The Amnesiac by Sam Taylor

James Purdew finds that he cannot remember three years of his life. He is not sure why. But when he trips on the stairs to his apartment and breaks his leg, he has too much time to think about it. His girlfriend Ingrid does not understand what he is going through. He becomes obsessed with it and heads back to England where he believes it all started to a house that holds memories for him or so he thinks. He comes across a manuscript from the nineteenth century about a murder mystery. It might just get him to give him some clues to the time that he has forgotten.

Mr. Taylor weaves a story that is full of suspense. Amnesia, memory, dreams and reality all have a part to play in it. It is a haunting gothic tale that helps you question what is really going on in life. I was surprised with how well it was put together though at times I was a little confused.

This is one story that reminds of me of Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. And while that was not my favorite book in the world, The Amnesiac is a fantastic story. I was pulled in because I was curious to find out what happened. You really get to look inside the human character and how it affects everything you do. In all honesty, I am not sure I would want to do some of the things I found out James did in the story. I understood why he submitted himself but at the same time, he had horrible consequences later on. This was an intriguing book that I could not put down.

Sam Taylor/Chunkster/ 400 pages/ Gothic Tale/ 4 out of 5

Off to a few more review books, but I would like to get in a few more of my own before the month is through. :)

May Stats and Reads

Death by Ploot Ploot by Dara Joy 05-01-08 C
In Twilight's Shadow by Patti O'Shea 05-01-08 through 05-03-08 A
Sweet and Sinful by Jodi Lynn Copeland 05-03-08 through 05-06-08 A
Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery 05-06-08 through 05-07-08 A+
His Wicked Sins by Eve Silver 05-07-08 through 05-09-08 A
Charley’s Web by Joy Fielding 05-09-08 through 5-11-08 A
Web of Destiny by Al and Joanna Lacy 05-11-08 through 5-12-08 A
Before the Scandal by Suzanne Enoch 05-13-08 through 5-14-08 A
Solar Wind by Carol Ann Lee 05-14-08 through 05-17-08 B
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice 05-17-08 through 05-19-08 A
The Queen and the Centurion by Minnette Meador 05-19-08 through 05-20-08 A
Have Mercy by Jo Leigh 05-20-08 through 5-21-08 A
Up Close and Personal by Joanne Rock 05-21-08 A
Nightcap by Kathleen O’Reilly 05-21-08 through 05-22-08 A
The Fire Within by Joely Sue Burkhart 05-22-08 through 05-23-08 B
Something Reckless by Jess Michaels 05-23-08 through 5-25-08 A
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen 05-26-08 through 5-29-08 A

May
Total Books Read: 17
New Authors: 14Fiction: 17Non Fiction: 0
TBR: 0
Chunksters: 1
Books I Reviewed: 14
Memoirs/True Crime/Autobiographies:
Romances: 13
Mysteries: 0
From the Stacks: 13
Books I Bought: 3
PBS Sent: 1
PBS Received: 2
Total Pages Read: 4, 771

A Little late but oh well. :)

Christ the Lord: The Road To Cana

Yeshua has grown up and is dealing with helping his family. His brother James keeps asking him if he’ll ever get married. Yeshua just does not think that will be no matter what anyone wants. He is slowly beginning to realize that he may be the Christ after all. And it is not till he performs a miracle at his cousin Avigail’s wedding that he truly starts to understand. Having seen his cousin John the Baptist, he begins to fully know what is going on and wrestles with it.

Ms. Rice certainly knows her stuff and has done her research. A little might have been embellished but I didn’t feel that way through most of the book. I felt she handled this portion of Jesus’ life very well. I was thoroughly pleased and I cannot wait to see if there is a next installment in this series.

Being a Christian, I have to say how impressed I am with Ms. Rice to be taking on such a project. You truly feel like you begin to know Jesus not only as a prophet and teacher but his life with his family as well. I just cannot say fully how much I appreciated this book. It is so full of life and the things that are dealt with in this book are ones that leave you on the edge of your seat.

