This was such a great book! If you are a fan of Southern fiction, like DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD you will love this book. A group of wome...moreThis was such a great book! If you are a fan of Southern fiction, like DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD you will love this book. A group of women, friends since childhood, find their bonds tested when a long-buried secret comes to light. Poole and Youngblood have a deft touch with character and give this book the perfect mix of drama, humor, and even mystery.(less)
This is the first Marion Chesney book I ever read. I was instantly hooked. Here were the best elements of Jane Austen: the fashions, the social mores,...moreThis is the first Marion Chesney book I ever read. I was instantly hooked. Here were the best elements of Jane Austen: the fashions, the social mores, the romance, the historical detail of the Regency, but it was all in modern language by a modern author. I think I was fourteen or fifteen at the time, I had never HEARD of Regency romances. I was blown away. It was romantic, it was interesting, but above all, it was FUN. I love Delilah, the hardened flirt, and the Tribble sisters, so much!(less)
I love Heather Wells. I love her brain, which just doesn't stop. I really loved getting to know more about the Cartwright family and Tania Trace in th...moreI love Heather Wells. I love her brain, which just doesn't stop. I really loved getting to know more about the Cartwright family and Tania Trace in this one, though I would have liked a teensy bit more about the horrible girls of the Rock Star Camp and their awful mothers. Can't wait for the next one!(less)
YES! This book rocked! Heather made some excellent life choices (and don't you just love a book where you can say that? To me it means the characters...moreYES! This book rocked! Heather made some excellent life choices (and don't you just love a book where you can say that? To me it means the characters were real.), and she solved yet another murder! Can't wait until book four!(less)
I love these fun mysteries about a former pop star now working in a college dorm-- excuse me, residence hall. Heather is a delightful character, and t...moreI love these fun mysteries about a former pop star now working in a college dorm-- excuse me, residence hall. Heather is a delightful character, and the thrills and chills and complications of her life are great. I love it that she plays the guitar all night, working on her own songs, but wants to major in criminal justice, because frankly she wants to see justice done. She champions students, harasses the ones she knows are up to no good (for their own good) and even tries to talk a drug dealer into going back to his parents' banana plantation. She's a wonderful, genuine person, and I can't wait to read the next one!(less)
Well. I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book, but I have seen one movie (A WALK TO REMEMBER). But I know a ton of people love THE NOTEBOOK (movie) a...moreWell. I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book, but I have seen one movie (A WALK TO REMEMBER). But I know a ton of people love THE NOTEBOOK (movie) and I got this book at my book group's Christmas exchange, so I thought I would give it a whirl.
It was very nice.
A gentle, charming novel, with words that moved easy and slow like the creek running by the house. Sparks evokes all the senses to tell the story of this gentle romance.
I did think the final scene was a bit . . . out there . . . but enjoyed the rest of the book.(less)
To start off with, we have a totally lovely and lovable main character that you are rooting for the entire time, even...moreThis book was un-put-down-able!
To start off with, we have a totally lovely and lovable main character that you are rooting for the entire time, even when you're not sure if she's gone completely crazy. She's wonderfully flawed and fragile after an accident that has robbed her of her health and a promising career as a concert pianist. You just ache for her and everything that she's lost. But added to the complications of feeling her way out of the haze of physical and emotional pain, she's got a loving fiance who is running for political office, an ill mother, meddling grandmother (wonderful characters all), and as if that isn't enough: now she might be having visions of a terrible catastrophe destroying her small town!
It's some crazy stuff, y'all, but because the characters are all so real (down to the locals at the diner), you are fully invested in everything that happens. And I hate the phrase, It really makes you think, but seriously, IT REALLY MAKES YOU THINK. (I hate that phrase because EVERYTHING should make you think, genius! Anyway...) This book makes you think about what it would be like to receive a vision. How would you know it was real, and not the onset of insanity? How would you tell people, and what would you do if even those closest to you didn't believe you? It started me wondering how many people over the centuries have been given visions and ignored them, or tried to tell people and were ignored, or judged insane. I won't tell you what happens here, but I will say this: UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE and IT WILL REALLY MAKE YOU THINK!(less)
I really don't know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, his writing is superb and I couldn't put it down . . . but I also couldn't put it dow...moreI really don't know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, his writing is superb and I couldn't put it down . . . but I also couldn't put it down because it was like watching a car accident. Two unlikeable people, year after year, making terrible decisions that anyone with common sense could see were mistakes. I kept reading to see if they would ever go, "Hey! Drug addiction has ruined my career and all my relationships! I should get help!" Or: "Staying in a bad relationship because I fell sorry for someone is a bad idea!" But no. They just kept screwing up over and over, and I kept thinking, There has got to be one year where something good is happening to them.
