In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world—no matter how out of place they feel. Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes. Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past? Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in. Hardcover, 269 pages Published March 16th 2010 by Bantam Current GoodReads Rating: 3.97 Stars My ReviewThe story hinted at several leads that could have held deeper developments but with so many different directions it was hard to go into enough detail about any of them in such a short book. The story introduced changing wallpaper, a missing child put up for adoption, and a man seeing through the wall to watch the woman he loved bake. I started to conceive all these directions and possibilities where not a single one played out. Each detail seemed to be a teaser and I was disappointed in the author not going into further detail, but a pro to that is that it was a simplistic story line that kept you guessing, but never went it the direction you though it would.
Once it revealed that Win Coffey boy appeared in Emily's bedroom the first night she was in town and made constant appearances after to watch her sleep, that screamed Twilight awkwardness. I was amused when he finally revealed why he couldn't come out at night, that after generations of this genetic mutation the best title they could come up with for it was something still so femininely dry, "the glowing". Trama, isolation, courage, love. . . Anxious Love Hopeful about his future after overcoming loss, Ryan Ware is living his dream life as a first round draft pick. He’s enjoying every crazy minute of fame, fortune, and gorgeous women. Despite being the most sought-after writer in romance, severe anxiety keeps Leah Jones isolated. Having a regimented life keeps the triggers at bay that could put her back in the hospital, perhaps permanently. A chance meeting in New Orleans, Leah’s brown eyes capture Ryan’s heart, and he vows to learn more about this reclusive beauty. Can Leah’s anxieties withstand Ryan’s crazy life? Can Ryan learn enough about real love to be the right man for Leah? Anxious Love contains explicit scenes of a sexual nature and is not suitable for readers under 18 years of age. Published June 9th 2016 by SAM & Associates, LLC Current GoodReads Rating: 4.62 Stars My Review:I love when a main character has a mental hardship because they immediately become so much more real and relatable to me. I started reading this story as the news of the outside world was covering a parallel story about a girl who was raped while on the Stanford campus. While the outside world was furious with how the situation was handled, I was getting the girls perspective of the aftermath to how the situation had affected her now years later.
Genre: Mystery Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press Date of Publication: October 27, 2015 # of pages: 306 1959. Delpha Wade killed a man who was raping her. Wanted to kill the other one too, but he got away. Now, after fourteen years in prison, she’s out. It’s 1973, and nobody’s rushing to hire a parolee. Persistence and smarts land her a secretarial job with Tom Phelan, an ex-roughneck turned neophyte private eye. Together these two pry into the dark corners of Beaumont, a blue-collar, Cajun-influenced town dominated by Big Oil. A mysterious client plots mayhem against a small petrochemical company-why? Searching for a teenage boy, Phelan uncovers the weird lair of a serial killer. And Delpha — on a weekend outing — looks into the eyes of her rapist, the one who got away. The novel's conclusion is classic noir, full of surprise, excitement, and karmic justice. Sandlin's elegant prose, twisting through the dark thickets of human passion, allows Delpha to open her heart again to friendship, compassion, and sexuality. PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON CINCO PUNTOS PRESS
Read More for Giveaway + ReviewGenre: Historical Western Romance / Inspirational Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Date of Publication: June 7, 2016 Number of Pages: 368 Men are optional. That was the credo Emma Chandler's suffragette aunts taught her and why she established Harper's Station, a women's colony that offers a fresh start to females in need. But when a dangerous and shadowy assailant tries repeatedly to drive the women out, Emma is forced to admit they might need a man after all. One who can fight. And there is only one man she trusts enough to ask. Malachi Shaw has finally earned the respect he's always craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma's telegram arrives, he rushes back to Texas to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she's not a girl any longer. She's a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn't deserve. As the danger intensifies, Emma, Mal, and the ladies of Harper's Station must choose between safety or risking everything to fight for their future.
Read More for Giveaway + Review!Fallen Too Far was Blaire's story. Now it's time for Rush to share his side. Everyone in Rosemary Beach thinks they know how Rush Finlay and Blaire Wynn fell in love. But Rush is back to tell his side of the story... Rush has earned every bit of his bad-boy reputation. The three-story beach house, luxury car, and line of girls begging for time between his sheets are the envy of every guy in Rosemary Beach, and Rush handles it all with the laid-back cool of a rock star’s son. All he needs are his best friend, Grant, and his sister, Nan. Until Blaire Wynn drives into town in her beat-up pickup truck with a pistol under her seat. The Alabama farm girl instantly captures Rush’s attention once he discovers that the angelic beauty is his new stepsister, but he vows to keep his distance. Even if she needs his help. Even if he craves her. Because Rush knows why Blaire is all alone in the world, forced to ask for help from the father who abandoned her three years ago. And he knows if he gets too close it will destroy Nan, who has a secret connection to Blaire. He has every reason in the world to stay away from her. Find out why he doesn’t. Current GoodReads Rating: 4.27 Stars Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 242 pages Published May 6th 2014 by Atria Books My Review:It has been almost two years since I read the other side of this story, Fallen Too Far, the first book in the Rosemary Beach, Too Far series back in August 2014. I did not read the synopsis on this book to remind myself of the story line or to know that it was a different perspective of the first in this series. These renditions of telling the same story in a different perspective are not my favorite and I don't know if I would have added this to my to-read list if I would have read what it was about, but once I started the book I didn't want to put it down.
