ISBN: 9781937996093
This book is action packed, a bit of romance, and a lot of mystery, not only in the fire department, but police department and other state departments to get to the truth of the matter as to why
a woman was murdered on her couch when 2 little boys were left to burn in the arson fire. Amazing how all the clues lead to them solving the mysteries as other mysteries arise.
I was first attracted to this book because the main character is a fire fighter. I am totally terrified of fire and for many years after my kids left home I would need to sleep with the light on so I could see down the hallway, in case of fire. Witnessed 2 fires in a mobile home, starting in wee hours of the morning. It's so terrifying. I love learning how the people do it, safeguard others in harms way.
Jason after having fought the house fire was back in his apartment, just woken up by the phone and noticing there's not much Kelly had left behind.
After struggling through one fire that leaves him with nightmares he heads home for a few days and is finally able to sleep. Problem is his mom informs him of her new job with child and family services. They adopted him after the fire in his apartment with his mother. They were not able to save her.
He never knew of the other child, his brother.
With all that turmoil he also had job problems. He would have to qualify for a higher level of EMT to keep his job and maybe help others out in the firehouse to even have a job months down the road.
He's also got some leads on his brother, still not knowing if he lived or what his name is.
Gunman, cars on fire and screaming from him to the firemen to go get his brother still inside the building...
Although this is all taking place it's not hurried or too fast. You have time to take this all in. Never a dull moment between all that and his money and work problems. He does find out in time that the original fire was probably arson but that's not what others have told him. It's a surprise as to who was at the fire that night.
They meet with others involved and not sure what to do about opening a can or worms or to let the trail of finding his brother/dead or alive, stop there to protect others life's.
Deaths of fireman always brought them all down and they knew who was to blame.
The deeper they dig the more people are involved and it's looking like murder, arson and others who are now dead or have been threatened. Bigger and bigger case.
Love all the learning of the fire protocol when the firemen first come to a fire. So many things I learned.
Love how everything is linked together but you don't find out everything til the very end...
read 7/14 pub 8/28 The Glass Butterfly by Louise Marley
Name of this book attracted me first, then the story line.
I can't even imagine the planning that went into creating a whole new life for yourself. Not sure how she could leave the people she did.
Love what the glass butterfly stands for and glad she has it with her in times of doubt. It's Murano glass and I love the tales of that island.
This mystery leads us to Oregon area which I love to visit and Tory rebuilds her life. Mystery of things that she had done along the way and why she had done them and the things she brought with her are told in her tale over the course of the book.
Love the Italian phrases and the English translations at the beginning of each chapter. love the house on the shore and the descriptions of the sea around her at Cannon Beach.
There are chapters from her son and a maid at a villa in Italy, as well as herself that kinda help you piece the whole picture together, while it's happening to them.
Another mystery: why is one of his mom's clients breaking into the house, to get her records? She's a deputy police woman.
Tory moves on fixing things at her new place, making a friend of the landlord and getting a part time job to keep busy.
Jack has a plan after the house is broken into and ransacked but he doesn't tell anybody, making up another story to tell them.
He can't conceive that his mom is dead. The fey of it all that she and he both share won't let him give up on her.
Super read!
Out of Left Field by Morgan Kearns
Mathias Xavier is a professional baseball player.
Frankie Holden is the teams physical therapist doctor.
Because he's injured his shoulder, they make a deal he'll get it checked out once the opening day game is over with.
He's now had surgery and she's the only one available to take care of him so she moves into his house for possibly 3 weeks time.
They are getting on each other nerves as time goes by and he realizes in order to do some things she must help him and he hates that, and cries. He hates to cry in front of her.
Her boyfriend, Christian is staying with her sickly mother whiile she's at Xavier's helping him recuperate. It's a long process and she finds herself worrying about his progress.
He is having dreams of her, touching her, feeling her hair, etc
She's agreed to travel to Boston for his 20th high school class reunion. He's made all the reservations. Every touch of her hands on his body causes him to react and he has no control over those parts of his body.
She was going to play the part of his lover for the class reunion. Would it bite them in the end?? Love not only the things she does for him but the way he takes care of her when things go wrong.
Love how the different meanings of the title come into play...
Lot of sensual romance and sex mixed in with rehab, new places of travel and baseball. Great combination as all of Morgan's books are a treat. This one can be a stand alone book and can be read as the series continues.
Secret of the Stone by Barbara Delinsky
Paige Matheson, Ice maiden is the stone artist that others want to penetrate her hard shell.
Jessie Dallas and his friend Ben have a bet he can break her, in a weeks time. A set of Knicks final game is on the line.
She's not a city girl and loves the ocean and her house right on the shore. It's calming and it's where she can do her work.
She's in the city visiting the galleriers that carry her work.
Her agents think she should have a fling while in the city. Her regular limo driver, Felix is on another case and she has Dallas for the day. He's to take her around to all the galleries.
He drives her to hidden places to spend lunch time with as none of the gallery owners has thought she needed to eat. She studies his features and likes what she sees and touches.
He uses his coat on the ground so she can sit on it. He's got a quality of good foods for them to sample while talking about one anothers lifes.
After her grueling day in the city, they spend a heated sensual night, her last night in the city.
She opens up to her about her sex life when he drives her back from the city to her home in Marblehead, MA.
She finds just the perfect stone on the beach. He's driven her back home and left to return to the city. He's not content there and drives back to her house, arriving on her back porch where they take up where their bodies have left off.
He tells her the truth as to why he is there and hates himself as he's not good enough and they hadn't used protection.
He is a documentary film editor and he just needed a break from it all.
She talks him into being a handyman while he's on vacation and she can go back to her wood and sculpting.
Love detailed descriptions of her tools. She had seen the vision of his hand and put it into the stone she had found along with other corresponding images.
After he must leave she struggles and uses her work to get her through the emptiness. She travels home to attend family obligations. She shares with her mother about her pregnancy.
When Jessie learns of her pregnancy he's very angry. He wants to give the child everything he's never had in his life.
Love multiple meanings of the 'secret of the stone'.
Right Next Door by Debbie macomber
Father's Day by Debbie macomber
Robin, accountant had lost her husband many years ago and she was happy to have her son, Jeff. She is able to share stories over and over gain
about his father, Lenny. While they are camping out in the backyard a dog appears and Jeff is very happy thinking it's his new dog. The owner of the dog shows up, he's their next door neighbor.
Cole Camden, lawyer is his name and he's very grumpy that his dog had run away.
Other next door neighbors meet them and they set up after school activities for their children and Robin finds out more about those in the neighborhood. She has had to tell her son they can't afford to have the dog just yet.
Jeff has run away and she goes to the backyard to call for him. Cole goes to his backyard to call for his dog. When they find the boy and the dog they have come to an agreement that Jeff can use the fort and that he can play with Blackie.
They find out Cole was married and his son had died and he got divorced.
Jeff also visits Cole to help with other chores at his house.
They have spent time together, at Golden Gate Park love the details here, flying kite, playing ball and playing with the dog.
Robin is dating now and just before her first one Cole called and said he lied. He means he really did mean it bothers him that she's dating others.
Robin hears other stories about Cole and his ex wife from other neighbors.
Cole has dealt with his pain and has moved onto love them. She needs more time to get over her grief before she can go on with her life.
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Quinn, Wyoming Sky Series by R.C. Ryan
What first attracted me to this book was reading the ARC of Josh. The scenery and nature called out to me that I had to go buy this book and have the author on email so i can keep track of the next book in the series.
This book in the series is about Quinn, the oldest boy of Cole conway. It starts out with when he was younger and his mother had just disappeared.
They have a ranch with cattle, mining and oil rights to companies that brings in a lot of money, along with the largest herd of cattle in the state. When younger he heard the gunshot that killed the mother wolf and her pups that he and his brothers had just played with.
