Category Archives: A Good Cupcake:

3/5 Rating=Good storyline, could connect with the characters, but it was missing something….sprinkles! I was left with questions that the book did not answer. This is a book that I’d recommend to those who like this particular genre, but with caution.

Apr25

Review: The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

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Synopsis:

Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne.
Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.

My Review:

I am probably the only person on earth that does not think George Clooney is eye candy.  I find him quite aloof and have never been a fan. Naturally, I didn’t watch this movie at the theaters or on DVD.  I came across this book while searching on overdrive.com for a book.  I am reviewing another book, Tiger Baby Strikes Back by Kim Wong Keltner, and wanted to read the book Kim writes in reference to: Battle  Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.  When The Descendants popped up on my screen, I read the synopsis and was actually intrigued by the storyline.

I have to admit, the story quickly drew me in.  Told through Matt’s point of view, I was able to experience his journey of stepping up in his role of father, coming to terms with the imminent death of his wife, and accepting choices his family makes.  It was really challenging to like Matt’s character. As a lawyer and wealthy descendant of a Princess, he seemed quite weak, very passive, aloof (hmmmm…sounds like an actor I also associate that word with), who was just too difficult to like or feel sorry for.

Because of his lack of assertiveness and willingness to look the other way with his wife’s infidelity and the choices both his daughters made, I was surprised he was an attorney. I assume that as an attorney, he will want to know everything about his family, be more focused, and not so aloof. It seemed that before the accident, he really was an absentee father and husband.  Faced with the impending decision to take his wife off of life support, he begins to visit all their friends to let them know Joanie is dying and if they want to, to go by and visit and pay their respects.

I did like the fact that the story is set on one of the islands of Hawaii.  I’ve been there and it’s absolutely gorgeous and I could just live there and be so content.  But, this book shows that even on the prettiest islands, some of the saddest and hardest things happen to everyday people.  Also, there were a few moments I laughed, but for the most part, I really just didn’t care for the character of Matt. Because of his lack of involvement with his family, his daughter is sent to boarding school, his young daughter copies a friend-Reina, and his wife tries to get his lover a huge money making deal that indirectly involves Matt.  In the end, Matt does find closure, steps up to the plate as a father, and the 3 of them become the family they all wanted to be.

So, I’m thinking this may be one of those exceptions where the movie is better than the book??  I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m curious to see how it is interpreted on screen!

 

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Mar21

Review: Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany

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Synopsis:

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.

My Review:

Told in alternating viewpoints, the storylines switches from past and present throughout the book.  Surrounding around the death of Kelli, mom to Ava and ex-wife to Victor, everyone struggles to come to terms with the aftermath and try to understand what caused Kelli’s untimely death.  While there were moments I could understand Grace’s feelings, most of the time I just couldn’t connect with her. I really wanted to hear more from Kelli and Ava, as Ava comes to terms with losing her mommy.  I think the alternating viewpoints diluted the characters and made it difficult for me to stay interested in the storyline.  Overall, it was a book that didn’t resonate with me and I found myself comparing it to another book that I did connect with.  I’d suggest you read the book and decide for yourself if this is a book for you!  And…because it is important to have differing views, I’ve attached links to a couple of other reviews for this book. Perhaps, they had a completely different experience!

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Mar6

TLC Tour: Review-The Tale of Lucia Grandi by Susan Speranza

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Product Details

  • Print Length: 428 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 094465701X
  • Publisher: Brook House Press; 1st edition (October 23, 2012)

Synopsis:

When an old woman is asked to tell the story of her life, she tells an intense and poignant tale about growing up in and surviving a warring suburban family during the 1950s and ’60s.

Written as a memoir, each chapter describes a particular incident in Lucia’s life which shows the constant struggle between her parents and the perverse effect it has on her and her family. From her complicated and unwanted birth, to her witnessing a suicide at age 3, to her stint as a runaway at age 14, the story progresses to the final crisis where as a young woman she is turned out of her house and banished from her family forever.

Told in breathtakingly beautiful prose, this is a powerful and timeless story of a dying woman’s courageous attempt to come to terms with her past and the troubled family that dominated it.