Anne Rice/Christian Fiction/ Life of Jesus/241 pages/ 4 out of 5

I have to get a few more review books done and then hope to read a few more of my own. lol

Charley's Webb by Joy Fielding

Charlotte Webb has had an interesting life. Her family is on the odds again and she is stuck picking up the pieces or so it seems. Her career as a journalist is not so glamorous but still warrants an occasional threatening email. She likes writing about things that are controversial. Her children keep her busy and she loves them dearly. She always makes sure that she is there for them even though she never married the fathers. Getting a letter from a woman in jail who wants her story told makes Charley curious. So she decides to meet Jill Rohmer to at least find out the details. The woman had killed three small children and oddly enough Charley had wrote a column about it. She has no idea that it will lead to some nasty things down the line and it might even put her children’s lives on the line.

Ms. Fielding is a fantastic writer who gives the best goose bumps. I have only read one other book of hers but I am so intrigued to pick up the one I have in my ever-growing book pile. She writes characters that question beliefs so much that I even started wondering about mine. Yet the thrill ride you are taken on will leave you almost breathless. She plots things out very well that I was shocked to find out a few things that were talked about in the book.

Charlotte just wanted her family to get along. But since her mom left them when all four children were very young, they are not so forgiving including her father. Now she tries to settle into a life well done except threatening emails shock her. She does her best to keep her children safe. She loves them too much to want anything to happen to them like any mother really. I just felt compelled to follow along with her journey to see what happens.

This is a book full of tough issues and tests the boundaries of truth. I would definitely thing this would make a good book club read. I thought the book was well written and the characters very realistic. People just want to find their place in life and they also want to make money. There is nothing wrong with that it is just how you acquire the money that is often wrong. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is not squeamish. It is not for the faint of heart and the details did get quite gruesome. It is the only way to retell things that happened to truly understand what was going on in the mind of a killer. This is one author that I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next as well as I am planning on reading the other book on my shelf very soon.

Joy Fielding/ Women/ Journalists/ Thriller/ 448 pages/ 4 out of 5

I am working on a review book but hope to get another one of my own in soon!

April Books and Stats

Here are the books:

Taken By A Viking by Michelle Styles 03-30-08 through 04-01-08 A+
A Dangerous Love by Brenda Joyce 04-01-08 A
Weeping Willow by Sarah Rainwater 04-02-08 through 04-03-08 C
The Reunion Game by Jan Scarbrough 04-03-08 B
Sweethearts of the Twilight Lanes by Luanne Jones 04-03-08 through 04-04-08 A
French Kissed by Nancy Warren 04-04-08 through 04-05-08 A
Seven Nights of Sin by Lacey Alexander 04-05-08 through 04-06-08 A
Candles on Bay Street by K.C. McKinnon 04-07-08 through 04-08-08 A
Spa Vacation by Theresa Alan 04-08-08 A
The Druid’s Quest by Cornelia Amiri 04-09-08 through 04-10-08 C
Points by I. Glebe 04-10-08 C
A Troubadour’s Testament by James Cowan 04-10-08 through 04-13-08 B
Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip 04-13-08 through 04-15-08 A+
Kaitlin’s Silver Lining by Ciara Gold 04-15-08 through 04-16-08 B
Duma Key by Stephen King 04-16-08 through 04-18-08 A+
Hot Date by Amy Garvey 04-18-08 through 04-19-08 A
The almost Moon by Alice Sebold 04-19-08 through 04-21-08 C
Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Glarnon 04-21-08 through 4-22-08 A
Taking the Heat by Kathryn Shay 04-22-08 A
Motif for Murder by Laura Childs 04-23-08 through 04-24-08 A+
Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber 04-24-08 A+
Briar Rose by Robert Coover 04-24-08 through 04-25-08 D
Coming Out by Danielle Steel 04-25-08 B
Closer to Fine by Meri Weiss 04-25-08 through 4-27-08 B
The Worst Thing I’ve Done by Ursula Hegi 04-27-08 through 4-30-08 C+

Here are my stats:
Total Books Read: 24
New Authors: 18
Fiction: 23
Non-Fiction: 1
TBR: 1
Chunksters: 1
Books I Reviewed: 14
Memoirs/True Crime/ Autobiographies: 0
Romances: 11
Mysteries: 1
From the Stacks: 17
Books I bought: 5 (4 with a gift card)
PBS Sent: 2
PBS Received: 3
Total Pages Read: 6, 713 pages

Not working a lot of hours had helped me keep up with stuff. I am hoping this month to read more of my own books. lol

The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi

Annie loved her friends Jake and Mason. Though she chose Mason to spend her life with, Jake was always there. When Annie loses her parents in a car accident, she must now take care of her sister Opal being a newborn. As Annie struggles to be both a mother and a sister, she just cannot seem to find a balance. Mason always seems to know what to do with Opal. Yet things seem to go from bad to worse, which only tears apart everyone.

