A Fool's Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery

 Title: A Fool’s Gold Christmas

By Susan Mallery

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The Gist:

After an injury forces Evie to move close to her estranged family, she figures that she will just keeps her head down while she saves up enough money, teaching dance, to move away again.  Little does she know that, in the town of Fool’s Gold, it is impossible to not become part of something much bigger than yourself.  While this Christmas obsessed, close-knit community welcomes her with open arms, her mother and brothers try to make amends for their past, and a sizzling attraction begins with her neighbor Dante, Evie must decide if she is ready to open herself up, and let people into her life.

What I thought:

I have had the pleasure of reading a few books by Susan Mallery, but this was my first Fool’s Gold novel.  This story was absolutely wonderful!  It combined so many of the things I love, dance, Christmas, involved communities, and sweet love stories, and left me with a quite smile, and a warm heart.

The characters of Evie and Dante were well written; both had deep scars from their pasts, which have them running from love.  Miss Mallery wove these characters together so intimately; in such a way that each of their individual healings could not happen without the other person.  This is not a story that explicitly describes each physical intimacy, which I appreciate, favoring more of the emotional connection of these two wonderful people.

If you like a good romantic story, full of Christmas cheer, community service, and personal healing, pick up A Fool’s Gold Christmas!

Dreamweaver Trail by Emily March

 Title: Dreamweaver Trail

By Emily March

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The Gist:

Gabi Romano is searching for a new direction in her life.  Still shaken up from a traumatizing incident from her previous career in law enforcement, she accepts a job pet sitting for a wealthy family on a Caribbean island.  While enjoying relaxing in the sun and playing with a rambunctious puppy, Gabi discovers two new passions, glass blowing and Flynn Brogan.

These newfound interests revive Gabi, bringing her back to life, but when another violent situation shakes this new bliss, and secrets are uncovered, Gabi and Flynn must decide if the possibilities that this new relationship holds would be able to heal the old wounds that need to be opened up.

What I thought:

I LOVE this series!!  Book after book leaves me feeling warm and happy, and this new installment is no different.  Miss March has an amazing gift to transport readers to each setting used with her flowing descriptions and relatable characters.  In this story, the trip to the beach was exactly what I needed!

Following Gabi through learning how to blow glass to exploring the neighboring islands with her handsome neighbor put me in a happy vacation-daze.  This book, however, spiced up the rom-com norm with some intense suspense.  I was glued to the pages, and unable to stop reading because I had to see how everything turned out.

Gabi is the definition of a strong woman who is brave enough to drop everything to find her true passion, and will not hesitate to fight for what she wants.  I really appreciated seeing a woman drop a life that was not feeling right, and taking time to discover what she really wants, and I loved taking this journey with her.

If you are looking for a good book with a lot of heart and suspense, pick up Dreamweaver Trail on May 27, 2014.

The Kissing Bridge

 

Title: The Kissing Bridge

By Tricia Goyer

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The Gist:

Rebecca has everything she needs to begin following her calling of becoming a nurse.  The problem is that Amish women are not suppose to following any calling other than being a wife and a mother.  But when the time comes, she leaves a note for her family, and walks away from the life that she’s know to continue her education.

On her way to Oregon, Rebecca decides to make a stop in Montana to visit a friend of hers that had left the Amish for love.  Little did she think that she would get her own shot at love in the form of risk taking Amishman Caleb. 

A trip into the wilderness reveals that there is also more to Caleb than meets the eye.  Only time, and this story, will tell if these two young people, hanging by the fringes of being Amish are really meant to be together.   

What I thought:

This story was very enjoyable.  It moved quickly, and smoothly, taking readers along on the love story of Caleb and Rebecca.  The characters introduced in Montana were wonderfully introduced, and I was very happy to find out that I will be able to return to this happy little town since this book is a part of a series!

I love reading Amish fiction, and this story had an angle that I hadn’t read before, with Rebecca wanting to keep being Amish, but needing to become a nurse.  The love story between her and Caleb was written exquisitely.  I always judge a love story by if it makes me smile, and this novel pasted that test with flying colors.

My only critique is that I felt the writing got a little flustered in the middle when Caleb and Rebecca were trying to weed through each other’s lies and omissions.  They seemed to be pretty wishy-washy with each other going from lust, to disgust, and straight back to puppy love in a very short time.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this story, and look forward to reading more of the stories in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series.

The Here and Now

 Title: The Here and Now

By Ann Brashares

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The Gist:

In the far future, our world is ravaged by horrible illness spread by mosquitoes.  As people begin dying quickly, a group of citizens discover a way to travel through time to our present time.  In order to avoid detection, the leaders of the time travelers set up a set of very strict, and important rules that everyone must repeat often, and obey always.  At the top of the list, do not become intimate with a time-native.

A hard rule to follow for 17-year-old travel Prenna James, who has, for the past five years, had an undeniable connection with her schoolmate Ethan Jarves.  When the two are thrown together in an attempt to change the future that Prenna knows is coming, the two must decide if their connection is worth the risk that the travelers warn of.

What I thought:

This story is very imaginative, and full of suspense.  The premise really makes you think; it is always interesting to read about possibilities of a future world, especially when the author is able to lead readers on the path from present day to the future in their story while answering many questions about how the changes occur.

