When Summer Comes

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Book Review, Brenda Novak, When Summer Comes, Whiskey River

Callie Vanetta is stunned to discover that she has liver disease and needs a transplant or she won’t survive the summer.  Keeping the news to herself, she moves to her grandparents’ farm under the guise of getting it ready to sell.  When a stranger knocks on the door needing help, Callie’s life is once again changed forever. Though Levi’s stay is only temporary – he’s providing labor until he can get his motorcycle fixed – Callie may have finally found someone she can give her heart to forever.  But is it too late?

When Summer Comes is another fabulous entry in Brenda Novak’s Whiskey Creek series.  As always, her writing is exquisite and her characters came alive, making themselves at home in my heart.  At this point, I’ve pretty much decided to stop comparing them because they are all so uniquely compelling.

Callie decides to not tell anyone of her diagnosis because she thinks it will be easier to enjoy her last few months without dealing with everyone else’s emotions as well as her own.  And there is a lot of hope mixed in that a transplant will come and fix everything.  All of her feelings, the despair and love and anxiety , just leap off the page.  She becomes so real, so quickly, that it is very easy to understand where she’s coming from.

Levi had a rough childhood and a horrible experience while at war.  He’s very reserved and private at the beginning, but the more time he spends with Callie and her quiet acceptance of his limitations the more relaxed he becomes.  It is  heart-warming to see him start to believe that he’s found a place to call home.

As with all of the Whiskey Creek stories, this one is an ensemble piece.  There is a very close knit group of friends at the center of the series and they all bring warmth and depth to an already emotional story.  But it isn’t necessary to have read the previous books to be able to enjoy this one.  Novak does a fantastic job of making sure newcomers can understand the intricacies of the group, while providing updates on previous stories and giving readers glimpses into future ones.

If you’ve never read a Whiskey Creek novel, pick up When Summer Comes.  You’ll immediately find yourself drawn into this amazingly touching story of a couple who embrace life together, even if the end is coming soon.

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That Night on Thistle Lane

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Book Review, Carla Neggers, Swift River Valley, That Night on Thistle Lane

Phoebe O’Dunn secretly attends a masquerade ball dressed up in an amazing Edwardian gown.  When she’s swept off her feet by a swashbuckler, but left on the dance floor, she believes that her Cinderella evening is over.  Billionaire Noah Kincaid is at loose ends now that he’s sold his business so he accepts his best friend’s invitation to attend a week of hiking, followed by a charity event.  With his wealth, he’s found that most women want something from him, but he can’t resist the pull of the woman he sees across the room.  After a couple of amazing dances, he’s forced to leave her, still not knowing who she is.  What neither realizes is that they share friends and will see each other again very soon.  Without the masks they don’t recognize each other at first, but when a mystery brings them together will they dare to reveal themselves and take a chance on each other.

I really enjoyed the storyline of That Night on Thistle Lane and the mystery is very intriguing.  Neggers delivers it with fantastic timing, unwinding the details with care.  Everything ties together nicely and gives readers a feel-good ending.

Noah is a enthralling hero.  He’s not your typical romance lead – he’s a little too smart and, though he can be charming, he does have the typical cerebral type’s problem when it comes to dealing with people.  His high intelligence, though, does lead him to make some very fast and accurate reads on situations.  Unfortunately, he’s not always the best at understanding the shiftier side of people or the nuances to some relationships.  But he does understand Phoebe.  And she understands him.

I have to say that Phoebe was my only weak point, and even then it was a small one.  I really didn’t understand her motivation for some of her actions but she is still a delightful match for Noah.  This is actually the second story in a series, so maybe if I’d read the first story I’d have a better understanding of her.

There is definitely some tie in to the previous story, although it didn’t affect my reading this one.  Neggers does a great job of filling in the details so that new readers can keep up.  But if you have read Secrets of the Lost Summer then you’ll be delighted with updates of Olivia and Dylan.  It’s always a treat to be given more about a couple’s story once their romance is done.  You’ll also be given a side story about Phoebe’s sister Maggie and her estranged husband.  It’s a tender look at two people that have lost their way and aren’t sure they can find the path again.

