Mysteries are my favorite genre and Harlan Coben is one of my favorite authors. In Promise Me a man promises his old friends teenage daughter that if she ever needs a ride home from anywhere that she should call him....then she does. He drives her to what he thinks is her friend's house, then she disappears.
Great, original premise and writing. Myron gets a little snarky with tough guy Dominic, and I'm pretty "Eh" about snark, but I'll let it pass since the rest of Myron's character is so easy to read. Also the ending, it ended...and then it ended again...and then one more time. I would've stuck with just one ending instead of having to go through each one. Otherwise, solid all around. I'll be adding more Harlan Coben mysteries to my Goodreads shelves.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Where Secrets Sleep by Marta Perry
I love it when I find a new series I want to get into and Where Secrets Sleep is the first book in a series of three: Where Secrets Sleep, When Secrets Strike, and Where Secrets Die. Yum! And by the way, Amazon has a limited number of these in stock, like 13 left and 19 left with more on the way, which means I am not the only one discovering these books!
Where Secrets Sleep is a mystery/romance/fiction set in a picturesque little town called Laurel Ridge. Allison inherits a large house that houses several small businesses on Laurel Ridge's main street. Allison is forced to move in with the stipulation in her estranged grandmother's will that if she doesn't stay for a year she forfeits the place to her cousin, a stern faced character who wants Allison to give the place up. Allison becomes quick friends with Sarah the Amish quilt shop owner and Sarah's mother. And then there's nervous nellie Ralph who feels Allison's grandmother didn't just have a stroke when she fell down the steps and died.
Amish? Mysteries? Hunky carpenter? I loved Where Secrets Sleep. Count me in for books 2 and 3!
Where Secrets Sleep is a mystery/romance/fiction set in a picturesque little town called Laurel Ridge. Allison inherits a large house that houses several small businesses on Laurel Ridge's main street. Allison is forced to move in with the stipulation in her estranged grandmother's will that if she doesn't stay for a year she forfeits the place to her cousin, a stern faced character who wants Allison to give the place up. Allison becomes quick friends with Sarah the Amish quilt shop owner and Sarah's mother. And then there's nervous nellie Ralph who feels Allison's grandmother didn't just have a stroke when she fell down the steps and died.
Amish? Mysteries? Hunky carpenter? I loved Where Secrets Sleep. Count me in for books 2 and 3!
The Two of Us / Victoria Bylin
My latest review for Bethany House publishers is The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin which I received in exchange for my honest review.
My favorite thing about this book is the realistic characters and situations. These people are not perfect. Lucy is set for a shot gun wedding because she's already pregnant, Jake's family struggles with his mom's Alzheimer's, they question their faith...They're situations that regular people face and the story is told in an honest way, not sugar coated with bible passages, but just questioning and seeing the answers to their faith-sometimes in a different way than they expected, which is just like real life.
Mia meets Jake in an unsuspecting way when they both find out they're attending Mia's sister Lucy's wedding. Subplots involve Jake's plans to start a well-intentioned camp for struggling teens that meets furious opposition in town. Mia needs to find out where her life is going, so she applies for a medical mission to Africa. And Lucy and Sam struggle with being very young newlyweds while Sam is in ROTC and Lucy is pregnant.
I had not read anything by Victoria Bylin before, but her work is fantastic and I will look for more. A great read for anyone who likes romances with good stories behind them.
My favorite thing about this book is the realistic characters and situations. These people are not perfect. Lucy is set for a shot gun wedding because she's already pregnant, Jake's family struggles with his mom's Alzheimer's, they question their faith...They're situations that regular people face and the story is told in an honest way, not sugar coated with bible passages, but just questioning and seeing the answers to their faith-sometimes in a different way than they expected, which is just like real life.
Mia meets Jake in an unsuspecting way when they both find out they're attending Mia's sister Lucy's wedding. Subplots involve Jake's plans to start a well-intentioned camp for struggling teens that meets furious opposition in town. Mia needs to find out where her life is going, so she applies for a medical mission to Africa. And Lucy and Sam struggle with being very young newlyweds while Sam is in ROTC and Lucy is pregnant.
