ANOTHER PLACE ON THE PLANET (Lilyland Book 1)

by T. A. Munroe

Publisher: Author

Published: February 21, 2012

Format: ebook (570 KB)

Origin: Author

***Though the author provides the free ebook, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

Lily Mayfield had a hard life, enduring an abusive husband who, in the end, committed suicide, and his death left her daughter blaming Lily for his demise.  She’s a survivor of abuse who hasn’t learned how to live. Although seeing a therapist, Lily rejects advice to get out from her isolation and meet people. Soon, her therapist is questioning whether Lily would be better off with another therapist. Reluctantly, Lily takes a small step into the world of the living and enrolls in a class.  Maybe she was too old to relive her dream, but she could learn more about it. Her marriage stole the dream and the passion, but she can’t help being drawn to the creative arts.

Meanwhile, it would appear that Charlie Winston has it all, but he no longer has a son.  

Mattie’s death wasn’t the only reason he lost his wife. His life is in Hollywood, but his undoing is Hollywood. Secrets, addictions, and haunting darkness make him as dysfunctional as the day is long, and Tinsel Town doesn’t mind these kinds of things from a filmmaker who’s at the top.

In Arizona, he’s performing his community service—for topping out his speedometer on the state highway—by teaching a filmmaking class. It doesn’t take long before he begins to feel different about himself outside of California, and when he meets the woman he met just a year ago, he begins to think about her differently too.  

The sun bunnies of California will hop to and from famous people and those in the business. To them and to Charlie, everyone’s a hump away from the next stop on the Hollywood express. Princess Mayfield, he dubbed her that the first time he met her, was different. He’d treated her like Cinderella at the ball but she didn’t hop. Seeing her again makes him realize the place he’s been living feeds his sickness, and maybe she’s the only person who wouldn’t. However, she could be the only person who sees through him enough to recognize it.

My Take:

ANOTHER PLACE ON THE PLANET (LILYLAND) by T. A. Munroe is a story about dysfunctional people, unhealthy relationships, and a location that loves them all, when they’re successful. This is not a love story but a story of how one needs to love self.  

You’ll see the mistakes Lily makes and suspect there’s more to Charlie than what you do see, but you’ll find out that Hollywood can be a lonely place or a richly filled land of opportunity with plenty of second cast members to meet and follow. I must warn about the adult language and situations depicted, but these add to the story and understanding of the characters and aren’t overdone.  

T. A. Munroe gives us characters that could be someone you know, and their situations could appear in any newspaper or tabloid. She gives us the good with the bad, provides a story you’ll need to finish with people you want to get to know, and weaves an element of faith throughout.  

LOVE UNDER THE BUBBLE WRAP – A NOVELETTE

by Donna J. Shepherd

Publisher: Lilliput Press

Published: February 1, 2012

Format: ebook (Novelette – 41 pages)

Origin: Author

***Though the author provides the free ebook, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

With a pressure filled life, a recently disabled husband, and the shine dulled on her fifteen-year marriage, a mysterious package arrives to provide a pleasing distraction from Debi’s problems.

However, the item laying under the bubble wrap is something she couldn’t imagine and she doesn’t know who would send it. Debi believes it a fake stone, but she brings it to someone she trusts for evaluation.  Her friend, Jenny, works at a local jeweler and she determines the diamond is real!  

Jenny’s taking the ring for an appraisal and Debi is dying to know its worth.

These two start hatching a plan to uncover the sender.  Could it be Debi’s husband?  No. Jeff knew about the ring and even doubted it was real. Nope. Besides, he’s a tightwad with money, but she knew they can not even afford a gem like this.  Their list is short even minus Jeff.  Joe is a neighbor who is always staring at her, an old boyfriend who was more a friend than beau, and a coworker who always seems to be around.  

Jenny takes the lead and starts contacting their suspects, while Debi starts wondering if she should be doing this at all.  Soon, Debi finds she needs to do this and cannot even explain to herself why.   

My Take:

LOVE UNDER THE BUBBLE WRAP-A NOVELETTE by Donna J. Shepherd isn’t a chick lit read. However, this hen lit title shines a spotlight on the middle of a marriage through a woman in the middle of a life where things haven’t gone as planned.