That Night on Thistle Lane is a fun read, an imaginative mystery and a sweet romance.

Hitched!

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Book Review, Harlequin Kiss, Hitched!, Jessica Hart

I’m not sure how to describe Hitched! without giving too much away.  Here’s the official line from the publisher:

“Here comes…

Planning the most talked about wedding of the year is enough to make engineer Frith Taylor break out in a cold sweat. She’s used to construction sites, not wedding fairs! But estate manager George Challoner’s offer of help is one that’s too good to resist.

….the unsuspecting bride!

George may be the rebel of the prestigious Challoner family, but his insanely good looks are giving Frith wedding fever! Charm personified, he’s making her feel things she hasn’t dared feel before. Maybe her little sister’s wedding won’t be the only one Frith’s planning…?”

But that isn’t quite the way I’d describe it.  The first part isn’t too far off – Firth is asked to help with her sister’s wedding and it is definitely a celebrity to do.  She’s not used to high society so she’s out of her element.  George Challenor does get involved but it isn’t quite as they describe.  It’s a little more complicated and definitely half the fun of the book.  The second part just doesn’t fall in line with the way the book plays out.  And it is definitely more complex for it.

I really liked seeing George and Firth interact.  They both have a lot of baggage and it was enjoyable watching them come to terms with themselves and each other.  Firth has a lot of self-esteem and trust issues so George’s excessive charm and flirtatious sense of fun definitely rubs her the wrong way.  But George’s lighthearted side hides some deep scars of his own.  Hart does a great job of giving readers a complex and troubled hero that still has a lot to offer his heroine.  And I thought the ending was one of the best I’ve seen from a Harlequin story in a lot time.  I think it fit very well with the characters as they were depicted.

Harlequin describes their Kiss line as  fun, flirty and sensual.  Hitchd! is all of those but it also offers readers some added depth than I think the cover might lead readers to believe.

Home for Good

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Book Review, Home for Good, Jessica Keller

Home for Good is a sweet story about forgiveness and God’s love.  Eight years ago Ali Silver’s husband broke her heart when he walked away.  She hasn’t heard a word from him in the years since, but suddenly he comes home wanting a chance to uphold his wedding vows.  Can she trust that he’s home to stay?  Jericho has done a lot of growing up in the years that he’s been gone.  A war veteran, he’s realized a lot about life and faith.  Can he show Ali that he can be the man she needs him to be?

Ali has a lot to be wary of because when Jericho left it devastated her world.  She’s worked hard but it is still a struggle.  Though it looked like he had an ideal life from the outside, Jericho’s childhood was anything but good.  Afraid that he was turning into an abusive drunk like his father, he left instead of taking the chance he could hurt Ali.  Thanks to the intervention of a couple of good hearted people and a strong relationship with God, he turned his life around.

The main characters are compelling and it is loaded with interesting secondary characters that hopefully will lead to more stories.  There is an intriguing mystery about someone causing trouble at Ali’s farm that will keep those who like a little suspense in their stories hooked.  And the religious element is handled with a light hand so that those who aren’t religious will still enjoy the story.  It’s an honest depiction of people who believe and live their lives accordingly.

Home for Good is a tender look at a woman overcoming her fears to learn to trust again and realizing that it is never too late to rediscover her faith.

Take It Off!

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Book Review, Justin Whitfield, Take It Off!, Taylor Cole

Take It Off! The Naked Truth About Male Strippers is your chance to glance into the world of … you guessed it, male strippers.  All your questions – even those risqué ones and some you may not have
thought to ask – will be answered.  Written by two strippers, Take It Off! covers over twenty years of their experiences behind the scenes, backstage, and at home.  With the popularity of Magic Mike, it’s easy to see the appeal of this book as it gives readers a real life example of what they saw in the movie.

It is obvious while reading Take It Off! that Justin Whitfield and Taylor Cole aren’t professional writers but they are fun story-tellers.  They make the book interesting, with a good amount of flair to keep readers going.  As you can imagine, the book does get a little steamy (very steamy, actually) so be prepared when you pick it up that it isn’t for the faint of heart.  And for those of you wondering about the masculinity of male strippers, the ones in this book ooze testosterone and are definitely alpha males.  But their life isn’t all sex and drugs.  Take It Off! does a good job of showing you the more every day side of things, while keeping it entertaining.

