Books Reviewed by T @ Traveling With T

Four Friends by Robyn Carr (plus a giveaway)

Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Photo Credit: Harlequin Books

 

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Gerri- she has her life together. 3 kids, adoring husband, Gerri has a job that fulfills her- she thinks life is pretty good. Until, the day she finds out about a secret that will shake her to the core- and cause her to look at her marriage without the rose-colored glasses.

Sonja- she believes in purification, that life is just better if you eat right, exercise, and feng-shui your life. When Sonja’s husband leaves her because he’s tired of living the New Age lifestyle with her (he wants to eat red meat and have a alcoholic drink), Sonja loses her faith in the things that have defined her life for the last several years.

Continue reading →

The Wishing Thread by Lisa Van Allen

The wishing thread

Photo Credit: Goodreads

 

The Van Ripper women have been the talk of Tarrytown, New York, for centuries. Some say they’re angels; some say they’re crooks. In their tumbledown “Stitchery,” not far from the stomping grounds of the legendary Headless Horseman, the Van Ripper sisters—Aubrey, Bitty, and Meggie—are said to knit people’s most ardent wishes into beautiful scarves and mittens, granting them health, success, or even a blossoming romance. But for the magic to work, sacrifices must be made—and no one knows that better than the Van Rippers.

When the Stitchery matriarch, Mariah, dies, she leaves the yarn shop to her three nieces. Aubrey, shy and reliable, has dedicated her life to weaving spells for the community, though her sisters have long stayed away. Bitty, pragmatic and persistent, has always been skeptical of magic and wants her children to have a normal, nonmagical life. Meggie, restless and free-spirited, follows her own set of rules. Now, after Mariah’s death forces a reunion, the sisters must reassess the state of their lives even as they decide the fate of the Stitchery. But their relationships with one another—and their beliefs in magic—are put to the test. Will the threads hold?

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Magical realism… Some of it works, some of it doesn’t. The summary, the cover- oh this book had such promise for me. I wanted to love this book, I wanted to devour the pages. Maybe, I set my expectations too high because of the summary and the cover; but I was very lukewarm-ish about this book.

The writing, there is nothing wrong with the writing. But, the plot just took longer to get to a point than I cared for.

If you are looking for a light read, a read with magical realism- then this book is for you!

 

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

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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The Favor by Megan Hart

the favor

Photo Credit: Harlequin

 

Janelle Decker has happy childhood memories of her grandma’s house, and even lived there through high school. Now she’s back with her twelve-year-old son to look after her ailing Nan, and hardly anything seems to have changed, not even the Tierney boys next door.

Gabriel Tierney, local bad-boy. The twins, Michael and Andrew.

After everything that happened between the four of them, Janelle is shocked that Gabe still lives in St. Mary’s. And he isn’t trying very hard to convince Janelle he’s changed from the moody teenage boy she once knew. If anything, he seems bent on making sure she has no intentions of rekindling their past.

To this day, though there might’ve been a lot of speculation about her relationship with Gabe, nobody else knows she was there in the woods that day…the day a devastating accident tore the Tierney brothers apart and drove Janelle away. But there are things that even Janelle doesn’t know, and as she and Gabe revisit their interrupted romance, she begins to uncover the truth denied to her when she ran away all those years ago.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

Argh! I wanted to love this book. The plot was so great sounding. A mystery, a love affair, secrets, family drama- oh it sounded so good. Yet….. I just couldn’t get into it. I tried. I tried. I TRIED. And i just never could connect. The book dragged and dragged- all the appeal of the plot was missing.

Still, I kept on. Why? Because I wanted to know the secret. And, in the end, the secret was pretty good. But, but, but.. it was by sheer determination that I hung on reading this book.

Do I recommend this book? Sadly, I have to say not. If it’d been a little shorter, or if the pages just hadn’t dragged on- maybe.

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

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Dead Between the Lines (A Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery) by Denise Swanson

Dead Between the Lines

Photo Credit: Goodreads

This book was sent to Traveling With T by author in exchange for a honest review.

