Books I Review

The Engagements by J.Courtney Sullivan

the engagements

A Diamond is Forever…. and what stories could a diamond tell if it could talk…..

J. Courtney Sullivan’s The Engagements tells the tale of 4 different people- 4 people who have experienced the range of emotions a marriage can provoke. The happiness, the sadness, and more. Each person in this book has a story about marriage- a reason for it, a reason for marriage and love not working, or a reason for never wanting to experience the life of being married. In between each story, we, the readers, meet Frances Gerety- a young ad writer for De Beers- who wrote the game changing line- A Diamond is Forever.

Evelyn has seen the bittersweetness of a a marriage and also the joys of one. Delphine learns that while passion may be hotter than a predictable man, passion fades and what is left is not always enough to sustain the long term. James, a paramedic, who has made some mistakes in life; but is trying to make life the best possible for his wife. And Kate- a woman who has watched countless friends get married- and yet has no desire to experience it herself.

J. Courtney Sullivan takes these stories, these experiences of marriage- the white- hot passion, the predictability, the love, the sadness, and all the good, bad, and ugly- and writes a story that is entertaining and heartwarming. J. Courtney Sullivan connects these characters, these characters that experience marital highs and lows, and connects them in surprising and satisfying ways.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Fantastic book. Loved how J. Courtney Sullivan revealed her master plot with The Engagements piece by piece to create a story that was smart, funny, heartwarming at times, and highly entertaining. Plus, I loved how she inserted Frances Gerety into the story- it was very interesting to hear more about role in the A Diamond is Forever tagline. Recommended.

 

* I won this book in a giveaway from the effervescent Sarah McCoy. Thank you Sarah for sending me a copy of The Engagements!

The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice

the lemon orchard

Bittersweet love story as two unlikely lovers are coping with grief of losing their daughters..

 

Two people, 5 years earlier, both lost their daughters. Julia lost her daughter in a car crash and Roberto’s daughter has not been found after they were separated crossing the border. Two people who share no connection, except grief and sadness about their daughters, meet 5 years later. Can a understanding of grief and sadness lead to a friendship between Julia and Roberto- who come from different backgrounds?

Julia and Roberto begin to share slices of their life with each other- Roberto tells the story of him and his daughter attempting to cross the border; Julia tells of stories of Jenny and her on anthropology trips. Julia even talks of her marriage and how it became broken. Roberto is careful, cautious with Julia at first. He knows he has a good job at the orchard, at her family’s place- and yet, he can’t deny a connection, an attraction he feels for Julia.

Julia begins and impossible search- a search for Roberto’s daughter, Rosa. Reaching out to her anthropology contacts, she knows it may be a long shot- but feels it is worth it. Searching for Rosa has also made Julia feel closer to Jenny, to bring back the memories of anthropology trips with Jenny when she was younger.

Five years earlier, Julia was at the beginning of the worst kind of grief a mother can experience. As the years went by, her grief grew. With Roberto- hearing his story, feeling an attraction to him- Julia begins to feel better, like the grief she feels for Jenny is not some overwhelming.

Together, Julia and Roberto begin to fall in love- although their future is uncertain- especially when there is a development in the search for Rosa. Both have choices to make- forge a life together or enjoy the love they share- even if it’s only for a short time.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Julia and Roberto’s story is a sweet love story- a love that was brought forth by their grief. Their love story, while bittersweet, still was enjoyable. The storyline was interesting. The characters were well thought out. And the setting was remarkable. Enjoyable- a nice read.

 

*This book was provided to me through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Pickle in the Middle Murder by Jessie Chandler

pickle in middle murder

Shay and her girlfriend, JT, are spending a day at the Renaissance Festival. While not normally  Shay’s scene- JT enjoys them and Shay enjoys seeing her girlfriend happy. It’s a nice day until Shay finds a body- and then has to watch her girlfriend, a cop, get arrested in broad daylight.

The man that JT is accused of murdering is the scum of the Earth, JT was involved in a undercover case to bring his operation down, but because of her actions; he was let go. Did JT exact her revenge?

Shay doesn’t think so- and she sets out to find a way to prove that to everyone. With her friends, Eddy and Coop, Shay teams up them and others to find a way to clear JT’s name. Along the way, Shay learns about things that JT has not revealed- and a past incident that started JT on the path to becoming everyone’s protector.