Ms. Hegi is a writer that writes very emotional books. While I am normally the kind that clings to these types of books, this one just left me confused. Every character had their point of view and I Found that very helpful. Yet something was lacking and maybe it was the different viewpoints that just seemed to muddle things for me. Doubts were very prevalent in this book. Yet Ms. Hegi seemed ot put most of them into Annie.

Annie just struggled whether it came to her sister or to her art or even with her husband Mason. She never seemed to put confidence that she could do anything in herself. Even though Mason did his best, he seemed to fall short. Aunty Storm was there to help Annie when she needed it the most. Opal was a sweet girl who just was confused about life. She knew Annie was her sister and not her mother but that was what made it worse for her somehow.

The beginning of the book was a shock to me. I never saw it coming not at all! It frustrated me so much that the author never let it be known what was going on till the book started. I almost did not even want to read any more of this book. But as it went along, Ms. Hegi slowly redeemed herself in little ways. And while I did not care for this book or the author, I was able to come to grips with her style of writing.

Ursula Hegi/ New Author/ Relationships/ Adult Fiction/ 272 pages/ 3 out of 5

This is one I got from Simon and Schuster awhile ago. I am just glad to be done with it. not to mention the last book of the month since I finished it almost a half hour ago.

Briar Rose by Robert Coover

This re-telling of Sleeping Beauty was odd to say the least. I was not sure what to expect with this story, I was hoping for some kind of ending and I was sorely disappointed. I liked how there was a lot of re-telling of other sleeping maidens but at the same time that was the only thing that kept the story moving. The prince in this story never reached his destination that I ever saw.

Mr. Coover is a different author. He tells really well but I felt things were a little jumpy for such a short book. Page numbers normally don’t matter to me but this one I felt like something was missing.

I just am not sure what to think. This was an odd story and has me not wanting to read this author anymore. I was just unimpressed with him because there were times when I was not sure what was the fairy’s stories or what was really happening. It all blended together for me. I hate to write bad reviews but this book was just odd!

Robert Coover/ New Author/ 86 pages/ Adult Fiction/ Fairy Tale/ 2 out of 5

Onto Danielle Steele's Coming Out and then another review book. :)

Motif for Murder by Laura Childs

Carmela is still struggling to put her marriage back together. But then her husband is kidnapped and she finds his uncle Henry shot in the head in his library. She has no idea who is behind it all but she does not like it. Keeping herself occupied, she works on an altered book to memorialize Uncle Henry. Things only seem to be going awful for her. She never suspects the altered book she does may have clues to who is behind it all and that they just might come after her.

Ms. Childs does it again! How she is able to incorporate mystery while adding in such wonderful scrap booking ideas just boggles my mind. Her characters are truly stubborn but that is why I love them so much! There is such life in Louisiana and the adventures that are created are fantastic!

Carmela, poor gal, really wants her marriage to work. But every time she turns around the man is gone. This time he is kidnapped and his sister Grace surely is a sour puss. So Carmela is always so creative and comes up with ways to use ideas she comes across whether online or at a convention. I am truly inspired by her and it makes me want to pick up my scrap book and work on it. I just don’t need all the drama she deals with. Her best friend Ava is there to help her out. Ava is a class act and a true blue best friend. She loves to party and keep Camilla happy. These two get into some crazy situations and that is what I like the best about them. They know how to help each other out.

This series keeps getting better! Not just with scrap booking ides but also with how strong Carmela is in every single book. She could just crawl under a rock and hide, but she wants to find out the truth even if it gets her in trouble with Detective Babcock. This is one series that I cannot get enough of and the next one cannot come into my hands soon enough!

Laura Childs/ Scrap booking/ Cozy Mystery/ 275 pages/ 5 out of 5

Well onto a review book and then it will be Briar Rose by Robert Coover after that Coming Out by Danielle Steele. :)

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

Clair and Helen Knightly have a complex mother/daughter relationship. Frustrated with looking after her mother, she ends up crossing a line she never thought possible. She kills her mother. She didn’t plan it but it takes care of an unconscious desire to be free of her. Over the next twenty-four hours, she must confront the freedom she never thought possible.