This book (under its former title of “My Life in Dogs, the Early Years”) was a Quarter finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. It was also on the short list of finalists in the 2012 Faulkner-Wisdom Writing Competition.

My Review:

The synopsis sounds fantastic and I was very eager to participate in TLC’s book tour.  The story starts out quite interesting, but then takes a downward spiral. Very lengthy with little dialogue, as it is told in 1st person, it becomes quite intense with little respite with sprinkles of joy and fun memories.  Rather, it is such a intense and depressing storyline, that you almost wonder how a 100+ year old woman could live that long with not much joy.  I would have liked to have read more dialogue, had more joyful memories to balance the book, and perhaps developed the relationship between Lucia and the doctoral student/researcher.  There were moments that didn’t seem very realistic…children don’t typically remember suicides at 3 years old, nor do they remember the memories with such vivid detail.  The chapters seemed to focus on different ages of Lucia and there were moments that Lucia’s age jumped around, rather than stay constant with her aging as the chapters progressively in chronological order.  One chapter, she would be 4, then next she was 3.  Overall, I would have liked a more balanced book emotionally and more detail in the personal relationships between Lucia and others, rather than the relationships between others and observed through Lucia.

2 cupcake

*The book was provided by TLC, in exchange for an honest review.

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Feb4

TLC Book Tours-Review & Giveaway: The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart

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Book Information:

  • File Size: 1126 KB
  • Print Length: 434 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0345538412
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 29, 2013)
  • Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.

Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart presents a
captivating contemporary romance novel in the tradition of Robyn Carr, Susan
Mallery, and Barbara Freethy.

As the only child of a wealthy investment manager, Ellie Chapman has never known anything besides a life of perfect privilege. But her years of good fortune come to an abrupt end when her
father is exposed for swindling billions of dollars from innocent investors in a massive Ponzi scheme. And just like that, Ellie loses everything: money, job, home—even her fiancé, who’s jailed as her father’s partner in crime. With no job prospects on the horizon, no cash, and her family name in tatters, Ellie has only one place to go.

Sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland, is hardly where Ellie intends to stay, however. Keeping her identity a secret, she plans to sell the house her late mother left her in the small town and use the proceeds to move on with her life. Unfortunately, her ticket to a new beginning is in dire need of a
laundry list of pricey improvements, many of which she’ll have to do herself.  And until the house on Bay View Road is fit to be sold, the sole place Ellie will be traveling is the hardware store. But as the many charms of St. Dennis—not to mention Cameron O’Connor, the handsome local contractor who has secrets of his own—begin to work their magic, what begins as a lesson in
do-it-yourself renovations might just end up as Ellie’s very own rejuvenation.

mariah stewartAbout Mariah Stewart

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives with her husband and their dogs amid the rolling hills and Amish farms of southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, where she gardens, reads, and enjoys country life.

Mariah’s website:  http://www.mariahstewart.com/

My Review:

“The Chesapeake Diaries”, is a series that fans will love reading.  Mariah Stewart’s latest book, “The Long Way Home” is her latest book that can be read as a stand alone. I loved reading about this small quaint town!! Mariah Stewart created a gorgeous town, where everyone knows your name and loves you as family.  This book focuses on Ellie and her renovations on a home left to her by her deceased aunt.  With the renovations, Ellie finds out family secrets and learns more about her own mother with whom she had a distant relationship with.

There is a sweet love story, of course, which I loved did not include anything too raunchy or inappropriate.  If the reader has followed the series, there will be lots of great updates from certain people in St. Dennis that appeared in other books.  It’s a slow read because there are a lot of characters to get acclimated too, however the plot does move along well.  Overall, it was a good read and is a fantastic series to immerse oneself in!

Book Giveaway:

Before you read the final book in The Chesapeake Diaries, win book #5.

Home for the Summer

Simply add your email in the comments section and 1 winner will randomly be chosen.

The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond.

If not, a new winner will be selected.

