Not as bad as I thought. The book started out flip and light. Two sets of annoying teens playing a trick and egged on by their friends. But once we go...moreNot as bad as I thought. The book started out flip and light. Two sets of annoying teens playing a trick and egged on by their friends. But once we got deeper into Braden and Maddie's "fake" relationship their true selves started to emerge and both turned out to be a lot more mature and caring than they let on.
I definitely liked the second half of the book better, so my advice is to stick with it, no matter how annoying the games and unrealistic setting. Yeah, right, UC Berkeley with girls dormitories where guys aren't allowed, beaches nearby with bonfires attended by the entire freshman class, and bells ringing to signal the end of class. Last I checked, dorms at Berkeley had coed floors, there's no beach with surfing until you get to Santa Cruz (arguably, maybe Half Moon Bay, Pacifica or Ocean Beach in SF, all on the OTHER side of the Bay) and definitely no fires allowed on beaches in California. But... don't let that distract you because things get more emotional and realistic after Maddie's brother Pearce shows up begging her for money for drugs.
Finally, some real drama and opportunity for Braden to show the concern he is capable of and for their "game" relationship to deepen. The ending was a little bit more drawn out than I expected, but I have to keep reminding myself they're not even twenty, barely out of high school. The scene with Maddie's best friend and father were very touching as is the admission at the end that love is worth fighting for and keeping.(less)
You can't help but root for Blue, a young woman who so desperately wants to be loved, yet refuses to let anyone know her true self, believing she was...moreYou can't help but root for Blue, a young woman who so desperately wants to be loved, yet refuses to let anyone know her true self, believing she was unworthy of respect. She meets Wilson, a high school history teacher who encourages his students to look at history as a story and to write their personal stories.
Blue is disdainful, uncooperative, and snarky, but Wilson does not give up on her. Everytime she throws her personal history into the trash, he picks it out and encourages her to continue. The most touching scene was when Blue broke into the school and discovered Wilson playing Amazing Grace on his cello. At that moment she asked God to love her and show her what her life is worth.
But many troubles still await Blue. Without giving it away, we see her grow in strength to cross her Rubicon and events challenge her to the core of her soul, but with the help of her friends and the legends her guardian told her, she emerges victorious as an artist.
She suffers from her love for Wilson who alternatively pushes and pulls at her. But thankfully she holds onto her self esteem and refuses to let Wilson toy with her until he declares that he loves her the way she is, background and all.
Blue may be young and scarred, but her journey to self-realization is uplifting and encouraging. A wonderfully heartwarming story.(less)
Absolutely passionate. When headstrong Savannah Connor, activist from New York, meets Zach Garrett, the constable and keeper of peace in Pilot Isle, t...moreAbsolutely passionate. When headstrong Savannah Connor, activist from New York, meets Zach Garrett, the constable and keeper of peace in Pilot Isle, trouble brews and sparks fly. Savannah is a liberated woman, determined to keep herself independent from any man's control whereas Zach is a wounded widower determined to never love or marry again.
When the two decide on a friends with benefits arrangement, neither is prepared for the depth and strength of their hidden desires. Always with their wires crossed, they make passionate love under the sheets but fight like cats and dogs in front of the town, that is, until the day they're caught together in the town jail.
Tracy Sumner has written an entertaining and easy to read romance that'll have you delighted. The cast of characters will each have a place in your heart, but the most satisfying is seeing how two headstrong people work out the hurts and pains in their heart and admit to the love that silently crept into their hearts.
Perfect blend of teenage crushes and lurking danger.
Rory has everything a teenage girl could wish for: a warm, loving family, a hot guy who adores her...morePerfect blend of teenage crushes and lurking danger.
Rory has everything a teenage girl could wish for: a warm, loving family, a hot guy who adores her, and popularity at school. But when she gets trapped in a storm drain with an adorable chocolate lab pup, her life takes a sharp detour. The puppy belongs to Gage, a boy with a shady past who Rory had a major crush on.
Meanwhile, teenage girls are disappearing. When her friend Lindsay disappears, Rory's parents and older brothers clamp down on her movements. Rory takes to sneaking out her window and climbing down a storm drain to be with Gage and Bailee.
