General Fiction

Getting It Right The Second Time Around by Jennifer Frank

Book Review

Getting It Right The Second Time Around by Jennifer Frank was a great book.  I loved the characters in this book.  I just smiled when they were reading Alison’s aunts will.  I have to wonder if people actually do things like this because I think it is a great idea and something I may do when I am older.  Anyway I loved everything about this book and I think it helped that I have a cat named Elinor so I instantly love her.  I loved reading as Alison gets her second chance and get to re-do things.   I am sitting here thinking about this book and trying to write this review I just keep thinking about how much I love aunt Elinor and how I wished she had been around more during this story.  I loved this book and I can’t wait to read more stories by this author in the future.

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About The Book

If you had a chance to do over your biggest regret, would you take it? When Alison learns the terms of her aunt’s will require that she reverse her life and take the road she rejected six years ago, she has to determine if she can trust herself to make the right decision or if she will be pressured once again to allow someone else to choose for her.

Alison lives a comfortable, safe, life advocating for women at the domestic violence shelter where she works and being bossed around by her cat. When her dynamic Aunt Elinor decides to tie Alison’s inheritance to successfully completing law school, Alison confronts the past that led her to choose love over the law – and lose at both.

As Alison battles through law school admissions, the challenges mount both personally and professionally. Will she sacrifice her dreams again to satisfy her new love, Ryan, and her Aunt Elinor?

Jennifer Frank

About The Author

Physician by Day…Writer by Night. My love of writing grew out of the many meaningful moments I’ve shared with patients – some joyful, often emotional, always special. My initial essays, appearing in medical journals and literary magazines, allowed me to work through the ups and downs of a medical life.

As an avid reader, I adore a great story. Eventually, I decided to create my own. Not a planful writer, instead my story develops as I write, so I am often as engrossed with what will happen next as if I was reading a book created by someone else. My characters are my favorite part of any story I write. Too bad I will never meet them in real life!

When I’m not stamping out disease or coaxing patients to eat their veggies and not composing the next scene, I am kept busy with my four crazy nutballs – my children and my wonderful and supportive husband.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson

Book Review

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor by Melanie Dobson was an amazing story.  I was confused through the first part of the book but once I caught on to what was going on and who was who it was better.  I was confused about who was who and how they were related to each other.  Even though I was confused through part of the book I still didn’t want to put it down and because I loved the characters and the whole premise of this book was amazing.  I loved Libby from the first time she appears right up until the end of the story.  I think I loved her because she was so innocent and I loved that quality about her.  I loved seeing the all the different generations and how they dealt with a lot of the same things that the older generations went through.  I loved Maggie and how she tried to keep her daughters from going through the same things she went through and even though she tried her children dealt with the same things that she did.  If you are looking for a book that makes you think than I know you will love this book as much as I do.

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor

About The Book

Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor (Howard, June 2015)

When Heather Toulson returns to her parents’ cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder.

Libby, a free spirit who can’t be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. Libby finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Though theories spread across the English countryside, no one is ever held responsible for Oliver’s death.

Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family’s cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is filled with mixed emotions. She’s mourning her father’s passing but can’t let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. Adding to her confusion, Heather has an uneasy reunion with her first love, all while sorting through her family’s belongings left behind in the cottage. What she uncovers will change everything she thought she knew about her family’s history.

Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present together, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery and reveals how the characters are connected in shocking ways.

Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic and historical mystery brings to light the secrets and heartaches that have divided a family for generations.

Melanie Dobson

About The Author

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of thirteen historical romance, suspense, and contemporary novels. Two of her novels won Carol Awards in 2011, and Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010. Melanie lives with her husband Jon and two daughters near Portland, Oregon.

Find Melanie online: website, Twitter, Facebook

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Blue Wide Sky by Inglath Cooper

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Blue Wide Sky by Inglath Cooper was a great story.  This was an easy read and I love how short the chapters were because it makes it easy for me to read.  One of the things I loved most about this book was  the fact that part of the story has to do with international adoption and I follow blogs that have adopted kids with special needs so it was something that I loved right from the start of the book.  I liked all the characters in this book so that made reading it super easy and fun for me.   I can’t wait to read other books in this series because the author does an amazing job of making you feel as if you are right there with the characters and I loved that.  If you are looking  for a sweet summer romance novel than I know you will love this story.

SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE SERIES-2

About The Book

Title: Blue Wide Sky

Author: Inglath Cooper

Genre: Contemporary Romance
First love. . . forever love.

Sixteen-year old Gabby Hayden wasn’t the kind of girl who gave a hoot about boys. She had a few real loves. Water-skiing, going out on Smith Mountain Lake with her dad and her dog. Anything else ranked a distant second. Until the summer smart, caring, gorgeous Sam Tatum gave her his heart. It had been the most wonderful time of her life, lazy days hanging out at the dock, skinny-dipping at midnight, staring up at the stars from the back of Sam’s truck.

They are planning their future together when Sam’s father is transferred to South Africa. Devastated, Gabby and Sam promise to wait for each other during the two years before he returns for college. But lonely and angry, Sam makes a mistake that will change the course of both their lives.

Years later, an unexpected diagnosis brings Sam home to his parents’ house on Smith Mountain Lake where he believes he can find peace and acceptance. What he finds, however, is the girl he once loved, now a woman unwilling to lose him again, a woman who will make him realize that both love and life are worth fighting for.