Giveaway ends March February 15, 2013

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tlc book tours

Mariah Stewart’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, November 26th:  Literally Jen – Home for the Summer review

Sunday, December 30th:  Reviews from the Heart – Home for the Summer review

Monday, January 28th:  Reviews from the Heart

Tuesday, January 29th:  Novel Reaction

Wednesday, January 30th:  A Cozy Reader’s Corner

Thursday, January 31st: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer – Q&A

Monday, February 4th:  Books in the Burbs

Tuesday, February 5th:  Literally Jen

Wednesday, February 6th:  Reviews by Molly

Wednesday, February 6th:  Romancing the Book - guest post

Thursday, February 7th:  Joyfully Retired

Friday, February 8th:  Romancing the Book

Monday, February 11th:  Seaside Book Nook

Tuesday, February 12th:  I’m Booking It

Wednesday, February 13th:  Lesa’s Book Critiques

Thursday, February 14th:  Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews

Friday, February 15th:  Kelly’s Lucky You

Monday, February 18th:  Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Tuesday, February 19th:  Good Girl Gone Redneck

Wednesday, February 20th:  Life in the Thumb

Thursday, February 21st:  Booked on a Feeling

Monday, February 25th:  From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, February 26th:  From L.A. to LA

Wednesday, February 27th:  Mom in Love with Fiction

Thursday, February 28th:  Sara’s Organized Chaos

Friday, March 1st:  The Book Pushers

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Jan30

Wuthering Heights Retelling

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Product Details

  • Print Length: 321 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0316196924
  • Publisher: Poppy (January 1, 2013)

Synopsis:

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years — a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her — starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.
My Review:

After reading April Lindner’s book, “Jane”, I knew I wanted to read this book.  I remember reading “Wuthering Heights” in high school and I loved it.  I haven’t reread it in a long time, but thought it would be interested in reading a retelling of Jane Eyre’s classic book of all time.  “Catherine” is a modern spin on “Wuthering Heights” and April truly captures the essence of the characters.  Catherine’s point of view is told through her diary that she leaves hidden on a bookshelf in her old room.  Chelsea, her daughter, finds it and believes her mom is somewhere waiting for her.  Told through alternating point of views: Chelsea and Catherine, the story flows quite nicely.  Through reading the diary, April gives her readers a better view of who Hence is and the relationship he and Catherine had.  I didn’t feel as connected with Catherine as I would have liked, and I do wish there had been more “appearances” made by Catherine in that eery way Jane Eyre was able to do.  However, this is an excellent story and April Lindner creatively built this story as a modern day romance that many will be able to relate to.

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Sep17

Mini-Reviews- Cupcake with a Little Icing, Cupcake with Sprinkles, Cupcake with Cherry on Top Ratings!

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Synopsis:

Adelia has no one to blame for her heartache. She’d been cautioned, many times and by many people. Everyone except her mother had told her it was folly to marry an elf, citing a host of reasons. Adelia knew their warnings were not unfounded. She knew he was very different from her and her kind, he was much older, and he’d had five other wives before her. She didn’t care. She had chosen her path.

The Sixth Wife is a novella of approximately 7,300 words (35 pages).

Review:

This is a short story that took me about 2 hours to read. It was a rather interesting storyline and one that I think many can relate to….aging and loving someone.  I would have loved for the story to have been longer because the author would have had more time to explain some of the history behind the elves and humans, how they live, and how their worlds merge.  Nonetheless, it was a good story.

*This book was provided for free through Library Thing by author, Laura Lond, in exchange for an honest review.  To purchase the book for your Kindle, please click on the picture and you will be directed to the purchase link.

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Synopsis:

