books i read nov 2011

33 books
Smitten by Colleen Cable, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt and Denise Hunter
Natalie Birthday Wishes by Colleen CableSmitten is a town in VT that has to close the mill down. The women talk about how to attract business and agree that it should be a love type business that would enhance the name of the town. Everything catering to the honeymooners and lovers. Their every wish come true. She even has the mayor on board now and is helping him redo his cabinsand they start going on dates. She doesn't really think he is the father of her sister's baby that she's had custody of for over 5 years.Her sister only calls when she needs money. Like how her friends are more than aware of her having to eat gluten free food and they cater to her needs. She finds herself in love with the mayor and the little girl, Mia also loves him. She looks to the bible for guidance inthe scriptures.

Julia: small town, big dreams by Kristin BillerbeckJulia had worked in an upscale spa in NY but now lives in Smitten, where she takes care of her mother. She still has the insight when it comes to transposing things like someonesmakeup on their face. She's called her friend Devlin to come look at the town to not only inspire her but to monetarily fund the transformation.Her brother Greg has asked Zak-the body builder who's local to keep an eye out for her. He doesn't feel he has any chance of catching her eye, he's not as high class as her.She needs more faith and hope in her life to help her get over herself and let others help where they can. Or is she gonna head back to the big city? Her women friends have a lot of faith in her and the ending is a total surprise.

Shelby: You've Got a Friend by Diann HuntShelby's shop is called Social Graces where she teaches girls how to become ladies.
Nick is a local fireman and he's helped put out a fire at Shelby's house. On his way back to her house he gets a call that his ex-wife has passed away so now he needs to make plans for his youngdaughter and bring her to live with him.Roses house had a flood from the hot water heater and now Shelby can't use her house for the classes.Nick has come to the rescue by allowing her to use his outbuilding where in season, he sells Christmas trees and decorations. Things happen that leave her watching Nick's daughter while hesettles the trust fund for Willow. Her own child would've been the same age as her but her dad had ordered her to get rid of the baby.

I'm in heaven-Willow knows how to knit and crochet!
Like how in every story Mia has provided the lavender wreath meaning eternity and having faith in the towns survival, connects them all together.Another thing I really like was in each story there is a daily walk/run/rollerblade exercise and talk with the 4 women. Each day a different person gets to choose the type of exercise.Only God can help when Willow has run away.

Reese, all along by Denise HunterShe is ready to start on the renovations with the local contractor: Griffen.
She will run the new outfitters shop in town in hopes the tourists that come will find something to do with their time, athletically. She wants to make Griffen jealous but her plan backfires and he wants to step in and make her old boyfriend jealous that he missed out on her.
Really great how the whole book was brought together at the end, fantastic!
I rate this one a 5

the house on olive street by robyn carr
Friends who are authors are going to surprise one of their own and bring a catered dinner to her house as it's her birthday. Problem is Gabby's dead.
THe friends take care of everything and the book continues on with each still writing and the problems each one of them has and what they are doing to
overcome them.

One is a heavy drinker, one is getting abused and another is starting an affair with her body guard.

Found a novel that had been started by their dead friend. could they finish it for her?
It's an autobio of their friend and her past history is revealed.

Sable is the star of an expose show on TV and her earlier life is brought to the screen. Even her closest friends had no idea. She runs to Gabby's house
and the other woman come to her aid and she tells them why she covered it all up.

She helps to clean out Gabby's closet and help the daughter who has a Downs syndrome child.
One of the woman leaves her husband and grown children, she's been a maid for them for too long. She helps them with the box Gabby left them

Grandmother shows up, mom goes to court for drug possession and speeding, everybody pitches in.
another confronts her abusive husband.
The women have just been there totally for one another to help them overcome their problems and move on with
their lives. I really like the decisions made for each of them and how they can continue on, the bond was in place.




There Your Heart Will Be Also by Felicia Rogers

The King has sent him to take over control of the castle and to wed the mistress. He wanders around in town and learns about it and
the people living in it, working in it. He's fallen for a maid and he knows it's not right as he has to wed the mistress in order to
get the land.

He is a Scot and he's intrigued with the Lists and watches how the English fight with their swords and attempts to show them how he fights with his kilt on. He senses something isn't right here.

Sarra has a lot of friends in the keep that are intentionally keeping her suitors from the King away. Every one of them has either come down with a health ailment or they see the mistress as an old haggard women.

It is her 21st birthday and the whole village will be stopping work soon and helping to celebrate with a feast, dancing and drinking.
He does not have a gift for the mistress but he does have one for the maid and she loves it.

