paisley print suitcase arrives, bearing Ruby's name and address on the tag. When Ruby tries to return the luggage to its rightful owner, Beth Richards, her dorm mate at Tarble, she learns that Beth disappeared two days earlier, and the suitcase is the only tangible evidence as to her whereabouts.

Consumed by the mystery of the missing girl and the contents of the luggage-a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, the book on which Ruby based her senior thesis, and which she believes instigated her madness-she sets out to uncover the truth, not only about Beth Richards's past but also her own. In doing so, Ruby is forced to reexamine the people from her past: the professor who whisked her away to New Orleans and then shattered her heart and the ghosts of dead women writers who beckoned her to join their illustrious group. And when Ruby's storyline converges with Beth's in a way she never imagined, she returns to the one place she swore she never would: her alma mater.

From My Perspective:

Well, I was thoroughly invested in this psychological thriller and I read throughout the night to finish this work.   I rated it five Winks.   It was very easy to read and follow as it gripped my hearstrings and played them like a harp!   I could easily relate to all the ups and downs of the students at Tarble.  Ruby Rousseau, our main character, fell for her English professor and he, Mark Sutter, certainly had eyes for her too.    Little did she realize she was just one of many students to fall for the Professor's charms.

The old saying, easy come, easy go, usually refers to how fast we can pass money until we have no more, but it equally applied to the love Mark Sutter was passing around.   He loved hard and left them wanting more.   An all girl's school you wouldn't think would encounter a user and abuser of women, but no one saw the threat from within the college faculty.

Believe me, there were turns and twists you couldn't see coming until the truth about another professor was exposed.   When that happened  you felt the angst of these young women who had been manipulated like marionette puppets in the effort to even the score with Mark Sutter.

It was an intriguing tale, well plotted and thought out and it provoked in this reader diverse feelings as I read.  
I was angry, I was frightened for the girls, I was sad.   And I was relieved with the ending being what it was.   I would highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller.

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.



Saturday, February 1, 2014

What I read in January

Good Morning Peeps!    This January turned out to be one of the coldest winters I've ever lived through.  And as such it was quite depressing.    I thoroughly missed my husband who passed away in December as did my brother, so January was indeed a month of reflection and sorrow.  My pipes froze and thawed twice; my fingers burned with cold temps when I'd forget my mittens and let me just say, I am not sorry to see January fly the coop!   Hopefully it will be a very long time before we see another quite like this past January.

My reading took a hit since I was not quite with it.    My goal is to read 12.5 books per month this year and have read 150 books by year end.   Well, I fell short, but I did enjoy reading these seven books!

The Intercept by Dick Wolfe was an exciting police vs terrorist thriller that kept the pages turning!

Help for the Haunted was a mystery thriller and had me guessing almost to the end.







The Butterfly Sister was a psychological thriller.







The Last Camellia involved a sixty year old mystery to be solved.






Stephanie Plum and her sidekicks provided an adventure to remember with sidekick, Kevin the Giraffe.





Shauna Allen  wrote Wounded Wings which was my ultimate favorite of the month.   All the elements to make a fallen angel find love with a human including humor and sensitivity.   This was a great read and one that thoroughly knocked my socks off.   I loved the entire series of the Cupid Chronicles!













A Stroke of Luck was a young adult contemporary romance short story full of love and passion.

I wish I could share the fundamental pleasure I get from reading an assortment of books.   The styles of the authors differ, their outlooks on life come through the written word.   I enjoy their humor and their characters and I enjoy their plots and adventures as well as the thrill of a perfect ending.   I have traveled through books, and learned much about things I knew nothing about.

Thanks for the millions of books available to read.   With a goal ever increasing from year to year, I will never get through them all!

Happy Reading my Friends!