I had not read anything by Victoria Bylin before, but her work is fantastic and I will look for more. A great read for anyone who likes romances with good stories behind them.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Abigail and Mistletoe by Karen Rose Smith
The latest book I'm blogging is not really the 'latest' book, it's Abigail and Mistlestoe, a Silhouette Special Edition from 1994. It's aged well over the years and reads like a contemporary romance. (On a side note, there's nothing like a book that's taken on that yellow-paged tinge.) Abigail and Mistletoe follows the romance novel formula: Gruff man who doesn't know love and has been hurt in his past, a vulnerable woman...the two meet and it's love. In this case, Abigail is a makeup artist stays at Brady's father's Colorado cabins to help a woman dealing with scars. Abigail has a birthmark on her face that she tries to hide from Brady, but he doesn't mind, of course, once he sees it.
I really enjoyed this story. The Colorado setting is beautiful, the characters are friendly and likeable, and my favorite romances are the ones that take place at Christmastime.
You'll have a hard time finding this book anywhere, but for what it's worth, if you can track it down, it's a good, classic 90's romance.
I really enjoyed this story. The Colorado setting is beautiful, the characters are friendly and likeable, and my favorite romances are the ones that take place at Christmastime.
You'll have a hard time finding this book anywhere, but for what it's worth, if you can track it down, it's a good, classic 90's romance.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Beloved Hope / Tracie Peterson
My latest review for Bethany House Books is Beloved Hope by Tracie Peterson.
Beloved Hope is second in a series called Heart of the Frontier that follows three orphaned sisters who make their way to to the Oregon Territory to set up their home. Hope is the middle sister and the book opens with her having to face the natives who assaulted her while she was held hostage. Hope's older sister is pregnant for the first time while her husband is sent away on army detail. And youngest sister Mercy has to consider whether or not she should accept a marriage proposal. Mercy, as her name suggests, feels guilty about whether hanging the men who assaulted Hope will bring her sister peace and suggests Hope finds a way to forgive.
I loved the story idea and the setting. Historical fiction is some of my favorites because it takes you to a different time and place and way of life. There was a lot of religious discussion in this book, which I think makes it a little more for more devout Christian book readers than secular, but either party will enjoy the series.
Beloved Hope is second in a series called Heart of the Frontier that follows three orphaned sisters who make their way to to the Oregon Territory to set up their home. Hope is the middle sister and the book opens with her having to face the natives who assaulted her while she was held hostage. Hope's older sister is pregnant for the first time while her husband is sent away on army detail. And youngest sister Mercy has to consider whether or not she should accept a marriage proposal. Mercy, as her name suggests, feels guilty about whether hanging the men who assaulted Hope will bring her sister peace and suggests Hope finds a way to forgive.
I loved the story idea and the setting. Historical fiction is some of my favorites because it takes you to a different time and place and way of life. There was a lot of religious discussion in this book, which I think makes it a little more for more devout Christian book readers than secular, but either party will enjoy the series.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Map That Leads To You / J. P. Monniger
I'm not a fan. Pretentiousness drips off the page. A snotty woman is rude to a man on a train in Amsterdam and, naturally, he falls in love her. These people rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning, I couldn't take more than 5 chapters. My God, these philosophical, upper middle class, fancy college brats on the loose in Europe - Gag me with the biggest spoon you can find.
74 Seaside Avenue Cedar Cove / Debbie Macomber
I'm a big fan of the Cedar Cove series and I've read several of them (I highly recommend them to anyone who loves a serial saga in a small town) Even though this book is from 2007, look for it online because you'll get addicted fast! I haven't been reading (and listening to the audiobooks) in order and that's no problem, you can join it in progress just like a soap and catch up with no problems following the characters.
74 Seaside Avenue sees the beginning of a new relationship for widower Troy, whose daughter faces a possible health crisis and also isn't happy about him moving on to a new woman. Meanwhile, Teri's famous chess player husband Bobby is concerned for her safety after a Russian chess opponent threatens to pull out all the stops to win. Judge Olivia also faces a personal health crisis (Could it be cancer? Gasp!)
Babies, Grandbabies, wedding receptions, kidnapping, health crises this book jams it all in without feeling jammed in at all. These characters, this town, and their lives are all a treat to follow. No wonder they made it into a TV show (I need those DVD's!)
74 Seaside Avenue sees the beginning of a new relationship for widower Troy, whose daughter faces a possible health crisis and also isn't happy about him moving on to a new woman. Meanwhile, Teri's famous chess player husband Bobby is concerned for her safety after a Russian chess opponent threatens to pull out all the stops to win. Judge Olivia also faces a personal health crisis (Could it be cancer? Gasp!)
Babies, Grandbabies, wedding receptions, kidnapping, health crises this book jams it all in without feeling jammed in at all. These characters, this town, and their lives are all a treat to follow. No wonder they made it into a TV show (I need those DVD's!)
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