Friday, November 3, 2023

Books read Oct 2023

  


 

Winter Road  by Joanne DeMaio
This story starts out with Faye and she's just returned to Addision to live with her father.  SHe's a silverware designer and loves showing the wares. They are attending a new years eve party at the local bar and love hearing about the traditions: trouble tree, whisk brooms and other things. They nake a list of things to do before she has her next birthday and they are things she can accomplish.
Story also follows Joel who run the Addision bar. He has his own house and decorates it with lighted bulks during the holidays and making his rock wall around the property. 
Faye just wants a house of her own but it's bad times for that as she keeps getting outbidded on them.  
They talk often and she gets help from Joel to complete some of the items on her list.
 Love setting and the characters I am familiar with from the series of winter books. You wonder after she starts dating if they will date one another...
Great read for the holidays.
A KEEPER!


  
  

 
The Exchange by John Grisham
Story is about Mitch and the hardships he and his family have gone through. He tries to do the right thing always. He is a lawyer and works in international law offices around the world, based out of NY. His wife is a chef editor of cookbooks. Many times the chefs work out of her own family kitchen and use the family as taste testers.
Mitch travels quite a bit and his boss Jack has an assignment in Libya, about a bridge in the desert over the water, that is not there, just oil. 
He takes on the big boss, Luca daughter< Giavanni as she's quite accomplished as  a lawyer from England firm and they combine forces to defend the client. Giavanni's dad is not doing so well as the head of the firm with cancer and he hand picked Mitch for the job. 
Things go sideways and there are kidnappings and deaths by brutal force. Mitches wife, Abby is targeted and must do what they say to get Giavanni back. It's been almost a month and things are happening.
You can just imagine with what is at stake as to who will make it out alive and unharmed.
Love this action packed, legal,  thriller with family ties so  strong. So realistic! Love all the travel and new locations to me because author describes them to a tee.
Received this review copy from Doubleday Books, Doubleday via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheExchange #NetGalley.
 



  





Christmas Beach Wedding by Susan Sands
Love this book because it's around the holidays and it involves an older couple.
Book starts out with her daughter coming home with her boyfriend. They also invited his father.  He arrives first and she is surprised as to who he is, they have a past but agree to NOT divulge that to the young adult children.
The younger couple is really involved with one another and the parents’ realize they could become more connected if they do marry.
Love the locations and festivities and descriptions of the scenes.
So beautiful. Never realized the story would end as it did, fantastic!
Enjoy reading this author and can't wait to read more of her works. 


 
Once Upon a Christmas Kiss: Cozy Christmas Collection by Ciara Knight and others
All stories are based out of Cherry Creek, TN 6 stories in this bundle.
Each story features the book, it's legendary and find out for yourself if it lives up to true love..
...
Once Upon a Christmas Reunion by Ciara Knight

Book starts with Scarlet is there now with a relative she's taking care of.
Story also follows Duke and they were teenage sweethearts. As the story goes she's helpful to him about a proposal to the bank for a business loan.
She never knew what the letter stated as she never read it, afraid of what it would say.
After all these years have gone by and she has one who wants to marry her but she's not really into him.  Her and Duke discuss the past and he tells her of why he never showed up that one night...   She assumed something else and now things add up for her....So many hardships for them both over the years.
Like how it all turns out. Offer of a free ebook at the end.
Ends with about the author at the end along with contact information.
 ....
 Once Upon a Christmas Treasure By Brenda Lowder
Story follows Amelia and she helps her sister  with her two sons. Her spouse left them for the big city and acting.  Amelia is a teacher and her sister works at local diner. They make ends meet. 
Story also follows Oliver who's back in town for holidays with his family. They run into Oliver one day out celebrating her birthday and they join forces. The boys want a new dad for Christmas but her sister isn't even dating. They follow the clues together for the treasure. The book  holder will find true love at Christmas. They want to give it to her sister this year.
Cute story. Great read.  About the author and how to contact her ends this book.
....
Once Upon a Christmas Promise By Susan Carlisle
Story starts with Laurel and she's losing her job and boyfriend because she didn't get an artist to join the company. She's at loose ends and heads down to her cousins  for the holiday and think about what was to come next..
Story also follows the artist  Brandon and he's at loose ends, living at the cabin trying to get his groove back so he can earn a living.
Laurel had checked in at the inn and found the book, it inspires her to help the man tshe thinks is the artist. 
Love cabin scenes and how cozy it sounds.  She shows him the book with notes from others who've benefited from it.
Like how this one goes, never saw it ending as  it did.
Ends with about the author and how to reach her on social media.
 ...
Once Upon a Christmas Secret By Terra Weiss
Story follows Dawson, a laywer and she meets up with Asher as they meet on a dating app.  She escapes through the bathroom window and Roberto is there. He's been there for her and she gets a letter from Eleanor, she had died. She must go visit her family and twin brother Sawyer in Cheery Creek, TN this holiday.
  There are clues they must follow, together to find the treasure. Eleanor had a boyfriend and all they have are initials...
Love things she made them do, dance ballet  in order to get the next clue...
Love how the book helps in this story as the holiday happens in style.
About the author and a free ebook offer.  Great read!
... 
Once Upon a Christmas Wish By Susan Sands
This story starts with Kayla and she runs the local diner with her father.  Seth has returned to Cherry Creek, TN and she realizes how much she missed his time away and thought of past moments they shared. She finds the Christmas  book in a stack while her father renovates the space.   Love that the family hosts Thanksgiving dinner for those who don't have a home to return to from the local academy. 
Love hearing of the food and traditions. Medical emergency for Seth and you wonder how things will work out...
About the author ends this book.
 ...
Once Upon a Christmas Party By Christy Hayes
Like older couples who love to celebrate any holiday and what Erin has to do to make it all happen.  When her living arrangements are in jeopardy she can't locate her relative......
Love charity work they are involved in. Story also follows Brock who's moving his father into the community and is setting up the house for him. Others in the town stop by to visit and they agree to meet for a meal when his father arrives in a few days.
The two start a relationship and get to know one another. He takes the bull by the horns and makes things happen to lessen her load because she is so good to so many others. Ends with about the author and how to contact her.
Received this review copy from an author and this is my honest opinion.
 