An uprising occurs to cut the party short and things don't add up. His band of men weren't to come til they were summoned. He learns that gold is involved and can't understand why one is paying anybody to steal sheep.

There are many things that occur that I thought would be in a specific order and just when I thought something would happen a certain way the opposite happened or it was three fold as worse than I feared. Like the anticipation of what was to happen next and especially liked
the sharing of the book with Cedric. Was happy to learn that he wanted to learn more of it.

This story reminds me of Covington Cross where the mother had passed away so the young girl took on a role that made her as strong as her brothers in every regard and ran the castle.

This book has strong characters that are likeable.

I rate this book a 5.


wild man creek by robyn carr
She is on leave for several months when her, what she thought boyfriend. files a sexual harassment suit against her. Her boss knows she is not to blame at all and suggests the months off til the company can get rid of him.
Jillian heads to Virgin River and stays at a local place where the building belongs to the town, it was gifted to the town for all to enjoy. She really enjoys playing in the dirt and brings life back to the garden.

Denny helps her with the fencing and bulbs and grading of the ground.
She gets permission to expand and is planning on having greenhouses to start plants during the winter months, and exotic fruit and vegetables that she can then sell to the best restaurants in big cities.
He now has tracked down his real father and they hook up and make a date to get to know one another and to have a paternity test.

She meets Colin in the pastures and he patches her up as he had drawn his gun on her, knowing the local bears are roaming around.
Colin is a painter, mostly rare animals and birds from photos he's taken or by viewing them firsthand.

The book also brings us uptodate with the other locals and how they mingle with Jillian and Dan's lifes.
Colin's life in the military is now a thing of the past, he can no longer fly. He tells Jillian all about his rehab and the drug addiction and all the problems.

I love the down to earthness of this book: someone saved up and gave her egg cartons to use to start her plants in the greenhouses. I use the same thing when I start my garden plants in the house in Feb/March.
She still refuses to tell him why she no longer has a boyfriend.

Luke talks him into watching the baby so he and his wife can have a night out.
Colin brings Jillian with him and Luke doubts what's going on with him. Shelby tries to reassure him.

She opens up to him and explains what happened in her past. They head out to his brothers wedding and the festivities as the house she's been living in is being shown to prospective buyers. The flowers are starting to bloom and she hopes she can buy the house. She wants him to follow his dreams and travel to get the shots he needs.

Seems a few men are leaving, heading off into their own directions to find what is missing in their lives.
Love how this book catches up with everybody in Virgin River, can't wait to read the next one.



Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr
Katie has packed up her house in VT, under the witness protection plan and headed out with her 2 kids to go live near her brother Conner who had been
a witness in a murder. Things were just not working for her in VT. Her boyfriend she found out was gay.
She treats the boys to Disney then heads up to Virgin River where her brother lives. Just in the northern section of CA she gets a flat and several bikers
stop to help her. Dylan does most of the work and even gives her his jacket to keep her dry from the rain.

Dylan and his buddies head out once a year to see the country on their bikes, stay at Virgin River a few days, fish, eat at Jack's and go for bike rides.

This book hits home as 3 family members and myself flew into LA and took Pacific Coast Highway up towards Washington. I can almost pinpoint exactly where
she had the flat. We drove that road and can relate totally to places along the side where there is NO guardrail, no protection if you should slide and end
up down a 100+ foot cliff side of the mountains.

She gets settled in and enrolls the boys into a summer program and she is invited to tour on the back of his bike.
He's decided to stick around a few more days than the others, to check out options for his avaition company. He can slso
revert back to acting in LA.

They spend a lot of time together while the boys are in the program and when they are doing other family things he gets to know the boys and enjoy time with them and with her brother.

His company is going downhill and fast, as are other aviation places. If only he can make it last a bit longer. Most of the people that worked for him have moved on - to bigger cities where they can get a job but he hates to throw the towel in. Not only has he looked around Virgin River but the larger cities til he contacts an acting agent.

'People step up for each other' perfectly sums up this community.

He has to deal with the multiple family members that had different fathers, 4 in total. They all want a part in a movie. He flat out tells them no. He is missing Her so bad. He heads back putting everything else on hold but her brother beats him up at the bar. He decides to stay a few days but she's down with a bug. He pitches in to help around the house and with the boys.

Where they are staying there is a continuous threat of a mother bear and her 3 cubs. They wander all over the yard and brush nearby. Tom, a neighbor that will be handling the nearby orchard is back from the war and has offered to contact the warden so they can maybe relocate the animals with no harm to them.
bears and a missing child, can't be a good thing. The community comes out to help. And the job offer isn't what he was thinking about
at all.