Ms. Sebold can write such haunting fiction. Her characters want freedom and do whatever it takes to obtain it. There is such power and emotion in each character. Ms. Sebold brings it out in a way that compels you to read on.

Helen had a rough life. She was doing her best to stay afloat. Reaching her limit, she didn’t know what to expect but she wanted change. Clair Knightly hated going outside. Worst of all was losing her husband. She did things to comfort herself while slowly losing her mind.

This book while well written had me questioning the character’s motives. I didn’t agree with all that Helen did but then I’ve never been in her situation. She just stopped thinking and reacted. This book did upset me but then life is never as simple as I would like it to be. This book does make you think. I found the ending too abrupt.


Alice Sebold/Adult Fiction/ Relationships/ 291 pages/ 3 out of 5

Back to a couple of review books and then hopefully get a few of my own. :)

A Troubadour's Testament by James Cowan

This is a journey of an anonymous author trying to find the truth about a death roll that was written by a poet named Marcebeau and others. The author had to travel all over to figure out what the meaning lay behind the poems and what made the romance happen between Marcebeau and his lover as well as how it ended. It ends up taking him through many places. But will he be able to find the answers he is looking for.

Mr. Cowan is an intense author who truly gets you to ask questions. I really enjoyed all the poetry involved in this work. This was a book that looked for the true meaning in the ordinary.

The anonymous author has to come to grips with not being able to get the answers he wanted.

This is a difficult book to write about. So much is an inner journey and one that is certainly well done. I have to say I enjoyed the book and I would like to read more by this author.

James Cowan/New Author/ Adult Fiction/ 198 pages/ 4 out of 5

Two more review books and then one of my own again. :)

Points: Women Have Them, Men Need them

I normally like non-fiction books but this one was just odd. Men often do stupid things intentionally or not. Women do stupid things too. But coming up with a points system just rubs me the wrong way.

It also was not horribly written but I think this author went too far in bashing men honestly. I was impressed that it never gave a timeline to see an improvement.

I was looking forward to reading this book and just could not get into it. This was an author that just sounded funny. While some of it was funny, some of it seemed idiotic. I had hoped to like it a lot better and am surprised that this person wrote this stuff. I know he is not a professional but still I expected a lot more from it than what I got.

I. Glebe/ Non-fiction/ Relationships/ 3 out of 5/ 190 pages

I finished this a couple of days ago just never got around to posting it. Right now I am almost done with another non fiction. :)

Candles on Bay Street by K.C. McKinnon

Dee Dee Michaud leaves her home to go out in the world. Leaving behind a broken heart belonging to her best friend Sam Thibodeau. Now fifteen years later, Dee Dee is back and questions arise as to why she is here etc. Sam just is happy to have his friend back even though he is married now. He feels like his life is being turned upside now. While Dee Dee opens up a candle making shop where she makes her own candles. Dee Dee seems to be as enchanting as she was back when they were growing up. She is hiding something but what could it be?

Ms. McKinnon is an amazing author. I was swept up in this heartfelt story. I knew a lot about this story ahead of time but it certainly did not hurt reading it. The story is so emotional and wonderful!

Dee Dee is certainly a woman who has a strong soul. She wants to go back home where she can do her best work. Her son Martin is her life and she wants to raise her where she found comfort. Sam is home with his wife Lydia and they work together side by side. He loves his wife but dealing with the past will be very sentimental.

This book is beautiful and heart wrenching. Though I kind of knew the ending, it was still surprising in how it all played out. This is not just trying to figure how to put things right but as well as how to bring worlds together. Sam did not want his wife to be threatened by his feelings for Dee Dee. He was a total sweetheart and I could not get enough of his character. Definitely want to read more by this author.

K.C. McKinnon/272 pages/ New Author/ Adult Fiction/ Homecoming/ 4 out of 5

Well off to two review books and then a book from my own pile. lol

Sweethearts of the Twilight Lanes

Tess Redding does her best to provide Southern hospitality. She also manages a magazine called Simply Southern. But when bad boy Flynn Garvey shows up in town again, all her plans seem to be going up in smoke! Someone is sending blackmail notes to Tess and her three best friends and she is determined to figure out who it is. But she may just have to the one thing she never wanted, which is ask for help.