A CASE FOR SOLOMON: BOBBY DUNBAR AND THE KIDNAPPING THAT HAUNTED A NATION chronicles one of the most celebrated—and most misunderstood—kidnapping cases in American history. In 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar, the son of an upper-middle-class Louisiana family, went missing in the swamps. After an eight-month search that electrified the country and destroyed Bobby’s parents, the boy was found, filthy and hardly recognizable, in the pinewoods of southern Mississippi. A wandering piano tuner who had been shuttling the child throughout the region by wagon for months was arrested and charged with kidnapping—a crime that was punishable by death at the time. But when a destitute single mother came forward from North Carolina to claim the boy as her son, not Bobby Dunbar, the case became a high-pitched battle over custody—and identity—that divided the South.Amid an ever-thickening tangle of suspicion and doubt, two mothers and a father struggled to assert their rightful parenthood over the child, both to the public and to themselves. For two years, lawyers dissected and newspapers sensationalized every aspect of the story. Psychiatrists, physicians, criminologists, and private detectives debated the piano tuner’s guilt and the boy’s identity. And all the while the boy himself remained peculiarly guarded on the question of who he was. It took nearly a century, a curiosity that had been passed down through generations, and the science of DNA to discover the truth.A Case for Solomon is a gripping historical mystery, distilled from a trove of personal and archival research. The story of Bobby Dunbar, fought over by competing New Orleans tabloids, the courts, and the citizenry of two states, offers a case study in yellow journalism, emergent forensic science, and criminal justice in the turn-of-the-century American South. It is a drama of raw poverty and power and an exposÉ of how that era defined and defended motherhood, childhood, and community. First told in a stunning episode of National Public Radio’s This American Life, A Case for Solomon chronicles the epic struggle to determine one child’s identity, along the way probing unsettling questions about the formation of memory, family, and self.Review:I received this book to read and review by Simon & Schuster.  I felt like a reporter reading this book, because at times it read like a report or case study.  I had to actually remind myself that it read that way because it is a real story that happened in America!!  I was amazed at how many people were willing to lie to themselves because the alternative was too painful. As a family therapist, I was mesmerized and would have loved to have met the family.  There were so many family patterns and issues that weren’t dealt with, but with anything, a lie will slowly rip apart the seams of a very intact family.  It was a great book that I enjoyed reading.

*This book was provided for by Simon & Schuster for an honest review.  To purchase the book for your Kindle, please click on the picture and to be directed to the book.

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  Synopsis:

When Christine Blacksworth’s larger-than-life father is killed on an icy road in Magdalena, New York, a hundred miles from the ‘getaway’ cabin he visited every month, she discovers a secret that threatens everything she’s always held to be true. Her father has another family which includes a mistress and a daughter. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father’s secret life, Christine heads to Magdalena, prepared to hate the people who have caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her father. But what she finds is a woman who understands her, a half sister who cherishes her, and a man who could love her if she’ll let him. The longer she’s around them, the more she questions which family is the real one. . .

Included in the Kindle edition are 2 Chapters of PULLING HOME – She’ll risk anything to save her child…even the truth.

Review:

This was a great book!  This is the first book I’ve read from the author, and I love her writing. The characters are developed very well and it was interesting to read how Mary balances the characters with the plot, without making the book too bogged down with details.  While there are moments where the storyline is unrealistic, the issues of family secrets, alliances, and expectations, readers will certainly understand those family dynamics.  The story is about 500+ pages, but it sure does go fast!

 

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Aug7

Review: The Baby Game by James A. Thomas and Vidya Samson

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Synopsis:

Schoolteacher Samantha Morgan wants nothing more than to go to India and pick up the baby that’s being carried by a surrogate–the baby belonging to
her and her beloved late husband.

But a mysterious woman contacts her and brings up a long forgotten
event: her seduction by an older man at age fifteen. Samantha tries
to put that back in the past, but a friend and fellow victim of the seducer delivers some startling news: that older man is now the Republican candidate for president and is about to win the election.

A phone call urges her to come forward, tell all, and destroy his chances. She wants no part of the notoriety that would bring. Then her friend’s home is blown up, and it’s obvious that another, more sinister group wants her silent forever. She and her friend flee to India to get her baby, and there the real troubles begin.

Product Details

  • File Size: 714 KB
  • Print Length: 375 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B007WHYSE8

My Review:

This is very fast paced, action packed, and thriller book!  There are many issues covered in the book: adoption, surrogacy, global issues, and political crime.  I typically don’t read action thrillers, however this was a book that had just enough of the relationship and character building that I enjoy.  Getting to know each character, their beliefs and motivations regarding adoption, supporting adoption, and covering secrets, was rather intriguing.  While there were times I thought the storyline was a bit far-fetched, I did find myself looking forward to my nightly reading to know what was going to happen next.  If you enjoy a political, action thriller, that also deals with domestic issues of adoption, single parenting, and relationships, this book will certainly entertain you.