From here, things go terribly wrong with Dylan and katie, or is there hope of a reunion after things are divulged.
Will things ever be right again for them? One of his family has arrived to really get the pot boiling hot.


I rate this book a 5. Love hearing about the flying and the business of acting, what to do when you come across wild animals-new things for me. Love this community.






betrayal by fern michaels
Kate and her husband Alex always take his best friends kids while they are on a week long cruise. What happens next is one of the girls accuses him of
sexual misbehavior. Alex is brought to trial and is found guilty. How could this have happened-the kids loved visitng with them as they paid attention
to the girls more than the parents.
He is put in jail for years til another laywer finds the lawyer was incompetent. He is to be set free on Monday and will be able to go home with her.
What happens next doens't make any sense but definitely changes her whole life.
She went undercover, just disappeared from the face of the world. She started tracking the girls and to figure out why it had all happened. She was like
a private eye as she did her investigations. She changed her hair color, style, clothes, everything.

The lawyer needs to locate her to give her an envelope that Alex had entrusted in him to give her if anything should happen to him. He's yet to locate her
and calls the ones who had brought charges up on Kate. The Winters: the girls are messed up, the father now drinks himself into oblivion cuz his best friend
is dead and he never believed his daughters accusations, he is broke. Mrs. Winters owns the real estate agency and Kate is attempting to buy a new house with
their agency. There is a lot of gossip in the office about them, the money they want from the civil suit, which they will never get.

Revenge is sweet as Kate watches what happens to Debbie. The Winters wil be feeling total downfall within a weeks time.
Kate calls her best friend who's continuing on with the breeding of Alex's dogs and they laugh about the downfall.
She confides in the lawyer and he's agreeable to help her after she gets the envelope.
She is able to confront the girl and her sister, her dad, her mother and her lawyer. She tells them what future the girl will have now and
there is not a thing anybody can do to stop it.





Be My Texas Valentine by Jodi Thomas; Linda Broday; Phyliss Miranda;Dewanna Pace

4 stories for Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Curse
Valerie is a widow, two times over. She accompanies her father to the local dance where the whole neighborhood is.
Brody is just in from tracking down some cattle and is given orders from his boss' wife to attend the dance. He is also told to sit near the widow and talk to her. She has a curse that the whole town bets on how long any relationship will last before her next spouse is dead. Brody thinks it's all superstitious and pays no mind to it all.
He walks away into a dark section and she's going to say goodnight and he hugs her and gives her a kiss.

He stops to get the bosses wife sewing machine and she is there and he helps out. He finds himself there again another time and helps out. He gets another hug and their relationship starts slowly.

He's a loner and not too sure about women and she's had two husbands and is very shy, it's a wonder they even connected
at all.

She gives him an ultimatum and he agrees to become her husband, tend the farm/ranch and she will live up to her party as a wife. The old boss has some cattle delivered to him as he's the only one to understand them so he has to fix up the fences so they can roam and fatten up. Trouble arises and after a whole day goes by and he's not returned Valerie heads to the old boss and they send out the search parties to locate him. She figures if it's such a curse she at least wants to buy his bones on her property.

Lot of tender slow love in this book. You can tell they really are learning about one another and just taking things slow. Really appreciated having the epilogue so we'd not have to guess as to what happened over time.



Cupid's Arrow by Linda Broday
Logan is back in town and runs into Rue Ann while she's leaving a store.
She is set to marry Theodore and he's been seeing a lot of Charlotte.

With some help from elderly ladies who like to play pranks and have relationships go their way they play a huge part in getting couples together that they know will work.

This reminds me of The Waltons and the elderly sisters who always come to visit their neighbors.

Little do they realize all the lies and arrangements to work against what they want.
Arranged marriages and deals in the backroom are made to advance their careers.

Others have lied to keep them apart and destory their lives in town.


Loving Miss Laurel Phyliss Miranda
The men in town want business to pick up via the railroad so they need to spend the money on paving the main road.
The women don't think the town is at all ready for that growth so they want to spend the money on a library for the kids to enjoy now.

Some women disguised themselves as boys and overheard the meeting that went on and report back to the mayor's wife.

Laurel has just returned from the East and is appointed the new womens society president job. The men have their own club and will stand behind the new paving. The women will stand behind the new library.

The men plot to have a Valentine supper and dance and the women plot to raise more money by providing free beer to them the proceeds going towards the library.