Ms. Jones is a fabulous author. I was completely blown away by her realistic portrayals of small town life. Even the little things had me flipping pages! Her characters just want to be loved and accepted no matter what mistakes they made in their past. That is so awesome! I would love to see more stories with these characters. They were just so much fun to read about!

Tess is one headstrong girl and when she felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders no wonder she wanted to be in control! It seemed to make her feel better since she never really had that control before. Flynn is something else! That man had some rough issues but he always tried to do what he thought best even if it meant hurting the one person he loved. Wylene, Reni, and Jerrianne were three women who I would love to have for my friends. They are truly wonderful people who believe in themselves most of the time. When all four women get together, nothing else matters at all! I loved learning about their friendships and the secrets that they wanted to keep hidden.

This is one author that I would love to read more about. It was a pretty light book but these women had some pretty weird stuff to deal with in my opinion. Yet it was one of the best books I have read so far this year.

Luanne Jones/ New Author/ Romance/ 384 pages/ 4 out of 5

Just started another romance for review French Kissing by Nancy Warren, which comes out this month sometime. After that another reivew book called Seven Nights of Sin by Lacey Alexander.

March Stuff!

Books I read:
White Out by Vicki Delany A
Pushing Up Bluebonnets by Leann Sweeney A+
Winter and Sommers by Lydia Grace A+
The Rich Die Young by Carolyn G. Hart A
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig A+
Deadly Enchantments by Kathryn R. Blake A
Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald A+
A Notorious Proposition by Adele Ashworth A
Irish Dreams by Nora Roberts A+
Tango’s Edge by Carole Bellacera A
Last Warrior by Karen Kay A
Redemption by Jacquelin Thomas A
Jezebel by Jacquelin Thomas A
Mistress of the Revolution by Cathrine Delors A+
More Than Words: Stories of Courage by Susan Wiggs, Sharon Sala, and Emilie Richards A
Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich A
Choice Makers by Eleanor Cocreham B
Nailed by Amie Stuart A
Race Against Time by Justine Davis A
Palindrome by Stuart Woods A+
Prelude to Morning by Katrina Farabough A
Lust in Translation by Pamela Druckerman A
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear A+
The Healer by Sharon Sala A

My Stats:
Total Books Read: 24
New Authors: 18
Fiction: 23Non-Fiction: 1
TBR: 0
Chunksters: 4
Books I reviewed: 16
Romances: 14
Mysteries: 4
From The Stacks: 17
Books I Bought: 1
PBS Sent: 0
PBS Received: 0
Total Pages Read: 7, 434 pages

Already on book 2 for this month. :)

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie is asked by James Compton to look into some things down in a village in Kent. There have been mysterious fires that keep happening and the villagers say that it is all being clumsy. The villagers are prejudiced against the outsiders who come to pick hops as well as the secret that they all cling to about a Zeppelin raid that killed a family. She must use her finely tuned skills to figure out what is going on and get to the bottom of it all.

Ms. Winspear does her best work yet. There were some events in the book I was not happy to read but they were not unexpected. The depth and the richness of the details were so wonderful! I liked that we got to see into more of Maisie’s background with her family. That was so cool! This is one author who truly knows how to delve into the emotions of her characters and make you truly feel along with them.

Maisie is dealing with stuff from the past book as well as trying to figure out what is truly going on in the village in Kent. The villagers are tight lipped and all agree on the same story. Maisie knows something is not right but it will take her awhile to figure it all out. I loved having Billy Beale’s family around again. He works so well with Maisie and his wife Doreen understands what he does. Maisie’s father Frank is such a gentle spirit. He did so much for her and I love seeing their relationship.

This is one series that I hope more come out in because it keeps getting better but not sure what she would write about next due to the events in this book which I cannot share. This was a read that I enjoyed a lot and I hope to see more by this author even if it is not in this series.