Again, these are not professional writers, so the pacing and transitions can be a little strange but it was the fascinating content that kept me reading. Take It Off! showcases every day guys, in an unusual career, with the normal & not so normal issues that comes with it.

Beach House No. 9

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Beach House No. 9, Book Review, Christie Ridgway, Crescent Cove

Jane Pearson has come to Crescent Cover to help Griffin Lowell get back on track – he’s writing a memoir about the year he spent embedded with a troop in Afghanistan.  She needs this assignment to go well, after her last one ended with her reputation tarnished.  When she’s told he’s cut off all communication with friends and family, Jane expects to find a hermit, alone and holed up in his beach cabin.  Instead she finds a very loud and lively party.  Griffin uses any and all distractions to help him forget his time at war and the last thing he needs is for Jane to push him to write about it.  But when Jane starts infiltrating other parts of Griffin’s life too, she may prove too difficult to ignore.

Beach House No. 9 officially kicks off Christie Ridgway’s new Crescent Beach series (although there was a prequel novella called Beach House Beginnings that is fantastic) and it is a sexy, emotional roller coaster.   Jane is smart, quirky and dedicated.  Being a book doctor, she needs to be part English major and part psychologist, but she has a few issues of her own.  The year in the Middle East left some very obvious scars on Griffin, but, as with many difficult things, it is easier to ignore them than to face them.  His adjustment to life after his return stateside is realistic of many who have spent time in a war zone.  Ridgway also gives readers tidbits about the future stories and there’s an extra treat – a side story about Griffin’s sister, Tessa, and the possible demise of her marriage that is just as engaging as the main plot.

As always, Ridgway does a fantastic job of bringing to life complex, conflicted characters – full of deep emotions, heartache and joy.  Seeing them work through their issues and come out the other side was very satisfying, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series:  Bungalow Nights due 2/26 and The Love Shack due 3/26.

Playing the Part

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Book Review, Darcy Daniel, Playing the Part

Anthea Crane has just finished up a successful action-adventure trilogy (think Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider), but she wants to prove she is more than just a great body.  When she hears there are auditions for the lead in the movie adaptation of her mother’s favorite book, she jumps at the chance.  Told that she just doesn’t have what it takes, she convinces them to give her a shot and heads to her hometown for inspiration – a town she hasn’t been to since her mother died when Anthea was eight.  She stumbles upon what could be the perfect opportunity to research being a farmer’s wife – a blind man who won’t know who she is and can’t judge her on her face or her movies.  Cole Daniel’s hasn’t always been blind.  He remembers Anthea from childhood, when she teased him mercilessly, so he can’t resist using this as his chance of getting back at her a little for past hurts.  But as they get to know each other as adults, can they get past their history and have a future together?

I enjoyed Playing the Part.  Darcy Daniel does a great job of giving readers characters with heart and charm.  Anthea is a little bit of a diva, but she’s spent decades being an actor.  She started when she was 8, and at the same time she was dealing with the death of her mother.  It was easier to lose herself in make believe worlds and she’s lost touch with the normal world.  It was fun watching her realize who she could be at her core.  Cole experienced a devastating incident when he was a kid … one with such far-reaching psychological damage that it made him blind.  He’s spent years living a comfortable life but as he learns more about Anthea he starts to realize there could be a different life for him out there.

Playing the Part is an endearing story of two people relying too much on the past, who realize there is more for them in life if they can just let it go.

The Best Man

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A BLUE HERON NOVEL, Book Review, Kristan Higgins, The Best Man

The Best Man is the first in Kristan Higgins’s new Blue Heron series.  Faith Holland has come home after leaving town three years ago on her wedding day … alone, after her wedding didn’t happen.  Levi Cooper was best man and the one who nudged her fiancé into jilting her at the altar.  Now she’s back and Levi is the police chief, still best friend to her ex-fiancé, and as infuriating (and attractive) as ever.  The more time they spend together, the more good things Faith discovers about Levi.  But she’s finding it very hard to forget that he’s the reason her wedding didn’t happen.  Can they confront the past and move on?  Maybe try for another wedding, this time together?