Sort of . . . ? One time . . . there kind of was . . . ?(less)
I am the hugest fan of Marion Chesney's Regency romances, and have been since I discovered them in junior high. This is, I believe, one of her first,...moreI am the hugest fan of Marion Chesney's Regency romances, and have been since I discovered them in junior high. This is, I believe, one of her first, if not THE first, and I was delighted to find it at a used bookstore the other day. All the elements of a classic Chesney romance are here: a daydreamy young woman from a provincial upbringing, an older, more sophisticated man . . . and yet . . . some of that sparkle was missing. The girl was too daydreamy, in fact for most of the book she was downright irritating, going off into elaborate fantasies every few minutes, leading her to shout out highly embarrassing things or knock over tables in her absent-minded stupor. And her suitor didn't seem all that interested in her, frankly. It was fun, but definitely not one of my favorites.(less)
What a fun read! I was laughing so hard at some of the snappy, snappy dialogue, and I could totally hear Julie's voice saying some of these snarky thi...moreWhat a fun read! I was laughing so hard at some of the snappy, snappy dialogue, and I could totally hear Julie's voice saying some of these snarky things. (Disclaimer: Yes, I am a friend of the author.) Moreover, these are things that I wish I'd said in similar circumstances. Once again, Julie has created a pitch-perfect romance, one that is fun and thrilling without being embarrassing. (I am easily embarrassed by some romances. If anyone's "toes curl" when they're being kissed, I generally think of the Wicked Witch of the East. The one with the house on her. Yeah. Not romantic. But there's none of that here, thank heavens!) Julie's characters are great, and I could read more about Jillian's boss, her parents, and even her job, for heaven's sake! So much fun! I'm in the middle of another book right now (two, actually), but I picked this up to glance at the first page and couldn't stop reading!(less)
I don't actually have a "romance" shelf, so we'll just go with a combo of chicklit and historical fiction . . .
Anyway. This book is hysterically funn...moreI don't actually have a "romance" shelf, so we'll just go with a combo of chicklit and historical fiction . . .
Anyway. This book is hysterically funny, in a truly charming way. Quill, the oldest son, knows he will never sire an heir to his family's estate, because an injury has made it impossible for him. No, it's not what you're thinking! Wait for it . . . "Repetitive, rhythmic exercise" causes him to having blinding headaches. (Take a minute to giggle.) His younger brother, a true dandy, has been betrothed from a distance to Miss Gabrielle, who has been raised in a very free fashion in India. She is frequently disheveled, and suffers from the odd wardrobe malfunction or two . . . in short, the dandified Peter's nightmare. Quill, of course, finds her delightful, and she is determined to help him make a full recovery . . . And, yes, you can take it from there. Fun, sexy, funny, and with some great historical detail.(less)
It's like "A Christmas Carol" and a Marian Keyes novel had a baby! A fun book, yet thought-provoking, that takes a look at the different stages of one...moreIt's like "A Christmas Carol" and a Marian Keyes novel had a baby! A fun book, yet thought-provoking, that takes a look at the different stages of one young woman's life, how she's changed, and how she SHOULDN'T have changed, interestingly enough. At times I thought it was a tad uneven: some of the things that happen are very serious, like her childhood self's inability to process the death of her mother, and her own severe bout of depression, while other events and characters seem to be played for laughs . . . which felt inappropriate. I am fascinated to see what Noehren does next, though! I loved her characters, and their other "selves", particularly Samantha's cousin, Libby.(less)
Kathy Myers was our neighbor when I was a kid, so I read this book at a rather young age, and it made quite an impression on me. This is one of those...moreKathy Myers was our neighbor when I was a kid, so I read this book at a rather young age, and it made quite an impression on me. This is one of those "romance" novels where a young woman is kidnapped and raped by a dashing pirate-type, and then falls in love with him. I'm not really a fan of that. What is interesting is that that all happens at the beginning of the book, and then the story keeps going. Myers does a great job with her historical details, and the book is a smooth read, too.(less)
Kathy Myers was our neighbor, so I read this book at rather a young age. It's remarkably historically accurate, and more resembles a romantic dramedy...moreKathy Myers was our neighbor, so I read this book at rather a young age. It's remarkably historically accurate, and more resembles a romantic dramedy than a bodice-ripper romance. During the War for Independence, a young colonial woman is caught spying on the British, and forced to marry a British officer as punishment. Of course they fall in love, and of course there's more spying and double-agentry and a rescue in the dark of night when a plot goes horribly awry. Fun, and actually more romantic than a lot of "romance" novels. (less)