Quinn is the one who enjoys the wolves who are nearby in the hills and likes to track them with a device he had put on the male lead, not to kill them.
Quinn is the one who found his father in the stall with his horse. Jake was away at college studying to be a vet. Josh was up in the mountains tracking down a lost hiker. They were all summoned to go to the hospital for their father's health had failed.
Love the connection he has with the wolves in comparison to his mother-it helps to fill the void. He tracks the male wolf but a rancher has shot him dead. 5 years of research is over and done with now as he hopes to confront the rancher.
He confronted cheyenne O'Brien in her barn and they rode out to where the wolf lay. He showed her the deer and she showed him her herd, one just gave birth and they together brought it back to the barn to warmth. He apologized to her and she thanked him for the help with the new calf.
He spends the night at her ranch along with her cook/housekeeper and their paths cross going to the bathroom and sitting down to eat. They get to know one another more.
With her sudden medical problem he decided to stay to help take care of her ranch while she recovered. They get to spend a lot of time talking about her family and her Indian heritage.
Because of the fire and others being in the area she will go live at Quinn's house til the repairs are done to her house.
Mystery is building as time goes on and other fires are set, others are injured and animals are now being killed. Things that were there that night are not there now with the investigators show up. Other heated arguments with others put you on edge.
With sensual romance and the mystery and the nature and learning about not only the wolves but the trona, the caring family life this is one heck of a book, glad I bought it after reading the 2nd in the series. Can't wait for the 3rd one now.
A Different Kind of Normal by Cathy Lamb
Love reading about magical mystical powers and what regular herbs can do not only in spells but healing humans.
Centuries earlier the twin sisters had some fights: the powers that be set a spell on the sisters and it showed up down the family tree with one male child, Tate being deformed at birth: a huge head, eye not where it should be etc, making him appear to be a monster. His mother won't allow him to play sports as he's a teen now due to his medical conditions.
He starts a blog and tells of his life and he gets many followers and he enjoys getting to love their comments. It's his way of dealing with not being accepted into the public.
His real mother Brooke was into drugs also and had left him with her sister: Jaden who is raising him now and been more to a mother to him than anyone.
There are other deformities of other relatives as well as the years have gone by.
Tate and his mom do spend time with Ethan, Tates doctor. They've been to the beach. Also Tate can take care of himself, not only did he ace the PSAT's, he is big and when others make fun of him he beats them up til they are his friends.
She still won't let him play basketball and he keeps trying to convince her. She's a hospice nurse and tries to make others passing more peaceful and no pain.
Jade and Tate live with her mother, Nana Bird and she's a soap opera actress that does love scenes. They watch on the weekends together. He's made the team and Jade is excited for him and scared cuz of his medical conditions.
Tate's real mom is back on the scene, recovered and rehabbed.
Death smells, high school dances, college, lawsuits, and death and how they all cope makes this a super down deep read.
Wish it had the recipes they speak of in the book.
Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
ISBN: 9780987902306
Very colorful illustrated children's book about the night before Christmas. Each part of the story is displayed in
high graphics bringing magic to the page as you read each one.
This classic along with the pictures would be a delight to read every night til the holiday arrives.
The Courtship of Carol Sommars by Debbie Macomber
Carol Summers is a single mom, nurse with a teen age driving son.
Peter and Jim are friends. Jim's dad Alex Preston is mad his son is late coming home.
Carol's car breaks down after the class she taught at night for first time mothers. She made it to a restaurant and her phone is at home charging.
Alex is there with a blind date and can't wait to get rid of her. He does come to the rescue and she has a cup of coffee while they finish their meal and then he takes her home.
Her Italian family came to the rescue of her borrowing one of her brothers cars. The grandparents drill Peter for information about Carol dating.
She has secrets about her past that have harmed her for life and she won't tell others.
The boys are all for them getting married but she's still holding back.
Alex shares his pain and fears with her: his wife had leukemia and was lucky to get pregnant.
Love the time spent at the Italian relatives, the day long simmering sauces and the dialog and very detailed descriptions of the rainforest in WA state.
Blackbeard's Treasure by Lizzy Stevens
What first attracted me to want to read this is the word treasure. Love a mystery and knew this would be one.
Remember reading some of Lizzy's other books and loved that she got to the point of the matter, weaving a tale that kept you interested throughout the book. This was one of her best romance/mystery ones to date.
Starts out with Cassie who is attempting to clean out her grandfather's house in Missouri and has to go through boxes of things he had inherited when he bought the house. Piles of boxes from floor to ceiling. I can just imagine the treats there. She did find a journal and takes it and her helped Levi back to San Diego for a week so she can check on her diving school and her condo on the beach.
The journal speaks of Edward Teach and how he had passed away and left her mother a treasure. Cassie didn't know the connection between that name and the pirate Blackbeard til Levi brought it up while helping her sort through boxes.
Just when the clues are all adding up and they are about to discover more things a medical emergency happens putting a halt to all those plans. Some unspoken things are finally said between the two so they know where they stand...
Love all the instructions and time spent in the water diving.
Very detailed descriptions and just the words used make this an excellent read, one that takes you to unexplored places...
Josh by R.C. Ryan
ISBN: 9781455502431
Josh Conway lives on the ranch with his brothers, father, and grandfather and they have 2 females who do the domestic for them. He is also a top notch climber and has been known to help the officials by going up into the mountain to help rescue people who are lost.
His mother had disappeared when he was younger, with no clues. He finds calm on the mountain on his ledge. He gets summoned and is able to find the woman photographer, Sierra Moore and ends up bringing her back to the house. Things occur that made her stay a bit longer and the cops are called in.
She stays even longer and capture ranch life with her camera. Even witnessed the roundup and was able to help the women on the ranch to a girls only day out on the town at the salon.
With the threats no longer a problem Josh and Sierra plan to spend some time on the mountain getting to know one another better and she wants to again capture the snowfall with her camera.
The wildlife are extraordinary and I loved hearing about the different colors of the sun rises and sets and the descriptions of the flowers, plant life, etc
Things don't go as planned for their trip and others have to come to the mountain to help...
Loved how the family life is portrayed as hard working and caring people.
Love that this is a series with the other brothers having their own books.
read 7/6 pub: October 23, 2012 The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury
ISBN: 9781451647013
Molly Allen from San Francisco was studying at a south east college-just to get away from her parents for 2 years. They had bought a house there with servants to keep an eye on her. Any dating and she would be sent back home.
Ryan from MS is a poor student but plays brilliant music on his guitar. Together they meet at The Bridge which is like a library and they can push one another to go with Plan A and not settle for what their parents want them to do with their lives.
Love how the pay forward shows up before it was popular. Hearing about the flooded bookstore made me upset that the bank wouldn't loan them money to replace some books.
Love the photo journal/scrapbook and how others pictures and names were in place to show what the bookstore really meant to them.
Charlie and Donna Barton know God will never let him fail and there are many times that quotes used from the Bible are posted in this book.
After Ryan's band shut down he looked for God to guide him in what was to come next.
The scrapbook comes into mind when Ryan contacts people in it to do for Charlie what Charlie had done for each of them.
Molly, upon returning to San Francisco had set her father straight as to how things would be. She'd run his charitiable foundations, which he had none of yet, and her soon to be married spouse would run the business.
The bridge, brought others together from past to present and from past to future, would The Bridge bring Ryan and Molly together again...
Maybe God will give Charlie a second chance...
Love how they use social media of today to rally for the cause.
Read-Aloud Classics 25 Ten-Minute Selections from the World's Best-Loved Children's Books by Pamela Horn
ISBN: 9781579129200
Wow super selections. These samples of stories would help in a child's bedtime routine for a month.
There are pictures in black and white, some color, so the child can follow along with the story.
There are some stories I've never heard of and enjoyed reading.
Each book summarizes at the very beginning what the book is about then shares a chapter to give you an idea if you want to get the full version. Love this concept.
