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Memories

by Deanna Lynn Sletten (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 93 ratings · 28 reviews

Michael DeCara came home from the Vietnam War a wounded man, both physically and emotionally. He tried putting his life back together, but found civilian life difficult after all he’d experienced in Nam. Raising his young daughter, Vanessa, by himself after his wife left, he found it difficult to commit to one job or one woman for any length of time. Then he met a young wo...more

Kindle Edition, 200 pages

Published February 24th 2012 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

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May 04, 2013 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great story, well written- nice character development! This is the first book by this author that I've read - great writing style, will definitely read more of her work.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 21, 2012 Ann Swann rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading Memories. The author has such a smooth writing style I just wanted to turn off all the phones, curl up in my quilt, and read. Miguel was a young Vietnam veteran dealing with symptoms of posttraumatic stress when he met Dani. She stood by him through it all until he finally pushed her away just when she needed him most. Years later they accidentally discover each other again, but is it too late? Even though he claims to love her, can Dani trust him? Or will he break her h...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 31, 2012 Alle Wells rated it 5 of 5 stars

Old memories and buried pain rise to the surface when Dani encounters a man that she has hated for twenty years. A career advancement requires her to work with the man that she thinks took away the most important thing in her life.
Miguel remembers Dani as the woman who loved his only daughter and calmed him during his nightmares of Vietnam. Seeing her again, he remembers the good in the relationship and seeks reconciliation. Their relationship is healed through communication and compassion. Dan...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2013 Wendy Janes rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Dani was eighteen she fell in love with Vietnam War veteran Michael. At the time he was bringing up his little daughter, Vanessa, alone and struggling to cope with civilian life. Nineteen years later Dani has a successful career, but hates Michael for leaving her and being responsible for her subsequent heartache. When chance brings Dani and Michael together again will they find happiness together?

Starting the book with Michael’s funeral is unusual, but it neatly takes us away from the usua...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Sharon Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Memories by Deanna Lynn Sletten is an emotional and gripping read. Michael DeCara came home with physical and mental scars from Vietnam. After a failed marriage he lost himself in caring for his daughter and a string of short term relationships. Danielle Westerly has lost herself in work and a few close friendships, ever since a relationship that left her deeply wounded. How could a mutual friend know that the cause of Danielle's pain and Michael could be related? After they are back in each oth...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Atmika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, blog-tour, chick-lit, contemporary, deals-with-death, romance-love

"I remember the first time I took you to the beach alone, without Vanessa. It was windy and cold and you borrowed my sweatshirt as we walked along the shoreline. All I could do was look at you with your golden hair blowing back, the sweatshirt billowing around you and I wished I was that sweatshirt, encircling you."

This is a beautiful love story. It's something that will melt your heart, maybe it will even make you cry. The author has done an excellent job in evoking emotions and making the read...more "I remember the first time I took you to the beach alone, without Vanessa. It was windy and cold and you borrowed my sweatshirt as we walked along the shoreline. All I could do was look at you with your golden hair blowing back, the sweatshirt billowing around you and I wished I was that sweatshirt, encircling you."

This is a beautiful love story. It's something that will melt your heart, maybe it will even make you cry. The author has done an excellent job in evoking emotions and making the readers connect with the story.
It's not filled with cliches and is much more than a cheesy romantic novel. It's real and honest.

The characters are complex and well developed. I liked Dani. I understood her confusion and anger. She is a smart, kind and beautiful woman who went through a lot of pain in life. Michael hurt her and changed her entire life and she hates him for that.
How he hurt her, was revealed a little later and I won't spoil it for you but I don't think I would have been able to forgive him as easily, if I had been in Dani's place. I could understand the doubt that Dani felt and was a little angry with Michael and some of his decisions.

But Michael also goes through his fair share of pain and it's hard to feel anything but sympathetic towards him because there is no doubt that he is a good guy who cares deeply about Dani. He served in war and ever since has been tormented by nightmares of the sights he saw there and the people he lost. War is such a terrible thing. When you see death, pain and suffering all around you. It's difficult to hope and believe in anything. Isn't it?
I loved the relationship he shared with his daughter and grand-daughter. It was all so sweet.

All fans of Nicholas Spark should definitely read the book. I thought the writing style is a little similar. The book has a good pace, interesting characters and a lot of real emotions. I felt for the characters and I wanted to give them each a hug by the end of it.
This is my first book by the author and I would love to read more.