Problem is that's all the women dressed as boys heard so they went to the newspaper and got things mixed up and that's what was printed in the next newspaper. They didn't get the mens' side which was not what was printed.
Laurel gets mad at her uncle and leaves the house, thinks she'll take the job of president of the womans' society and do bookkeeping for the saloon
while being able to live on their property.
There is an scuffle at the livery and a few people have confronted her with solutions to her problem.
Hunter, the mayors mother: Melba Ruth recalls the terms of Laurel's parents will and she is to inherit the estate and all sums on Valentine's Day-her birthday.
The mayor must find her to set things straight. Some one has taken her as she's left her weapon behind.
The truth comes out in the end...



Sweet Talk by Dewanna Pace
Noah is a doctor and his practice is very busy. He has a housekeeper and a talking bird-well he squawks a lot.
JoEmma is wheelchair bound and has a talking bird that has flown away. The bird show up at the docs in the same
cage with help from the housekeeper.
The Valentine Dance is approaching and the hearts with names on them has been done. Now to draw one name and that
man will be your date for the evening, if you don't have a date. They agree the sisters can visit the bird at his place just so they can keep the birds together. The older sister is the beautiful flirty type which he has no interest in.
He's never gotten to know JoEmma much.
His father stops by to tell him he choose the right sister and he asks him about her health as he was the last one
to treat her. He tells Noah and leaves it open for improvement.
Noah's not talked to his dad in years and again the housekeeper comes to the rescue.
The ending is most fitting on all accords.


Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman
Lani has studied under the best chefs and business people. Although she did not sleep her way to the top that's where she is.

She relocated to an island off Georgia and just in time for the festival. Now she learns the ones who mentored her are going to be back in her life again with cooking TV shows from the island she lives on.

She checks in with her girlfriend who's still in NY at least once a day to go over their thoughts as to why he is there, what she has to do with it and when he will be leaving.

A few of the local gossip people take it upon themselves, along with her dad, to help her get over her old mentor and/or to try to move them together.

Her aprons, I'd love to have just one of them, they are priceless to say the least.

How in the world is Baxter, her mentor going to get her to loan him her kitchen at cakes by the cup (her combinations of flavors she eats, breaths and loves cupcakes) going to get her to loan her kitchen to him for upcoming shows-the ones that will start taping in 2 hours time.

She takes Baxter out to the beach while they discuss the tv schedule and she tells him everything she's learned about his boyhood years and he tells her everything he knows
about her years.
oh just perfect: a cupcake therapy club, who knew LOL
Really appreciate all the behind the scenes of how a TV cooking show is done, love the angles and why.

They have a fast paced whirlwind romance, she travels with him for business, then he's gone for weeks on end. Back to the grindstone.

She is so miserable without him in her life now. If only there was a happy medium for both of them.

I rate this book a 5, it has recipes for the different cupcakes mentioned, and their corresponding frostings.

Can't wait to read the next in this series.



the silken web by sandra brown
a woman, who had been orphaned now works at a camp where
other orphans go to during the summer. she resigned her fashion job
when a married man wouldn't leave her alone.
She is in the same situation when a photographer comes to the camp,
a disaster happens and he's in the hospital and she can't get in to
see him, his wife shows up so she leaves the camp and nobody can find her.
she gets a new fashion job and a new apartment in a brand new city across
the US.
abortion, birth, new job, new location, death, someone out to destroy her by
signing her name to papers. confrontations, exotic places for photo shoots
find them together again.
through tribulations one is shown how strong they have grown to
overcome and triumph.
i rate this book a 5, strong characters and details and scenes this book
brought me to new places and new things occurred.

clouds glenbrook series #5 by robin jones gunn
love explanation of why the book was called this, good idea
flgiht attendant shelly comes home and wants to see her old boyfriend.
memories of things that happened as children, birthdays, happy tears, sad tears.
she transfers to a location and travels to Germany where he is doing
charity work. she hides her feelings as he's about to get married.
Her faith in God helps her get through the tough choices.
Love her ideas on decorating and using things that were useless. She seems
to have found her calling in life as things progress.

an engagement in seattle by debbie macomber
groom wanted - scientist needs to get married to stay in US. he can make their company survive and thrive with
the knowledge he has. he only believes marriage is for life. the family is trying to talk her into marrying him
and the prenup offers him a part of the company which he turns down. just why would he want to get married then?
she wants to please her grandmother and get married before she passes away, she's had another heart attack.
now they have to convince the immigration people that they are in love or they could send him back to his home
country and send her to jail for fraud.
can they learn to live with one another as husband and wife? and the problems at the office: someone is giving others
secrets about the new paint line. everything points to her new husband.