The sing-song rhymes are interesting....
Hansel and Gretel to Call of the Wild and a lot of magical ones in between. My favorite would be Robin Hood
read 7/5 On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
ISBN: 9781101609095
Anna after a very long and delayed trip as a teacher/tutor to the Maldives has endured. Well the plane crashed in the ocean killing the pilot. Now only her and TJ-the son of the wealthy islanders is alive and struggling to keep that way.
The book alternates the lead character in every other chapter, first Anna, then TJ, kinda cool hearing their 'side' of the story.
TJ talked his parents into letting him fly in with Anna as he is now over his cancer but still needs to catch up on some of his courses before school starts in the fall. Anna is to spend til the end of August with them on the island.
They learn how to take care of themselves as things wash up from their plane on the shore.
The horror and joy of their journey does lead them to getting rescued. Now to face a whole lot of other things that they didn't know about on the island.
Love any book that mentions they read to a child, the book: Goodnight Moon!
Interesting to see which paths they each took after being rescued.
This book will have you crying and laughing and vice versa.
A Patchwork Christmas
ISBN: 9781616267483
Author: Judith Miller, Nancy Moser, Stephanie Grace Whitson
What first attracted me to this book is my love of quilting, although I read and knit more than I quilt.
And that it's about Christmas.
Seems Like Love by Judith Miller
Karla is an expert quilter and runs the local hotel.
An old friend from school, Frank is there to stay for a while as he does his internship before they give him the job.
He is allowed to sit in the kitchen while Karla and her mother Irma prepare dinner and reminisce about past Christmases. They catch up with each other lives and talk about the quilts for Karla's sister for her wedding.
Karla and Oskar's wedding was announced and with the customs they had to wait a year but he found another to marry.
Karla also teachs young children how to knit and crochet. A woman after my own heart with all her talents!
Very interesting to learn more of the customs of their community.
Frank and others attempted to get her to go out, even for ice skating but she wanted to finish the quilt. She feels she's just a plain woman and nobody would be interested in marrying her and having babies, which is all she wants.
She does spend some time during the holiday preparations and also teaches the young children how to knit and that everybody has a talent of their own and might not be good at everything.
Religion is mentioned many times, faith, and most importantly trust.
Karla must learn to trust again after Oskar had left...
When her mother takes ill Frank tries to help.
Not only is the mitten pattern that was taught in class included here but cookie recipes.
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A Patchwork Love by Stephanie Grace Whitson
Jane is headed to Denver as Mr. Higgins promised her daughter, Molly to see all the colorful lights in the store windows. She is hoping he will ask her to marry him.
She trips getting out of the buggy on the ice but they make it to the train where her knee is swollen she can hardly walk. Molly has a cold and it's snowing out. Henry the porter on the train, gets them to move to more comfortable seatings and tells them he won't have to heat the car they were in, as they were the only ones there. She read to Molly from the book of Little Women that her parents had given her when she was a young child.
Train gets stuck on the tracks due to heavy snowfall and a neighbor in the area comes to rescue them and brings them back to their house. Mrs. Gruber also knows a bit about healing so she pulls out the quilts to keep them all warm. Til the train whistles the journey will not continue onto Denver.
Anna Gruber tells Jane of her boys' war scars and that many more had lived because of him, but his wife to be no longer wanted to marry him. Because Molly is so sick Peter tries to help cure her of her illness. They've had to send the train on along with a telegram and Peter brings a surprise back for Molly.
They have a major topic to get over-his scars on his face...
Good Christmas read, love pattern and recipes at the end.
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The Bridal Quilt by Nancy Moser
Ada and Samuel are seeing one another and not engaged so he enjoys his time with males his age.
A fight breaks out and the next day he has to bring the orphan back to the children's home.
Just when she thinks he will propose he asks her to help get gifts for the orphanage. Now that there is illness in the house she can not go with him.
Faithfulness is what the flowers mean that he had sent to Ada.
Although she was ready to marry him and help carry on his charity work, his father has disowned him for his charity work. no money, no job, nothing.
She has now a year later taken up with another man in hopes of becoming married.
When the accident happens she must take care of him and visits the grandfather's house to try and make amends.
Ada tries to explain to the grandfather that God has called on Samuel to help do his work here on earth.
More quilting patterns for ornaments and recipes at the end of this book.
Final Sail by Elaine Viets
Violet is hiring a husband/wife dectective team, Phil and Helen so they can make sure her new step mother won't kill her father.
She plans for Helan to be ordained a minister so she can visit him in ICU. He's in a coma and has a massive heart attack.
Phil questions the housekeeper to get an idea of what he'll be up against when he applies for the job of estate manager-in charge of all the people that do the manual work.
Helen also now has a job on a luxury yacht as a stewardess. Violet's dad had married the one on the yacht previously and the captain found a tackle box of emeralds but doens't know who they belonged to.
Hopes that by having Helen aboard she can hear things with the crew to figure the mystery out.
Wow the luxury on the yacht, having bathroom towels changed along with soaps after every use, the $40 bars.
Loved hearing of the luxuries and the very detailed descriptions of the mansion and yacht, rooms, clothes, landscaping, etc
Love this book and hope there is another in line, just wish it had recipes. The food sounds SO good.
Mottle and Friends by Anthony Jude McGowne
This children's book is a bit illustrated and is about an animal that is not welcome with his sister. So the van comes to take him to get adopted but he hears it's the van that will take him to a place where they will kill him. This he learns from other animals that are put into the van.
He escapes and jumps onto a tractor bed with lots of other animals who accept him the way he is.
Scruff, his other kitten friend gets bitten by a new dog so Mottle and Scruff run away.
They came across some ducks who accepted them. They carry on with their journey, to find where Mottle lived with his family.
They come across many many other animals that help them on with their journey. They find out who was stealing them and other animals and set things right.
They end up rescuing others who have driven off the road and are the heroes.
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas
ISBN: 9781400320394
This is a colorful illustrated book about how a Native American Indian was kidnapped when he was a young child
and taken to Spain to be sold into slavery. He did make his way to England where he was among the monks and then
made it back to Plymouth, MA where he was from originally.
Upon returing he sees tragedy has struck and he finds other tribes and works with them to educate those people and families who have left
England because of the church. He can teach them how to fish and grown food and that's how they were able to survive and have Thanksgiving.
Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs
ISBN: 9780778313847
Daisy Bellamy's wedding at Camp Kioga, finally.
Love how Susan brings you up to date on who the person was and what they did in younger years-that's what made the bell ring for me :}
Sonnet Romano is her best friend and everything went off without a hitch. She doesn't want to get married anytime soon and works at UNESCO.
Zachery Alger is there also, a videographer but just a guest at this party. Their renew their friendship after many swigs of champagne. He is saving money to pay off his fathers debt to the community.
Sonnet has to leave her boyfriend that her father set her up with, as they continue the campaign for government office, and she goes back to Avalon to be with her mom who's having a medical crises.
Zach has news from a west coast film production company that they want him for their next 16 week reality show.
He informs her of her mothers cancer and she changes all her plans to stay in Avalon to help her along with the treatments and the pregnancy. They both end up working for the same company.
Throw in the reality show and you have mayhem. Have they made the right choices????
With some hot steamy sex this is a good read.
Love the refresher on the surgeries and all the tests-been there done that, it's horrid. But good comes out of it in the end...
A Perfect Knight for Love by Jackie Ivie
Dunn-Fayne lusted after her, Amalie but by her telling them she was married to Thayne she was able to keep them alive and safe.
The baby, although not hers but Mary the one who had died after giving birth, was to be cared for.
They hoped to reach McGowan land where his troops waited for his return. It takes them many days and much deceiving of others and
Thayne gets injured.
When he finds out who she really is, he's not going to like it. She's hidden it so well, so far.
He's got secrets of his own as well and he's declared he loves her, for real.