Dead Between The Lines

Opening an old-fashioned five-and-dime shop in her small Missouri hometown has been a great change for Devereaux “Dev” Sinclair. But when she hosts a reading group there, she learns that bad writing can mean life or death.

To keep her new business in the black, Dev opens up her shop to local clubs. But in the first meeting of the Stepping Out Book Club, the speaker storms out after members attack his poetry’s sexism and scorn for small towns. Later that night, the poet’s body is found outside Dev’s store.

Dev can’t afford for the murder to close her down, so she does a little stepping out of her own to investigate, with help from her two sexy suitors, Dr. Noah Underwood and Deputy U.S. Marshal Jake Del Vecchio. But when the killer threatens Dev, they will have to use every trick in the book to solve the case before she becomes the final chapter in this murder mystery.…

 

Ahh… a day in the life of Dev- she’s got 2 men wanting to be with her, 2 men that complement her in unique ways, she worries about her grandmother, and she finds out in this book that her dad will be returning from jail. So, Dev is trying to make the money while the sun is shining- which is why she opens up the Dime Store to clubs for bit of extra cash. The first book club meeting, though, may be the last- as the members get peeved with the author for his attitude toward women and small-town life. Dev knew many were peeved when they left, but she did not know who was peeved enough to kill the author or why they did it- was it because of the book club meeting? Or is there much more to this story?

What Dev knows is this: She can’t afford to be shut down while the police are looking for the killer- so off to work she goes. With a little help from the good doctor, Noah, and the hunk-alicious Deputy US Marshall, Jake- Dev is sure to get to the bottom of this mess, quick, fast and in a hurry. Which leaves her to think about other things- such as who is the yin to her yang?

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I enjoy the Dime Store Mystery series! It’s fun, cute, and Denise writes small-town characters that are interesting and nice to read about. While I’m a bit more of a SCUMBLE RIVER fan, this DIME STORE mystery changed that. Dev has hit a groove with me in reading and I found myself not comparing to Scumble River as I have in the past. One thing I really liked about this book was that Denise is allowing us to see chapters from the male’s point of view- something I don’t remember her doing in Scumble River (although, perhaps I have forgot!) Getting to know Jake and Noah a bit, through their own thoughts and not the actions we see in the Dev chapters, added a bit to this book.

Even though recently, I went on a bit of rant about love triangles and their length, I actually like love triangles (as long as they don’t go on too long!) Right now, the love triangle with Dev, Noah and Jake is fine. Cute. You’ll hear it first when the triangle needs to leave the building, though.

Overall, enjoyable! A nice cozy mystery with some great characters. Definitely add this to the TBR list!

 

*Dead Between the Lines was sent to Traveling With T by author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell

happily ever after

Photo Credit: Touchstone Books

 

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Happily Ever After

Sadie Fuller, 46, divorced, mother to an 11 year old. No time for romance. Looking at her, you might think that romance never crosses her mind. You’d be wrong. Because while the outside package would lead you to believe that Sadie is just a middle-aged mom and has no time for anything besides work and her daughter, inside is a whole other story. Sadie by day lives the suburban mom’s life… But at night, she writes steamy, best-selling erotica under the pen name KT Briggs.

Life is ok for Sadie. She’s got her daughter, a house, makes money writing her “mommy-porn”, and even has a weekly date with a man she met in the personals. But life is getting dull, Sadie has put love and romance aside (her weekly meetings are strictly taking care of business). One night, as she writing a new story about Aidan and Lily, she gets interrupted. And life turns from same old, same old to something else. When Sadie sees an incredibly good-looking man in Target, a man who looks vaguely familiar, but is very confused as to why he’s in Target- she slowly begins to realize why he looks familiar: It’s Aidan. Her character, Aidan!