Anyone in a relationship who has ever hit upon one of life’s snags will relate to Debi and will laugh at the lengths she goes to solve her personal mystery.  Debi’s a woman on the hunt— who doesn’t always see the forest through the trees—but she learns in the process, when she meets a Christian counselor.  This man has given her a few things to think about and explains why the need to find the giver even exists inside her.   

Donna J. Shepherd gives us a “real life” love story! Though short, this novelette provides a fleshed out story with curious characters and a satisfying ending.   Her other works include devotionals, children’s stories, and poems.  You can find more about Donna and her books at donnajshepherd.com. 

THE SCOOP BOOK REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!

by: Fern Michaels             

Publisher: Zebra (Kensington)  

Published: March 12, 2012        

Format: Paperback (320 pages)      

ISBN: 9781420124644            

Series: The Godmothers

Origin: Publisher

***Though the publisher provides the free book, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

As soon as widow Teresa “Toots” Amelia Loudenberry throws off her mourning clothes, she is ready for the rest of her life.  

Toots wants to start out by getting together with her best friends.  Her daughter’s godmothers.  They all have their own life issues but Toots is ready for a change and she knows most of them need a change too.  Ida needs to find who she used to be by kicking her germaphobic habits while Sophie is waiting for her rotten husband to die.  Toots watched her friend, Sophie, suffer through her marriage with a man who cannot die soon enough.  Sophie deserves to live a much-delayed life and find herself some good loving.  Mavis needs to add some living to her life of widowhood and lose some weight.   Toots needs to be needed and she wants to enjoy an unmarried life, something long overdue with her eight marriages and oodles of money.  The plan only got that far because she was taking it slow.  

She issued her friends invitations for an all expense paid trip to visit with her in South Carolina, and they all accepted.  Filled with glee she hadn’t expected bad news.  

Her daughter lives in California, and she can’t afford to be out of a job.  

Abby’s not your average journalist, in a true sense of the word, not that her daughter hasn’t had the offers and opportunities to be just that.  She hated those opportunities but discovered her true love.  Now that love was going to end in the most final of ways, and Abby’s going to need the unemployment checks, if her newspaper closes.  Toots knows Abby would be a great addition to any tabloid in Hollywood, but they have established staffs, even if they’d probably hire freelancers, at times.   Freelancing?  No, it was not going to pay Abby’s mortgage. 

The Informer had been a start-up venture, and it seemed to be catching on.  However, the owner is a major gambler—on the losing side of the dice—and that’s why her daughter and many others will be out of work.  Although, Toots offers again to pay her obligation, Abby refuses.  She always refuses.  Toots extended the other offer, knowing Abby would reject it. She told Abby her old room would be ready, if she changed her mind.  

Her mind conjured up the idea in a flash.  This could really work!  Her stepson would help. However how would her friends feel about a not-so-quick trip to California?  

Later, Toots would wonder who stole her millions.

My Take:

Fern Michaels introduces the Godmothers series and the entire cast in THE SCOOP!  

These four seniors take Hollywood by storm, bringing with them a sitcom to match every one of them.  You will enjoy Ida’s latex glove transformation, Sophie’s not-so-sad demeanor for a husband she’d only return to bury, and Mavis’ new diet mindedness; but most of all, you’ll enjoy Toots who is not afraid of living without a man.  Toots is the glue that holds these girls together and provides the means for their opportunities.   These women will drink, eat, smoke, and fuss their way into any reader’s heart.

Along the way, Fern Michaels throws in a little mystery too.   

Although this title stands alone, you will want to catch some of the other Godmother books including, EXCLUSIVE (Kensington -reprint- 2010), LATE EDITION (Kensington 2011), and DEADLINE  (Zebra – reprint – 2012) until BREAKING NEWS releases in May 2012  (Kensington).

NOW, HERE’S THE GIVEAWAY NEWS!

For readers of this blog, throughout the United States and Canada, you can enter a random drawing for a free physical book of THE SCOOP just by leaving a comment!  

The comment form will require an email address.  However, your email address will not be published.

I will announce the winner on a future blog post.

So, you stay tuned and check back often!  I just may have more giveaways coming to you in the future.