Through many twists and turns, testosterone displays, and lots of teenage angst, Rory escapes danger and makes her decision. What I liked about this book was the first person narration. Ms. Dillon does a wonderful job of portraying teens, where the stress of deciding what to wear or who to go to a party with is on par with avoiding a murderer. The most delightful character of the book was none other than Bailee, Gage's puppy who sealed the deal, as far as I'm concerned.
You'll enjoy this light-hearted read with a moderate suspenseful element. I received an ARC provided by the author.(less)
A sad story of psychological manipulation. CeeCee was sixteen and living on her own when she met a charming grad student studying to be a social worke...moreA sad story of psychological manipulation. CeeCee was sixteen and living on her own when she met a charming grad student studying to be a social worker. Her mother had died many years ago and left her a series of letters full of motherly advice, applicable to each stage of life she would grow into.
Through a series of wrong choices and deception, CeeCee has to assume a new identity. Towing along the victim's baby and claiming her as her own, CeeCee rebuilds her life, never escaping the guilt of that deadly night.
The story starts with a Prologue showing the dramatic end, where CeeCee/Eve comes forward with her dastardly secret. It moved along very well at the beginning where we see CeeCee roped into the schemes and changing her identity. But it began to drag during the intervening years showing all the life events, early childcare, dating, marrying, raising a family, getting her own counseling degree.
The amateurish foreshadowing, of the "little did she know" or "she would soon regret" type made the book predictable. Even though the family reconciled at the end, there were still residual problems dusted under the rug, such as no mention of the secret organization and the people who conspired with them.
Secondary characters, Cory and Jim, became very one-dimensional near the end, as if their own roles were to highlight or alleviate CeeCee's storyline. I did like Dru and thought she stuck to her personality very well and was the glue that kept the family together.(less)
The redeeming power of chocolate. No one can stay mad at anyone when chocolate is in the air. Chocolicious is a story about second chances. Blair's li...moreThe redeeming power of chocolate. No one can stay mad at anyone when chocolate is in the air. Chocolicious is a story about second chances. Blair's life is destroyed when her husband died and left her with nothing, not even a life insurance policy.
Alone, with her newborn daughter, Blair fends for herself while having no job experience. Her late husband's best friend, George, looks out for her, but hides his secret involvement in Blair's late husband's scheme.
Everything blows up, but Blair and her sister bake five hundred triple layered chocolate cupcakes for a wedding and with all the chocolate feelings permeating the banquet hall, everything is forgiven and everyone lives happily ever after, high on chocolate, more chocolate, and extreme chocolate. There was a LOT of moaning in the book, but it was all over chocolate. Steamy, creamy, chocolate of all shapes, sizes and textures.
I loved reading this book and it had me laughing out loud at some of the cute situations. The only peeve I have is the website at the end does not exist and there are no recipes for all of the chocolate delights described in the book, especially the signature triple layered chocolate cupcakes.(less)
A light-hearted fun read. This book will make you happy no matter what. It's a story about following your heart. Chloe Rogers is set to marry a hard-w...moreA light-hearted fun read. This book will make you happy no matter what. It's a story about following your heart. Chloe Rogers is set to marry a hard-working, handsome banker. He's smart, a go-getter, and will provide her a comfortable lifestyle. But she cannot forget her first love, Josh Goldman, who returns to town to open a surf shop.
Meanwhile Chloe finds a set of old love letters written to her bossy, control-freak mother. Chloe investigates and finds the man her mother jilted 40 years ago. While meddling with her mother's happiness, Chloe is torn between her fiance, the rational choice, and Josh, the man who speaks to her heart.
I enjoyed this book because it was an easy read, not filled with angst, and had a lot of humorous moments. Even though the ending was easy to foretell, it was still fun to follow the characters through their ups and downs while getting a flavor of all that good food. The minor characters were delightful, as was the sparring between Chloe's mother and her fiance's mother, all while her fiance's father asks for another piece of pie.
Josh was such a sweet and loving man, I knew he would sweep Chloe off her feet. The only person I was annoyed with was Chloe. Girl can't seem to make up her mind! I wished someone would slap her, but everyone knew she had to make her own decision. Even her best friend and mother stepped back and let her find her own feelings. There were a lot of sweet moments and I recommend this book to anyone who wants a cheerful read. I loved how many slices of chocolate cake with fudge cream they had. All the food was deliciously described as well as the fun surfing lesson and the lovely wedding details.