As Sadie tries to help him find Lily and figure out why a witch named Clarissa has highjacked her story, she just wants to reunite Lily and Aidan, get them back in the story for some steamy romance time. However, Aidan may wind up teaching Sadie a thing or two and show her that happily ever after is not just for the books, that happily ever after might be where you least expect it.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

Quirky fun. This book is pure quirky fun. Yes, it’s going to stretch your mind a bit, and yes, the idea of characters coming to life from a book is a bit out there. But, that is what makes it such delicious fun! This book is not a “thinker” book, you are not going to want to run out and change the world after reading it. It’s going to make you laugh and have fun, though, and that is way better!

Read HAPPILY EVER AFTER if you are looking for a fun read, not light and fluffy, just fun and quirky.  Enjoyable, laugh out loud fun- add this to your To Be Read list!

 

*Thanks to Touchstone Books for sending a copy of HAPPILY EVER AFTER to Traveling With T for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Pearls and Poison by Duffy Brown

pearls and poison

Photo Credit: Berkley

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for an honest review.

Pearls and Poison

Reagan’s mama, the honorable judge Gloria Summerside (aka Judge Guillotine Gloria), is running for city alderman. Her main rival is Kip “Scummy” Seymour- and with only weeks to go before the election, the campaign is about to get dirtier- 6 feet more of dirt, to be exact. Continue reading →

Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian

Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian- Henery Press

Photo Credit: Henery Press

 

This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for an honest review.

Pirate Vishnu

Jaya Jones, treasure hunter, is back! A normal day at the office leads to an exciting treasure hunt. When Steven Healy comes by to Jaya Jones office asking for help about a map and her relation to Anand Paravar- Jaya is intrigued- especially when Steven accuses Jaya’s great uncle Anand of stealing a treasure. All Jaya’s life, she’s heard about this great uncle, her namesake, and all the good he did. But, now… could it all be false?

Jaya agrees to help Steven find some letters, letters that she denied knowledge of knowing their location. Later that night, when Jaya finds out that Steven Healy is dead. Murdered. Who killed him? And does it have anything to do with the treasure map he left behind with Jaya?

As Jaya begins to hunt for clues, she finds out that someone wants this map- wants it desperately enough to mug her. With Sanjay, Jaya’s best friend’s help, she realizes that the map doesn’t just reflect San Francisco- it also references India. A plane ride to India later, Jaya finds that trouble has followed her.

While in India, Jaya discovers she has allies and enemies- it’s just knowing who is who that is the problem. A special tip leads her back to San Francisco- and Jaya is *thisclose* to solving the mystery. Will Jaya find out that a close friend betrayed her? And will Jaya find out that her great uncle is the good guy or the bad guy?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

This is my first Gigi Pandian book and I have to say that I really enjoyed Jaya Jones. She’s bright, inquisitive, and interesting. Jaya is a breath of fresh air in the mystery world.

Told in current time and flashbacks to Anand’s time- PIRATE VISHNU is a tale that will appeal to many. Armchair travelers will enjoy getting to learn about life in San Francisco and India, treasure hunters will get a thrill putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and fans of mystery will be pleased to see a new voice, a different voice that is strong and independent in the world.

Enjoyable. Put Gigi Pandian on your author to watch list!

 

*This book was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review. All above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Literary Friday ya’ll…

literary friday

 

It’s Friday. There is sunshine. I’m happy.

 

1. Deep South Magazine and their #literaryfriday: Literary Holidays, Wiley Cash book signing, and TurnRow Books tweeted Deep South some good news! Like King Cake? Deep South Mag is featuring where the best is and a King Cake drink recipe (yum!)

 

2. Traveling With T reviewed 2 books this week: BLACKBERRY PIE MURDER by Joanne Fluke and THE WIFE, THE MAID, and THE MISTRESS by Ariel Lawhon. Blackberry is not Joanne’s strongest- there is really no movement in the series. WMM is Ariel’s debut and it’s fantastic- 1930’s setting, Prohibition, and a missing judge!

 

3. Are you Google+? Have you heard about this new feature Google+ Ripples? Here is the info on it!

 

4. Ariel Lawhon, THE WIFE, THE MAID and THE MISTRESS was featured this week on Traveling With T. Here is the Author Spotlight on Ariel.