INTERVIEW: BETH WISEMAN, author of NEED YOU NOW

Biography of Beth Wiseman, Author

When a personal crisis tested and strengthened her faith, award-winning journalist Beth Wiseman was advised by her agent to consider writing a Christian novel, particularly an Amish one. Encouraged by her agent’s urging, she began exploring the Amish lifestyle and soon developed a great appreciation for the more peaceful way of life. In 2008 Wiseman wrote her debut novel, Plain Perfect, featuring the Amish lifestyle within the context of a fictional love story. It was a bestseller, as have been all of the full-length novels and novellas she has written since.

While Need You Now is Wiseman’s first non-Amish novel, she is confident it will not be the last. She is already making plans to write a second contemporary novel in the near future. Like Need You Now, it will also be set in small-town Texas, a familiar background she thoroughly loves exploring and writing about.

Wiseman’s previous releases have held spots on the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) and the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) bestseller lists. In 2010, she received the INSPY Award for Amish Fiction (chosen by blog reviewers). In 2011, she received the Carol Award and was the Inspirational Readers Choice winner for her book Plain Paradise. Her novel Seek Me with All Your Heart was the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year.In addition, Wiseman has been a Retailers Choice Finalist, a Booksellers Best Finalist and a National Readers Choice Finalist. Prior to becoming a novelist she received many honors for her work as a journalist, including a prestigious First Place News Writing Award from the Texas Press Association.

Today, she and her husband are empty nest parents of two grown sons, enjoying the country lifestyle and living happily with two dogs, two cats, two pot-bellied pigs, two chickens and a single pygmy goat in a small community in South Central Texas. Along with writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, traveling and watching good movies. Her favorite pastime, however, is spending time with friends and family.

INTERVIEW: Beth Wiseman, Author of NEED YOU NOW

Q: As a former award-winning journalist, having received eleven honors including a prestigious First Place News Writing Award from the Texas Press Association, what inspired you to begin writing fiction?

Becoming a Christian novelist was a calling for me, and it came on the heels of a particularly rough time in my life. My son (then 15) had spent several weeks in the hospital, and when he finally came home to recover, my agent suggested Christian fiction to me, particularly Amish. She said she felt like I was in the right place spiritually. I’d always been a Christian, but when I thought my child might die, I was guided into a renewed, more “real” relationship with God. From the time I started writing my first book in the Daughters of the Promise series—Plain Perfect—I could feel God’s hand on it. And He has continued to bless me with stories to tell.

 

Q: What would you consider your biggest challenge as a writer of Christian adult fiction?

To make the messages loud and clear for those who need to hear them, but not be preachy. And to stay on the course God is leading me despite my own insecurities, fears and worries.

 

Q: One of the teenage characters in Need You Now practices an often misunderstood form of selfinjury. Why did you feel it important to showcase such a deeply personal issue?

I chose this form of self-injury because it IS so misunderstood. I’ve known of several teens who have coped in this destructive way, and I couldn’t understand it. So I set out to educate myself and others, hoping and praying that it would help a teen or family dealing with this issue.

 

Q: You also addressed high-functioning autism in your latest novel. What would you most like your readers to understand about children who have been diagnosed with this disorder?

I have a close friend who taught autistic children, and her experiences first sparked my interest in these very special children. I think it’s important to note that autism is diverse, and no child or diagnosis is the same. It’s very individual, from high-functioning autism to children who don’t speak at all. I believe that God places these children in the lives and on the hearts of people who can often reach them.

 

Q: What inspired you to write about such complex issues?

I usually don’t have a full-blown plot lined out before I start a book, but, in this case, I did know that I would write about self-injury. I also wanted to write about a married couple, as opposed to a “boy meets girl” romance. However, I didn’t set out to write about autism. I had already covered the subject in another book, Plain Promise, several years ago, but I felt God calling me to go a step further with an older child who was autistic. I also wanted to tell a very “real” story about the bond of marriage and the strength of family. And I think that anyone who has raised a teenager can attest to the fact that it is one of the hardest jobs on the planet.The rewards outweigh the hardships, but sometimes it’s hard to breathe when we are facing challenges with our kids.

 

Q: How much, if any, of the rural setting for Need You Now was drawn from your own experience?

Round Top, Texas, is one of the smallest towns in South Central Texas, and it’s right down the road from me, so there are lots of real places mentioned. I’m also a city girl who moved to the country later in life, and I’ve experienced a lot of the things I mention in the book. Not to give anything away, but when Darlene has an intruder in the first chapter—I’ve been there. It was a lot of fun writing about my area and incorporating familiar topics and descriptions, like coyote hunting and cow tipping.

