Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Books read March 2015

Denim blue sea by Joanne DeMaio
Love the author's previous works and when I heard of this new one I knew it'd be another good read and I was right.
Like this one right from the start as I live near the ocean and it has a calming effect on me. Can't seem to get enough of the scent either when we return home from travels around the US.
This book is about a couple that is to be married at Stony Point, CT and all their friends have over the years, summered there as well so it' s natural they come together. Also an aunt of the bride was invited-from Italy.
There are many wedding gettogethers and unplanned ones as well. We get to meet not only the main characters but their friends, spouses and kids. Memories of past summers also make an appearance to not only understand the secrets that are coming out but the lives of the people
mixed in with their current lives. Love how it's like a jigsaw puzzle as the pieces are all fitting together and at times you wonder if there will be a wedding at all. Journals from his dead brother all but the one he really needs...
Jobs and careers are an added plus here for me as both are made to sound so interesting and creative and there are so many details described. Love learning new things!
So many emotions, lost of loved ones, gaining new family members, wedding prep and teamwork amongst friends.
Reminds me of a happily ever after book but with the twists there is heartache and pain and happiness. Love how the characters all interact with one another over the years and seem at ease with everyone. Fun loving bunch of people wish I had this bunch for my friends. Love this book the best by the author and can't wait for other books.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

The Forever Bridge by T. Greenwood
Book starts out with days of the week. Each section follows a few different stories. Ruby is being dropped off at her mothers for a visit. Her father, now in a wheelchair has left his wife and will go back home to NC with his brother.
Sylvie is rather a bit odd as we follow her life and her past, when the car went off the bridge and her young son died and her husband became paralyzed. Ruby has a few friends still there in town and they do meet up but Ruby can't swim although she goes to lessons several times a week with Izzy and Marcy. Those two girls are into one another that they don't even realize how much ti hurts Ruby that they don't pay attention to her.
Ruby wants to make a bridge, to replace the one where her brother died. The sections also follow a girl who's about to give birth and has left her boyfriend and she's hiding out in an abandoned shack, til the night Ruby finds her.
Sylvie with her pills is delusional and just wants to keep safe in her house but prowlers probably animals, are outside and they want to come into the house.
Lots of facts about bridges around the world and how they collapsed and how they were fixed-she hopes to still win the contest.
They are in VT and hurricane Irene is about to hit the Carolinas and travel up the coast. I remember this hurricane and the damage it did=to VT, so devastating to see.
I had a hard time finding the connection between them all til I looked at the title again. Bridges do connect them together.

The Fighter A Foundation Novel By Kira Adams
Won this book in a giveaway and had entered because I hoped there would be great detail into the career of a fighter. Something for me to learn about that would be interesting.
Starts out with Peyton and Jace and they are in high school. They decide to compromise-she will go see his football game if he will go with her to ballet. Sounds like troubled times at home for Jace as his parents have split up.
His father takes up with a woman who's got a teenage daughter and they move in. More hard times for Jace and then he's free and clear of the mess. Problem is then his grandmother dies. Everything he is involved in turns against him....
He was known as the local hero for stopping the shooter at school and now everybody looks up to him and is a great supporter of his, in not matter what he takes on. Peyton, his girl is in awe of him makes things happen.....
Excerpt of My Forever is included at the end.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Moon spinners by Sally Goldenbaugh
This Seaside knitters book is about a mystery surrounding the local knitting shop and all those that frequent it to help solve the murder.
A special yacht club dinner and the knitters are invited. Sohpia has been seen driving off a cliff but all the knitters know she never would've done that.
They must collect the clues and ask a lot of questions to find out who did it.
Some things around town are not making sense: why the path is closed off to get to the public areas....why Sophias husband never drove the car once he brought it home...
Loved hearing of the knitting lessons-turning heels on socks. Always amazes me that I can never figure out who it is that killed the woman.
Excerpt from A Holiday Yarn, the next in the series is also included.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

A Quilt for Christmas by Sandra Dallas
Wanted to read this book for the quilting and for the holiday itself.
1864 during the war. Eliza Spoon is in charge of her home and land while her husband goes to war. She makes a quilt for her husband and she gets a thank you card for Christmas. She does take in a woman with a child, who just a few days ago was a war widow.
The war widows would gather once a month to quilt. Love hearing what the colors represent. She is also sent a letter that her husband has died but something again doesn't sound right with the letter.
She is asked to hide a beaten colored woman and she agrees til others come to find her to take her away. She then hides her at another's farm. So many deaths and she leaves the house to offer water to one who's wandered into their yard.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