 

5. What are your #fridayreads? I just finished PIRATE VISHNU by Gigi Pandian, working through FOUR FRIENDS by Robyn Carr and trying to decide what to read next- suggestions?

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

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Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Blackberry Pie Murder

Photo Credit: Goodreads

 

Traveling With T requested this book through Netgalley.

Blackberry Pie Murder

Hannah’s mother, Delores, is outraged. The Swensen women are the butt of a joke by a news reporter about how long it has been since one of the Swensen ladies have found a body. While the daughters are taking the joke in stride, Delores is not. Hannah is not worried- it feels like ages since she found her last body- and with all the things going on (planning Delores’s wedding to Doc, running The Cookie Jar, cuddling up with Moishe and trying to decide between Mike and Norman), Hannah is ok with not finding any bodies.

One day, a dark and stormy day, Lisa, Hannah’s partner at The Cookie Jar, needs to be picked up from the car repair shop. Hannah goes and gets Lisa- worrying about the weather and decides to take the back roads back to town. The weather is terrible and Hannah is worried that if she pulls over, no one would see her and hit her. When Hannah swerves to avoid a large limb, she doesn’t see the man near the side of the road. Overcome with guilt (Hannah’s used to finding dead bodies, not causing them), but knowing that it was an accident- Hannah does not know what will happen next. Will she be arrested?

After some time, Hannah knows that she must know who this man is- why was he on the side of the road? When the Swensen women start to look into this mystery, they find out some surprising information about the victim.

With a main mystery and a smaller mystery that is related to the larger mystery, Delores and Doc’s wedding planning, and typical Moishe hijinks- Blackberry Pie Murder has something for cozy fans.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

It’s time for tough love, Joanne Fluke. This is the 17th book in the series and the love triangle (if you can even call it that) is still going on. Let Hannah pick Norman- and let Moishe, Cuddles, Norman and Hannah live somewhat happily ever after. Why do I say “if you can even call it a love triangle”- well, at one point, both Norman and Mike seemed to really be interested in Hannah. Although, the last couple of books- Mike has been less interested in Hannah as a woman- and more for her cookies and other food.

But, to the book- Blackberry Pie Murder is not bad. It’s really not. It’s a bit predictable, though.  My problem is: it’s just not going anywhere. Hannah does the same thing basically every book and while it was cute for awhile- it’s growing old.

Joanne Fluke has always been hesitant about s-e-x in this series. And while in the earlier books, it was understandable (Hannah had her heart broken by a TA at her college), it’s time for a bit more romance for Hannah (note: ROMANCE, not 50 Shades of Grey territory).

Why do I keep reading this series? Because, for the most part, it’s like a comfy old sweatshirt. Sure, it’s not pretty anymore and you don’t wear it in public- but it makes you feel cozy and warm. I do think, though, that my patience is running thin- I don’t want to quit this series, I want to know my time invested with Hannah has been well-spent. But I’m preparing myself to walk.

Do I recommend this book? Yes- but to a very select group of people- the die hard Joanne Fluke fans. If you enjoy all the previous books, are not growing weary of the triangle, and the recipes make you happy- then this book is perfect for you. If you are like me and really enjoyed earlier Joanne books, but the later ones are not as good to you, then I suggest you pass. If you are a cozy mystery lover, I strongly, strongly, STRONGLY suggest that you begin with Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder- when you get to Cream Puff Murder- take a break.

* I requested this book through Netgalley. The above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

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Out of the Frying Pan by Robin Allen

out of the frying pan

Photo Credit: Midnight Ink

Summary from Goodreads:

Poppy Markham is served another culinary mystery.

Feast in the Field, a fine-dining affair put on by the Friends of Good Earth Preserves, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, is the event of the season in Austin’s restaurant circuit and one of Poppy Markham’s favorite social engagements. This year, the spectacle shifts its focus from the gorgeous dinner to the politics surrounding the election for a new president of the Friends.

Shortly after being announced victorious, diva-restaurateur Dana White is struck down in her own kitchen. Can Poppy figure out who — of several candidates — decided to get rid of her?

Continue reading →