 

Q: Several of your characters in Need You Now find themselves having to deal with forgiving past mistakes, their own and those of others. Do you believe that forgiving both ourselves and others is essential to individual and marital happiness and, if so, why?

I write a lot about forgiveness—another thing that I never set out to do, but it always finds its way into my books. I think that’s because I tend to carry my burdens from the past and have a hard time forgiving myself. I know in my heart that the inability to forgive—whether ourselves or others—hinders progress and can block the voice of God, but it’s still hard not to cart our baggage around with us. And if we can’t forgive ourselves, it’s even harder to accept that others are willing to forgive us.

 

Q: As a reader, it was very easy to fall in love with your main character and her family. Will you be bringing any of these characters back in future books?

Oh, I hope so. I guess it will be up to the readers…and my publisher. My characters are real to me, so I always hate to say goodbye to them.

 

Q: Will you be returning to the Amish background for your next book, or will it be non-Amish, as well?

The plan is to alternate between Amish and contemporary fiction. The next book to come out will be His Love Endures Forever, which is book #3 in the Land of Canaan series, scheduled for release in October 2012. Then from there I am going to write another contemporary, and it will be set in another small town near me.

 

Q: What would you most like your readers to take away from Need You Now?

Life can be a mess sometimes, and when that happens, our faith either gets stronger, or it takes a dive. I hope readers will close the book with a feeling of renewal and the certainty that there is no hardship that we can’t conquer with God on our side. I hope that this book will bring folks one step closer to Him.

by: Beth Wiseman

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: April 10, 2012

Format: Paperback (320 pages)

ISBN: 9781595548870

My Take:

My deepest thanks to Beth Wiseman for visiting my blog, graciously answering my questions, and introducing fans to her first contemporary work of fiction.  Like many readers, I am already looking forward to Beth Wiseman’s new titles from inside and outside Amish country!  

 

The voting hours have ended. I thank you for all of your votes! 

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GRACE: BLOG POST BY T. GREENWOOD & MULTI-BOOK GIVEAWAY!

Publisher: Kensington

Published: March 27, 2012

Format: Paperback (352 pages)

ISBN: 9780758250926

Origin: Publisher

A special guest post by author, T. Greenwood . . .

Grace Blog

Late in 2009, I heard a story on the news about a man in suburban Detroit who, after making his teenage son strip naked, forced him out into a dirt lot near their home where he shot him execution style. It was the type of story that both horrified and fascinated me. As a parent, it seemed inconceivable. As a mother, it seemed unforgivable. And for the next several months, I couldn’t let go of this image, a modern day Abraham and Isaac story played out in a vacant lot.

Every novel I write begins with a question. Grace began with this one: What would bring a father to this? What would drive a man to the state of madness necessary to kill his own son? I wrote the opening scene first, conjuring Kurt Kennedy and his son, Trevor, in a similar situation (though not in Michigan but rural Vermont). I imagined what might be going through Kurt’s mind as he marched his son into a snowy field, a rifle aimed at the back of his head. Who are these people, and how did they get here? I asked myself. And then I spent the next year and a half (and nearly 400 pages) figuring out the answer to this question.

Initially I knew little about Kurt and Trevor. I only knew that Kurt had snapped, and that Trevor had done something horrific to trigger this fracture. Initially, I thought that something was wrong with Trevor, that he was somehow troubled. What I learned, however, by going with him to school and spending time with him as he wandered the woods behind his house with his camera, was he wasn’t troubled at all, but rather the victim of years of torment by his peers. He was a sensitive kid whose only friends in the whole world were his elderly art teacher and five year old sister. I fell in love with Trevor from the outset. And it was excruciating watching as the events that led up to this confrontation with his father unfolded.

But I also allowed myself into Kurt’s world, as well as Elsbeth’s (Trevor’s mother). And what I found were two parents each waging their own small wars in an effort to keep their family together, their lives together, despite having both sacrificed their dreams a long time ago. I also found Crystal, a store clerk with her own demons to exorcise, who becomes inextricably tied into the drama playing out in the Kennedys’ lives.