*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. No forms of compensation were given.

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May25

Review & Giveaway: Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

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Synopsis:

For fans of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary and Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It comes an irresistible novel of a woman losing herself . . . and finding herself again . . . in the middle of her life.

Maybe it was those extra five pounds I’d gained. Maybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because after almost twenty years of marriage my husband and I seemed to be running out of things to say to each other.

But when the anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” showed up in my inbox, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. It wasn’t long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101).

And, just like that, I found myself answering questions.

7. Sometimes I tell him he’s snoring when he’s not snoring so he’ll sleep in the guest room and I can have the bed all to myself.
61. Chet Baker on the tape player. He was cutting peppers for the salad. I looked at those hands and thought, I am going to have this man’s children.
67. To not want what you don’t have. What you can’t have. What you shouldn’t have.
32. That if we weren’t careful, it was possible to forget one another.

Before the study, my life was an endless blur of school lunches and doctor’s appointments, family dinners, budgets, and trying to discern the fastest-moving line at the grocery store. I was Alice Buckle: spouse of William and mother to Zoe and Peter, drama teacher and Facebook chatter, downloader of memories and Googler of solutions.

But these days, I’m also Wife 22. And somehow, my anonymous correspondence with Researcher 101 has taken an unexpectedly personal turn. Soon, I’ll have to make a decision—one that will affect my family, my marriage, my whole life. But at the moment, I’m too busy answering questions.

As it turns out, confession can be a very powerful aphrodisiac.

My Review:

This is a very easy read, in that the writing is very smooth and seamless.  However, the subject matter is not easy by any means.  This is about a woman, who discovers that she desires more from herself, her marriage, and by answering questions, realizes that she is the author of her life.  While there were many moments I was uncomfortable with the relationship Wife 22 and Researcher 101 had developed, by the end of the story, it all made sense.  So, for those of you who are like me and don’t like blurring of the lines when it comes to ethical/moral issues between a person of high influence and their subject, it is a book that is worth reading.  Because the ending was a huge surprise (for me), I was squeamish when reading the book.  As a therapist, I just kept seeing huge red flags and didn’t know when and if the storyline would change.  I can say, it does….however by then I had already developed a sense of dislike for relationship between both Wife 22 and Researcher 101.  I did love the questions, though and think every couple should have an inventory of their relationship from time to time. Overall, communication is key!  I enjoyed the story and the way Melanie weaves both couple’s view on marriage, their partnership, and family together.

View Trailer.

Read An Excerpt Here.

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About the Author: 

      

Melanie Gideon is the author of the memoir The Slippery Year: A Meditation on Happily Ever After, an NPR and San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2009, and a New York Times bestseller, as well as three young adult novels.  Her novel, Wife 22 (to be published in 30 countries and translated into 26 languages and currently in development with Working Title Films) is forthcoming from Ballantine in May 2012.  She has written for the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, More, Shape, Marie Claire, the London Times, the Daily Mail and other publications. She was born and raised in Rhode Island and now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son. Wife 22 is her first novel for adults.

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Follow the Author:

www.melaniegideon.com

https://twitter.com/#!/MelanieGideon

https://www.facebook.com/MelanieGideonAuthor

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Melanie Gideon has taken her book, Wife 22, on a virtual blog tour. At each stop, she has taken time to submit a question and answers it, as well as the hosting blogger.  Each question is from “Marriage in the 21st Century” survey, which is featured in the book, Wife 22. 

Books in the Burbs question:
Describe a cliché of parenthood that took you by surprise.

Melanie Gideon’s answer:
I never knew I could love somebody like I love my son.

Books in the Burbs (Lisa’s) answer:

Having 3 children, it is amazing how much I love all 3 of them equally and with just as much as enthusiasm, intensity of love, and commitment.  Your heart does expand!

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Please stop by to visit the blog on this tour to find out what the next question will be, and read Melanie and the blog host’s answer.