She can proof once and for all who she really is with a letter that will save her husband's life, She hopes it's in time.
Love the detailed descriptions of the countryside and the castles. That's what attracted me to wanting to read this book.
Love the time frame and how things were done.
The Things I Do For You by Mary Carter
Bailey Jordan has worked while her husband, Brad stayed home, til the day his aunt came and they went for a drive. The accident killed the aunt and left him in a coma for weeks. Upon recuperating he learned he was to inherit half a million and got her jaguar. He spent his time online and bought a lighthouse and now wants to turn it into a bed and breakfast. He thinks his wife can commute, it's only 2 hours one way. She just wants to get pregnant and stay in the city and sell real estate.
Fascinating to learn about when the lighthouse was first lit in the 1800's using whale oil and what they used over the years. A lot of strange happenings are about the lighthouse and the house they live in.
They somehow survive on the island doing some DIY projects to get the house up to par so they can start having guests by the spring. Money is running out even when they sell things and Brad has a lot of deep dark secrets that he knows he has to share with Bailey, but maybe just not all of them.
The guests start to arrive, the committee does not pay and then some paying guests arrive and we get to read not only Brad's journal but the guest book at the entry to the B&B. When the relatives come in the fall most of the mysteries are out of the hat but they are there to pick up the pieces.
Forever And A Day by Jill Shalvis
ISBN: 9781455503698
Love the little 'chocolate' quotes at the beginning of every chapter, giving you a bit of insight as to what the chapter is about.
Grace Brooks has been around Lucky Harbor a bit but still no full time job. She does a lot of little errands or part time work for others. Her latest is a dog sitter which is Dr. Josh Scott's dog, Tank but she lost him when he hightailed it into the ocean.
Josh is an ER doctor and works at his fathers practice as well. There's just not enough hours in the day to do that, and exercise and have a girlfriend he was thinking when he first saw Grace come out of the ocean dripping wet.
He has his college aged sister living with him and his son Toby and she wants to use her settlement from being paralyzed in the car crash to go with Devon to Europe.
They talk again while she's modeling cuz he needs her to watch the dog really bad, apologizes and kisses her with the promise of triple the pay. Problem is, other things arise that cause her more work and aggravation and just plain craziness.
Her chocolate loving girlfriends are there for courage hope and to persuade her to go get some.
Hot steamy sex along with catching up with the happenings of Lucky Harbor make this a fun, laugh til you have tears in your eyes from the mishaps that happen book.
Love to hear how they trade chocolate items for real things. Such an easy going book to read, love this series.
She started looking forward to walking the dog and the other chores he had for her... They start leaning on each other a lot more often as circumstances arise. Love how she gets close to Anna with some solid advice and how she can talk to the little boy.
Love how when the night turns bad the whole town shows up to help with the recovery at the hospital and police station.
Love the extras at the end...
Angel of the cove by Sandra Robbins
The description of what this book is about first struck me as one I had to read. Reminds me of
Mary Ellen of the Waltons and how she wanted to get on her horse and visit all the mountain people
as they had no means to get to town to see a doctor.
Anna is on her way to her a midwifes home, Uncle Charles the country doctor in his buggy are taking her
to the Cove where Granny Lawsom lives.
The descriptions of the flowers along the way sound beautiful.
She's only going to be on the mountain til the fall when nursing school starts. Or if God has another
path for her to follow.
Such a simple life, self sustaining and you trade food with others for the food they have.
Granny knows enough about the plants and how to use them to make medicine.
Ah love the explanation of a honeymoon cabin, barn raisings, like to learn new things with each book I read.
Lot of praying to God, inspirational moments and bible scriptures.
Simon the preacher has also taking a liking to Anna and hopes she will stay at the cove and not go to NY.
Anna doubted she could do nursing after a wounded man comes to Granny's to get stitched up. She left the
area and sneaked back into her bedroom, she just couldn't face them.
The man's son the next day brought a loaf of bread in lieu of payment.
The lessons in herbs and what they could do to make a person feel better was a tremendous help to Anna.
God provided the plants to grown.
Bible stories are told to the children who are in Anna's care after their mother gave birth and the father
travel to get the mothers sister to help out.
After birth the baby is wrapped in the fathers shirt, what a legend/tradition, 4th of July pitching silver dollars.
Carefree lifestyle but when work needed to be done there was no whining, everybody pitched in.
When Simon kissed her she sent him away and they rarely now met at others houses.
She's got the healing hands as she breathes life back into a lifeless body, an angel they call her.
All Summer Long A Fool’s Gold Romance by Susan Mallery
ISBN: 9780373776948
Clay Stryker, model movie butt double was just trying to help the firewoman get the cat out of the tree.
Charlie is the towns firewoman and has a handle on things.
The Stryker family wants to go into business where families come to stay at their houses and work on the farm to see/feel how things are done in that environment with no deadlines, called haycations with some modern conveniences.
Clay was still considering joining the family to do just that.
Love the fact that you can read this as a standalone book and it summarizes on what's happened in the past so you're not totally lost.
Charlie has her horse stabled at Rafe's ranch, where Clay is staying so they run into one another often and go riding together. That gives them a lot of time to talk and get to know one another better.
Charlie has had a bad shake when it comes to men and that was explained in another Fool's Gold book. She's attempting to get over the fear by showing interest in Clay.
She opens up to Clay hoping he can help with her problems. She wonders if he will ever answer her after a few days have gone by.
There are a lot of things I've left unsaid as I think it's best you read about them yourselves first hand with a smile on your face as it was on mine.
Her famous mother coming back into he life just complicates things.
Like Clay's approach, nice and slow to fix her problems.
Steamy hot sex and you won't be disappointed in the storyline.
Learning about fires and how to fight them, the training they go through is very thorough.
Love the travel adventure, just right!
Catching Fireflies A Sweet Magnolia Novel by Sherryl Woods
ISBN: 9780778313595
Laura Reed is a high school English teacher and she's noticed one bright girl has not been attending her classes.
Misty confided in her friend Katie, who had gotten in trouble for skipping school because of her and Misty was now being pressured to tell an adult about why she no longer wanted to go to school.
She had even gone to the doctor and made a deal with him that she'd talk to an adult about the problem.
And now the coach was onto her skipping classes and she is also Katie's stepdad.
Misty has to get a handle on the problem.
Laura meets with the doctor, JC to compare notes as to why Misty wants out of her classes.
The women in town have been trying to fix the doctor up with females for dates to no avail.
Love catching up with everyone in town and that they all come together to help one when the need arises.
Small town living, festivals, football games, and gossip.
Had shivers as the authorities dealt with the situation...
Easy to follow although there are a lot of players they are not confusing.
Love how this book is so up to date with happenings in todays' society.
Swimming to Elba by Silvia Avallone
ISBN: 9780670023585
Difficult to find translations for the Italian phrases but you can get the gist of what's being said. This takes place in an Italian city. The slums, housing projects and the beach the children swim in is full of sewer. All the people that live there work at the steel mills.
This is a difficult time in the girls lifes as they become teens and adults in the poverty of the Italian community.
Anna and Francesca live in Piombiono, Italy and heading into teenagers who are waiting to experience what life has to offer them.
They like to dance nude in front of the bathroom window where others can watch them. They allow the boys to kiss and feel them. They also like to touch one another and have secret places they go to.
Other boys in the area work at the mill, working with hot iron all day and all night. One day Anna goes with a boy after a roller skating party and lets him do what he wants. She's on birth control now. In the meantime Francesca has been beatten up by her father and her mother won't go to the police.
Anna's mother has filed papers for divorce but now she wants to stop as her husband has returned, paying off the sons car, a big ring and a kitten for the women, which is exactly what they want. His clothes are also very high class.
The girls and their brothers and friends grow from teens to adults over the years as they move through sex, drugs, abuse, death, lying, stealing, etc to get where they need to be.