I never set out with a particular agenda with regard to theme; rather, themes slowly emerge as the characters begin to breathe on the page. The story of the Kennedy family began in an effort to answer the aforementioned question, but ultimately became a story about perception, about possession, and about the small moments of grace that can—and do—save us…sometimes even from ourselves.

My Take:

My thanks to T. Greenwood for visiting my blog and giving us readers a glimpse into GRACE, the real story behind her story.  

NOW, HERE’S AMAZING MULTI-BOOK GIVEAWAY NEWS!

For readers of this blog, throughout the United States and Canada, you can enter a random drawing for free physical books of  ALL T. Greenwood’s previous titles including: 

TWO RIVERS
THE HUNGRY SEASON
UNDRESSING THE MOON
NEARER THAN THE SKY
THIS GLITTERING WORLD

You can enter this  multi-book giveaway just by leaving a comment on this blog post!    

The comment form will require an email address.  However, your email address will not be published.

I will announce the winner on a future blog post.

So, you stay tuned and check back often!  I just may have more giveaways coming to you in the future.

The voting hours have ended. I thank you for all of your votes! http://www.goodreads.com/book_blogger_award/entry/156

WOODROSE MOUNTAIN

by RaeAnne Thayne

Publisher: HQN Books

Published: March 27, 2012

Format: Paperback (352 pages)

ISBN: 9780373776375

Origin: Publisher through netGalley (egalley)

***Though the publisher provides the free ebook, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

Evie Blanchard flees Los Angeles and moves to Hope’s Crossing, looking to heal.  Death stole her best friend first and then her daughter, while overwhelming grief took her career and life. 

Through the mountains, fresh air, new friends, and String Fever, Evie finds more than a home. She finds peace, healing, and a lifestyle that fits her—until a tragic accident. One teen dies. Another teenager clings to life in a coma. Evie’s friend loses a child while another one hopes her granddaughter will live, and another friend plus her children survive their injuries.  

The whole town is grieving, hoping, and praying.  Through the grief, happiness shows up as Taryn Thorn wakes from the coma, but soon Evie faces Brodie Thorn.  

Brodie Thorn never really liked Evaline Blanchard; in fact, he does’t trust her. Who gives up a life in LA to come here? She cozies-up to his mother, Katherine, and he needs to know why. However, he also has many other reasons to dislike her.  

She fights everything he wants to do in this town and acts as if she’s a life-long resident. Meanwhile, he’s grown up in Hope’s Crossing and is raising his daughter here. Suddenly, the newcomer seems to think she knows what is best for this town. She sits at meetings and hearings running her mouth against whatever project he is pitching, no matter how great it is for the town. His town.  

Now, Brodie really needs Evaline on his side, and it’s not for the latest development or project. His brain-injured daughter is coming home, and he needs a physical therapy manager.

Unfortunately, his mother suggested this woman and did her research, but he easily expected to shoot the idea down. It did not work out that way.  This woman’s dossier couldn’t be matched. Ms. Blanchard is the best in the business, and she lives right in his backyard.  

Overlooking her extreme dislike for him, he goes, hat-in-hand, asking her to be Taryn’s therapist.  

Just like every other time they’d been on the wrong side of each other, she turns him down. Did her dislike of him mean his daughter should suffer?  Couldn’t she help a child in need? Not only was he furious, Brodie was not taking no for her answer.  

Taryn needs the best, and she is the best. No, if he had to do it with guns blazing, Evaline Blanchard was going to help Taryn, whether she wants to or not.  

My Take:

I recommend WOODROSE MOUNTAIN by RaeAnne Thayne! 

The author brings two unlikely characters together, for a common goal, and they each discover the other isn’t whom they thought. However, questions remain for them.  

Is Evie over her losses enough? Can Brodie trust her? What these two find out is something that will change their lives, forever.

In WOODROSE MOUNTAIN, RaeAnne Thayne adds flesh to the supporting cast of characters, especially Taryn and Charlie. With a hint of mystery surrounding the accident, you’ll need to know what Taryn knows, and you will want to find out what happens between Evie and Brodie.    

After reading this title, you’ll decide to read A COLD CREEK REUNION (Harlequin Special Edition, March 2012) plus more of this author’s many titles.

   

The voting hours have ended. I thank you for all of your votes! 