"If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life."(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 Vibina Venugopal rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is another weekend read of mine and I am only too glad that I did..Breaking up the suspense of the hero's death right in the beginning with the quotes " She was burying the man she loved and no amount of sympathy or prayer would comfort her today"
got me interested in reading , I knew at least they would get married which only meant there were no heart breaks, this only encouraged me to pursue my reading faster... Dani is successful,ambitious , so much control of life yet with a melancholy...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 09, 2012 Tima rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book begins as a woman stands at her husband's funeral, reminiscing over their marriage. Then it jumps back to when they met eighteen years before. But this wasn't the first time they had met. So the story of their first meeting is interwoven into the second story.
Michael wasn't the same after returning from Vietnam War. He jumped from woman to woman until he finally found a woman who could understand. But then when tragedy strikes he abandons her. Years later Danielle and Michael meet again...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautifully written book that shares a wonderful story of lost and found love with a lot of misunderstandings. It has moments that will make you smile and moments that will make you cry. Miguel/Michael DeCara is a Vietnam vet with actual physical scars, as well as, deep emotional scars that haunt him from the war. He meets Dani when she is only 18 and develops a strong connection with her. She understands and comforts him unlike any other woman he's been with. She is also wonderful wit...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Sally rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was really expecting so much more based on all of the good reviews, but this book was so filled with nonsense. The actions and motives of the two main characters just make no sense. *** Some spoilers *** They are together and happy 36 years ago, but then he suddenly leaves his girlfriend, the girl he loves, with no explanation, no note, no phone call. Why? People don't do that! He had to leave for family obligations. He couldn't mention it to his GIRLFRIEND? So she goes through the next 18 yea...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Candace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Deanna Lynn Sletten's Memories is a novel full of love, sadness, friendship, regret, laughter, second chances, and real life issues. Memories begins in the present day but quickly flashes back to tell Dani and Michael's love story that took place nineteen years earlier. Dani fell in love with an older man when she was eighteen. Expecting happily ever after, she was devastated when Michael suddenly fled without a goodbye. What happened next changed Dani's life forever.

Dani was never able to get...more Deanna Lynn Sletten's Memories is a novel full of love, sadness, friendship, regret, laughter, second chances, and real life issues. Memories begins in the present day but quickly flashes back to tell Dani and Michael's love story that took place nineteen years earlier. Dani fell in love with an older man when she was eighteen. Expecting happily ever after, she was devastated when Michael suddenly fled without a goodbye. What happened next changed Dani's life forever.

Dani was never able to get over the tragedy that occurred after Michael left and blamed him for how her life turned out. Years later, Dani unexpectedly runs into her former lover. While he is delighted to see her, his excitement is quickly diminished because of her icy behavior. Determined to get to the bottom of it, Michael makes it his mission to figure out just what went wrong and why Dani holds a grudge. Slowly, years worth of secrets, regrets, and love is brought to the forefront. Dani must decide if she can forgive the man she has hated her entire adult life and begin a second time.

Memories deals with several sensitive subject matters. One of which is emotional and mental affects from being a soldier in war times. Michael was a Vietnam Veteran who never quite moved beyond that chaotic part of his life. Decades later, Michael was still awakened with nightmares of his time in Vietnam. Like many Veterans, Michael felt guilty for being alive when his friends perished. He dealt with many tough emotions, including that of feeling responsible for his friends deaths and not doing enough to save them. Luckily, Michael met a fellow vet who encouraged him to attend a Veteran's Support Group which helped him cope with pent up memories and emotions.

Memories also deals with women's reproductive issues including abortion and being unable to conceive a child. I believe that Memories will touch a chord with many women, be it from the regret of an abortion or the pain of not being able to conceive. Sletten does a terrific job in giving these controversial issues that women face a voice.

In Memories, Deanna Lynn Sletten skillfully wrote about a strong, professional woman. Dani had a successful career and was an independent woman who provided for herself. I love that Dani didn't need Michael. She was successful without him, but felt complete with him by her side. Too many novels make the heroine weak without her knight and shining armor there to support her. In Memories, Dani was capable of taking care of herself.

Deanna Lynn Sletten's Memories is a wonderfully realistic and poignant story. I recommend Memories to all romance lovers or fans of fiction. Slatten does a great job in not only writing a love story but also of weaving a story full of decades full of secrets, old and new friendships, PTSD, tragedy, and forgiveness. Memories is a touching story that will leave you fulfilled.