I found this book hard to read because of the abuse with drugs and sex.
Return of the Last Mckenna, Shirley Jump
Brody McKenna, physician in Newton, MA and he'd taken over when the older doc retired.
Kate Spencer runs the local sweet shop.
He had promised his friend, Kate's brother he'd go see her to help get over the loss. He had died in Afghanistan when Brody was there.
He got his brother Riley to talk to Stace, about their wedding cake and have agreed with Brody a cupcake cake would be perfect with their colors. He has to get that setup with Kate now.
Also accepted to show up for career day at school to teach the kids what his job is.
Nora, Kate's grandmother keeps trying to set her up with a date.
He talks her into dinner at a local place and they get to know one another better.
Brody gets to see firsthand how she contributes to the local charities as he helps her with deliveries.
He wanted to give her the expansion she and Andrew had talked about and they talk about what it means to her and what she wants in another shop. She's agreed to go to Riley's wedding as Brody's date. She won't commit to the expansion just yet nor dating him.
He has to change her mind...
Loved this series, wish there were more brothers.....
Loving Jack, Jack Series #1 by nora roberts
Jackie MacNamara has just given her swindling cousin Fred money for 3 months at this house. It's just spring and she's able to write on her new typewriter.
Problem is the owner Nathan Powell, architect, is back home from Germany and he's in his own house. The same one that Jackie is staying at.
She is quite educated by going to many college and universities over the years and dabbling in a bit of every occupation available.
She tries to persuade him to let her stay with her cooking.
She is very good at changing subjects and trying to get her way. They finally come to an agreement, he gets his room back, she cooks and stays out of his way.
After he had told one of her relatives there was a mixup and they were both in the house, Jack informed him she's making wedding plans for them.
He attempts to work on his work items and she wants to spend time with him. They've touched each other and she's now writing about how he feels in her book that she's writing.
She needs to keep touching, kissing him so she can finish her book. She never finishes any of the career she's started.
She's opened her past to him then tells him she loves him. He has no response, then and a female calls and she knows he has other interests.
Hot steamy sex and intelligent conversation make this a really good read.
Love the adventures and trips to unknown places she took him to.
Best Laid Plans, Jack Series #2 by Nora Roberts
Abra Red Wilson (she's got red hair) was in charge of the resort, her biggest project yet and she had to work the hours and put in the time to bring it to the end and under budget.
Cody Johnson, architect was an obstacle she couldn't wait to get through.
Love the process of a building going up, all the tiny details. Nothing was overlooked on her watch. She wants the project to move smoothly.
He's been there to help her even change her tire on the car although she can do it herself.
The beam almost hit her and although he grabbed her out of the way he and she were still terrified inside. Does someone there not want a female on the job?
Besides being a team professionally they now have to appear in a private manner, a company party. He shows up in a light cclored nice suit and with his tan it blows her away. She decides to fight by dressing to please him also
in her black snug fitting dress. He finds it hard to concentrate on him as she discusses movies with the millionaire Thornway.
He feels like he's in competition with the millionaire and he's 65. Cody just gives her the space she needs to get over the tiff.
They clash when it comes to what he wants and what she wants in the project.
Lawless, Jack Series #3 by Nora Roberts
Sarah Conway travels from the east to the west to reunite with her father after 12 years.
Jake Redman, Indian Apache likes taking care of the new pioneer woman. She's come west after being in a convent most of her life. She wanted to surprise her father who owns a mine.
Problem is he died a few days earlier. He's agreed for money to take her to her father's house. It's very far out in the desert. She loves the views: desert, rocks and sky.
Her father had described a huge mansion and that is not what he drove her to, at all.
The mine had caved in and she saw the sign 'sarah's pride' She saw his grave and knew he had lied about everything. He had no money for clothes and fancy things.
She finds his money from under the rock, the deed to the mine and a few hundred dollars. She's eating out of cans, cold beans and has had to walk 1/2 mile for water.
Jake is still watching her from a distance because he doesn't trust others out in the wild.
She has every intention in staying at her father's and making a go of things. He's showed and told her that only rattlers and coyotes are out there.
He rode out of town after refusing a lady of the evening to go check on Sarah. Luckily he did as her shed was on fire. He finds her safe but there's blood.
Lizza is her friend from the general store in town and she provides her with sewing and just being someone she can talk to. Others in town might want her dresses, Lizza will help her with the contacts.
She is introduced to the wilds of the west when she becomes kidnapped and Jake again has to come to her rescue. She is wondering if she will just return to the east and be done with all this...
read 7/17 pub sept 25, 2012 A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery
ISBN: 9780373777020
Dante Jefferson a lawyer had rented some space at the dance studio but he needed some quiet time where he would be able to talk to his partner overseas.
Evangeline Stryker is Rafe's sister and she's at the studio. Her mother is May and she has raised 4 boys til her husband died, had a weekend fling and Evie was the result. She felt like an outsider cuz of the age difference and nobody knows who her father is.
She stumped what she is to do with 60 girls that need to be taught how to dance for the annual Christmas Eve show. The instructor has left town with her male friend and Evie has no clue what to do with the girls.
She approached her sister in law to be, Charlie the woman firefighter for some help.
Charlie tells her who to contact for all the aspects of the event, things the people in town do every year. The townsfolk help everybody out, as in turn help when needed.
Thanksgiving day was going to be a new thing for Evie who's not used to being around friends, and relatives. The girls only meet at Jo's Bar, watching the parade on TV then off to Rafe's for the big dinner.
Dante pairs up with Evie as they go around town to do the props for the CE ballet/event. They practice kissing also as they know they will be under a mistletoe this season.
Love this town and how comfortable they make everyone feel. Catching up with everybody and what's new in their life's is always fun. It's not too confusing.
Day after the holiday the townsfolk were busy redoing all the autumn scenes with ones for Christmas.
It resembled a magical wonderland, like a snow globe.
Second chances for each of them involves different things, different people. Someone they want to impress that they can be proud of...
Evie spreads herself thin by accepting to do charity work during the holiday season, she just wants to fit in...
Full Surrender by Joanne Rock
Danny Murphy has just walked off his ship and is back on land after months away at sea with the US Navy.
Stephanie, a war photographer who was abducted and held and then released after some torture is there waiting for his return as he's the only one that she can feel safe near.
They hook up and retreat to his family resort area where he has a place and she agrees to stay and accompany him to the family's reunion and to gear up for one of his brothers weddings.
They rehash old things and he gets a glimpse as to what she is still terrified about as things happen.
She finds out why he left the band to join the military after they had met over 5 years ago.
Love the extras built into Danny's house for the future.
Love the family outing and how everyone is connected with having fun.
Love how hi tech comes into play in this book and how he finds out about her pet photography business.
She is an author and is getting threats and her mom thinks it's the kidnappers again.
When he tries to help with going to the authorities she shuts him down, she can take care of herself.
Gonna go find the rest of the Murphy men series!
Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts
ISBN: 9780778313458
Each chapter starts out with wise words from the published relationship books of Muriel Sterling
Samantha Sterling new dead father ran the chocolate business into the ground. Now that he's gone she has to figure out a way to make it a thriving business so the family can live off of the proceeds.
Her sisters will return to their west coast matchmaking services after the funeral and she'll have to sort out what's left of the business.
Blake Preston, the former football hero of Icicle Falls High is now the new bank manager and she had to go meet him and try to get an extension on their loan.
He feels bad but the bank business can't meet its deadlines if the loans don't pay every month.
The family story goes back to the original owners and how it is what it is today through hard work.
Love how the women all use Skype to figure out how to save the company once they learn Waldo let his life insurance payments cease.
They brainstorm and think a chocolate festival with all the businesses in town on board will help their financial problems. Cecily will end her matchmaking business and come back to WA from LA.