A Perfect Life by Danielle Steel
Newscaster Blaze McCarthy and her daughter Salema whose blind tell how they cope with life from their side.
When Salemas aide dies she moves back home to NYC and they are assigned a male and the problems that arise due to his sex is one they drive through. Simon is not a maid and he strives to get Salema independent by making her do things.
He falls in love with Blaze and they carry on a romantic relationship. After the holidays he has to return to the school to serve out his contact and his past girlfriend has finally left her husband, for Simon. Blaze's career shoots to the top and others have tried but can't overtake her career.
She also discovers she is pregnant and takes a lot more time to be there for Salema as her musical career happens and it excites them all. She decides not to go back to the institution but to stay in the city. She knows what decision she has to make about the child.
Simon comes to tell her of his plans and the things he likes to do and wants to do, in the city. She will at least let him see the child but are they really over?
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

The Woman Who Walked into the Sea by Phillip R. Craig
This is one that I've not yet read from the series. Love this series as they are based on an island in the North Atlantic on a nearby island.
JW Jackson is a retired cop and loves living off the land and has a love interest Zee who works at the hospital. They get together often and share food, recipes and just being together.
THis book finds them attending parties and being introduced to others who are there on the island. They are in the English field and one of them has located a Shakespeare partial play that no one even knew about.
She has a habit of swimming at 6am everyday but one day she doesn't come back from the ocean.
Lots of fun, drama and gossip, so many laughs. Things don't add up and the woman's professor friend hires JW to investigate and he finds many discrepancies.
Love catching up with the others on the island.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Vineyard Stalker by Phillip R. Craig
This book is about JW and his investigations to a real estate agent friend, her brother. JW's wife, Z and the kids are off to Fall River to visit the other half of the relatives so he has time on his hands to investigate.
He finds there is so much more than what he had gotten from the agent. Caroline just thinks somebody is going to get hur, she just wants to find out who is causing the problems at her brothers place on the island.
Loved hearing of what a spirit house is and how to build it and why you have one.
Comes with recipes that are delish! Lots of clues and lots of people to talk to, figuring this one out.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

The Mistletoe Promise

A lawyer, he is tired of being alone for the holidays. He proposes to her that they start a relationship for 8 weeks.
Elise contemplates it and she thinks it over and agrees to do it. She is divorced and doesn't care about her fashion sense. She works at ICE in the tower.
Nicholas wants a contract, he will pay for everything and it will end Christmas eve. They go through calendars and agree to accompany one another, spent every lunch they are free, together.
Love that he sends her a gift at work every day, flowers, candy, fancy expensive scarf, jewelry, etc.
They spend a lot of time together doing things that they didn't go to as a single adult. They talk a lot and she tells him of her upbringing an dhow abusive her father was.
He knows her secret and she finds out his and they are very compatible as they have suffered unheard of pain.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