May 21 – www.MomsTreehouse.com

May 23 – www.SheScribes.com

May 25-www.BooksintheBurbs.com

May 29 – www.WellReadWife.com

May 31 – www.AtHomeWithBooks.net

June 5 – www.StilettoStorytime.Wordpress.com

June 7 – www.BookJourney.Blogspot.com

Want to Win This Book?

Simply fill out the form below with your answer. 

By filling out the form, your information will not be displayed on my blog. 

This is for your security and privacy.

Deadline is June 30, 2012.

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Dec31

My 3 Last Book Reviews for 2011: Blank Slate Kate by Heather Wardell, Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart, and Her Life as She Knew it by Karen Schwind

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I have managed to end the year 2011 with 3 more book reviews before the new year.  I have read quite a lot this past week and really wanted to write the reviews for these books I agreed to reading.  While these are not comprehensive book reviews like I normally try to do, I know that readers will still be able to get the gist of what I thought.

Have a great and happy New Year!

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Synopsis: 

Waking up with a strange man is scary. Realizing you lost fifteen years of your life overnight? That’s terrifying. With her memories from seventeen to thirty-two gone, Kate has no idea who she is and where she belongs. As she begins to fall for the man who found her, she wonders if she forgot those years for a reason. Should she keep trying to retrieve her original self, or start a new life?

My Review:

Kate is a 32 year old woman, who has lost all memory of the past 15 years.  In her mind, she is 17 years old, and sees the world through the eyes of an innocent young teenager.  Heather Wardell brings the reader along as Kate tries to figure out what happened during those lost years, work through trying to catch up with world events, and even figure out the world of technology (think iphone, Twitter, Facebook, etc).  Heather Wardell writes very realistically in this  “too crazy to be true” scenario, as Kate also finds without her family, friends she knows, and a sweet bartender guy who she a crush on.  At times I wanted to hurry the story along because I wanted to know why this had happened to Kate.  However, everything is unraveled in its due time and all questions are answered in the end.  This is a story that is authentically told only through the eyes and thoughts of Kate, so as she unravels the mysteries, you will to…at her pace.  Hang tight, the book is worth the read, and it’s a book that I really enjoyed reading!  I highly recommend this book to those who love a good chick-lit book and who like mysteries weaved with a little romance.

*This book was provided by the author for an honest review. No forms of monetary or other compensation were given.

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Synopsis:

Now that she’s arrived at her ultimate address, will Mary Lynn’s longed-for view of the harbor satisfy the craving of her heart?

At last, Mary Lynn and Jackson Scoville are living the life they’ve dreamed of. Two self-described “small town bumpkins” from Round O, South Carolina, they made a small fortune selling the little gems of lowcountry real estate Jackson inherited and now they are living in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina, carefully working their way up the social ladder in hopes of meeting their ultimate goal:  to give their three daughters the life they themselves never had.

But the long-forgotten God of Mary Lynn’s childhood seems to be trying to get her attention in clear and unusual ways.   So clear and strange she can no longer deny it.  When Mary Lynn prays for Jackson to open his mind and heart to God, her prayers are answered beyond her wildest imaginings.  Now Jackson’s dramatic conversion (which includes street witnessing, giving away a lot of money, and inviting poor, desperate and marginalized people into their home) is threatening their social status as well as their family mission statement.  Is she willing to go along with him?

What would it be like to go “all out” for God?  Jackson, a sharp and focused Type A man, is unafraid and willing to go all the way.  Mary Lynn has her doubts.

My Review:

Mary Lynn and her husband both grew up from humble families and both became rather wealthy and live in the plush town of Charleston, SC.  Both deal with their own inner demons, while their oldest daughter Katherine tries to please her father, deals with severe anxiety, and begins to take pills to deal with her own demons as well.  There were quite a few very realistic scenarios in this story as Jackson grapples with handling his success and keeping up with Jones’, wanting the best for his children, and dealing with the death of his mother (who he lost at 9 years old), all while also questioning his own spiritual existence and relationship with God.  While I really thought this story dealt with some very real and raw issues that all families deal with, even Christian families, I felt that some of the issues weren’t addressed fully and that the story ended too perfectly.  For example, Mary Lynne recognizes some changes in her daughter Katherine and suspects something is going on with her when she sees Katherine’s hands often shaking.  However, she never quite addresses the issue and Katherine soon stops using and instead focuses on her studies and running. I felt that there was a huge piece of the storyline missing.  It would also have been helpful to have seen more of the struggles Jackson and Mary Lynne experience as a result of their spiritual walk, or lack thereof.  While Mary Lynne was attending church, it would have given a more realistic portrait to what a family experiences when one partner chooses not to embrace faith and spirituality.  I also wanted more surrounding Mary Lynne’s miracle.  Nonetheless, this was a good read and one I would recommend to those who enjoy reading Christian fiction.  Keep an eye out for this Christian author…she has a gift for writing!  Maybe just adding an extra 100 pages would be helpful for my inquiring mind ;)