Can Shay help clear JT? Or will the job be too much for Shay and her buddies? Read Pickle in the Middle Murder to see if Shay was able to clear JT out of the “pickle” she’s in!

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Harder edge mystery for a cozy-type book. Language and content are more graphic.  While the book and the plot were fine, for me, I did not quite connect to the characters- so will probably not be reading more of Jessie Chandler’s books. However, if you are looking for a hard-boiled cozy- this could be it.

 

*This book was provided to me through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich

big girl panties

Stephanie Evanovich’s debut novel, Big Girl Panties, is a book about judging a book by it’s cover- or more accurately a person by their outward appearance.

Logan Montgomery, a personal fitness trainer with a body of a Greek god,  is on a plane. In coach. Not his usual seat in first class, but he’s just ready to get home. Hoping to have an uneventful plane ride- he is less than pleased when he sees her walking down the aisle. She, who is not well dressed and is amply curvy. She who walks down the aisle with difficulty trying to not bump the aisle seats. Logan hopes that she will not sit by her- but his wish is not granted.

She is Holly Brennan. A widow at the age of 32, taking care of her dying husband has taken a toll on her. She’s always used food for comfort- but even more so in the wake of her husband dying. Holly is now at a size that she never dreamed she would be at- and sitting next to the hunk of physical perfection is creating an awkward feeling of trying to make herself as invisible as possible.

During the plane ride- Holly and Logan do strike up a conversation and Logan decides to help Holly. Turn her from the ugly duckling to the beautiful swan. Holly accepts and they begin to meet at Logan’s gym. Holly is determined to lose weight, to do the exercises, and to not fart while doing situps in front of Logan.

As they continue to work out, Holly begins to lose the weight and start to feel better about herself. Logan finds Holly funny and charming- and then one day realizes he likes her.  Logan thought he was going to teach Holly a lesson or two about becoming a beautiful swan. But- it might just work out where Holly becomes the teacher and Logan becomes the student when it comes to love.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I read this book pretty quickly. It’s a romance, it even has a life lesson about not judging a person based on their appearance. Holly has some great 1 liners. There is sex and even talk of a fetish in this book (it’s not just an overwhelming amount- but it is there).  The story line is cute, and it’s nice to see a main character that is not perfect. I enjoyed Big Girl Panties– and feel it’s worth a read.

 

The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard

the mouring housr

Young love leads to tragic consequences……….

 

The Hammarstrom family is a normal and average family. Hard-working with a son, Johnny, who is gifted with sports and two daughters, Emilie and Kirsten.

 

Then Stacy Lemke walks into their life- and nothing is the same after that.

 

Kirsten meets Stacy at one of Johnny’s games and instantly likes her. Likes her looks, the way she smiles. So when Johnny and Stacy slowly begin to see each other- Kirsten and the family are happy. As Johnny and Stacy get more serious, though, his parents begin to get concerned about their relationship. Johnny’s parents try to convince him to slow things down with Stacy- there’ll be plenty of time for serious relationships.

 

Johnny doesn’t listen, though.

 

One snowy night Johnny and Stacy go to dinner and a movie. When Johnny is late for curfew, people are concerned. But Johnny returns home and he explains that the vehicle slipped off the road into a snowy ditch and that Stacy was at her house- having walked home since they were close to her house when it happened.

 

Except….. Stacy never returned home that night.

 

What happens next is a tale of the athletic  golden-boy being dethroned and a family attempting to deal with town’s accusations that Johnny knows what happened to Stacy. As days and weeks go by- the town hungers to know what happened to Stacy. The Hammarstrom family would like to know, as well. Time passes and the family begins to derail. What was once a happy family is broken. Rumors and accusations tear the family apart.

 

Years later, a tragedy brings the family back together. During this time, the Hammastrom family learns more about hwat happened that fateful snowy night that changed their world forever.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Interesting. Especially interesting is that the majority of the books is detailed from Kirsten’s 9 year old understanding of things. Like a mystery with a family drama? This is the book for you!

 

*This book was requested through Netgalley. All above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

The Recipe Box by Sandra Lee

the recipe boxSometimes happiness finds you, right in the middle of grief and trying to find yourself.

