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Review: Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

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Looking for a Christmas read? We’ve reviewed many… Here’s the fifth and last Christmas book review reblog.

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20140417-215356.jpg The edition I read was comprised of two separate stories: Call Me Mrs. Miracle, and The Christmas Basket.

What I love about Debbie Macomber’s books (similar to Deborah Smith and Melody Carleson novels) is the magic. I don’t mean wizardry or sorcery. I mean a spiritual, magical change of heart that the characters undergo. It fills my own heart and reminds me of the beauty of my fellow man.

These stories are Christmassy, and I enjoyed reading them as much now as I would have in December. In Call Me Mrs. Miracle, Holly meets Jake Finley, heir to the successful Finley’s department store. With a little help from Mrs. Miracle, Holly and Jake develop a friendship, Holly’s nephew gets a Christmas surprise, and old Mr. Finley gets the best Christmas present anyone could wish for: peace.

The Christmas Basket illustrates how a petty grudge between two families turns into an…

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Review: A Fool’s Gold Christmas by Susan Mallery

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Christmas reads, reblog #4!

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20140419-094524.jpg I’m late reviewing a bunch of Christmas-themed romances, and I have to say I’m enjoying myself.

The Christmas spirit manifests in many ways. For Evie and Dante, newcomers to Fool’s Gold, they just want to get through the holiday emotionally unscathed. They lean on each other through Dante’s bad memories and Evie’s Christmas dance recital responsibilities. And then they lean on each other for love.

This is a typical Fool’s Gold romance in that it’s focused on the hero and heroine, there’s a wonderful sense of community, and love seems to thrive at the seasonal festivals.

But Evie and Dante’s story is original and emotional. I keep reading Susan Mallery because she knows how to make each relationship unique and compelling.

As soon as I was done with this novel, I moved on to When We Met, to be released April 29. Thank you, Ms. Mallery for providing such an…

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Review: Candlelight Christmas by Susan Wiggs

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Christmas reads reblog #3!

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20131022-173802.jpg Release date October 29. 4 stars!

Want to feel the magic of Christmas? Complete with snowy mountains, a house full of loved ones, peppermint hot chocolate, and walks in a winter wonderland? Susan Wiggs delivers all that and more in Candlelight Christmas.

Darcy meets her best friend India’s brother Logan and it’s Like At First Sight. When she sees him again at Thanksgiving, sparks are flying. By Christmastime, they know they have to decide whether or not to pursue a relationship.

Between Darcy’s ex and her demanding family, and Logan’s hard-to-please dad and beautiful son Charlie, the pair have many outside influences. Together they figure out how to overcome the family challenges so their relationship can grow. As Darcy and Logan find out, the spirit of Santa Claus doesn’t only touch children at Christmas. The magic is alive and well in romance too.

I love this book for the Christmas…

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Review: Huckleberry Christmas by Jennifer Beckstrand

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Christmas reads! Reblog #2.

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Aaah. The coolness of autumn, the crunch of the leaves, the brisk wind at night… It’s all preparation for winter. And winter means Christmas novels. I’ll be reading and reviewing more over the next couple of months, but here’s the first taste of Christmas, Amish-style.

Beth endured verbal abuse from her first husband. When he died, she vowed to grow stronger and more independent for the sake of herself and her son. But Beth didn’t count on falling in love with mellow Tyler. He had Beth’s best interests at heart, but needed to be persistent if he wanted to gain a place in her heart.

I’ve enjoyed all of Beckstrand’s Huckleberry Hill books, and I certainly loved this one. Beckstrand balances the stereotypical sober Amish lifestyle with lighthearted fun that comes from being unencumbered by modern distractions.

I laughed a lot at Tyler’s facial expressions (great descriptions, because I could…

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Review: A Cadence Creek Christmas by Donna Alward

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Ready for some Christmas reads? Here’s Christmas review reblog #1!

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20140222-225544.jpgEvent-planner and entrepreneur Taylor takes a winter trip from Vancouver to Cadence Creek to plan her brother’s wedding – and spend Christmas with her family. During her take-charge week of wedding plans she meets rancher and business owner Rhys. Taylor and Rhys both feel chemistry, but they have more fun verbally sparring with each other. Though they keep hurting each other’s feelings through judgement and thoughtless wisecracks, something meaningful runs deep, something they both want to explore.

The dialogue in a Cadence creek Christmas was wonderful. Taylor and Rhys joked with and snapped at each other realistically… They reminded me of my husband and me when we are annoyed with each other but still feel the strong, deep undercurrent of love. I also found very natural Taylor’s worries, her chats with her family, and her willingness to help others in a pinch. Taylor’s a doer. She doesn’t sit around waiting…

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Review: Longbourn by Jo Baker

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*1Have you read Pride and Prejudice? Have you wondered what went on in the background? How the servants got along? How they were treated by the Bennets? Jane Austen might be long dead but there are hundreds of novels that attempt to expand or to carry on from the original novel. I confess, before I started this novel, I had no clue it was a Pride and Prejudice spinoff. I’m sure I would have read it anyway…but I would have went into it knowing what to look for….instead of catching on after a few chapters….(I’m slow that way)…Although I loved Pride and Prejudice, I’ve really never understood the desire for people to continue on with the story…it was a creation from Jane Austen, and because it was hers, I don’t believe anyone can understand the characters as she did. Regardless, there is an entire fan base that lives for spinoffs….Longbourn is one of these novels. It attempts to give the servants side of the story…It is told mostly through the POV of Sarah, an orphaned housemaid…

I truly felt sorry for Sarah in the end…She gave all….whilst James gave none….and although I envisioned Mrs Bennet as totally outrageous in P & P I never imagined her as cold….and Mr Bennet….don’t even get me started….in so many ways this novel painted the employers as shallow and uncaring….Perhaps they are….in many ways they were portrayed that way in P & P..but the Bennets were the exception….they were not well to do…I think the Bennet girls might have been superficial on the outside, but certainly, for the most part, they were caring and kind (with perhaps the exception of one). What I loved best about P & P was the family and how they interacted together….the unruly girls with the over the top mother and the calm and yet exasperated father….