I love Kristan Higgins’s books and was super excited to hear that she was starting a new series.  I’ve had this advanced copy for a few weeks and had to resist reading it right away.  I wanted to wait until closer to the publish date but it was very hard.  Her books are always emotion-filled: packed with witty dialogue, memorable characters, and poignant story lines.  They make me laugh one moment and then have me in tears the next.

In The Best Man, both Faith and Levi touched my heart.  Even though their backgrounds are different – Faith’s family has owned a vineyard for generations and Levi grew up in a trailer park on the wrong side of town – both lost a parent at a very young age:  Levi’s father walked out on his family when Levi was in the third grade and Faith’s mother died in a car accident (with Faith in the car) when she was in the sixth grade.  Faith’s survivor’s guilt weighs heavily on her and Levi has to deal with his abandonment issues, along with the stigma of growing up poor.  Watching both of them come to terms with their past, where they are now and where they want to go was very satisfying.

If you’ve never read a Kristan Higgins book, The Best Man is a great place to start.   It’ll be the beginning of a long and happy relationship.

Falling for Her Fiance

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Book Review, Cindi Madsen, Falling for Her Fiance

Faced with going to her family-oriented company retreat solo, Dani makes a bold decision and asks her best friend Wes to go as her pretend fiance.  She’s up for a promotion and she wants to make a good impression but it seems that only couples get time with the boss at these events.  Wes agrees but only if she will do the same at his sister’s wedding.  He wants to show his family and his ex, who will be a bridesmaid in the wedding, that he’s really over her.  Best friends since they met in college, there hasn’t ever been anything romantic between Dani and Wes … but pretending to be engaged brings out feelings neither of them anticipated.  Will their pretense turn real or will this ruin their friendship forever?

Dani and Wes mean everything to each other.  They turn to the other first in good times and bad.  They share a sense of humor and understand each other.  They have private jokes and can complete each other’s sentences.  It isn’t a surprise that everyone thinks there is more to their relationship than friendship.  Especially their significant others – their friendship is a major trouble point in their romantic relationships and has led to more than one breakup – but they have never been more than friends.  They tried it once in college and it didn’t work.  It even ruined their friendship for a while and they don’t want to chance that again.  But the more time they spend together the harder it is to not want more.  Both characters are fun and it is easy to imagine what a fantastic friendship they have, and why they might not want to risk it.  It’s a believable and understandable problem, one that many of us have probably faced.

In Falling for Her Fiance, Madsen does a fantastic job of bringing readers appealing characters with a realistic issue.  She gives us two people with the challenge of risking a relationship that is extremely important to them on the chance that it could be so much more.

A Wedding Date in Hot Springs, Arkansas

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A Wedding Date in Hot Springs Arkansas, Annalisa Daughety, Book Review

When her little sister gets engaged, Violet Matthews decides she needs a date to the event and hires a matchmaker.  Violet hasn’t had the greatest luck when it comes to men and things seem to be getting worse when she meets her match.  She’d gone to college with Jackson Stratford and he’d made her miserable.  When Jackson admits he also needs someone for an event, they concoct a plan to pretend to date just long enough to get through them.  But the more time they spend together, the more they realize they like the other.  Can Jackson convince Violet that he’s not the same guy he was in college?  Can Violet trust her heart to a man again?

Violet and Jackson sucked me in right from the start.  Once she lets go of her animosity to him, they complement each other wonderfully.  Violet’s a little unsure of herself and Jackson does a fantastic job of cheering her on, helping her evaluate what she wants and move forward.  And as much as Jackson seems to have everything together, he’s got issues of his own that make him doubt himself but spending time with Violet causing him to do some re-evaluating of his own.

Daughety also gives readers a couple of B-stories full of compelling supporting characters.  One involves Violet’s friend Reagan and the possible deterioration of her marriage.  The other is a teen who’s come to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother.  Both add extra depth and heart to an already touching story.

A Wedding Date in Hot Springs, Arkansas is an amazingly sweet book about letting go of the past, being true to yourself, and embracing your future.