bride wanted by debbie macomber
Chase needs a wife and they need to leave Seattle for Alaska in a few weeks time.
he advertises on a billboard.
Leslie thought she'd be marrying Tony who she dated all through college up til a few months ago when he told her he needed more time but he then dated another teacher and they had married.
her friends come to her rescue to help her get through the loss.
she saw the billboard and thought the one who left the ad was a moron.
Leslie meets Chase when a mugger takes her purse=she had started to pursue him but Chase took over and caught him.
he agrees to a coffee in payment. she's emotional as this was to be her wedding day. she tells this all to Chase and he sits and listens intently.
She agrees to have dinner with him and they meet at the publice entrance to the aquarium. they stroll to a restaurant for dinner as she educates him about the area and stories about mail order brides. after getting to know one another better
they agree to meet the next day. Problem is she finds out it was he who posted on the billboard before he can tell her himself. He has started to return and meet the 500+ women who've left a message for him.
She is interested in why the women responded and they discuss the many reasons.
He forfeits interviewing the 800+ now respondents to spend time with her at Paradise at Mr. Rainier, a picnic lunch, hike to the meadows.
they take the neighbor's boys fishing early in the morning and we learn how to smoke a fish they caught. her old boyfriend wants to hook up with her again so Chase leaves her to make that decision.

the reason why i like this book so much is we do travel to Seattle area a few times a year to spend time with my daughter and her family and have been to the area and like it very much-good to hear more details about new places we
need to visit when there. The stories are easy to follow as there are NOT a ton of characters to keep track of.


Sunrise on Cedar Keys by Terri Dulong
Such tragedy at the very beginning of this story: Grace not only loses her coffee shop but her apartment in a fire while
she is picking up an aunt that is relocating to the island. To make matters worse as she's settling into the new house with her and they discuss a new business venture that both are really excited about: knitting weekend retreat. Sounds like heaven to me along with the local yarn store providing yarn, etc but a call from her older married sister makes her become very angry.

She's had everything she's ever wanted in life and now it's all crumbled and Grace is allowing her to come live with them til the divorce. And her best friend Suellen also wants to relocate to the island.

I'm in love with this seaside town. They take care of the stray animals with donations.

Love the idea of their business and wish it was real-it'd be an ideal vacation spot.

Like the intrigue of the tarot cards, quite interesting along with island folklore and the history.

Now Grace has cravings of having a child before she's too old because another friend is having a baby.
Having the cleaning womans' child with them all at the holidays really shows the cheer on the island.
some old things are brought up and they can destroy many lives. Just when they had found one another.
I rate this book a 5 for the different point of view-it's refreshing. The characters are just so huggable.
The scenery and comfort you can find on the island is just precious.

Closeness and the ability to talk to one another to work through problems really got to me.

And another book in this series is in the works. I hadn't realized there were 2 other books prior to this one. I will have to go get them and read them.

Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
Connor is under the witness protection program, kind of, before he goes to testify in a trial that

will put a mob type guy away for a long time. his ex wife is a sex addict.
Leslie has been divorced from her spouse for quite some time but wants to still be her friend.
Neither are sure just how long they will be in virgin river but love how everybody helps each other out to accomplish things. It's like having a family with no strings. Her ex keeeps coming into town to harass her.

His sister and kids were also relocated and shes falling for her boss, she works in his office.
She and Connor were both thinking the other would relocate to their new location and live out their lives.
There has to be a solution - after the trial, or would he even testify?

As time goes on things heat up and not only in the bedroom but the trial is ready to start.
i surely didn't see it coming along the way it did, quite interesting, very fast paced and held my interest, very tragic what occurred at the trial.

loved the book, a 5 rating. the places the scenes took place, the details of being a witnes in a murder trial and the closeness of the town, as in robyn's other virgin river series was super to read about.


a creed in stone creek by linda lael miller - first book of a new trilogy
steven leaves the city and is awarded custody of his friends 5 year old son. they move into a ranch with a barn neighbors swing by to help get them settled by letting them borrow a tour bus to live in on the property as he makes repairs.
she is a lawyer that lives in town. they keep running into one another. shes to head the parade now and he's going to help.

against the law by kat martin
in this series Devlin is the main character. He's the boss of a security agency, who has it all, a girl anytime he wants, houses,
sailboats, money, good apparel, etc. He's feeling he doesn't have it all.
she is a handbag designer and needs to find out where her dead sisters baby adopted parents are so she can make sure the baby is in
good hands.
she helps him with the investigation as they travel from one lead to another.
things happen where Lark now has the child and is raising her but her one night with Dev plays on her mind, and it also plays on his
mind. They can't get each out of their heads. Problem is somebody else wants the child so there is major mayhem.
Dev has to call on his trained buddies to help him retrieve the girl from another country. Love the planning that goes on. It's like the
ATeam show on TV, they have their act together.
I rate this a 5, very well written, down to earth and over the top in action. True characters and the author comes through as always.