  

 

A Christmas Wish for Love by Mariah Lynne
Story starts where we meet Luci. Love learning more details of St. Lucia she was named after and the legends and traditions. 
Story also follows her dad Kyle who lost his wife when she birthed Luci and he has been avoiding dating since then.
On Luci's 13th birthday things change. Meta the next door grandmother to her, gives them her gifts and the special cookies. She also explains the tradition and the wish.
The new neighbor Sage, the new librarian is boarding her cat with Kyles' vet service and Luci meets her and helps her unpack.
She had lost her husband not too long ago and is no way eager to start dating either.
Love hearing of all the food and hope the author will create a recipe book noting which book the recipes are from. 
Luci has visions and other signs from teh cardinal but must not tell anyone.
They are spending a lot of time together until they are not....
Everybody is just so loving and caring to others especially around Christmas.
You wonder if they can straighten it all out...
Cute short story, love all the events, sounds like a treasure to live on this island.
Ends with about the author, her other works and how to contact her.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
 





 
 
To Build A Dream  by greg hickey
What amazed me about this book is that I didn't realize it'd be a sci fic type of story.  I don't really care for that type but it was not that heavy, to me so it was entertaining for me.
Totally amazed the correlation of his illness with his dreams.  It astonished the doctors also.  When he's at his end with the illness he knows he has options in his dream world if he want sto continue to live.
What a really great story, can't wait to read more from this author.
 





Wishing Season by Terra Weiss

Lexie is given her uncles bar in the small town where she was raised.

She goes back to the funeral and plans to return to Atlanta right after Christmas to get a job on the news station. Smith is the man who owns a lot of the towns 

buildings.  She has decisions to make, what to do with the bar and her new upcoming job offers. She meets Ashlyn who looks just like her...

So many changes and upheaval.  Love all the charity volunteer work they all participate in.  Author has detailed descriptions I can picture myself in the scenes.

Ends with other works by the author and about her.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.




 

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Book Classic, Creative, and Must-Try Recipes for Every Kitchen by Katie Jacobs
This book starts out with table of contents where tips and tricks are included along with recipes divided into 5 different sections.
Love the different subchapters of the ingredients and what is important about them when it comes to baking, the chemical reactions, etc.
Each recipe starts with a title and is labeled with icons for what you will need: and what diet plan it follows.
Summary of the cookie is included.
To the left are list of ingredients.  Directions are listed to the right hand side of the page.
There are samples of cookies in color as well. The book itself has many full page color photographs and you will find it hard to just pick one recipe to try.
Lots of different methods I've been wanting to try and this would be the perfect book to help you along.
Book ends with appendix showing different levels of baking recipes: easy, moderate and difficult.
Another page shows favorite recipes by the season.
About the author is included at the end.
Received this review copy from Harper Celebrate via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheChocolateChipCookieBook #NetGalley. 









  






nitOvation Stitch Dictionary 150+ Modern Colorwork Knitting Motifs by Andrea Rangel
Always looking for new stitches to use in my charity afghans.
The file I received is just a sample of one pattern in the book. The graphics are very high to transfer to a computer.
There are chapters devoted to an intro to color knitting, stitches, patterns and extra. Ends with alpha index and stitch and row counts.
There are charted squares of two color knitting available.  Stitches are discussed along with needle size, gauge and notions needed. How to assemble the item made has notes also.
There are charts and also color and needle symbols. Not for a very beginner, in my opinion as there are some things that are left out of this sample portion.
Love maple tree leaf the best but also love daisies.
Each patterns starts with a title, finished sizes, supplies and what the model was used to make. 
Ends with about the author and more motifs in various colors.
Will be an excellent resource reference book to have for your library.
Love maple tree leaf the best but also love daisies.
Each patterns starts with a title, finished sizes, supplies and what the model was used to make. 
Received this review copy from Penguin Random House, Interweave via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
  #KnitOvationStitchDictionary #NetGalley.
 
 

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