Nora, Nora by Anne Rivers Siddons

Peyton McKenzie doesn't want to share her life with her widowed father with anyone else. That is, until Nora comes to town in her pink Thunderbird, smoking cigarettes, and a red mane of hair. Her father seems to like her while her Aunt Augusta hates her which means she cannot be all that bad. It all changes when Nora takes a teaching position in the first integrated class at the local high school. Peyton feels something isn't right but isn't sure what. When it does come to light, the whole town will be throughly shocked and teach Peyton a lesson she'll never forget.

Ms. Siddons is a fantastic author. One who I'll read again not only for her small town humor, but for the way the characters make you delve into the stories till the last page. Nothing is easy but that makes this one close to life which I found refreshing. Fantasies are nice but real life is what is the most interesting after all.

Peyton had a life of simplicity and repetitiveness. Life had stayed constant even the pain till her cousin Nora came to town. She barely knew anything about and was surprised to even know she had a cousin in some aspect. Her life changed ever day cause of this woman in her life and not just cause what Aunt Augusta tried to do. Her father realized his little girl was growing up and that changed both their attitudes. Nora is a free spirit but is best at running. Once she settles into Lytton, things change and people are shocked by Nora's behavior. Nora just thinks that they need to change never seeing that there had to be some change in herself as well.

This is a book that is definitely coming of age for Peyton. Nora, on the other hand, had to realize her full potential but even that may not be enough to hold her still for long. The small town is in for a rude awakening but can they survive it?

Anne Rivers Siddons/New Author/ Chunkster/ Coming of Age/ 470 pages/ 5 out of 5

I thought I had read this author before but couldn't find it. lol I love this one and definitely will pick up the other one I have by her in my TBR pile. :)

Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts

Tory Bodeen grew up in a small town in South Carolina. Her best friend Hope was murdered and it was never solved. Her father was extremely hard on her and she had to tiptoe around never to get beaten. Now she is back to Progress to set up her own home-design shop. Rumors seem to float around again but she is not determined to let that stop her. She has been running all her life and refuses to stop now. Getting re-acquainted with Cade Lavelle, her best friend’s older brother may not be a good idea but she’ll just have to take that one-day at a time. Tory might just be willing to open up her heart just a little to try. Being back near the place where it happened brings back memories that could be even worse than she ever imagined since the killer is still out there.

Ms. Roberts has seriously out done herself with this book. I loved seeing the story from Tory’s side, Cade’s side, and Hope’s twin sister’s Faith’s side of things. It really gave me a full rounded feeling that I don’t always find with some books. It is certainly not easy to write. This book had me before I even started it. I could not wait to see how everything played out.

Victoria “Tory” Bodeen is a sweet woman. She had a hard childhood and now is learning to deal with the past. It has followed her ever since she left so she figures it is best to just go back to where it started. She knows ahead of time that it’s going to be difficult but there does not seem to be a way around it. Cade Lavelle has always known who Tory is but never really thought much of her. Now that she has finally grown up, he cannot seem to take his eyes off of her no matter what his mother or sister may think. He knows that Tory had nothing to do with his sister Hope’s death and hopes to prove that to her.

I really liked this story and found it a quick read. I love Southern stories and this one just was added to my favorite books list so far this year. I am a huge fan of Nora and I really like her books. Not all of them are predictable and that is what makes her so much fun. I am definitely keeping this book!

Nora Roberts/Romance/ Romance Challenge/ Chunkster/470 pages/ 4 out of 5

I started the movie and noticed some significant changes right away. We'll see how the rest of it goes before I make a final opinon.