Deanna Sletten provided me with a copy of 'Memories' for review.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 25, 2012 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love found ... love lost ... an emotional journey that brings a man and a woman together again for a second chance at love.

Danielle "Dani" Westerly was only eighteen years old when she met and fell in love with twenty-five year old Vietnam Vet Miguel "Michael" DeCara, a single father with a six year old daughter named Vanessa. Miguel had come home from a traumatizing tour in Vietnam to a wife who couldn't deal with his nightmares and didn't want to be a wife or mother any longer. Addicted to wom...more Love found ... love lost ... an emotional journey that brings a man and a woman together again for a second chance at love.

Danielle "Dani" Westerly was only eighteen years old when she met and fell in love with twenty-five year old Vietnam Vet Miguel "Michael" DeCara, a single father with a six year old daughter named Vanessa. Miguel had come home from a traumatizing tour in Vietnam to a wife who couldn't deal with his nightmares and didn't want to be a wife or mother any longer. Addicted to women, Miguel went from one woman to another until he meets Dani, who was spending the summer before starting college as a waitress in a California coffee shop. Dani was able to soothe his fears by holding him in her arms until he calmed down. They had a loving relationship for a few months until a sudden event occurred in his life and without saying a word, he left Dani behind. Dani's heart was broken and filled with hatred for a man who took her youth away, and she blamed him for a fatal decision that would change her future.

Nineteen years later a chance meeting in Chicago brings Dani and Michael together again. Dani is a retail clothing merchandise buyer for a large Minneapolis department store. Michael is the owner of a family coat manufacturing business, Regal Coats, with divisions in Chicago and New York. Electricity sparks between them, but Dani's hardened heart leaves Michael confused and wondering what he did to make her despise him so much.

A trail of memories will send Dani and Michael on a journey to reignite a lost love, seek forgiveness and redemption, and provide them a second chance at love.

Memories is a poignant tale of love found, love lost, and second chances that will captivate your heart and soul. The author weaves a beautiful and dramatic tale written in the third person narrative with alternating perspectives on Dani and Michael's love story.

The story opens up with Dani at Michael's funeral, then flashes back to the beginning of their relationship, leading up to their chance meeting nineteen years later and how their relationship was renewed. This touching love story takes the reader along on Dani and Michael's emotional memory woven journey, it will draw you into their lives and will pull at your heartstrings. The story is rich in detail and descriptions of the retail merchandising business and the various settings, the author easily transports the reader to California, Minneapolis, Chicago and New York. The author's descriptive writing style is phenomenal, she simply captivates your imagination and engages you to come along on the emotional roller coaster ride that is Dani and Michael's love story.

The author has created an intriguing cast of characters who are realistic and complex people that the reader can relate to. Their engaging personalities grab a hold of you with dialogues and interactions that leap off the pages. The emotions and passion between Dani and Michael are palpable, you can't help but feel for them as they deal with their past demons and relationship issues. Dani's revelation of why she despised Michael and Michael's Vietnam nightmares that still haunt him was simply heart wrenching, author Deanna Lynn Sletten sure knows how to draw out the emotions from her readers! The supporting cast of characters: Catherine and Vanessa are both wonderful additions to the storyline as their lives are intricately interwoven with Dani and Michael. This emotionally charged story is one that everyone who believes in love should read, it is a powerfully compelling story that will leave you satisfied, I could easily see this novel becoming a movie.

Memories is a beautiful story of a couple's journey to rekindle a lost love through old memories and a painful past brought to the surface and healed through the power of communication, compassion, forgiveness and redemption. This love story is one for the ages, it will resonate with you long after the last word has been read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Samantha Robey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of Memories for Deanna Sletten’s CLP Blog Tours stop. The book starts off with
Michael DeCara’s funeral, and then backtracks to tell the love story between him and
Danielle Westerly. I thought this was an interesting way to start a book, and it immediately reeled me in. I understand the title of the book, because the entire novel is made up of the memory of their journey, and the love they shared for one another. Michael was a wounded Vietnam War vet, and raised his daughter on...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Diana Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

Rating: 3½ stars, rounding up to 4 stars on Goodreads

MEMORIES is a poignant story about love, loss and forgiveness. The book begins with a wife thinking back over the years she’s known her husband. Dani fell in love with Michael when she was eighteen, but he disappeared from her life without a goodbye. Many years later, a chance meeting brings them together again. She’s hated him all this time for hurting her, but Dani can’t deny that there’s still a spark between them. Just when she finds it i...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Nada rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: other-review-copies

Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com...