Muriel grieves and has dreams of chocolate, I want what pills she's on, whew!
Mr. Dreamy contest would be worth the admission of the ticket. There are some problems with permits and Cecily is more interested in the hunk that runs the Man Cave hangout then the festival.
Other townsfolk join in to help as it will aid their businesses as well.
Support group for the grieving one is found to be a good idea.
Bad business goings on at the bank, behind Blake's back and he has nothing to do with it. If Samantha finds out he might as well leave town.
Anything that could go wrong is going wrong, enough to make her want to throw the towel in. She can't compete with nature disasters.
This is a town that cares about those who live in it and their festivals show the love. Even though there are only 3 sisters and their mother a lot of others came out in this book and it's easy to keep them straight, as to who is who. really enjoyed this book!
Comes with recipes and the first chapter of the next in this series, woohoo, didn't see that coming!
Easy & Fast Cookie Recipes
Best Cookie REcipes by Nicole Adam
Starts out with research about chocolate and how parts of the bean are really healthy and beneficial.
Then the recipes-quite a lot of different combinations that don't normally mix well but they do in cookies.
A bonus is that every recipe shows a color picture so you know what it should look like. Love the M&M's cake for a special dessert.
The other cookie recipes I am just going to have to try a bunch of them as I love to experiment.
28 recipes, oh yum!
Sweet Laurel Falls by RaeAnne Thayne
ISBN: 9780373776702
Maura McKnight-Parker wanted a vacation from Christmas.
She runs a book/coffeehouse and is open to book clubs to meet.
Hope's Crossing is the type of town that belongs in a snowglobe. Everything is in place and it looks so magical especially when it snows.
The straw that broke the camel's back is when her grown daughter, Sage brings her father into the bookstore on the night of the Christmas party. Maura has had a tough year, she buried her younger daughter.
They head to her office and she admits that Jackson Lunge is her bio father. She had tried to contact him when he went away to college. She's not seen him in twenty years and it's been quite a shock to her system.
He's now an architect and he does lectures at college and that's where Sage had a conversation with him.
He now plans to stick around for a few weeks to get to spend time with his daughter as it's the slow time of the year for him. He also sees his father at the bookstore, being mean and rude and when he sees him he becomes ill and falls.
Harry agrees to be attended by EMT's and the hospital. Jackson thinks things would go back to normal if he just left.
They each daydream about their sensual sex life as teens, the places they shared their lifes together.
When a crises hits someone in town the angel of hope pays a call, either by giving them cash or a much needed gift, or food.
The angel is about to be uncovered as Jackson has seen the person in action.
Tempers flare as Sage informs them both she is taking a semester off from college. He has a plan that might work for them all and it's accepted.
It helps them all out but it brings them all closer to one another. He's going to bid on the new town project, open an office in town and Sage can work there til the next semester to even see if she likes that type of career.
Sage is hiding major secrets and her parents both have feelings for one another but won't even 'go there'. They each have enough going on in their lives to not further complicate matters...
There are more turmoils ahead that can ruin many others lifes.
Love the butterfly envelope and the significance...
Love this series and can't wait to read the next one.
Ducks and Ducklings by G. Alexander
34 cute and cuddly colorful pictures for children showing the ducks
and ducklings swimming, flying and just being ducks.
My favorite is the pure yellow duck with an orange bill.
Easter crafts games and activities for preschoolers by Trish Ambrose
Different Easter craft ideas made with everyday items around your house that kids can help decorate and make.
Songs are ones I remember but could never remember the lyrics to.
The games would even be fun for older kids, they would be hilarious for adults to join in also.
Excellent even with no pictures.
Rabbit Pictures by G. Alexander
Very colorful children's book showing different rabbits. Some jump, hop, and some just sit.
Brown, white, tan, gold, black, etc are the colors. 27 pictures.
What could it be by Paul Anthony
Illustrated very colorful children's book
A circus tent one night made a noise. The people who put the show on think it's a ghost.
They all take a turn guessing what it could be.
Very funny what happens when he has to go find out...
Get a good tree or die trying, A Christmas story by Ray Allman
Funny story about why a man checks all the bulbs on the tree strings in March every year. Year after year because one year he did it the week before Christmas and they had no lights that year.
One year the wife and the daughter leave for another daughter's birth process and all the wife wants is a picture of the tree up with it decorated-with help from the son.
How they get the tree is their secret to the mother or so he thinks ....
gotta love 'auto correct' when texting!
Uhhh Ohhh Oooooops!: A Funny Children's Picture Book Story
Illustrated very colorful reading children's book about a little puppy that is very clumsy.
The story follows the dog around and everything he does he ends up falling or spilling something.
Lot of interesting facts at the end of the book.
Fish Pictures, Volume 1 by G. Alexander
Illustrated very colorful childrens book showing different fish per page.
Lots of fish that might not be in your area of the world but have such a strange shape.
Serendipity by Carly Phillips
Ethan Barron bought the house Faith Harrington had once lived in til her father was jailed for taking money from others and got caught.
She now works for him designing the rooms. They have a mutual sex appeal to one another.
Things get stirred up when Tessa, the sister Ethan and his brothers didn't know about shows up and he makes a family for them.
The older housekeeper helps to make all feel welcome in a loving home.
The book talks about others past lives. Faith has put an ad in the paper and one of her mom's friends wants her to redo her kitchen and if she does it well she can do the rest of the house. She talks to Faith about how good her mother really is.
Bella Fortuna by Rosanna Chiofalo
Through the years Valentina DeLuca, Italian and Christian has endured the neighbors and others and loves Michael but he's into others. Years later when she's grown and is a wedding dress designer who is getting married to Michael we find out about her and his past histories having been raised in the same neighborhood.
Her sisters and mother are also in the sewing business-different aspects of it. They are finally to be married in Italy and she's just finished her wedding dress. Tracy, who she thought would be her lifelong friend turns on her when they were teens and she gets back at her later in life for the betrayal.
The book also travels back to when their parents had first come to America and the fears and dreams as they lived their lifes on the streets of Greenwich Village and Astoria Park. Lots of secrets over the years.
Love the talk of the design field and jaunts to Central Park, some cooking secrets, Italian phrased explained in English and the travel to Italy=whoa! and the recipes at the end of the book.
Betrayal, cancer, travel, death, and love make this a really great book to read.
Cuddly Bears Counting 1-20 and Number Recognition Flash Cards 123's Bearlyn's 123's by
Illustrated very colorful early children's book using brightly colored balloons to help the child learn to count.
Then there is a quiz with just the teddy bear holding the number. Numbers go as high as 20.
Lovely Bedtime Stories for Age 3-12 by BestZaa
About 20 stories, illustrated colorful children's book showing all kinds of stories with normal and not so normal to us animals.
Deadly Trust) Souvenirs by Barbara Phinney
I am not one who enjoys murder/thrillers books so I put off reading this gift from a contest I won. Sorry I did not put everything aside to read this when I won it.
It's a super read for the detailed descriptions of locations, the storyline and the romance and the trust they give to each other.
Anna LaBonte is at a summer cabin and she knows one day that her husband is dead. She just has the intuition.
The cabin next door is Brent Stirling and he's on medical leave from his military unit in hopes of quiet and to get over the incident that left 3 others dead.
She gets a ride from him to the police station to report her husband missing.
Serge her husband has been a controlling freak, always was. even to the point he'd go to the hairdressers and tell them what he wanted. He picked out her clothes for her to wear every day and she had to be fully dressed and made up before breakfast.
She is relieved when the cops tell her that her husband was murdered in the motor home. Her car is still missing and she will notify her sisterinlaw in a few hours time.
She works in the forensic field and knows with Brent's help they need to find out who did kill her husband before the police, Luc arrested her.
Brent is snooping around to investigate the clues and things that happened prior to the murder to help her out.
As things progress and heat up between Brent and Anna he's been warned to stay away from her, if he wants a career in a few months time.