So, if other books have you depressed or mad at the world, read this one to lift your spirits and leave you warm and fuzzy. True love is worth waiting for, and there are fairy tale endings!(less)
Healing can't begin until the truth is known. For too long, Lacey O'Neill has held her mother's memory hostage. She compares everything she does again...moreHealing can't begin until the truth is known. For too long, Lacey O'Neill has held her mother's memory hostage. She compares everything she does against what her mother would have done. When her best friend dies and leaves Lacey as guardian for her trouble preteen daughter, Lacey is forced to reevaluate everything she knew about her mother, her mother's murderer and every family relationship in her web. Secrets are spilled, but healing follows.
This is a heart touching story about love, redemption and forgiveness. But most of all, it's about letting go of the past and being your own person.(less)
This was a fast and easy read and reminiscent of Anne Rivers Siddons' Off-Season. It deals with families at a beach summer house, young romances betwe...moreThis was a fast and easy read and reminiscent of Anne Rivers Siddons' Off-Season. It deals with families at a beach summer house, young romances between neighbors, and a tragic death that destroys both families.
The story weaves between the present and the past when a young woman appears on Julie's doorstep with a note hinting the wrong man went to jail for the death of Julie's elder sister forty-one years ago. That man died in jail, and the person who wrote the note is also dead, but the note opens up a new police investigation that drags in the entire family into reliving the events of that fateful summer.
I enjoyed the story, but felt it was too predictable. I won't spoil it, but it becomes pretty obvious what the relationship of the two young lovers is behind the scenes. After that, it was only a matter of casting off the red herrings that the author tried to direct our suspicion by having Julie jump to conclusions.
The ending was not quite satisfactory because the villain did not have sufficient motivation. It felt like one of those pulled punches. After following the mystery for well over 400 pages, the final reveal was a letdown. But other than that, it was a well written piece of women's fiction dealing with mothers, daughters, and their relationships.(less)
This delightful book brings me back to a time and a place I do not know. It makes me feel like I really missed something by not growing up in Mississi...moreThis delightful book brings me back to a time and a place I do not know. It makes me feel like I really missed something by not growing up in Mississippi. Every poem draws word pictures and brings to mind scents and sounds to transport the reader to an event, whether it's shucking peas to killing hogs, to the old country church, or the high school band and drill team.
How wonderful for Ms. Neely-Dorsey to share her happy childhood and preserve these memories for generations to come. What a joy to relive, or experience through poetry, a time when people bonded over a pitcher of sweet tea under a grand old magnolia tree in a cool evening to the background music of crickets, cicadas, and trilling birdsongs.
I feel like I know Patricia after reading her poetry and would love to stop by her front porch some day to shoot the breeze. This book will make you feel good and wrap you in a blanket of comforting, warm feelings.(less)
An enjoyable read. This is another one of those homecoming stories where the heroine has left a small town, made a success out of herself and meets up...moreAn enjoyable read. This is another one of those homecoming stories where the heroine has left a small town, made a success out of herself and meets up again with the hometown boy who broke her heart. Only this one has a twist. The heroine, Lizzie, planned the entire meetup for the sole purpose of using her former boyfriend to bolster her self-image and sex life as practice for the big city slicker she set her heart on.
If you can buy this premise, you can enjoy the story. Otherwise, I'd say you'd be spitting mad the entire time. This is because Finn, the local boy, also has an agenda to do Lizzie on his bucket list. He came close back when she was in high school, but life intervened and he ended up married to the archetype female dog.
So the two of them agree to have a summer fling to get it out of their system. However, as savvy romance readers know, they are destined to have more feelings, fall in love, and then discover the duplicity that motivated them to begin the relationship. There will be the big misunderstanding, the breakup, the yearning, and finally, one will make a move and they'll fall into each other's arms.
With that out of the way, I'll go to the parts of the story I really liked. Finn's family, his son, grandmother and wheelchair bound daughter were the standouts in this story. Each of them added a dimension to the story and deepened Finn's character so that he wasn't just a player out for a good time. Lizzie's developing relationship with the family showed that she had depth to her character too. I also enjoyed the local color of the Upper Peninsula and learned what a Yooper is. Sounds like a really idyllic town with genuine neighbors and community.