When Lightening Strikes by Kristan Hannah
Romance author, Elana Castanza has sent her daughter off to the wilds for survival field training and they won't be able to talk for over 12 days.
During the storm she is writing her story and when lightening strikes she wakes up and she's in the story she was writing. The west is a place for forgiving.
Kidnapped by Killian in the western plot she was writing, 100 years in the past. She knows what is going to happen at the bank robbery, she had written the book scenes.
Problem is some things are not going the way she had written them. After days of not waking up in her regular bed she just wants to get back to her daughter-in the real world.
She tells the others her story and they do believe her as she knows Killain's real name, his wifes name and circumstances that led to her death. Nobody but Killian knows of the truth.
The old wise woman tells her they are soulmates and she almost believes her as time goes on...
He used to be a caring loving hero and when he finds her gone he thinks again he's back to his normal self-caring for others. Steamy hot sex scenes and he does want to help her get back to her daughter...
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate
Have read some of the author's other works and enjoyed the book. This one intrigued me to want to read it. It's about Jen Gibbs who is a book editor and we get to see just what it is she does on a daily basis.
Always wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes. She's recently broken up with her boyfriend Brian and she keeps the dog, Friday. She is so by herself that she carries on conversations with him. She had a manuscript put on her desk, unsolicited and she realizes it is from the slush mountain-the books they never get to read.
There is a note and it comes from NC. The book is about a Mohegan female and her life and it brings up memories for Jen as is is from the same locale.
Love hearing of the mountains and the editorial world. .gets a bit confusing at times as the book alternates from Jen and her life and the story of the female that lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The font style is different for both.
Jen and her friend Jaime attempt to find out who the author is, and she's pretty sure it's the same as the time shifters author. Problem is he is a loner and doesn't do interviews, etc and Jen isn't 100% sure it's the same guy, Evan Hall.
Her boss wants to know the answers also and sends her back to Looking Glass Gap to find out just who the author is ...
She does, in town, get to talk to one of Evan Hall's relatives and when she returns to the cabin she finds a few more of the chapters of the book, the story keepers. that woman she has plans to meet with in hopes to find out if Evan is the author...
She also gets to reconnect with her family and realizes how backward their lifestyle is and she's glad she was able to get away. The groups come together to help find a lost child. Love the communion box-so glad there is a 'box' in this book. Quite surprised to find out the true author as the clues get them all searching.
Handful of characters, easy to keep track of and glad to hear of the Appalchia people and ther lifestyle. Detailed descriptions of the sceneery was great! Love the story line. Also includes excerpt from The Sea Keeper's Duaghter, the next new book.
I received this book from bookfun.org via Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Raising the Stakes book release

Hiding from the world…

Tucking herself away in the Adirondack woods was supposed to keep Vivienne Harris safe. From dark memories of the Bronx, from danger, from entanglements. But when an orphaned bear cub raids her pantry and conservation officer Liam Walsh appears with news of poachers nearby, her private, peaceful world is turned upside down!

Suddenly two forces are drawing her out—Button, the cub who needs her help, and Liam, the man who's dead set against her rehabilitating the bear. If she can just win Liam's support, Vivie knows she can give Button a good life. And maybe find the courage to embrace a future with Liam…

“What about the cub?”

His gaze swerved to hers. “I’ll have to put it down if I can’t find the mother.”

Vivie clutched the back of a chair, lightheaded and nauseous. “What? No!” How could he say that so casually?

“I’ve called around and our wildlife rehabilitators are overloaded. Since the cub is too young to fend for itself, the humane thing to do is—”

“Kill it?” she stormed, interrupting. “How is that humane?” The cub’s frightened eyes came to mind and she backed up against the pantry door. Officer or not, he wouldn’t take the bear. Stop her from helping. It’d come to her home. Had sought refuge here.

He pulled off his hat and rubbed his forehead. “Ma’am, I don’t expect you to understand. But you need to trust me and move aside so that I can do my job.”

“Not a chance,” she ground out, wishing her pepper spray wasn’t across the room.

“Please be reasonable.” He raised his eyebrows, looking harmless. His holstered weapon told a different story.

Maybe she could reason with him, though she’d failed before. There had to be a way to save the cub. “How do you become a wildlife rehabilitator?”

He drew in a long breath and crossed his arms over his chest. “Pass a certification test then work under the supervision of a rehabilitator for six months.”

Tests. She hated them. Had only ever done well on presentation-style exams in culinary school. Still, for the baby bear...anything. “And when is the next one?”

“In a week.” He made a vague motion in the air with his hand. “Look. I’d be happy to discuss that with you another time, but the cub might be suffering. Please step aside so that I can take it.”

She raised her voice over her drumming heartbeat. “I’ll pass the test. Get certified.”

He ran a hand through his hair, making the curl-tipped ends stand up. “You’d have to study hundreds of pages of online material. It’s not easy. Trust me. I took it and barely finished my apprenticeship before my academy training started.”

“So you’re a certified wildlife rehabilitator? You could care for it.”

His chin jerked. “I already have a job.”

Her mind shifted into overdrive, churning up possibilities. “Not next week. You said you’re on vacation. You could take her while I study for the test.”

He blew out a long breath. “I don’t have an enclosure—something you’ll need along with someone to supervise you.”

She tried to come across as commanding, though at five-foot-three inches that was always a challenge. “You could help with both.”

He shook his head, his earnest expression replaced with a wash of annoyance. “Out of the question. There are too many ifs in that idea.”