This was the first actual romance novel I ever read. She's the least likely bride because she has a stutter, making her unmarriageable, but fortunatel...moreThis was the first actual romance novel I ever read. She's the least likely bride because she has a stutter, making her unmarriageable, but fortunately she's captured by a hot pirate. She's badly injured during her kidnapping, but that doesn't stop them from y'know, wink wink nudge nudge. And it's apparently consensual, despite the fact that they just met, and he kidnapped her. It's been a few years since I read it, but I remember enjoying it at the time, even while I laughed at some of the "serious" parts.(less)
A surprising book. Shannon takes us on a tour through ten years in the life of a Morman housewife, who also happens to be good friends with a famous m...moreA surprising book. Shannon takes us on a tour through ten years in the life of a Morman housewife, who also happens to be good friends with a famous movie star. They have their ups and downs, their relationship is questioned by themselves and others, their lives take surprising turns. It starts out with lots of snappy, almost too fluffy, dialogue, but as the years pass it becomes a tender look at friendship and love and family.(less)
Addictive as a tabloid, but in the end, totally unsatisfying. Despite sentiments about the ferocity of feeling of being a mother (or something equally...moreAddictive as a tabloid, but in the end, totally unsatisfying. Despite sentiments about the ferocity of feeling of being a mother (or something equally vague), the mother really did ignore her son and alternately use or ignore Anna, whom she had solely as a donor for dying Kate. I'd like to think that Child Protective Services would have taken one look at this family and removed that poor girl from her home, but here they came up with delightfully contrived situations, like her living at the firehouse with her dad and his male co-workers (which no judge would have approved), while the mother represented herself in court, after eighteen years of being at home. (Would her license to practice law still be valid?) There were not one, not two, but THREE big twists, all of which an idiot could have seen coming. The one involving the lawyer was pointless, as was his ridiculously strained relationship with Julia (did anyone care? And outside of a sitcom, do people really get into these petty misunderstandings and let it go for years?). The last big twist was the one that made me want to scream and through the book across the room.(less)
This is a great capper to the Jane Madison trilogy. Jane finally comes to a crisis where she needs to decide how she feels about being a librarian, a...moreThis is a great capper to the Jane Madison trilogy. Jane finally comes to a crisis where she needs to decide how she feels about being a librarian, a witch, a daughter and granddaughter, and a lover, frankly. How does her witchcraft affect her relationships, and how does she want it to affect them? What is her relationship with Neko, and what should it be? Her mother? David, her warder? Klasky does an excellent job of tying all these threads together. All the great characters who make up Jane's world get some good face time, and it comes to a very satisfying conclusion!
Kind of an odd book. I liked it because it was different, there was a lot going on, and some interesting insights into the difference between American...moreKind of an odd book. I liked it because it was different, there was a lot going on, and some interesting insights into the difference between American and French women/lifestyles. But at the same time, none of the characters were really that likeable. The "heroine" was so self-centered she barely seemed to care about the tragic circumstances around her, and no one else was three dimensional enough to rate much attention.(less)
Such a fun book! It was like Bridget Jones or Jemima J., only with witchcraft! And not your typical romance, either, with girl meets unsuitable boy, f...moreSuch a fun book! It was like Bridget Jones or Jemima J., only with witchcraft! And not your typical romance, either, with girl meets unsuitable boy, falls for him, he is exposed as a cad, she lands in the arms of the reliable but cute friend. No, this one's more than a wee bit different, and I ADORE it! (I also just adore Mindy Klasky as a person, she's a doll!)(less)
An interesting book, at times light and fluffy, at other times harrowing. I enjoyed both the book and the movie, by the way, though there were a few c...moreAn interesting book, at times light and fluffy, at other times harrowing. I enjoyed both the book and the movie, by the way, though there were a few changes made to the film.(less)
This book made me so angry! I couldn't put it down, and I couldn't stop stamping around, ranting about the awfulness of the parents. So horrible! But...moreThis book made me so angry! I couldn't put it down, and I couldn't stop stamping around, ranting about the awfulness of the parents. So horrible! But almost in a cathartic way. I know that I will never be this bad of a mom, no matter what I do. And there was just something refreshing about knowing that you were supposed to hate these characters, that you were being invited to say bad things about people who could be real. A definite guilty pleasure!(less)
So much fun! A total departure from Shannon's other books, and yet she did it so well. Fabulous to see how easily she crosses genres. She must have do...moreSo much fun! A total departure from Shannon's other books, and yet she did it so well. Fabulous to see how easily she crosses genres. She must have done her homework, too: the references to various Austen novels were fast and furious.(less)
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