by Nicole
| Title: | A Second Blessing (Life in Blessing Tales) |
| Author: | Anne Keller |
| Publisher | Amazon Digital Services |
| Publication Date: | October 31, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | 38-year old Abbey Carr was living her dream life – married to a successful chef, mother to two great kids, and living in a nice house in the Los Angeles suburb of Hollywood. But all of that changed the day she discovered the love letter from her best friend in her husband's pants pockets.
Now, ten months and one divorce later, Abbey finds herself living the crazy life of a single mom in Long Beach, California, raising two tweenies by herself while trying to keep a roof over their head working as a freelance PR specialist.
As her first Christmas alone approaches, she can't help but wonder what she will do with herself. The kids would be away at her ex-husband's family reunion in Florida and most of her freelance public relations clients were closing down for the holidays. It looked as though it was just going to be her and her mom all alone around a lonely, little Christmas tree.
Unbeknownst to her, fate had other plans…
A last minute business trip sends her a thousand miles away to the idyllic mountain community of Blessing, Colorado where she just might find her SECOND BLESSING. |
| My rating: | *** |
I received this book for free from Story Cartel in exchange for an honest review.
Abbey was a great protagonist. She was realistic and easy to identify with. I felt bad that so many people in her life were giving her static about dating/sex so soon after her divorce, but her relationship with Bill felt natural and unforced (even with the helpful pushes they received from others). Bill was a likeable hero, and the two of them together made a lot of sense. Being privy to his internal dialog was helpful. Abbey’s ex made a satisfying villain, although he, like many of the other secondary characters in this novel, seemed to be underdeveloped and propped up by stereotypes. Wendy was 100% a caricature of the remorseless home-wrecking shrew, and it was impossible for me to understand why Abbey would have been friendly with such a vile person.
The story felt a bit underdeveloped and the ending rushed, but I would have given it a higher rating if it had been better edited. I went into this book thinking like a reader, and not an editor, but was pulled out of what was happening by the grammatical errors, poor word choices, and typos that I encountered. This is not a complex story, but it is an enjoyable read, and I wish that more care had been taken in its presentation. As this book one in a series, I can understand why certain aspects of what happened in Blessing weren’t given more attention, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
2013 3 Star Books Book Reviews Contemporary Romance Story Cartel
by Nicole
| Title: | Sneaking Candy |
| Author: | Lisa Burstein |
| Publisher | Entangled Publishing, LLC |
| Publication Date: | December 9, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | All I ever wanted was to make a name for myself as Candice Salinas, creative writing grad student at the University of Miami. Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.
Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps? |
| My rating: | **** |
I enjoyed this book; having never been overly steeped in an academic lifestyle (my courses of study never required as much from me as Candice’s did from her) initially, I wasn’t quite sure what the fuss was about, or why Professor Dylan was such a jerk. Over the course of the novel, as I learned more about Candice, I felt like I understood why she struggled the way she did with how to reconcile her erotic and serious writing, and why she was so messed up over her attraction to James. At the end of the book I did have a few questions (how did Candy get so many fans in just one month? how is she on people’s favorite author lists on the strength of only one book? what constituted the fraud that required her to give back part of her stipend? how could the whole situation with Professor Dylan have been resolved so quickly? who pissed in her parents’ cornflakes??), but I generally enjoyed the ride. The secondary characters in this novel were a bit underdeveloped and weren’t as well-realized as Candice and James. I found Amanda to be a especially annoying and unforgivably reckless with Candice’s life. James felt a little too good to be true. It’s good that he was able to stick with Candice long enough for her to determine what she wanted but, even though it wasn’t her intention to hurt him or play with his feelings, she jerked him around a lot in this story and I don’t think that anybody could have blamed him for deciding that he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her.
I like this New Adult book on its own merits, and also because of the refreshing lack of horrific backstory on the part of either main character (distant, disappointing parents and a crappy ex barely rate when compared to some of the truly awful things other NA characters have experienced).