5/26/2016 EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY (Brides With Style #3) by Janice Thompson Review + GiveawayRead NowGenre: Contemporary Christian Romance Publisher: Revell Date of Publication: May 17, 2016 # of pages: 352 Another Delightful Romance from the Queen of Romantic Comedy Katie Fisher is ecstatic. Pro basketball star Brady James has proposed, and she can't wait to start planning their life together. She's confident she'll make it down the aisle this time--but it still may be easier said than done. A high-society Houston bride has Katie and the Cosmopolitan Bridal team scrambling to get the perfect dress done in time for her spectacular wedding. Meanwhile, Katie finds herself bombarded with everyone's competing visions regarding her own special day--and she's beginning to worry that her own ideas will get lost in the crossfire. Will she ever manage to settle all of the details for her perfect day? Or will bridal shop chaos and overzealous friends and family make a mess of everything? Fan favorite Janice Thompson gives readers what they've been clamoring for: another funny, romantic romp with a Texas twang. About the Author
Read More for Review + Giveaway!Jude Ryder and Lucy Larson are this generation's Romeo and Juliet: Explosive. Sizzling. Tragic. A steamy summer encounter with bad boy Jude means trouble for Lucy. Her sights are set on becoming a ballerina, and she won't let anything get in her way . . . except Jude. He's got a rap sheet, dangerous mood swings, and a name that's been sighed, shouted, and cursed by who knows how many girls. Jude's a cancer, the kind of guy who's fated to ruin the lives of girls like Lucy—and he tells her so. But as rumors run rampant and reputations are destroyed, Lucy's not listening to Jude's warning. Is tragedy waiting in the wings? This racy romance is hot, hot, hot! Paperback, 365 pages Published December 18th 2012 by HarperCollins Current GoodReads Rating: 4.04 Stars My Review:The entire story seemed to happen in the last few chapters!
It started off in a very stereotypical fashion as a high school girl that just moved to town lays out in her bikini in her last week of summer break before her senior year and spots a hot guy playing football on the beach. She tries to get his attention and finally on her last effort to catch his eyes, she has him falling over her to catch the ball. It was a disappointing cliche of a beginning that I felt I had read before and knew every last detail of what was to happen during the rest of the book. Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist. Paperback, 310 pages Published November 10th 2015 by Atria Books Current GoodReads Rating: 4.50 Stars What Was Your Favorite Quote?My Review:
First off I read the free excerpt on the new Crave app that has little videos embedded in an ebook version of the book and loved that. I was torn as to whether to continue that route or buy the book and ended up buying a paperback edition since it had been so long since I've held a good book in my hands. I still am struggling whether to try the app again because I did love the idea of it, but isn't some of the fun of reading using your imagination to dream up how the characters looked and interacted. My one try on the Crave app was awesome and I wasn't disappointed with who they chose to portray Ben, but I'm hesitant that a book hunk might fall short of how I imagined him to be and it would distract me from the story. This cover was simple and not covered with the typical sexy half-naked character romance novels usual portray, so I wasn't embarrassed to whip this out on my travels and read this in the airports. I love how captivating her novels always are this one does not disappoint. It's been the most refreshing novel I've read in a long while. I love how it feel like it has so many punch lines. There were so many times throughout that I wanted to stop and post a quote that I had just read from it. It was catchy and relatable. I love how real and vulnerable she makes the characters. I've read reviews that hate how weak Fallon is, but to me I relate to that so I enjoy reading a character who to me needed Ben to help her initially pick her head up from looking at the ground and from there she blossomed on her own. The extent of her doubts and insecurities were dramatized through her accident, but I still could relate to how easy it is to just give up and live below the radar avoiding peoples gaze. 4/27/2016 Truth in Patience (The Patience Trilogy #3) by Beth Fehlbaum Blog Tour Review + GiveawayRead NowTruth in the past. Truth in reality. Truth for tomorrow. Finally adjusting to life in small town Texas, Ashley Asher sees a glimmer of what happiness really is. Even her new relationship with the attentive Joshua Brandt shows promise of a first romance. But Ashley's fear of intimacy after years of unspeakable abuse may cause friction and distance in their relationship. Determined to prove to her that she's healing, Dr. Matt, her beloved therapist, shows her that "life is messy." And he doesn't know how messy it is about to get. When her mother decides that Ashley belongs back in their hometown with her, Ashley is forced into another family feud that she isn't prepared for. Refusing to leave behind the new life she created in Texas, Ashley and her mother go head-to-head. But can Ashley finally find the courage and strength to battle her demons when her mother might be the biggest demon of all? Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction Publisher: Steady On Books Date of Publication: March 29, 2016 PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON BARNES & NOBLE Read More for Giveaway!
He loves me, and he doesn’t even know my real name. The limelight that follows him could expose everything I’m hiding. But even knowing the risks, I can’t force myself to stay away. I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it. Will we lose it all when I reveal what’s beneath this mask? Published September 29th 2014 by Meghan March LLC Current GoodReads Rating: 4.09 Stars My Review: I liked that it began at the moment of why she ran. It did not keep you in the dark about her past like other books that might give hints throughout and reveal the bombshell to the audience at the same time as her man. The twist of her hiding was unique to others I've read, but the author didn't intertwine it into the story as much as I was hoping. Her past always lived in the shadows being brought up in passing then finally it was delved into at the very end at which point it was too late to try and go too deep into the scam. After a year of hiding it didn't flow well that she was just now researching her past and thinking of a plan for her life after ignoring it and moving on for so long. I enjoyed the tattoos and bad girl vs good guy plot as he saw through her facade and loved who she was beneath her many masks. I think that boy was crazy to put up with her though. It's hard to imagine a guy walking away from a woman who strips naked and invites him to join her in a vacant pool because he wants a relationship and not a one night stand with her. |