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CHOCOLICIOUS

by Geraldine Solon

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Published: July 8, 2011

Format: ebook

File Size: 335 KB

Origin: Recommendation

***This read comes from a recommendation to my private library, but as always, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

Blair Nightingale was not supposed to be alone, let alone raising a child on her own, but soon, after her husband’s funeral, Blair cannot help but wonder, whom exactly had she married?  

Larry Nightingale wasn’t a criminal—at least at first.  

Now, she’s finding out the man whom said marriage vows to her wasn’t the same man in the end. All she really knew was that her husband started their marriage as a fun-loving, romantic, adventurous, ambitious man, but she’s not really sure how it ended up that she was very much alone long before he died.  At some point, Larry thought of her as little more than a trophy wife and her husband was always at work or going away for work.  

However, the wreck her life just became was something she never saw coming, but she knew Larry’s best friend, George, just told her she was about to lose everything and then went on to deliver her daughter, Rebecca.  

Not too long after she gave birth, another man that she knows through Larry’s business parties shows up at her door, with her immediate eviction order and a moving van.  Without mercy, he tells Blair of Larry’s theft and blames Larry’s lack of life insurance for her current situation. No doubt about it, he wants what is coming to him and he has no problem telling Blair that what happens to her is not his worry or care.  

Now, with a daughter who is only weeks old, Blair is homeless.

With the array of her limited choices threatening to cripple Blair, her sister wants her to move back to their hometown, but Blair sees that as not an option. She left that boring, small town life long ago, and she’s not going backward.  

Deciding to stay poses many other problems; she needs a job but has limited work experience and that dates back years ago.  

Meanwhile, George Withrop can’t help but feel responsible for Blair. After all, his best friend asked George to watch over his wife.

Larry should have thought about them before he stole all that money.  Now, Larry is dead. Moreover, he left nothing for his wife and soon-to-be daughter but grief and debt, and George failed them too. George tried to reason with Reinhart and his attorney, but they would not listen. George didn’t want Larry’s wife and daughter to pay for Larry’s deception, but it seemed he could do very little about it.  

Calling her constantly to have the will read was like probing her fresh wounds, he knew, but it was the only hope he had left to save her from destruction.  Unfortunately, this only increased Blair’s hatred for him, leaving him without anymore options.  He would have to deliver the news himself to a woman who could give birth any day that she is going to lose everything.

However, the best-laid plans can never happen without complications.  Only minutes after receiving his devastating news, Blair’s labor begins, but judging by her agonizing pain, this wasn’t going to a slow birth.

Before the paramedics arrive, George has to deliver this baby and absorb the face slaps that he’s received in the process from the hysterical woman.  With the help of an emergency operator, via telephone, George delivers Rebecca and falls in love at the same time.  

Although they shared a brief respite from her hatred of him, it doesn’t last long.  While she had slapped him silly, Blair yelled the reason for her hatred.  

Blair believes that he was the reason her husband had left her alone, and she resents him for being with Larry at death, essentially keeping her from being by his side in death.  These things were not entirely accurate.  George was Larry’s best friend and was indeed with him on many nights, but George had no idea that he was leaving his wife to be with his friend.  He simply figured, as a married couple, both had been involved with outside activities and thought that Larry was spending free time with George. Yes, he was present when Larry died, but it wasn’t the way she visions it.  These two best friends had not always been close; in fact, they’d been distant.  

Blair Nightingale does have every right to hate him, but she doesn’t yet know those reasons. All he can do is hope she never finds out that George was the reason Larry died.

The day Rebecca was born changed both of their lives and he wants nothing more than to be by her side and help raise Becky as his own. Nevertheless, he needs to overcome her hatred and his guilt, and, most importantly, she needs to fall in love with him too.  

My Take:

Geraldine Salon provides us readers with a romance that will keep you engaged and invested to the end.  Her characters are both flawed and have made their share of mistakes, assumptions, and judgments, but they are both able to redeem themselves to themselves and others.  

Blair realizes her marriage had been over long before her husband died but that she stayed in the imperfect union.  Now, she’s out to prove to herself that she can make it on her own.  In the meantime, while George falls in love with the family that’s not his own, I was able to fall in love with him.  George isn’t bad, but he became a fast friend with Larry maybe for all the wrong reasons.  However, keeping his secret erodes George from the inside, but if he tells, he could lose everything.  

I have no doubt that when you finish CHOCOLICIOUS that you want to read Geraldine Solon’s LOVE LETTERS (Solstice Publishing January 2011). 