Jacqueline Winspear/ Mystery/ Historical/ 336 pages/ 5 out of 5

I just got a bunch of review books but am hoping to sneak in some favorites still. lol

Lust in Translation by Pamela Druckerman

It’s crazy to think that books are written about this topic but I was mildly interested to see what this author would have to say. She gave a lot of facts and figures but it all came down to the simple fact that people do cheat on their spouses. Oddly enough, preconceived notions about who does the best or not true at all. Italians and Latin Americans are on the low scale for cheating while Togo and Cameron are the highest. That surprised me a lot; I would have thought it would have been what I had always believed. Though there are some countries that do not talk about sex at all like Russia, there are countries like South Africa where they should not be so much going on but that is the opposite case. With the spread of aids, you’d think that would slow things down but not at all. Then there are men who live double lives in China and the wives would rather not know that it happens. Or in countries where polygamy is accepted, it is not considered cheating.


Ms. Druckerman does her best to get statistics but finds it is not an easy task if morals are not where they should be. Or people just don’t want to admit to what they are doing at all. Now mind you some people feel no guilt at all like in China where there is a village of second wives. Or here in America where truth must be told and things can change. Some people never are able to get over it.

After reading this book, I definitely do not want to cheat. Whether I would feel guilty or not, there is a lot of possibilities, I could get sick or get pregnant and it is sincerely not worth the risk or excitement. I need to learn to do better about enjoying what I have than wanting something I do not. Life has moments where they could be heated up or cooled down; weathering the difference is not easy. That is why I read as many romance novels as I do, so I can appreciate what I do have and maybe learn something from them. I appreciated everything Ms. Druckerman had to say for her complete honesty and wanting to figure out what is truly going on in the world of infidelity.

Pamela Druckerman/ New Author/ Non-fiction/ 304 pages/ 4 out of 5

This is a book I got requested to review. Defintely an eye opening book. Now off to An Incomplete Revenge by Jacueline Winspear.

Palindrome by Stuart Woods

Liz Barwick is tired of her physically abusive football player husband. The last trip to the emergency room has her re-thinking everything. She wants to get away but is not sure how but she does know that she cannot tell anyone where she is going. She retreats to a beautiful island off the coast of Georgia. Yet she knows it may only be a matter of time before he finds her when she hears about the deaths of two people who were the only ones who knew where she was going. She is no longer safe and just hopes it will all be over soon.

Mr. Woods is a fantastic writer and I was pleased with this thrilling work. His characters in this book are complex yet has vulnerability to them. The descriptions were wonderfully done. Though there were a few instances where I did not need descriptions and was pleased that there was not.

Liz has had a difficult life but her desire to rebuild is commendable. She really does wonderful and she feels on top of the world. The people who live on the island are a family who love it. That is what made it so sweet. I loved getting to know the family members as well as the visitors who came to the island. The twins Kier and Hamish were the most intriguing pair. Yet Kier could be so sweet and wanted to help Liz get the best possible pictures of the island. While Hamish kept his distance and saw that was best. Bake Ramsey, the football player, was a horrible man. He let his desire to be the best no matter what overshadow what he could have been. It just proves again that abuse of steroids can cause problems. I know there are healthy ways to use them but in Bake’s case, there was a lot of abuse of them in their ability to make him stronger.

Mr. Woods is someone I definitely want to read more of. I know he has a great series and I would love to delve into that someday. For now I will keep myself reading his stand alones to acquaint myself better with his writing. This was quite the book and the twist at the end shocked me! So he does now how to play his hand well and keep you interested.
Stuart Woods/ AN2R Author of the Month/ 434 pages/ Chunkster/ Fiction/ 5 out of 5

I enjoyed this book immensely. Now I am working on a review book and then a book Lust in Transaltion, mind you it is a review book but it looks interesting.

Race Against Time by Justine Davis

Kit Cameron is trying to piece together the book her father wanted. Though she keeps getting distracted by trying to help whomever is breaking into her neighbors’ houses for food. She wants to help him no matter the problem but the question is if he will let her? Race Barkley has known very little kindness in his life and keeps his secrets guarded. Now having met Kit, he wonders if there is something more he can have with her that is if he can just see past today.

Ms. Davis keeps everything so simple that I could just fall in love with the characters. The situation that they were dealing with was certainly not an easy one. The writing style was nothing fancy but her descriptions really made the story come alive. I am a romance buff and this is one author I would definitely want to read more of.

