Room for Love by Sophie Pembroke

 Title: Room for Love

By Sophie Pembroke

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The Gist:

Carrie Archer gets much more than she bargains for when she takes on the task of turning her grandmother’s inn (her inheritance) into a wedding destination.  Along with the outdated, falling apart building comes a group of retired senior citizens, a scattered receptionist, a single dad for a chef, and an extremely handsome gardener.

Working to prove that she can succeed single-handedly is an impossible task; luckily her group of quirky helpers are determined to help achieve Carrie’s vision.  When an opportunity to throw a big wedding for her cousin on Christmas Eve arises, this group must band together to get the job done right.

Limited funds, an ex-boss set on revenge, and the distraction of a sizzling attraction all threaten to derail Carries efforts, but with a little planning, and a lot of help, she just might find that there is always Room for Love!

What I thought:

You know those books that allow you to enter their pages, float through their chapters, and close them with a smile on your face?  That is just what you will get from this book.  It is a light, fun romance that gives many heart flutters throughout (especially the singing scene- trust me).

I really loved the character of Carrie.  Although you could see (from an outsider’s perspective) that she should gladly welcome the help of the wonderfully written seniors, I don’t think anyone among us wouldn’t battle to accomplish a task ourselves if we had been told adamantly that we could not do it by an important person in our lives.  The romance is introduced, and fought from early in the pages, making the undeniable chemistry that much sweeter. 

This is the second novel that I have read by Sophie Pembroke, and I am so happy to have discovered her for myself.  Reading her stories is like a happy vacation into a chick-flick, and what lady doesn’t need that every now and again!  This is the first novel in The Love Trilogy, and I am very excited to read more!

The Beekeeper's Ball by Susan Wiggs

 

Title: The Beekeeper’s Ball

By Susan Wiggs

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The Gist:

Isabel Johansen has decided to turn her dream into a reality, transforming a portion of her family’s estate in the Sonoma Valley into a destination cooking school.  As she is preparing for this new adventure, and planning for her half-sister’s wedding (The Beekeeper’s Ball), she is thrown for a loop by Cormac O’Neill, a journalist who came to Bella Vista to write about her grandfather’s role in WWII.

As stories of the past, and promises for the future combine with amazing food and recipes, Isabel and Cormac must decide if they can each let down their guard, and find a way to their own happy ending.

What I thought:

Susan Wiggs does it again!  I had not read the first book, The Apple Orchard, in the Bella Vista Series, but had no trouble sinking into the storyline of this novel.  Although this story reads a bit heavier than what I am use to from Ms Wiggs (Lakeshore Chronicles), it was wonderfully well written with amazing descriptions of both scenery and food.

I loved the subtlety of the character of Isabel, you could tell that she was working towards her dream by how seamlessly everything flowed.  Even when there was stress and trouble, you could see that she would come out with a hint of a smile, and probably a bee sting cake (mmmmm)!

I felt that the second story in this novel was thoroughly researched and told with the tension and seriousness that it deserved.  I found myself holding my breath quite a few times as Isabel’s grandfather told of his participation in the Danish resistance.

All in all, this was a wonderful story, beautifully written, and I cannot wait to read the first installment, and any more that are to come.

The Night Before by Luanne Rice

 

Title: The Night Before

By Susan Wiggs

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The Gist:

The night before a wedding, a big storm overtakes the Connecticut Christmas tree farm.  The extra time afforded by being woken from sleep allows Lydia Madison to reflect on a chance meeting from her past, that lead her, not only to meeting her best friend, Sara, but also, eventually, to caring for Sara’s daughter Isabel- the bride.

As family and friends pull together to clean up the damages, love leaps from the pages and envelops the reader in a family with a lot of love to share.

What I thought:

Susan Wiggs can always be counted on for vivid, emotional stories, but I have to say, I was incredibly impressed that she was able to capture such strong feelings in such few pages.  I was very excited to see Danny, from Silver Bells, reappear as the groom, and was more excited to return to Black Hall and Hubbard’s Point.

My favorite part of the story however was the emotion behind the ring of trees planted by Lydia’s parents.  Wow!  Trust me, pick up a copy of this story, and allow yourself a few minutes to escape into someone else’s life!

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.