SO DAMN LUCKY

by Deborah Coonts

Publisher: Forge Books 

Published: February 28, 2012

Format: Hardcover (384 pages)

ISBN: 9780765330062

Series: Lucky O’Toole

Origin: Publisher through netGalley – eGalley

***Though the publisher provides the free ebook, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

Lucky O’Toole was not the only one to receive the death threats.  The magician, Dimitri Fortunoff, received a few scary ones, while tonight’s had been the worse thus far.

Right now, Lucky is kind of running the show at The Babylon, a mega-resort, and she’s made an executive decision to close down the recently acquired Athena.  However, in closing down the casino, she was putting the entertainment and staff out of a job; her death threats could be warranted.  However, in Dimitri Fortunoff’s case, these threats all begin from a rumor.

Dimitri is said to be the Masked Houdini; he’s the guy who tells then shows the tricks of the trade to the world, proving magicians to be just the same as you and me. That masked man is hated even by Star Trek aliens, apparently.

With the illusion of magic gone, the fans, crowds, and monies also disappear, and the rest of the casino suffers without the income.

Consequently, Dimitri protests the claim, but Lucky doesn’t actually buy that.  It’s not a case of thou doth protest too much as much as it is a case of not protesting loud enough. Nevertheless, what the man does is his business.  Lucky can’t get her own life right, who is she to say what another should do?

Tonight is the last night of shows at the casino, and Dimitri steps on stage with bravado, in front of an audience that includes the members of the Magic Ring—a secret authoritative society in the magic arts community.  But Lucky knows there is a whole cast of other entertainers who could believe he’s the Masked Houdini, the one to blame the lackluster casino’s closing on.

Lucky’s stomach knots when Dimitri announces he is going to perform a special escape, just for tonight’s performance.

The Great Dimitri Fortunoff is going to escape from Harry Houdini’s Chinese Water Torture Cell. With his legs padlocked in stocks and his wrists handcuffed, he is lowered inside the water-filled box head first, but it doesn’t take as long as it felt for someone to scream Dimitri is dead!

The ambulance arrives much too late and takes the dead illusionist to the nearest hospital, but that doesn’t end Lucky’s problems.

Dimitri Fortunoff never arrives. Who took his body, and why?

My Take:

Deborah Coonts give us readers quite a mysterious and funny performance in SO DAMN LUCKY, with a special backstage pass inside Lucky O’Toole’s unusual life.

Her lineage is a hoot, while Lucky’s souring romance, need for love, and mystery to solve make her a loveable and endearing character.  Filled with a cast of characters that you’d love to spend more time with, Deborah Coonts gives us a promising romance, laughs, and a true mystery to solve.

While SO DAMN LUCKY is a standalone title, you’ll want to read the other novels in the series, WANNA GET LUCKY (May 2010) and LUCKY STIFF (February 2011).

SAVING HOPE

by Margaret Daley

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: March 1, 2012

Format: Paperback (336 pages)

ISBN: 9781426714283

Origin: Publisher through netGalley (egalley)

***Though the publisher provides the free ebook, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

Kate Winslow is the director of Beacon of Hope School, but her charges are not just her students, much to her wealthy family’s dismay.  These children have endured more in their short lives tan any child should, but Kate takes them in, gives them hope, counseling, safety, and schooling. 

One of her current students, Rose, is the ideal success story.  She’s turning her life around and wants to help others do the same.  In Rose, Kate sees a wonderful transformation, and she prays her other students can realize this same change.  Unfortunately, this director knows she could lose some of the girls back to the streets; it’s happened before.   

However, when Rose goes missing, the school’s only van disappears.  Could this girl whose made so much progress have gone back to her pimp?

Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan is part of the Child Rescue Task Force.  This group of law enforcement professionals, consisting of Texas Rangers, FBI, and other agencies, must tackle child prostitution and human trafficking; Wyatt and his team try to make a difference in the lives of these endangered children.  

A body is uncovered, and he gets the call.  Soon, he arrives on scene, and Wyatt discovers the girl had been reported missing.  She’s found.  Dead.