Grace, recently divorced, trying to make a new life, raise a teenager daughter, Emma, and support her best friend, Leeza, who is battling cancer. Grace- between her job, raising Emma, and flying back and forth from LA to Wisconsin to visit with Leeza, feels overwhelmed- but knows she has to make everything work.

Then, she gets a phone call that no one wants to get- Leeza has passed away. Emma, Grace and Ken (Leeza and Grace’s other best friend) make the trip back to Wisconsin to help Leeza’s husband and to plan a funeral. While back in Wisconsin, Grace sees an old flame, Von, and it makes her feel uneasy about a potential secret she’s been keeping for many years. Grace, firsthand, knows that secrets are not good- a secret played a major role in the relationship with her own mother.

While Grace and Ken are back in Wisconsin- life, even without Leeza, is good. Both Grace and Ken have met people- people that could be in their lives forever. Emma begins to blossom, to change into a person she’s meant to be- instead of rebelling to get her mother’s attention.

Can Grace give up life in LA? Can she find a way to make peace with her own mother about the secret she kept? Can Grace ever make peace with herself about her potential secret she’s keeping from her daughter? Will Grace find out that happiness is right back in her hometown? To find out, read The Recipe Box!

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

The Recipe Box is cute. Fun. Quick read. Secrets, family, finding yourself, and learning to accept things are themes in this book. Fun characters!

 

*This book was provided to me by Netgalley. The above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

 

Finding Colin Firth by Mia March

finding coling firrth1

Happiness is a Mia March book (sorry Colin Firth’s fan club who contend that “Happiness is Colin Firth”)

3 women. A movie being filmed in town. Summer. And Colin Firth. Sounds like a summer to remember (and it is!) but how much does the charming Colin Firth play a role in the memories of the summer?

Gemma has been fired from her reporter job. Gemma is upset- being a reporter is like breathing to her- it’s just who she is. To her husband, though, this is good news. He’s ready to leave New York City and start life in a suburb with all the trimmings that goes with that life. Gemma knows two things: She’s not ready to give up her reporter life and she has a secret that will make life in the suburbs happen faster than she would be able to wrap her head around.

Bea is a young 20-ish girl. Finished with college, but employed as a short order cook- she’s taking time to grieve the loss of her mother before she moves on to a next plan. Until, she gets a letter from her deceased mother that explains Bea was adopted. Bea is unsure what to think of this- but knows she needs to at least see her birth mother before making a choice about what to do next.

Veronica- a great pie baker and lover of Colin Firth movies. She’s returned to Boothbay Harbor after leaving 22 years earlier, right after she placed her daughter with a new family. Veronica worries about what the town thinks of her- but tries to focus on being happy and making pies. She doesn’t know that her daughter is coming to Boothbay Harbor to see her.

Each of these three characters find themselves in Boothbay Harbor with their stories interweaving.  The summer teaches them all important things- they grow up, they find happiness, they learn lessons,  and enjoy Colin Firth movies!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Pure fun. Love this book. Mia March does an excellent job with creating characters that the reader can care about, want these characters to find happiness, to learn important lessons. Boothbay Harbor is the best setting- it’s idyllic, laid-back feel makes the reader wish to be able to see the place (even though Mia does a great job at setting a visual description!) The Colin Firth movies, the relationships between the women- went hand in hand for a great summer read.

 

*Thanks to Mia March and Gallery Publishing for providing me with a review copy. The above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

**Interview with Mia March and Author Spotlight: Mia March.

A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King

once crowded sky

Superheroes. Comic book style. Novel. This book, A Once Crowded Sky, has it all. Partly told in novel style, partly told in comic book style (with detailed illustrations)- this book is for the adult who loves comics and superheroes.

When the book opens, the reader finds out that the superheroes have had to make ultimate sacrifices to save Arcadia. A mysterious blue flame will destroy everything, everything the superheroes have worked so hard to save, time and time again.  They have to give up their superpowers and the leader, Ultimate- The Man with the Metal Face to protect Arcadia.

After that, the superheroes are back to normal people.  What happens when you go from having superpowers to not having them? But an even better question: What happens when you have denied your superpowers in favor of a normal life- and then one day, you are the only person with a superpower to save Arcadia from a new threat?