This novel ruined that for me…and I am not sure I can ever forgive Ms Baker for that 😦

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now Longbourn by Jo Baker

Review: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

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*1I absolutely loved this book. The scenario is simple enough….Alice bumps her head and wakes up and can’t remember the last 10 years of her life.

Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Sure we can run into a friend that we haven’t seen for ages and judge them….how much have they changed….how much have they remained the same….are they thinner? Thicker? Do they act the same? Are they still lovely? Are they cynical? How much can someone change in ten years? How many life events can happen?

But stop all that….forget about your husband, you children, your parents, your siblings, and your friends….let’s stop for a second and look at ourselves. Whoa….that’s right….how much have YOU changed in the last 10 years? How has the changes you’ve made effected how people perceive you? How has it effected how you perceive OTHER people?

Not so simple now is it? We all know that people change…but it happens year by year….month by month….week by week…and day by day…..it happens so gradually that perhaps we don’t even realise it at all….until we wake up one day and ten years have passed….and we wonder…where did I go?

But Alice has no idea why she has changed. Why people treat her differently….she has only the view of herself from ten years ago…she has none of the newer memories that changed her to explain why….so she is left wondering how this could have happened. She is left judging herself and trying to figure it all out.

The novel gives you much to think about. The more you think about it, the more you have to think about. Imagine yourself 10 years ago…..now imagine your younger self looking at who you are today…with none of the knowledge of how you got there…..what would they see? WHO would they see? Would they be happy? Would they be a bit surprised? Disappointed? Would you feel confident that you had chosen the correct path and that you had made the right choices?

If not, would you be brave enough to make the changes your younger self desired? Sure we have all heard that saying….”If I only knew then what I know now”…..but really what does that mean? If you know it NOW, why not do the best you can to rectify it? Why assume that just because it was in the past that it’s too late to change yourself and try to make things better? Do we just use sayings like that for an excuse to take the easy road and not make changes in our life?

Again…so much to ponder here….I do believe I need to hurry up and read another Liane Moriarty book….this was pure bliss for me….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Review: The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder

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the-bridge-from-me-to-you-by-lisa-schroederDisclaimer: I am not a romance/love story person. Most “mushy” stories leave me running away as fast as I can. But sometimes the romance is secondary to a bigger plot, as was the case with this newest book from Lisa Schroeder.

Meet Lauren. As the new girl in town, she’s the object of much speculation. We find out very early on that she’s come to live with her aunt and uncle, but the suspense builds until we find out exactly why. She struggles with the loss of her immediate family, her place in her new family, and how she fits in to this small, close-knit town. Her point of view is told in prose, for the most part, which lends a poetic quality to her story.

But hers isn’t the only perspective that we hear. There’s also Colby. In this small town that’s centered around football, he’s one of the team’s rising stars. He’s going places, just not the places he wants to. His family, and the entire town for that matter, have every expectation that he’ll go on to make it big in college football. His story is told in more traditional narrative form as he tries to find the strength to stand up for what he wants, both in love and out of life in general.

This was a good, engaging book that earned a solid four out of five stars for me. The alternating writing style works completely and adds credibility to the different stories being told. It’s a love story, no doubt, so don’t go into it thinking you’ll be getting some deep, mysterious, angst-filled young adult book. My only (slight) complaint would be that it really does paint a somewhat rosy picture of high school life and small town life in general. But in today’s world of harsh headlines, sometimes that’s just what you need in a good book.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Bridge From Me to You

Review: Otter Bay series by Julie Carobini

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Hearkening back to November 2013… Must have been a cold day like today when I decided to warm up with some Julie Carobini books set at the beach.

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I just finished a few books in the Otter Bay series. Set in a small town on the northwest coast, Otter Bay offers a tiny Main Street with the necessities: a coffee shop, a diner, a church. A little further out of town are the Pines, some cottages, and some winding mountain roads.

All this beauty provides the backdrop for new beginnings. Whether it’s Diner owner Peg’s niece Holly looking for her family, or Gage and Callie starting a life together, or Suz learning to be a single mother — and (gasp) start dating, the water in Otter Bay has heart-and-soul-cleansing properties.

Heartfelt family dynamics, strong but sweet heroes, and heroines searching for something – or someone – recur in the Otter Bay novels. This series is similar to Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series, but with a slightly (non-preachy, yet inspired) Christian slant.

Julie’s novels uplift me, give me hope…

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New Releases for Oct 29, 2013

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Here you can find some spooky selections from Melponeme’s blog post last October. Happy Halloween!

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Today is a crazy day for new releases. There are a ton, and there is no way I can list them all. So I’m gonna list a few of what we’re most excited for.

15808767Archangel’s Legion (Guild Hunter)I know there are a few of us that have been waiting anxiously for this one to come out. I plan on starting it as soon as I wake and the family will have to fend for themselves. 😉

16158558Dark Witch: Book One of The Cousins O’Dwyer TrilogyWhat a perfect book to read on Halloween. If you’re a fan of witches, this is right up your alley.

16108870Midnight’s Promise (Dark Warriors)It seems like I have been waiting for years for this story, but I just started these this year. I’m dying to know what’s going to happen to Malcolm!!!

17264459Forgiving LiesMolly McAdams killed us with Taking Chances, so I’m…

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