Overall, it was a fun read. The romance was on the corny side, with the three try-fail cycles, interruptions of people walking in, or something coming up before the couple can finally get together. The two friends with their big mouths set up the dark moment. The hero comes off the handle too harshly for my liking, cussing (using the f-word) and insulting the heroine in front of her business associates, as if she was a slut, and mentioning their sex life in front of another man as if she were a horse, and he'd broken her in for him. He even said, I hope you like it in the dark. Good luck. I also found it unbelievable that he'd rip her purse from her, extract her notebook and flip to the page where she wrote her checklist, all in front of her stunned friends and business associates. Yes, I understand he was hurt by her plan for using him, but that tell-off in public made him less heroic. After that blowup, I found that I didn't really care if they got back together and only read to the end to check off the events that had to happen to bring the final resolution to a close.(less)
This was a cute story set in Melbourne Australia. I didn't really get the local color of the place, so other than the place names, it could have been...moreThis was a cute story set in Melbourne Australia. I didn't really get the local color of the place, so other than the place names, it could have been anywhere. There was a lot of head-hopping and telling which distracted me. I had to go back and figure out whose head we were in every few paragraphs. But I liked the theme about letting love grow rather than forcing it.
The setting is an emergency room where the hero is a doctor and the heroine is a pregnant nurse. The hero has an aversion to babies but feels drawn to the heroine. He keeps pushing her away because of her baby and was stuck with a one-track mind of avoiding babies. Kind of hard since he's a doctor and she's always in need of medical care, first for her and later for her baby.
The premise of the story was interesting, if not a bit predictable, but the emotions did not run deep enough for me. The right words were said, actions taken, love scene drawn out, and the subsequent misunderstanding and breakup were all well placed and scripted including the sudden change of heart. But I had trouble feeling the tension and angst and couldn't get into the characters because the point of view wasn't deep enough. I still recommend this book as a quick read and entertaining for people used to the Emergency room. And of course the baby is the shining star and reward for reading.(less)
Stunning! Melissa Foster's best work yet. You wouldn't think a story about a small town daddy's girl would be so riveting. On the surface, Alison (Pix...moreStunning! Melissa Foster's best work yet. You wouldn't think a story about a small town daddy's girl would be so riveting. On the surface, Alison (Pixie) is a mouse. She's scared to make waves and she's taught to know her place. She's marrying her high school sweetheart and doing everything everyone expects her to.
That is, until she finds the body of a black man in the river. Suddenly her eyes are opened to the injustice in her town, where supposedly decent law-abiding citizens beat up, terrorize and kill people to keep them in their place.
Alison starts asking questions and when she meets the brother of the black boy her boyfriend beat, her tight-knit world is cracked and she can no longer go back to the blindness of her ways.
Melissa Foster weaves an enthralling tale of young love in a background of racial hate and strife. Alison is not the strongest heroine, but she is sweet, charming, observant and innocent. I love her voice and the way she tells it like it is. Her heart is opened, but she allows herself to be hemmed in by tradition and her father's disapproval.
Things come to a climax when violence breaks out. Her sister is beaten and Alison delivers a shocking surprise that seals her alienation to her racist husband. The final standoff is tense and satisfying as Alison and her family stand down her bullying husband.
A lot of research went into this book. Melissa Foster brings us to the forefront of the Civil Rights movement and captures all the energy, bravery and dedication that went into it. We have a lot to be grateful for those who sacrificed their freedom and sometimes their lives to allow us to live in a society where a man is not judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character. This dynamic and heartwarming story is sure to inspire you and is a testament to those who struggled so we can live in an integrated society.(less)
Realistic and edgy portrayal. I know exactly what the two brother, Tomas and Gabe feel, and had I been a boy, I would have run with the tough guys and...moreRealistic and edgy portrayal. I know exactly what the two brother, Tomas and Gabe feel, and had I been a boy, I would have run with the tough guys and gotten into the trouble that boys without fathers have. I grew up in the same streets, okay, south of Watts/Compton, not Santa Monica and the nicer areas on the west side, but Harbor area, Carson, and my family did not fit in with the surrounding culture. We were the foreign ones with the weird clothes and our mother was very much like Tomas and Gabe's mother.