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About The Author

RITA AWARD WINNING AUTHOR INGLATH COOPER writes books that aim to give her readers a mini-vacation. A stretch of time during which they can visit other places and other people’s lives. Her books have reached the top 100 Amazon Kindle Bestseller list, with Truths and Roses hitting #11.

Inglath Cooper’s Nashville series became a reality after she spent time in Music City, writing lyrics with other songwriters. She fell in love with the community and gets to revisit regularly through her characters.

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley

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Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley was a great book & a great story.  I loved getting to know the sisters and their backgrounds as well as seeing them change throughout the book.  I felt so bad for Faith throughout most of the book because of what her husband has done to her.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Sam’s son Jamie but I know that is just because he is a teenager and I dislike teenagers in really life as well.  I did feel bad for him because of what he must have been through and he must feel because of what happened to him.  I loved watching the sisters come together and help each other deal with the things in their own lives that was going on.  If you love contemporary women’s novels than I know you will love this amazing story.

Her Sister's Shoes

About The Book

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves.

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward.

Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk.

In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck.

For fans of Elin Hildebrand, Her Sister’s Shoes is a contemporary women’s novel that explores and proves the healing power of family.

Ashley Farley

About The Author

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

When she’s not working on her next novel, HER SISTER’S SHOES, scheduled for release in July of 2015, she can be found book blogging atwww.chroniclesofavidreaders.com

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Mireille by Molly Cochran

 

Book Review

Mireille by Molly Cochran was a great book.  The first thing I want to let you know about this book is that it is a long one so be ready for a big book but I really did enjoy the book.  It took me awhile to get through it because I have had major headaches.  I liked that the writing in the book isn’t super small so I don’t have to strain my eyes as much.  At the start of the book I wasn’t a huge fan of Mireille and to be honest I am not sure why.  I did feel bad for her throughout parts of the book because of what she went through.  I hated Oliver from the first time he showed up right up until the end.  I would recommend this book to anyone who love historical fiction and/or books that take place during WWII.

Mireille

About The Book

Paperback

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 9, 2015)

Near the end of World War II, seventeen-year-old Mireille de Jouarre flees the home of her stepfather, a Nazi collaborator and abusive drunk. She finds shelter with her childhood friend Stefan, and the two fall deeply in love. But as the fighting escalates, Mireille must escape alone to Paris, where she discovers she’s pregnant and lacking a way to provide for her child.

So begins her new life as l’Ange—the Angel. After an unlikely meeting with a wealthy aristocrat in a Parisian hotel—and her acceptance of his solicitation—Mireille becomes the most celebrated poule in all of France, eliciting huge fees and invitations to exclusive parties. At one of these events, Mireille meets Oliver Jordan, an American womanizer and film producer, and is soon launching a promising film career. As her star rises, Mireille is determined to bury her past. But her success isn’t as carefree and glittery as it seems, and when her daughter’s future is threatened, Mireille must make a deadly decision in a desperate attempt to finally choose her own path.

Molly Cochran

About The Author

Molly Cochran is the author of more than twenty novels and nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestseller Grandmaster, The Forever King, The Broken Sword, and The Temple Dogs, all cowritten with Warren Murphy. She is also the author of The Third Magic, and she cowrote the nonfiction bestseller Dressing Thin with Dale Goday. Cochran has received numerous awards, including the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award, the Romance Writers of America’s “Best Thriller” award, and an “Outstanding” classification by the New York Public Library. Recently she published a series of young adult novels, Legacy, Poison, and Seduction, and two novellas, Wishes and Revels. Legacy won a 2013 Westchester Fiction Award.

Visit Molly at her website, mollycochran.com.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret

Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney

Book Review

Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney was another great book by this author.  I did read and review the first book in this series so if you missed that you can check it out here but you don’t need to read the book to understand what is going on in this book.  I love when you don’t have to read the other books in the series to understand the book you are reading because not everyone has the time to read the other books before the they get to the book that they wanted to read.  In this book you get to know Corinne & Jesse and follow along as they go through problems in their marriage and how they work them out.  I also loved that you get to check in with the other characters that you got to know and love during the first book.  I have to say that I love these two characters more than I did the others because they seemed more real to me than  I did Landyn & Chase and I am not sure why that is but I did.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great summer read because I can’t wait until I read the third  book because I can’t wait to get to know the third sister and see what she is all about.

Two Roads Home by Deborah Raney

About The Book

Two Roads Home (Abingdon Press, June 2015)

What if it’s too late for dreams to come true?

Minor—but-nagging setbacks continue to sour Grant and Audrey Whitman’s initiation into the world of innkeeping, but larger challenges brew when an innocent flirtation leads to big trouble for the Whitmans’ son-in-law, Jesse. Jesse Pennington’s friendly, outgoing personality has always served him well, especially in a career that has earned him and his wife Corinne a very comfortable lifestyle. But Corinne and Jesse are both restless—and for similar reasons, if only they could share those with each other. Instead, too many business trips and trumped-up charges of harassment from a disgruntled coworker threaten their marriage and possibly put their three precious daughters at risk.

With their life in disarray, God is tugging at their hearts to pursue other dreams. Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a wonderful life before it all crumbles beneath them?

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About The Author

Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas-the setting of many of Deborah’s novels-for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.

 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Margaret Margaret