Title: The Things We Keep
Author: Sally Hepworth
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewers: Dottie & Jennifer
Summary: Anna Forster is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease at only 38. Her family has placed her in Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. It just so happens that the home has another young Alzheimer’s patient, Luke. They forge a friendship, which has consequences that develop later in the story.
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Title: All of Us and Everything
Author: Bridget Asher
Rating: 2 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
What I thought would be a wonderful heartfelt story of a family coming back together … wasn’t.
When the Rockwell sisters—Esme, Liv, and Ru—were young, their mother, Augusta, silenced talk of their absent father with the story that he was an international spy. Fast-forward to present day and Esme is navigating a failing marriage while trying to keep her daughter from live-tweeting every detail. Liv finds herself in between relationships and rehabs, and Ru has run away from enough people and problems to earn her frequent flier miles. When Hurricane Sandy hits the family home on the Jersey Shore, the Rockwells reunite—only to discover that the storm has unearthed a long-buried box.
I felt nothing while reading this book except an eagerness to finish. I wonder now how I did manage to finish. There must have been something there keeping me intrigued. Though for the life of me I can’t figure out what that was. I disliked each of the characters. Each character fell flat and underdeveloped, in my opinion. Some of the happenings were far-fetched and too easily fixed without a proper explanation … especially one comment made by Augusta. She mumbles something under her breath and I think “Oh! This is going to get interesting!” But it goes no further! It’s never discussed or brought up again. It would have made the more interesting story.
Usually if I’m on the fence about rating a book, the Epilogue helps me decide. It certainly did in this case … I hated it! I couldn’t understand why the author felt the need to update us on characters that I didn’t consider a factor in the story at all.
Readers all have differing opinions. This is mine. You might love this book but it just wasn’t for me.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Title: Heartsong Cottage
Author: Emily March
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Haunted by the loss of his wife and son, Daniel Garrett left the police force to devote his life to finding missing children. But he still hasn’t found a way to mend the wounds of his past-until he attends a wedding in Eternity Springs.
Shannon O’Toole isn’t looking for romance. Ever since her fiancé’s death, she’s created a quiet life for herself. Still, she can’t deny her attraction to the handsome, broad-shouldered stranger. Daniel makes her feel things she’s hasn’t felt in years. But can Shannon trust a detective when doing so could bring danger to her cottage door?
Heartsong Cottage is Book #10 in the Eternity Springs series. Haven’t read the rest of the series yet? I recommend you do but I don’t think it will take away from the reading of this story. By reading the rest of the series you’ll have the stories of the other characters you’ll read about here.
I loved Daniel and Shannon together. I thought them to be believable characters. There stories were believable and pulled at the heartstrings and even made me gasp out loud once or twice. I can’t wait to see what’s up with them in the next book in the series.
Fans of this series won’t be disappointed. New readers of Ms. March will be hooked and eager for more.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Title: Playing with Fire
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
I’ve only read Ms. Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series and have absolutely loved them. While Playing with Fire is a departure from that, I did find it to be a really quick and enjoyable read.
Julia Ansdell picks up “The Incendio Waltz,” while on a trip. When she sees it for the first time, she knows it’s an unusual composition. Once back home, while playing the piece, Julia blacks out and awakens to find her young daughter implicated in acts of surprising violence. Was Julia’s daughter really acting out and intentionally harming her? I found this aspect of the story intriguing and creepy. I imagined what my reaction might be if I thought my child were harming me … and that freaked me out.
When Julia travels to Venice to find the previous owner of the music, she uncovers a dark secret that involves dangerously powerful people—a family who would stop at nothing to keep Julia from bringing the truth to light. Um … sounds like a big part of the story doesn’t it? I didn’t think so. It was not well done in my opinion. It felt slapped together and wrapped up too quickly with not enough of the details the rest of the story was given.
There is also the story of Lorenzo and Laura. I enjoyed their story as well, finding it believable and interesting.
While there was that one aspect of the story I couldn’t quite believe, I found myself not being able to turn the pages fast enough because I wanted to know what was next.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Title: Return To Homecoming Ranch
Author: Julia London
Format: Kindle
I received this copy from Julia London’s street team, “London’s Ladies”, via Netgalley for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Read July, 2014
Reviewer: Dottie
Summary: In the second of Julia London’s Homecoming Ranch trilogy, we return to Pine River, Colorado to get to know Libby , another of the Tyler sisters, who have recently been brought together by their father’s death. Libby, with the aid of her sisters, is trying desperately to figure out how to save their Dad’s run down ranch. While doing this, Libby is also trying to figure out how to save her own life after a humiliating breakup with Ryan, whose two children she has been raising for the past four years, and loves as though they were her own. This devotion to the children brings her nothing but trouble, and confrontation with handsome Officer Sam Winters, who is fighting his own demons. It is inevitable that an attraction is formed between these two.
Review: I’m never disappointed with Julia London’s writing, and this is no exception. She always makes me feel for the characters, whether it be positive or negative. I’ve smiled and shed a tear or two. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment in this trilogy to see what happens with not only Emma, the third sister, but also with the rest of the characters from Pine River whose back stories have yet to be completed.
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