*This book was provided by Book Sneeze in exchange for an honest review.  No forms of compensation were given.

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*Click picture to purchase book for $1.99

Synopsis:

For readers who believe that the best lives are built on the firmest foundations.

Karen Schwind brings us Caroline McKee, a girl on the cusp of womanhood who is determined to use her wit and fearlessness to right the wrongs former friends did to her. She gets her chance when Billy Taylor, a veteran of the Great War, returns to Greensboro and opens a newspaper in the spring of 1919. Together they dig into the lives of townspeople until Caroline discovers a secret that lays bare the sorrow and shame of people she’s known all her life. Publishing a front-page story of betrayal and tragedy, Caroline learns a lesson that only her devout Christian father could teach–about love, loyalty and letting go. Schwind has crafted “a memorable setting that feels historically authentic” and “portrays Caroline McKee’s longing for an idealized childhood . . . in tender, nostalgic” language that captures the reader’s imagination until the last unexpected turn of this amazing story.

My Review:

I loved the character of Caroline McKee.  She is a woman destined to be a great writer and finds creative ways to do just that in a town where not much happens, during a time when women didn’t work outside the home.  This is a sweet story, nothing sexual and profanity is zilch.  While I enjoyed reading how she becomes a writer and tries to please her father while also fulfilling her own life long dreams, I would have liked a little more inner struggles with her mother (who abandoned her and the family), as well as seen the relationship between her and Johnny evolve.  Because he marries, it would have been helpful to see how Caroline handles the news of his marriage and its impact on her.  However, it is a very sweet story and gives a small snapshot into the life of one woman and those she interacts with.  Overall, this was a really good book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

*This book was provided for review by Skoobpress for an honest review.  No forms of compensation were given.

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Nov19

Review: Stomp Out the Bullying by Angel McGowan

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 30 pages
  • Publisher: Outskirts Press (September 16, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 143277994X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1432779948
  • Price:  $14.95

Synopsis:

Mikey lies awake in bed at night because he is worried about what is going to happen in school the next day. Mikey’s frustration grows and he almost makes a wrong decision, because he listens to a friend. Finally, Mikey learns that his teacher, Mr. Jones, can do more than teach math.

About the Author:

Angel McGowan is a fifteen-year old junior at JL Mann High School in Greenville, South Carolina. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club and basketball team. She is also a two-time USAIGC National Gymnastic Champion. Angel enjoys writing, playing basketball and spending time with her family and friends. Ultimately, Angel plans on becoming a pediatrician. The Illustrator, Matthew Linn is a fifteen-year old sophomore at JL Mann High School in Greenville, South Carolina. He is an avid soccer player. He plans to pursue a career in art after college.

My Review:

I love that the author is a teenager and she wrote this book for young children.  The pictures are more like sketches and some are a little awkward, but overall, a good picture book.  This is a book that teachers can read to their students to let them know that they have a support system with teachers. There wasn’t information about Mikey’s family, so I wasn’t clear if he lived at home with his parents, one parent, grandparents, etc and that would have been nice to have known to understand his background a little more and perhaps give an opportunity for readers to connect with him on a more personal level.  There aren’t too many suggestions offered in the story or after the story in a follow-up page to teach students what they can do besides tell a teacher that he/she is being bullied.  While I would have liked that, I can understand the concept was more about a teacher helping a student.  Overall, it was a good book and I have high hopes for Angel as an upcoming author.

*The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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