Kit was in for some shocks to come as she worked on unraveling the puzzle of what her father was working on. She kept saying she was better with words than with science and I could see that. If explained she could follow it, but it was not her forte a bit. Race, on the other hand, was a sponge. He seemed to be able to soak up anything except kindness. With his past still haunting him, it took him forever to be able to trust someone and now that person was gone.

This was a light read even though rather suspenseful. There was not a whole lot to it, which made it go by even quicker than usual. As I said before, this is definitely an author I would like to read more by.


Justine Davis/New Author/ Romance/ 256 pages/ 4 out of 5

I am glad to finally get to one of my own pile! lol Now I just started Palindrome by Stuart Woods and then back to review books.

IOrish Dreams by Nora Roberts

Irish Rebel

Keeley Grant has had a privileged life. Everything she has ever wanted has been hers. Now her father brings Brian Donnelly to Royal Meadows to help train horses. Keeley is not sure what to think. Brian is taken aback by Keeley, not only is she beautiful but she has talent with teaching children to ride horses. He is not sure what to do with her since her position and her wealth should keep him back. Her innocence is what attracts him and he wonders if he could find a place to stay.

I really liked this story not only for the way Brian talked, which did make me swoon. But for the lovely story of two people overcoming the ideals set for them and to make new ones for themselves. Nora Roberts has a wonderful writing style that pleases my heart time and time again.

I loved all the characters. Keeley is a determined woman and does not always like to ask for help. Brian cannot seem to get past the class distinctions that are stuck in his head from being over in Ireland. But it is Keeley’s mother Adelia who seems to be the one to set everything right. She won my heart because she was compassionate and could keep the men in line.

Sullivan’s Woman

Cassie St. John is struggling not only in her journey to get published but to keep a job in general. So when she is asked to pose for Collin Sullivan, she decides to take the job since she could use the extra pay and then time to work on her second book. Everything seemed to point that her troubles were over but just one look and she knew it could only be the start.

This story was endearing for the simple fact that they were not out to jump each other’s bones right away. There was more to it than that and they had a lot of stuff to work through. This was just as wonderful as Irish Rebel. Nora Roberts can captivate you so much.

Having them deny their love was fun to watch. They knew that there was something between them but Cassie didn’t want to be known as one of Collin’s next thing. Collin wanted to keep things professional. Cassie was so sweet and yet had such a temper. Yet Collin could match her with her temper.

Both stories were really good. I really liked Sullivan’s woman better. Though they both had class distinctions, the last story reversed the situation. This is one book that was immensely good with both stories. I love books like this and hope to read another one by Ms. Roberts soon.

Nora Roberts/ Romance/ Chunkster/ 432 pages/ 5 out of 5

Back off to review books!

Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald

Tamila Soroush is lucky enough to get a visa to come to America. Now with three months to find a husband, she has so much to learn. From her first trip to Victoria’s Secret to her first country line dance, she learns to embrace the freedoms she never got to experience in Iran. Her sister is so determined for her to stay that she does her best to find a suitable husband for her. Tami, on the other hand, finds herself falling in love with just the man her sister warned her about. Tami sees nothing wrong with Ike but her sister won’t agree.

Ms. Fitzgerald writes a novel of the heart. The struggles women face in Iran are very real. I found this book to be realistic but at the same time not over done. Things are just the way they are and Tamila has a difficult time understanding what freedom is like. I found the reactions to the situations in this book very normal. I applaud Ms. Fitzgerald to write this book. I enjoyed it immensely.

Tamila is a woman I could admire. She wanted to enjoy freedoms though it took her awhile to accept them. Her friends in her English Language class certainly helped her in ways I could never imagine. They had been in her same boat in one way or another and so could reach out to her better. Ike was a man who knew what he wanted just had to be patient to get it. Though with a little help from Eva, a girl Tami knew from her class, was a good thing.

I do not want to give this book away but I cannot say enough of how wonderful it was. This author has a way with words that wowed me. Things were so simple that it was fun and light. The issues were not at all of that sort but the book dealt with it in a way that was enough to try to grasp what was going so I could try to emphasize. This is one author that I hope writes more cause it would be interesting to see what she writes next.
Laura Fitzgerald/320 pages/ New Author/ Fiction/ 5 out of 5

I finished this one last night really late. :) But it was well wroth the read in one day! Off to A review books then then one from my pile!