This kid was the same age as his daughter, and he always fears this could happen to his own. As a widowed father of a fourteen-year-old girl, Wyatt knows how easy it would be for her to trust the wrong person or become prey for them.  Already loosing his wife to a criminal’s hand, this ranger couldn’t lose her too.  And while he gives thanks for the safety of his daughter, he never loses the chill of knowing he could be the parent on the other end of any notification.

Nevertheless, he won’t let these thoughts tie him in knots; instead, the worries push him to work harder at getting these predators behind bars and unable to hurt any other children.

In this case, an abandoned vehicle is still at the scene, but when this vehicle is registered to a local school and hasn’t been reported as stolen, he needs to find out why.  Could other resident students been in danger there?

My Take:

SAVING HOPE by Margaret Daley is a book I recommend. 

The author makes the reader’s heart pound as they know each character’s circumstance, but their suspense builds along with the danger.

Margaret Daley’s SAVING HOPE encompasses a fast-moving plot that not only deals with one of today’s very real issues, it showcases how these kids can overcome it and how adults can help them through it. Despite the seriousness of the topics, the author weaves a satisfying romance that keeps you in love with these characters. 

After reading this title, you’ll run to order THE MEN OF TEXAS RANGERS (Book 2) as soon as it releases. 

THE SCENT OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS

by: Cindy Woodsmall

Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Published: February 21, 2012

Format: Hardcover (208 pages)

ISBN: 9780307446558

Origin: Publisher

***Though the publisher provides the free book, I offer the opinion.***

My Look:

THE SCENT OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS pits Plain against Plain in a battle of love.  

Annie Martin is Plain Order Mennonite while Aden Zook is Plain Order Amish, but when childhood friendship springs into something more, they are worlds apart.

Annie finds herself back at her Daadi Moses house, whether she’d wanted to be there or not. She did, but this time her visit wasn’t due to Daadi’s illness; Annie’s mother nearly kicked her out of the house without any information on when she’d be welcomed back.   Having a petrified relationship with her mother, Annie just doesn’t understand how she let the family unit go to dysfunction, after her father left them.   This worldliness is the main source of contention between Mamm and her daughter, especially since her brothers’ alarming new turn into things not permitted in their faith.  Her brothers drink and play games of cards and take a lackadaisical approach to their job.  Annie knew she should’ve kept her mouth shut, but she didn’t.  Annie worried for her younger siblings who seemed to be favoring their eldest brothers’ bad habits.

Back working in the Zook’s diner, Annie realizes Aden is all grown now.

Aden Zook enjoys sketching, but he must work too.  A long work schedule is hard but not as monstrous to him as his stutter seems to be; he just wants to be more like his brother, Roman Zook.

However, Roman hasn’t been Roman in what feels like a lifetime.

An accident bound Roman to his wheelchair and almost killed their Daed, but everyone is alive and well. However, Roman depends on Aden to assist in everyday tasks while his Daed cannot do anything near what he used to. Daed’s muscles and pain restrict him so.  Nevertheless, this family still runs the best diner anyone ever had, but when their Uncle Ernie needs Roman’s help to fix a generator, he convinces Roman to go.

But what maybe good for Roman’s confidence will push Aden’s work schedule beyond what any man can be can aspire to handle, with a wedding party to feed and a diner to manage.

It’s Roman who has the business mind out of the two brothers, and he impresses on Aden how important this wedding can be in the future of the diner.  If they can manage to service the Plain relatives of the happy couple, it would open future opportunities, but Roman is not here to help manage this task.  How can Aden and Mamm do this while being almost alone?

Blessings reign on the Zooks in the form of a Plain Mennonite named Annie Martin.

Aden always remembers their time working together as young kids while she worked in his family’s diner.  Aden’s truth is that he’s always felt fondness for Annie.  However, he acted shy and not very responsive to hide his impediment, freely allowing his brother Roman to do the talking.

Now, they will be working side by side, again, but Aden has only his own voice for Annie. Moreover, she has a way of making him open up, perhaps more than he should, and she might begin to realize just how much he cares for Annie.

Now while caring for a woman is not a sin, a relationship with this woman will cost them both, dearly.

My Take:

I recommend THE SCENT OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS by Cindy Woodsmall!

Cindy Woodsmall writes a love story that is full and complete and you’ll meet more characters plus learn their stories.  However, you will not be ready for this novella to end as her writing is engaging enough to make you want more.

Through WaterBrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books Program, I received this book for free in exchange my honest review.