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
2013 4 Star Books Book Reviews Erotic Romance Netgalley New Adult Romance
by Nicole
| Title: | Hush, Little Baby |
| Author: | Suzanne Redfearn |
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
| Publication Date: | October 8, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description |
"If I stay, he will kill me. If I leave, he'll destroy Addie and Drew." Jillian Kane appears to have it all - a successful career, a gorgeous home, a loving husband, and two wonderful children. The reality behind closed doors is something else entirely. For nine years, she has hid the bruises and the truth of her abusive marriage in order to protect Addie and Drew, knowing, if she left, Gordon would destroy her-destroy them. When, in an act of desperation, she flees, her worst nightmare is realized, and she finds herself on the run with her two young children, no money, and no plan. With Gordon in hot pursuit, there is only one inescapable certainty: No matter where she goes, he will find her. Kill her. And take her children. A riveting page-turner, HUSH LITTLE BABY exposes the shame and terror of domestic violence as well as the disturbing role manipulation and sabotage can play in the high-stakes game of child custody. Suspenseful and unforgettably moving, it's a novel about the unbreakable bonds of family and the astounding, terrifying devotion of a mother's love. |
| My rating: | ***.5 |
I appreciated this book, which is different than other books that I’ve read which have featured domestic violence. For one thing, Jill is not a loner who has been discouraged from having a job, or maintaining her relationships with family and friends; she’s a highly-skilled architect who feels more confident and comfortable in her professional role than with her children. Her husband is not a mouth-breathing alcoholic who is distrusted by all who know her; Gordon is a respected police officer who is well-liked by colleagues and generally regarded as the more natural parent to his children with Jill. So right off, the power dynamics of this story felt fresh to me and kept me engaged. There were a lot of soapy elements to this novel (multiple kidnappings, illness-induced memory-loss, life-threatening illness, etc.), but they never felt cheap. I’m buying this book for my library’s collection and I highly recommend it to people who enjoy suspenseful fiction.
2013 3.5 Star Books Book Reviews Netgalley
by Nicole
| Title: | One Night with the Laird |
| Author: | Nicola Cornick |
| Publisher | Harlequin |
| Publication Date: | October 29, 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | Can true love be born from scandal?
She is young and beautiful and fashionable, Edinburgh's most flirtatious hostess. But within the merry widow beats a grieving heart. Lady Mairi mourns the husband she lost two years before—and no matter how accomplished a lover Jack Rutherford may be, their wanton night together was an encounter of the body only, and Lady Mairi would prefer to forget it.
But when Mairi is threatened by a blackmailer, Jack is the only man who can protect her. As they work together to uncover where the danger lies, their passion reignites. Little by little, the masks they wear burn away, and their most private secrets come to light… |
| My rating: | **** |
Although the title 
of this book is completely misleading (Jack is NOT a laird), I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The book grabbed my attention from the beginning. Mairi’s desperate self-loathing was interesting to me, because that type of emotion seems to be the exclusive province of men in romance novels. In fact, Jack’s early and initially unrequited desire for an emotional attachment to Mairi seemed to be what one would normally see from a female character. I loved how these personality traits were just presented, without Ms. Cornick feeling the need to justify or excuse who Jack and Mairi were.
The entire trajectory of their relationship was unexpected, and I loved how they were both a bit prickly and shy of each other in the oddest of ways. Watching Jack come to terms with his love for Mairi was a treat, and witnessing her journey toward reconciling her past and moving forward was similarly entertaining. I know that I’ve read other of Ms. Cornick’s books in the past, but I can’t remember having enjoyed them this much. I’m going to go through her backlist and see if I like her other novels as much as I did One Night with the Laird.
I’m a big fan of books where falling in love is not the be-all and end-all of the characters’ lives. Mairi in particular had some very serious obstacles to overcome in her own life (emotional and literal) before she could truly accept Jack. The Scottish backdrop figures into this story in only a minor way; this historical novel could easily have been set in England without Ms. Cornick having to rework much of the story. I highly recommend this book to fans of historical romances, especially those with a soft spot for characters who must heal themselves before they can embrace love.
2013 2013 NetGalley Challenge 4 Star Books Book Reviews
by Nicole
| Title: | Eleanor & Park |
| Author: | Rainbow Rowell |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Publication Date: | February 2013 |
| Publisher's Description | Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under. |
| My rating: | **** |
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book this book. Eleanor & Park is about two teenagers who, for different reasons, don’t fit into their 1986 Omaha, Nebraska setting. Eleanor is too big, her hair is too red, and she dresses too oddly. Park is half-Korean and keenly aware that he is different from not only the people in his neighborhood, but also his immediate family. Eleanor, the new kid in school, starts out not knowing anybody, but she and Park soon bond over their shared love of music and comic books.
Eleanor and Park are believable teenage characters, and never seem fake or too grown up, even though they face circumstances that would be challenging for most adults. Watching them learn more about each other, the world, and themselves was an enjoyable journey, and made me want to read everything that Rainbow Rowell ever wrote. ’80s pop culture is front on center in this novel: Eleanor and Park devour Watchmen and swoon over “How Soon is Now.” Even though this is a young adult novel, it is definitely not appropriate for younger teens; the profanity and subject matter addressed in this book would probably be appropriate for readers ages 16 and up. I would recommend this books to adults, too, especially those who remember ’80s New Wave, John Hughes movies, and acid washed jeans from when they first were popular.
2013 4 Star Books Young Adult