driftwood cottage by sherryl woods
heather has left her boyfriend and took the child with her. his career of a divorce lawyer has made her really think abou how things really are.
the family and the extended family all live closeby. she has a quilting shop and that's what keeps her in the Chesapeake shores area. Many family gatherings find them together as they try to work through visitations and getting to know one another again.
Love this series, the big extended family, traditions and keeping uptodate with everybody.
an accident occurs and the whole family comes to help. it's where they belong it was said.
as that is the beginning the recovery is dealt with in the same manner, everybody has time to
help in any way needed.
As the recuperation goes on they start talking to one another about the important things.
I rate this a 5, it's a wonderful series and always look forward to a new title and can't wait for the next one.

echoes glenbrook series 3 by robin jones gunn
Laurn and her boyfriend have called off the marriage. Her brother gives her a computer and she
reconnects with KC, learning more about one another. She continues her college education and
they agree to meet in person.
Somedays she's really a klutz and things happen throughout this novel that find her in situations
and locations she never thought she'd be in. Her faith in God will get her through.
Good to catch up with others in Glenbrook, love this series.
Love the explanation of how the book got it's name, priceless!


Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke
Love this book because it not only is about the Christmas holiday but there are 3 stoies in total, with recipes.
The murder/mystery parts are just the added topping to make these a good gift for anyone this year.

Hannah is helping Santa pass out gifts to the children and is dressed up in an elf costume.
Santa is very hoarse but makes it through the presents. He doesn't make it through the night.
Her sister and fmaily come to aid her in gathering information as to who killed Santa.
Love logic they use. Love the ability to swap out ingredients to make your own cookies.


danger of candy canes by laura laveen
Los Angelos around Christmas: A man dies when he is stringing up Christmas candy cane.
Jane's cat Prozac hates holidays and destroys everything to do with it.
She starts investigating about the roof-he forgot to pay his insurance premiums.

LA girlfriends is a mentoring program that Jane looks into while asking neighbors about the
man who fell off his roof. It is a program where a woman is hooked up with a girl without a
mother and they do fun things together. They head to Santa Monica pier-I visited there once
several years ago, quite fascinating. Things get worse as the hour goes by.
Back to the investigation: the neighbors name others as being an enemy so she's got a lot
more people to talk to. She's very crafty when it comes to getting information that is useful.

candy canes of Christmas past by leslie myers
Lucy and Bill in their house in Maine with Toby their child
Mrs. Telly, whose oven they used to make Christmas cookies, Lucy gave her a glass candy cane and they talked
of things that happened in the past. Lucy hopes to find out what happened to her mother, could've been TB.
Bill is fixing up the house to save money from having a contractor do it.
The tradition to read a story every Christmas makes her cry as her mom sent her to book.
Spritz pressed cookies, handmade crochet afghans, open houses are just some of the things that occur in the New England area around the holidays.
Lucy gets the older people to help her solve the mystery by listening to stories they have of days gone by.
After Bill almost burns the house down they are consiering going back to New York as they can't make a go of it there.
The neighbors come to the rescue and even his parents help in a way they had no idea was much needed.
She gets clues to solve the mystery from a book her husband gave her.


somewhere along the way harmony series
Mysterious Gabe doesn't like to deal with others so he keeps to himself. He gets a meal from the cafe and pays for it. He's got an office where mail goes to, right next door to the woman laywer who just moved in. They've exchanged
a few talks and kisses til she gets a call from him that he's in jail. The lady who brought him his meal has injuries and they are blaming him. Their pasts are revealed which makes what's happening now a reality.