They tried to run them over on the road but they rolled to the ditch... Who would want to kill them?
They are each struggling with their pasts, trying to get over the nightmares and flashbacks.
Love the detailed explanations of why they investigated at certain places and who they talked to etc, to find out who really did the murder..
Excellent read!
Because of You by Janet Dailey
This book has 2 complete novels in it, both published in 2002
The Indy Man
susan is engaged to Warren, who works in a law office. Martin Braden has made it his purpose to speak up and seek her out and let her know she is beautiful.
He's shown up at dinner parties and even to help her brother change the flat tire, and to thank him-to be invited to their house for dinner. He's the hot racing car driver.
She keeps telling him she won't date him that she's engaged. She's visiting Warren's father at the hospital when she learns from the other patients' radio that he's been in a pit stop accident.
After the accident they talk him into staying at their house so he can recuperate.
Reissue of 2002 book. Kinda thought so cuz there's no real high-tech things and he smokes cigarettes.
Homeplace
Cathie an elementary school teacher is going to marry Clay. They were finally engaged a year ago now. Problem is they keep putting off the wedding, save til after college,
save til after getting a job, save til they have enough to afford a house, save till they find a house.
The family's farm land was also sold and she and Clay remember all the good things about spending their childhood there.
Love that this book is about all the memories I have of where I grew up-on a farm.
Very nice detailed letter about how the Americana books were written, but I don't follow why these two old books, of 10 years ago are given another name and put into a new book because they are old books still.
4th of July by James Patternson and Maxine Patro
How is it she was on the ground and the girl and boy they pulled over had pulled a gun and shot her partner and herself, but she was the one being sued?
Investigation showed that margarita she had for dinner some hours earlier declared her alcohol level was too high and now to discredit what the kids had done...
She is on vacation now from work til the court trial so she heads to her sisters and buys a car to work on and take care of the animals.
She reminisces about her past cases.
The watcher is killing others and breaking into her house to find other information on her and sees her recording hidden camera.
Lot of action and investigating throughout the book. Love the court and the trial, great suspense.
Bedtime Stories Age 3-12 Happy Moon and the Rabbit by BestZaa
Illustrated, very colorful children's bedtime stories.
Rabbit travels to his animal friends in search of the moon that he sees at night time only.
Practice Counting Money: Flash Cards with Bear Coins and Dollars
by Bearlyn
Illustrated colorful children's book about how to count money. This includes not only coins but bills.
Pictures on the money is teddy bears and I'm not sure just the color of the coin will help teach a child how to count coins.
A Penguin on the Farm by J.D. Barr
Illustrated, very bright and colorful children's book about how a penguin leaves the zoo in search for a new home.
HAe goes down the river and meets with sunflowers.
With the help of the snake also he's told the path of how to get to the farm.
The pig ate all the apples and blamed the penguin. He heads back to the zoo cuz he has no friends. All the farm animals are in search for the penguin, so that he can stay on the farm.
Bonus: dino facts story
Chloe the dancing cow by Matt Ballard
Illustrated, very colorful children's book about a purple dancing cow.
Chloe was heavily into dancing and wanted to dance herself. She watched it on TV and went to the theater to watch others dancing.
The new dance studio opened in town and Chloe wanted to get dressed up in a pink tutu and dance with the girls.
Also includes a story: ned and buck a fish and a duck.
Ned and Buck, a fish and a duck by Matt Ballard
Illustrated, very colorful children's book. Daily life of a duck and a fish and
the things they like and how their friend would get the things they like. they are best of friends.
also a story about kangaroos and what they do all day.
Jack and the Cowstalk by Colin Anderson
Jack on his way to town, trades the beans for a cow. By morning it was a cowstalk and he climbed it to the top.
Book has pictures of the scenes drawn, with a pencil.
The giant was waiting at the top in his huge castle. Jack went back home and was being chased. He cut the stalk down and milk came out of it, it created a lake and his mom and Jack sold milkshakes and were never poor again.
Once I laughed my socks off, poems for silly kids by Steve Attewell
Story for kids where they have to imagine what socks running down the street would be like, and then not being able to put them on cuz they just want to dance around the house.
Another story is of the teddy bear that raids the fridge at night and eats all the leftovers.
3 other stories are included, very funny silly stories.
THE LAST LORD OF PARADISE, Jeanne and Anton by Vivian LeMay
Sept 1766+
Jeanne Marguise married Anton Gauchere and he went to war for France. 9 years later he had not returned but she had received a letter to go to his secret Paradis and join him there. He was busy planting and clearing land in this Canadian land.
She traveled with Monsieur Lavelle on his boat. She was amazed at what was waiting for her. Very detailed descriptions of the landscape, knowing the 5 families were there helping to make this a good self-sustaining settlement.
They were all introduced to Jeanne and they are free of the British and can serve God in their own way. She believes the story Anton tells her of what he did after the war-why he never returned to her.
Love to hear of all they do to put food on the table, from the planting of the seeds to caring for the plants...
She is still hearing the whispers and is not sure why or what they mean yet.
She confides in Marie who has 10 sons and asks her for help in getting pregnant. She prepares a tea and gives her the instructions on how to drink it and when.
Wheat harvesting and other chores keep her busy as her neighbors while Anton works on the windmill for the settlement, what an amazing task and what he used. The end result is a male son but the settlement is in turmoil over how it all happened...
Great first book of a series.
THE LAST LORD OF PARADISE, Jean Baptiste and Louise, 2nd generation by Vivian LeMay
1783
The generational saga continues with Jean Baptiste, being cared for my Marie.
Joseph the foregor got a whiff of lilacs and noticed them growing on the rock ledge and started laughing. He told Thomas he could have the forge building.
Jean was brought up by Marie, Thomas's mother as he had come to the settlement from Le Detroit, he was told..
Marie Lavelle's daughter Louise is in love with Jean but he has nothing to offer her and if Marie, the mother finds out he will be told to leave the house. Marie has put a spell on whoever is to bore a child from Jean, but nobody knows that.
Jean had gone around the settlement learning all kinds of trades.
Everyone in the settlement fears Marie and her medical healings. Louise is now reading the medical book also so she can continue where her mother leaves off when she dies.
There are others who wish to marry Louise and he tries to avoid them as he informs them of the burial service.
Jean finds out so many things that day: who his real mother is and he asks Marie about the rest. He's promised Louise to build her a chateau within a years time so they can marry.
He's not seen or heard from Louise in many weeks and he knows she will have a good reason not to bring him food. He takes it upon himself to continue to work on the chateau and to survive.
The inhabitants all think he is crazy and he will never build it in time of the feast...
So amazed at how the building was constructed by using his brains, not so much muscle..
The Last Lord of Paradise - Generation Three Zacharie and Pauline By Vivian LeMay
1847s Early Michigan French
The generational family saga continues and I love how the lilacs play a part in all this from the very first gift.
Love to hear how the settlement has grown, sticking to the original plan and making it work when all contribute.
The curse continues perhaps as his dead wives only produced 8 girls each? Over the years he's heard of everything possible he should do to be sure it will be a boy, such nonsense as standing on your head.
His sister has taken care of all 16 girls over the years as the wives died producing stillborn males. He now has a new wife in mind, maybe she will even help with the milking of the cows. His daughters do nothing all day.
Pauline has the family gift of 'reading people' so she knows when others lie and wants nothing to do with them.
Bountiful Christmas table, so plentiful and such a variety of food they raised.
Like French songs, I used to study French in elementary Catholic schools.
Revenge, betrayal, power are the key issues for some.
And Mistress Makes Three by Francis Ray
Ginna is now divorced from her husband who worked nights at the gym. She also has 2 children that are teens.
She runs a travel agency and goes over the new B&B in town with her friend Celeste to see what else needs to be done to attract customers so she can recommend it.