I enjoyed the speed at which the story moved, and I was truly interested to see how things would turn out.  I’m not going to lie- there were a couple of parts that I had to revisit to fully understand what was going on- sometimes the lines between present and future were a little blurred.  The organization of the time travelers, and the lengths that the leaders felt they needed to go to to maintain their cover was very well thought out and interesting.

I loved the characters that were introduced in this story, but I wish that a little more time had been spent on the development of the feelings between Ethan and Prenna, I’m just a love story kind of gal.  I wanted to feel the spark and watch it get stronger and stronger as the two worked together.  That being said, the relationship did seem genuine enough to make me want to know what happens next with these two characters.

All in all, if you are looking for a fast paced, interesting read full of suspense, thought, and a touch of romance, pick up The Here and Now.

Blossom Street Brides

 Title: Blossom Street Brides

By Debbie Macomber

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The Gist:

When Lauren receives the news that her younger sister is pregnant, she cannot help but feel a sting.  She has been with her boyfriend, a guy who is everything that she thought she wanted, for years, but is no closer to the alter.  As she begins to brainstorm the qualities that are actually important for her future husband to exhibit, she is forced to decide if the guy she’s with is truly what she wants.

Bethanne is head-over-heels in love with her second husband Max, but the stresses of working in different states are only exacerbated by a meddling ex-husband and a daughter that still dreams of her parents getting back together.  In search of a compromise, this couple must decide what they can live without in order to finally live together.

Lydia is a happily married mother of two who is living her dream of running a yarn shop on Blossom Street, a place where women come to talk, listen and knit.  The finances of the shop are looking dire, until baskets, with an open invitation to knit begin showing up all over town.  Suddenly A Good Yarn is generating buzz and turning a profit, but who is to thank?

What I thought:

This was a great feel-good read.  I have not read any of the other Blossom Street novels, but I am a big fan of Debbie Macomber.  This story will whisk you away to Seattle where you will find yourself dreaming of the one with Lauren, holding tight with Bethanne, and following a passion with Lydia.  All the while you will have a smile on your face as you flip page after page to find out how everything will turn out for these women.

Miss Macomber did an absolutely wonderful job of blending three entirely different storylines together into one cohesive novel.  I enjoyed how the women appeared and helped each other get to the point of resolution.  I never once felt that the writing jumped to quickly or that it left any loose ends untied.   

If you are looking for a good love story full of romantic gestures, family drama (and resolution), a little knitting, and a great group of friends, check out Blossom Street Brides.

Cassidy Lane

Title: Cassidy Lane

By Maria Murnane

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The Gist:

Although Cassidy Lane walks in to her twenty year high school reunion a successful author of a number of novels, she can’t help but feeling like the same old straight-A student that was never asked to the prom.  That is until Brandon Forrester, a man with striking grey eyes, who she doesn’t even remember from her past, takes an interest in her. 

The two embark on a virtual relationship (since they are living on opposite coasts) that brings about all of the feelings that were normally reserved for the pages of Cassidy’s books.  As Cassidy struggles with her current novel, and Brandon struggles with a bad run of luck in his family, Cassidy must figure out not only what kind of author she is to become, but also what path she should take to her own personal happily ever after.

What I thought:

Beautiful!  This was a wonderfully written story that had a unique quality that touched my heart, and made me smile.  The character of Cassidy is impossible not to like, and hope for, and her collection of friends and family are so real to life that you will feel as though you truly know them.

This story flows so smoothly from beginning to end, making it easy to get lost in Cassidy’s life.  I appreciated that this wasn’t the typical chick-flick storyline of boy meets girl, boy and girl fight, boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after.  This novel will hold your heart, break your heart, and put it back together, leaving you with hope!

As wonderful as the entire story is, this novel is entirely made by its ending.  I won’t spoil it for you, but I do not believe that an ending has had such a profound effect on me... ever!  I can only hope that Miss Murnane will continue with this character, because I cannot wait to read more!

The Chase by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

 Title: The Chase

By Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

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The Gist:

The unlikely pair of world-class con man Nick Fox, and special agent Kate O’Hare team up again, this time in a matter of national security.  Their target- former White House chief of staff Carter Grove, who now heads up an elite security agency staffed by ruthless assassins.  Their mission- to re-steal a piece of art that had been promised to the Chinese, and could squash goodwill between the countries if the original theft was ever discovered.

      Kate and Nick battle the clock in an attempt to steal back the art, switch it with the replica, and keep their lives while this mission takes them from Washington D.C., to Scotland, to Shainghai.  Little do they know that this heist is only the beginning of the chase in the bigger goal of taking down one of the most powerful men, and unknown thieves, in the United States.

What I thought:

The Chase was a wonderfully suspenseful read that will grab you from the first chapter straight through the last.  The twists and turns developed by this team of authors keeps readers wondering how everything will work out, which, in turn, keeps you turning pages far longer than you will plan to. 

This is the second book in a five part series.  I had not read The Heist (book one), but I had no trouble sinking straight in to this story.  That being said, I have already downloaded the first book so that I can keep reading about Nick and Kate.

The characters were written wonderfully, Kate was strong, independent, and smart while Nick was crafty, charming, and surprisingly caring.  The attraction between these two characters crackles throughout this edition, but never comes to a full spark- which I appreciate.  I think that relationships (even in books) that build over time are far more believable and satisfying.

If you are looking for a deep, intellectual thriller, this is probably not the book for you, however if you want to take a easy and entertaining ride through a story that will keep you flipping pages long into the night, pick up The Chase.