Pen Ultimate- the one person who still has his superpowers- has a choice to make. Give up his normal life, the one where he rejects his superpowers or to accept them- and know that life will not be normal again. Pen’s got other problems, as well, though- in the rejecting of his powers- the other superheroes regard him as a coward. Will their opinion change now that he is the most powerful man in the world?

Can Pen, the most powerful man in the world, save Arcadia from the next threat? Does he want to take on that responsibility? Can he and the other superheroes (minus their superpowers) work together? Read Tom King’s A Once Crowded Sky to find the answers!

A Once Crowded Sky is a new take on the superhero/comic book tale for a couple of reasons. First, it combines the likes of a novel and a comic book in a seamless way- which should please literary and comic book fans. Secondly, the storyline- while many comics focus on the main character learning and accepting his new found powers; this is about what happens when the power is lost. How life can go from superhero to normal in a matter of a choice. Conversely- the novel also focuses on going from a normal life to a superhero life. It’s an interesting premise! Recommended for fans of comic books, sci-fi, superhero stories, and action- themed books.

 

*This book was provided to me through Touchstone Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. All above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

book of secretsThe Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold has many twists and turns to thrill the reader- and will appeal to fans of books about family secrets.

Chloe Sinclair has loved her husband, Nate, for years. Loved him even through their world falling apart. When she comes home one night to find Nate gone, Chloe is concerned- but mainly because he is returning to their childhood town- a place of bad memories. Chloe soon finds out that Nate is keeping secrets, though- secrets that Chloe wants to know- but is afraid to know.

Chloe’s no stranger to secrets (in fact she’s keeping one herself)- but wishes that Nate would confide in her. When she discovers a notebook inside Nate’s antique The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe– she’s unsure of what to make of the notebook. Curiously, it is written in code- but is that to keep it a secret from Chloe? Or someone else?

As Chloe delves deeper into the mystery of the missing Nate, she figures out the code for the notebook- with each clue she uncovers, she’s reminded of how she first met the Sinclair’s, the fun, the pain, the hurt- and ultimately the love she received from some of them.  Chloe struggles to understand the past, to make sense of her future- and to figure out where the secrets between her and Nate leave them.

As Chloe learns, some secrets won’t stay buried forever……

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

The Book of Secrets is my first Elizabeth Joy Arnold- but will not be my last. The story of Chloe and Nate- the reader knew some details, some reasons their marriage why their marriage wasn’t great. With each section of the book, as more information is revealed- the reader is further captured into the story. When finally all secrets are revealed- it’s a book that that needs to have time to be thought over, to discuss with others. Interesting, enjoyable- definitely recommend!

 

*This book was requested through Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All above opinions are mine alone.

Time Flies by Claire Cook

time fliesHigh school reunions- fun or big disappointment? Melanie is about to find out!

Many years ago, Melanie let her husband, Kurt, talk her into leaving their New England beach town home, load up the 2 boys they have and move to Atlanta, Georgia- where the peaches grow, the tea is sweet, and the accents are even sweeter. Melanie adjusts to life in the South and grows to really like it.

Until….

When Time Flies opens, the reader finds out that Melanie’s husband has left her for another woman- and that Melanie is struggling with her day to day life. Her boys are grown, she has friends and a job- but life is different- and she’s not sure what her next step should be. When BJ, Melanie’s old high school friend, emails about their upcoming high school reunion- Melanie is resistant. She doesn’t want to go- until an intriguing email from a high school boyfriend catches her attention. She decides to book her trip, and go on the adventure of a lifetime!

However, Melanie’s new driving phobia might put a crimp in her plans.

As Melanie and BJ reunite- their big plans for the reunion happen- some with hilarious results! While Melanie at first thought the reward of her adventure would be the reunion and seeing the ex-boyfriend- she discovers that the lessons she learned along the way were much more important.

Will Melanie find her happy ending back in New England? Or is her happy ending in Atlanta?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Time Flies is a cute and funny book. Melanie is a great character- dealing with a world where everything has changed and trying to find her way as a single instead of a couple. The high school reunion is funny (and a great touch to the book!) Definitely put this on your To Be Read list- entertaining and enjoyable!

Liked my review? Then read my Interview with Claire Cook– the author!

 

*This book was won in a giveaway sponsored by Claire Cook. The above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.