Memories is a love story - love found, lost, and rediscovered. It is the story of Michael and Dani. The book starts at the end of Dani and Michael's story - at Michael's funeral. Dani is reflecting on their lives. They met. They loved. They lost each other. They reconnected.

The book then goes back to the middle of Dani and Michael's story - to the the time that they rediscover each other. At that time, Dani is a woman liv...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Ruty B rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romance, kindle

Life is the amount of memories we collect through the years, and this books is the perfect example of it. This is a story about love, forgiveness, family, sorrow, grief, it will be simple to say that is a story about life, but this is not a simple story. It's one of the best stories you will ever read.

This book leads us throught the path of two people destined to find themselves more than once during their lives. A story that show us how every decision we make affects us and others, and determin...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Dianna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of love stories

Shelves: favorites, fiction, love

Well, Deanna, you did it again.

At first I thought well it's a love story. Dani and Michael sort of made peace with the past and you think it's all going to be good now But, when the trauma started, (don't worry, I'm not giving the plot away) it started getting more sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for Michael to make that phone call. I felt like smacking him. I could feel his terror and pain. You made my heart hurt for him.

Then you take us on the journey of rediscovery and commitment. I...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2013 Val rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book I have read by Deanna Sletten and her talent never ceases to amaze me. Every turn of the page draws me further into the story and closer to the characters, causing me to think they ate in the room with me as I read. I must admit I was unsure if I would enjoy Memories, and in turn held on to the book for close to a year before reading. At this point I'm sorry I waited so long to walk the path of memories with Dani and Miguel.

Memories is a must read story of love, forgiven...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Norma Budden rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, womens-fiction, favorite-books

This is a love story which gets to the heart of the matter - exploring that fine line between love and hate and the passion involved in both emotions.

It's a beautiful story of forgiveness and the power it has to heal the human soul to the point it can embrace the future - even if it means finally moving on living only in your memories of one of the people you've loved most.

I'm not sure any author I've read could have penned this story better.

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Oct 16, 2012 Racheal rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. It shows that "true love" does exist and can be found at any time, especially when a person least expects it. What I loved the most about this book was the way that the author brought everything together at the end. This will for sure be a read again for me.

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Apr 27, 2012 Billie Copas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent! Very well written and engaging. The characters grab ahold of you and refuse to let go! A very heart-warming and emotional book. It really makes you stop and think, and to feel. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer! I wasn't ready for the book to end.

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Feb 23, 2013 Judy Wise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nice book about a veteran coming back wounded and his trials to live with it. Love story included.
I found it a very good read.

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Jul 24, 2012 Peach rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a "Nicholas Sparks" type of a book about the relationship between Danielle and Michael, a tortured war veteran. Their relationship began when Danielle was eighteen and Michael suddenly disappeared since he was still trying to straighten his life from the war trauma. About twenty years later, they crossed paths again and Danielle was faced with the decision of whether she could forgive Michael. The book was a chronology of the relationship between Danielle and Michael, a relationship fill...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful book of love and loss. One I will read over again and again.

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Nov 30, 2012 Melissa marked it as to-read

free today on Amazon 11/30/12

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May 26, 2012 Maria Jessica added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 01, 2013 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I normally don't read adult romance novels, but this one kept me engaged and very interested in the relationship between Dani and Michael. Deanna has a voice much like that of Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks. Very heartwarming, swoon-worthy tale of two lovers reunited!

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Apr 29, 2013 Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-first-read

I really enjoyed reading this. Good writing and plot and I really liked the characters and cared what happened to them. Great if you want a real love story. I received this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads give away.

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May 21, 2013 pam marked it as to-read

May 20, 2013 Julie marked it as to-read

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About Deanna Lynn Sletten

Deanna Lynn Sletten is an author who writes women's fiction novels and has also written one children's/middle-grade fiction novel. She started her writing career as a freelance writer for print media, newspapers and websites before transitioning to novel writing.

Deanna has two grown children and lives in northern Minnesota with her husband, beautiful Australian Shepherd and five cats. When not wr...more

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