I completely understood the Fedco scene and later on the scene at the pharmacy when the salesgirl pointedly ignored their mother and acted like she was nonperson, the Asian mother who shies away from sales people and feels ignored and shunted aside, and people who look down on them with the broken English. My mother had a parking lot incident where a woman accused her of denting her car with a shopping cart, even though my mother was returning the cart to the holder and wasn't near her car. This woman hounded my mother and followed her home haranguing her to just pay up. They feel they can pick on the older Asian woman who speaks broken English and scare her into paying.
This story was very real for me growing up in Los Angeles and the author's descriptions are true, from the spindly rat infested palm trees to the smudgy plastic stackables (from the smog), the hazy thick Marine layer, the thin strip of beach were the airplanes take off over, and the pavement filled with tar in the cracks rather than fixed. The cultural landscape is also real, at least for people over thirty. Maybe now, younger Filipinos have more pride and nationalism, but I have friends who have Filipino mothers, but are half white and they have green eyes and light skin. Friends who claim they're Italian or hang with Mexicans. And the word Flip, that's what they used to say before Pinoy, even when referring to themselves.
I did get this story and enjoyed it. The brothers really did love their mother but showed it differently. Tomas with gifts and Gabe by being there. And at the end, they stood up for her the only way they knew how, and even though the story had no real ending, it is realistic for literary fiction and I appreciate that the author did not foist an unrealistic sappy happy ending when life is not that way.(less)
I read the ABNA excerpt of Freedom Road and knew I wanted more of the story. This is a chilling setup dealing with the trials Samantha had already end...moreI read the ABNA excerpt of Freedom Road and knew I wanted more of the story. This is a chilling setup dealing with the trials Samantha had already endured and explains the strained relationship she had with her parents. Well done from the point of view of an eight-year-old.(less)
Talk about bad luck and Madeline Scott has had her fair share of it, maybe more. Reeling from a canceled wedding where her groom and maid of honor wer...moreTalk about bad luck and Madeline Scott has had her fair share of it, maybe more. Reeling from a canceled wedding where her groom and maid of honor were found together, Madeline Scott moves to a small coastal town only to find a body on the beach, as in dead body.
The responding officer is Donovan Andrews, the local playboy who's cycled through all of the women in town, some several times, from the police chief's daughter to Madeline's boss, Lindsay.
Sparks fly as suspicions revolve around the town that Donovan was the killer. Madeline believes Donovan is innocent, and reluctantly join forces with him to find the real killer--all the while fending off his romantic overtures.
The plot thickens with a second murder, but when Madeline is injured by a maniac, Donovan stays at her side and wins over her parents. After several twists, both romantic and suspenseful, Madeline has to trust Donovan or lose her life.
This story was exciting and dramatic. I could understand how distrustful Madeline was of Donovan, but I loved the way Donovan persisted on winning her over. He was sweet and thoughtful, and always made sure to consider her feelings about her self image and her past. Even though he had a reputation, once he fell in love with Madeline, he did everything he could to reassure her and put up with her snarky remarks and putdowns.
I was really happy that Madeline finally understood why Donovan was the way he was and accepted his past, and I loved the ending and the plans they have for their future together.(less)
Samantha's dream is to play her guitar professionally and attend the Julliard School of Music. But her father...moreFrom the ashes of tragedy to vindication.
Samantha's dream is to play her guitar professionally and attend the Julliard School of Music. But her father wants her to work at his bank. When he accidentally chops of a finger on her left hand, her fretting hand, Samantha's life is turned upside down.
It turns out Samantha's family is not a loving, supportive one, far from it. Samantha suffers more than thwarted dreams. She has an alcoholic mother and a controlling father who does everything he can to oppose her.
Her friends are callous and want to exploit her missing finger as publicity for their band, and her so-called boyfriend doesn't really care about her. However this book is far from a pity-party. Samantha makes friends with a 12 year old boy who looks up to her and believes she can play again. Along the way, she meets a heart-throb pre-med who appreciates her talent and cares about her as a person.
Through many struggles and a deep dark secret, Samantha finally gets to Julliard for her audition. What happens next will warm your heart and make you cry. This story is about hope in the face of defeat and the good friends who believe in you and hold you up when you feel you cannot go on.(less)
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