There are other people in town and we are introduced to them and given the updates as they will be playing a part in
what's going on very soon. Very colorful people all mixed up with one another.
the kidnapping take everyone by surprise and i'm surprised as to who helps to solve it and capture the kidnappers.
I rate this book a 4.5, slow getting started but once it did it was nonstop action. characters i hope to meet in
other novels by this author. Didn't feel like I knew the characters well, like maybe a previous novel told more of
them.


home again chesapeake diaries book 2 by mariah stewart
woman returns to her childhood home as her ex husband is caught online-something to do with nudity.
child really suffers a lot through this as mom hopes a different location where nobody knows them will help.


a light at winters end by julia london
Hannah who's heavily been taking drugs has left her son with Holly telling her that her husband has left her and she
is leaving (going into rehab). Holly loves the baby even though it's a disruption of her life. Hannah's husband won't come
get the baby either, tells her she can still write her songs and handle it.
Holly heads back to the house where her mom lived, she left it all to her. She meets her neighbor while trying to take care of
Mason and to continue with her writing of songs.
Wyatt is a helpful neighbor=checking on her chimney, gas oven, fences, etc

he gets weekend visits with his daughter and they have playdates and become very well acquainted with one
another. Her sister is going through rehab and seems to be healing.
Through their struggles Holly takes his advice and furthers her songwriting skills.
It is made all complete by the end with some turnabouts.
I rate this a 5 as so many things are brought up and dealt with that only a strong character
could achieve.

harvest moon by robyn carr
Kelly is a chef and has had enough of her environment and her male friend, after a medical issue she flees to her sister Jillian who has an organic farm.
A movie script writer has had enough of LA also. Laffe and his 14 yo daughter are also at Virgin River. He is getting help for his daughter and himself
with a local therapist.
Opportunities arise where she is able to cook to her hearts content and hooks up with another female in a business venture.
His daughter is finding her way among animals and making close friends with a nearby family.
The open house they had the neighborhood came with fun things for children to do, good food, everybody pitched in to make it a wonderful afternoon.
Love the horse scenes and I am almost ready to try it myself. I'm finding out what's involved before the riding part to get over my fear of the horse and
how to feel comofortable around them.
As they all spend more time together the therapist has seemed to break through and the girl is now acting normal, she's got a lot more going on in her life,
her interests, etc.
He and his daughter go visit relatives for thanksgiving day
They talk a lot in the car and really get down to the problems with one another. They have come to understandings and they can laugh together now.
The story of the migration of the geese hit home as we have a local company down the street that sets a stuffed fox out on the lawn to deter the geeese from
landing there-doesn't work.
Her mentor tracks her down and prepares a feast for them all. Can Laffe keep her to himself or will she run back to the city and get another kitchen to run?
Her real father wants her for the Christmas holidays but Laffe who's been raising her thniks they've given her to him. He has to get the lawyers involved and
the girl wants to visit his relatives on the farm again because they had such a great time at Thanksgiving.
All heck breaks loose and things couldn't get any worse than what happens next.
She no longer feels wanted and makes plans to go back to the city but something happens that changes that and the whole outcome when it's announced in front of
his daughter.
I rate this story a 5, it's heartfelt welcome is inspiring around the holidays. Anything is possible.

The cowboy by joan johnstone
2 families have a feud, The main from one hooks up with a girl from the other.
11 yrs later they are brought back together again.
Lot of things that happened in the past are brought to the forefront and the ones involved now
find out the truth of what really transpired and why things happened the way they did.
A lot of misunderstandings along with her and he finding out about their parents misgivings takes its toll.
She packs a picnic lunch and sends her parents out to the meadow so they can light a spark in their marriage.
Problem is it's after dinner and they've not returned.
Between murder and horse thieves and just plain backstabbing, bar brawls and going behind others back, this book has that and more.
Like the details of becoming a cutter-never knew that occupation existed and like finding out about horses as I am terrified to become closer to them.
Even though there are a bunch of characters they are easy to keep straight and what's going on with each of their lives. Like how things are brought up and the problem things are dealt with and how. Being disabed it's good to know
others will light a spark under your butt to get you moving and functioning to be self sustaining and not have to rely on others for everything.
Secrets are enough to break up a marriage but it never happened and she married another. The things that come out 11 years later-I don't know if I'd be able to forgive one for withholding the information that finally comes to the surface.
Love the structure of the family and those in charge.
Love and romance was just enough to make this an enjoyable novel.

The Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter
Marta works at home in the advertising area. She attends PTA's and just does NOT feel like she belongs - her ideas, and clothing, her lifestyle, nothing.
Eva her daughter is all about fitting in. Her mom overhear the women talking about her daughter and her clothes. She is devastated but so happy her daughter
didn't hear.
Her daughter wants her to hang around with other mothers in hopes she will become more like them, dress properly and feminine and not stand out by wearing her
combat boots, holy jeans and driving her motorcycle.
Marta has vowed to never fall in love with a guy again but she keeps running into a macho man everywhere she goes in town.
She deals with business problems and her daughter is acting out by doing cruel things to herself, and her mom being sick isn't helping.
I like this book for a few reasons: the mom is going through wandering around lost as she has alzeihemers, hits home as we are dealing with the disease with a family
member. Like the scenery of the Seattle area-places I've yet to go when we visit my daughter and her family.
Her friend who travels to visit them puts her foot down and intervenes to get her to start dating.
Her daughter is also helping in that regard.
Is this just what she needed or should she get back to working in her business as it's on a downfall? As life goes on
business is now her personal life, they are one.