Celeste is in need of a man, to not only get her mother off her back but for her sanity.
She has style and he's seen it in the other projects she had and hires her to redo his B&B. He can help her redo her webpages for her travel agency and he likes to play with her son Ashton in sports.
The teen daughter is causing her some stress but she talks to her to cease the problems and shows her proof that no her dad doesn't want her to go live with him. The young boy is getting attention from Max
Hot sex scenes only enhance this book, it's a great read
Fancy Dancer by Fern Michaels
ISBN: 9781420130195 asbn:1420130196
Jake St. Cloud was just 17 and in a few weeks is leaving for college. He held his mother's hand as she lay dying in the hospital, his father nowhere around. Selena had told him he had a brother or sister, she was never able to track them down.
He's got to make things right, and he promised he would.
The story picks up 18 years later, when he's 35.
He finally meets with the lawyers, the papers are turned over to him, he slugs his dad for the info about his sister/brother and gives it to him. A bit later he's at his brothers house and they get to talk. Things change all around on him as he was speeding down a road and hit a white van with a woman and 3 kids in the back.
He is sent to live and help out at the Dancer Foundation-mother and child were both prominent dancers but their careers ended but not their lifes. He has many other stipulations and parole also, his new brother, Alex is the PO.
Angela and Fancy, handicapped mother and daughter team, ran the foundation.
Although not a lot of characters in the book it's easy to follow Jacob and what trouble he can find himself in next. Quite the adventures.
Very interesting to see what Alex and his mom want to spend their money on-from Selena.
Jonah, Jakes dad is into blackmailing judges and he has the information to pull it off. He needs Jake at the oil rig platform to stop the oil spill-he has the knowledge to do it.
Love how the father and sons are the complete opposite of one another.
Love how uptodate this book is about the BP oil spill and how it reflects on this one and how neither brother can tell the twins apart.
Secrets Jake's dad tells him have to be all lies, what else does he want out of him now?
Great story so far and the crises is over but wait we're only half way through the book. Love the twists and turns cuz you do NOT have it figured out yet.
Tuesday's Child and other books are also excerpted at the end..
Love that this book is not totally about a woman. Glad to see more of this type.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
There are rules when you time travel. He's learning from one old man who he had helped get his GED and then the next day shows up at his diner and the man has aged decades. He takes him through the portal and he observes the license plates on the cars are from older days, mills in operations have in present time been down down for years.
He's in Lisbon Falls, Maine and he's trying to make sense out of it all. He can only time travel for 5 minutes. He's a professor and he's out for the summer and still has nightmares of his family being murdered.
He wants to take one more try at it, thinking if it works he can stop his father from murdering his family. If that works then he can stop the JFK murder.
Love the lifestyle when he stays over a month in the small Maine town just the simple things he does every day.
A lot of going from one generation to another and what happens when one thing in the world does change.
The Halo Effect by M. J. Rose
Dr. Morgan Snow is a sex therapist and donates her time once a week to women at the prison. She also sees private patients. one who is writing a sex book and she now has a copy.
Her boyfriend thinks something bad will happen to her once the book is published and the dr. has watched her leave one day and there is a man that follows her. Because the detective called her she rushed down the morgue to identify the woman who was now dead-one of the women who got out of prison and was to head back home to WV.
Her divorce came through also after being married 15 years.
Dr. Nina Butterfield is the owner and friend of hers.
Her daughter, Dolcie is 12 and studying the summer at drama school.
Detective Noah Jordain from the special victim unit is on the case of the woman murdered at the hotel.
They have a serial killer on their hands, same MO.
Morgan remembers her mother and her lifestyle with pain and anguish.
From this point Chloe goes missing and more murders are committed.
Things get a bit too mysterious/thriller/horror for me, this would make a great SUV for TV.
Change the World Before Bedtime by Mark Kimball Moulton, Josh Chalmers, and Karen Good
ISBN: 9780764342387
Illustrated very colorful children's book showing the important things in a child's life.
Starts out the day with a good breakfast, bringing food to a sick friend, helping out with Earth Day events,
recycling, donating to charities, getting fresh food from farmer's market, how to compost and grow your own vegetables,
putting on a show for seniors in the winter, saying prayers and going to bed.
Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs Creative Techniques for Joining Motifs of All Shapes by Edie Eckman
ISBN: 9781603429733 B008NEZRJE
Illustrated colorful book showing different techniques of joining crochet shapes together.
Not only does it tell you the pattern in rows but there are also diagram instructions with the key making this a very worthwhile book for all degrees of expertise.
My favorite is the 3d baby blanket.
Motif directory has all the varieties: classic grannies, a little double crochet,
gathered chains, lacy links, layered mesh, sc/dc, all clustered,
tripled petals, start with a flower, 3-d fun, swirls, radiants, picots in plural, wheels and shells, inner connectivity,
There are projects for: placemat, shawls, rugs, pincushion, baby blankets, afghans, pillow, flower garland, vest, skirt and a lampshade.
Also has a very detailed glossary of stitches, terms used at the end.
Excellent resource book for all crocheters.
The Spinner's Book of Yarn Designs Techniques for Creating 80 Yarns by Sarah Anderson
ISBN: 9781603427388 B008NEZROE
I am not a spinner but realize the quality of this book for the yarns I have worked with over the years. So many tips throughout that now answer a lot of my questions about why did the yarn twist when working cables and is the direction important.
There are chapters on: spinning basics, singles for plying, stand alone singles, spiral yarns, opposing plies,
boucles, calbe yarns, crepe yarns, coil yarns and novelty yarns. I do think now that after reading this that it does make the light bulb come on for me. If you can understand about the yarn you can select the right yarn for the right project becuase you understand how it will act when knitted.
Many ways showing the differences between plies of yarn.
To me this book shows how to experiment with yarns to achieve the right balance for the item you are making.
Excellent resource book for anyone that does spin their own yarns, great glossary-very precise and bilbiography.
read 7/31 Postcards From Cedar Key by Terri DuLong
Wanted to read this book as I've been following the series and know there are many things I like about it. To me a good book is one that takes me places and I learn something new. This book has done that and so much more.
The knitting - there can never be enough books about knitting. Also the mystery and just the island living how everybody helps one another out when needed.
There is so much I love about this book: chocolates, knitting, crystals, soft shell crabs, fall foliage, spinning yarn, hurricane, charity community service, Pages and Paws program, mystery of the plant in the chocolate, Jordan Marsh Muffins and all the food.
Berkley Whitmore has postcards from her mom to her grandmother from the summer of 1972 when she had come to the island-Berkley as a 5year old stayed with her grandmother.
Now that she's cleaned out the house up north and has arrived at Cedar Key with postcards they do hold a clue as to what happened that summer and she starts asking around.
Neither would talk about that time and she feels she's missed a very important part of her life. Then again maybe some things in the past are better left alone....
Berkley Whitmore runs the chocolate shop:she has seashore themed chocolates and spins/sells her own spun yarn from her own alpacas at the local knitting store.
She also has invited her aunt-her mom's sister to come visit as she might have some photos or more clues.
One customer, a male, Saxton that comes in daily is becoming friendly and they share a meal once a week and with others take a cruise on the water. He has issues also as he's not seen his daughter in 20+ years now and after talking to Berkley is considering contacting her.
There are others who capture the storyline moving it along at just the right speed, never dull or boring. Even though there are a lot of characters in the book they do each play a small part in the whole scheme of things but it's not overpowering enough to take you away from the main plot. I love catching up to date with the others in the community and what everyone is doing to help others and the community out.
Such a relaxing book, hearing about the locals and how they clash and sometimes get along well.
Some parts of this book had me laughing out loud-this I do very rarely, and at times I sped up my reading to solve a mystery, and at other times my hands were clenched in annoyance as I've been through some of the scenes in real life.
Love how at the end everything comes full circle and how life continues on.