She tried keeping the heat out of her voice. The DEC. Always so difficult. Especially Walsh. “Why? I’m sure you could call in a favor. Ask one of the rehabilitators to find temporary space for the cub. Then I’ll pass the test and, with your help, be approved to care for it. Don’t you want to do the right thing?”

Wasn’t that his job?

“I do. Which is why I’m taking the bear. Now.”

“Not a chance. You’ll have to go through me first.” She hated to sound dramatic, use a cheesy line from bad TV, but there was no other way to say it.

A crease appeared between his brows, his eyes scanning hers. Finally, he released a long breath.

“How about this—I’ll take her to the vet where they’ll check her jaw, give her some food and a safe place to stay, temporarily, while I continue investigating.”

She considered, wishing she could trust him. But after her dealings with him before, her faith was on the short side.

“Let’s try this,” she countered. “I’ll go with you and stay with the bear until you come back. Then we’ll talk about what happens next.”

He settled his hat back on, pinching the indented top. “There’s no reason to get more involved, ma’am.”

She pulled out her cell and tapped in Maggie’s number. Someone could come by and pick up the pies. Another worker would be called in for an extra shift. The Homestead would manage without her today. She wasn’t leaving the cub’s side until she knew it’d be safe—from nature and the DEC.

“It’s much too late for that, Officer Walsh.”

She studied him for a long, heavy moment, then moved aside. If the cub’s mother was dead, then she’d take on the role.

And nothing was more ferocious than a mama bear…

Karen Rock is an award-winning YA and adult contemporary romance author. She holds a master’s degree in English and worked as an ELA instructor before becoming a full-time writer. Currently she writes for Harlequin Heartwarming and has published five novels with them. Her first novel for the line, WISH ME TOMORROW, has won the 2014 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2014 Golden Quill Contest and was a finalist in the Published Maggie Awards. The first novel in her co-authored YA series, CAMP BOYFRIEND, has been a finalist in the Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Books read Mar 25

The Mistletoe Promise
A lawyer, he is tired of being alone for the holidays. He proposes to her that they start a relationship for 8 weeks.
Elise contemplates it and she thinks it over and agrees to do it. She is divorced and doesn't care about her fashion sense. She works at ICE in the tower.
Nicholas wants a contract, he will pay for everything and it will end Christmas eve. They go through calendars and agree to accompany one another, spent every lunch they are free, together.
Love that he sends her a gift at work every day, flowers, candy, fancy expensive scarf, jewelry, etc.
They spend a lot of time together doing things that they didn't go to as a single adult. They talk a lot and she tells him of her upbringing an dhow abusive her father was.
He knows her secret and she finds out his and they are very compatible as they have suffered unheard of pain.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

The denim blue sea book review and information

The Denim Blue Sea

by Joanne DeMaio (Goodreads Author)

New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio returns to seaside Stony Point in this novel filled with beach friends, love, and the enchantment of a sandy boardwalk winding along the shore.

During two August weeks, denim designer Maris Carrington and coastal architect Jason Barlow prepare for their much-anticipated wedding. Guests arrive early, turning keys in charming cottage doors to begin their New England summer escape. The wedding is a reason for old friends to gather again; to meet in their shabby beach hangout and get the jukebox cranking; to walk that weathered boardwalk beneath a starry sky; to breathe the sweet salt air. "Cures what ails you," one of the friends, Neil, always said long before his life was sadly claimed. But his legacy was not.

When Maris discovers Neil's long-lost journal, its passages reveal a heartbreaking secret. Can truths be found within its timeworn pages? Can this leather-bound journal unite the friends as their lives begin to fray? A bittersweet family reunion, a surprising encounter from a devastating accident, a shocking confession leaving one marriage shattered--all will test the once close-knit circle. Suddenly this safe haven on the tranquil Connecticut shoreline churns with emotional turmoil, threatening even the beach wedding just days before it is to happen.

Yet like a silver cap on a breaking wave, love and friendship wash ashore with hope, ever shimmering, in The Denim Blue Sea.

Author Bio:

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. Her fifth novel, The Denim Blue Sea, was recently published. Currently at work on her next book, Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut. To learn more about the author, visit Joannedemaio.com. She also enjoys hearing from readers on her Facebook Page.