flirting with forty by jane porter
she's 40 and it's Christmas. So getting the tree up on top of her car, dragging it to the house after dropping it from the roof of the car,
onto her cream color living room carpet and there is sap over everything, rug, clothes, furniture . she doesn't even have a saw to trim the trees
for it to be able to put the tree in the stand. What else can go wrong and why does she have nothing but he got the vacation home, the Porsche and the
20 year old girlfriend.
She goes first class to Hawaii, after giving her ex the kids for 5 days, to spend time with her girlfriend but she cancelled at the last minute, she has her own driver and she's in a luxury hotel.
Nothing to do but lie in the sun at the pool drinking til the men start to come over and engage her into conversation.
She decides to go with a local surf instructor and go for a cocktail cruise around the island via catamaran. He's 20 years younger than her and she just can't relax.
She does spend more time with him and finds herself and loves how he makes her feel-so loved.
Back to reality and life again til she can go again to HI. Another vacation and she's on the island again with him and his friends.
There is an accident and she has to overnight herself back home to deal with the injuries. Later she goes to take a home pregnancy test
and finds out her world is about to change.
How can she just call him and help her deal with this?
Her friends come to her aid and help her get through the problems and they introduce her to a man at a BBQ in hopes they will get together and spend some time together.
she makes a bucket list and first time the kids are with the ex she is on her way to argentina for the holidays. What she never expected to happen is when her doorbell rings.
Love the scenery, very long sunsets, Seattle area and learning about new places I need to visit. This is such a down to earth book but with impulsive behavior that is adventurous.


the glass case, a short story by kristin hannah
this story reminded me of a time when my daughter was 4 years old and though only traveling to school one day
she did not return home once. this story is aoubt how a girl that is 17 becomes pregnanat and her boyfriend marries
her. a few months later her mother dies and before she does she tells the duaghter, all she wanted to do was to be
able to hold the childs hand.
hours go by and her son doesn't return home from school and everybody is out searching
for him. then during the rainstorm she sees him walking down the road towards them.
he has an interesting story as to who brought him home, making this book go full circle because of the necklace.



Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier
Typical New England seaside town where in a small town everybody knows everybody.

She is a newspaper reporter and there's a lot going around in town during the winter.

Death on the ice while ice fishing, chamber of commerce meetings how to promote the town
so others will visit and celebrate Valentines Day, award to 1st and 2nd best New England
chocolate shops-both are in town and in competition with one another, returning military
man, tourists looking for a house to buy, and drug related crimes, Valentine ball to attract tourists in winter, dessert contest,

Lucy continues to gain info about things going on in town to help solve the murder while doing her regular job. Some things just don't fit.

Economy during this time is bad but people find things
beside money to pay for things to get done. Even though a lot of things are going on it is easy to keep track of everybody and what they do for a living and how they are related to.

There are a lot of mysteries as murders become solved: the title makes sense.

Really like this town, people and how they help one another. You just don't see that in today's
society is some towns. Whoever says nothing ever happens in the winter needs to read this book.
I rate it a 5 out of 5.


best staged plans by claire cook
Great memory book. This woman is telling others what they need to do to sell their house. She tries to implement the same thing in her house so
her 20+ yo son and her husband will help with the manual labor and get their house ready to sell or she's leaving.
She has things in her junk drawer that I also remeber having: mood ring-and she knew what all the colors meant. This is a hilarious book at times
and a serious one at times. Maps that are more uptodate online, games: go fish cards, mousetrap, etc.
She's tired of not trying fun new things.
she leaves her husband and son there to dismantle the kitchen cablinets to spruce them up so they can sell the house, her daughter shows up in town as
she's there on a business meeting for some time, while she heads to where the daughter lives with her husband to redo a hotel. She has a lot of fun with
that and helping her friend who arrives to try to find out if her boyfriend is seeing an old friend behind her back.
What a fun and very helpful book if you want to redo your house in order to sell it. Various tips through the book and at the end tell you how to accomplish this.
Ending was just right, not too much over the edge but and not dull -what you expect, either.


i meant to clean my room today miriam nerlove
Cute children's book about all the animals that he helped along
the way when he went to make his bed. The combinations of the colors
and the animals make this a very fun book. Matching poem form.