I absolutely adored this rather magical story. It has a leather jacket that transforms a young woman from grief to love as each time she puts it on, she is transported to an event in another’s memory. The events tell the jacket’s story-from belonging to her deceased uncle to being in the possession of a musician. The musician is her new roommate and love blooms. Love and fate meet for a delightful story.
Margot, pregnant at sixteen by twenty-one year old rock musician Sid, marries him and begins a life of tumult. In and out of their family, Sid struck me as an immature man while Margot faces raising five girls alone. She tries her best to be attuned to the girls, failing due to her own inability to let go of Sid.
This book bored me, hard as I tried to connect with the characters and plot. It began interestingly but lost my attention as it went on. I did not feel compassion nor sympathy for the characters.
A magical and captivating novel of love lost and of love gone wrong. The story of a mistaken love arrow bringing the wrong people together and of the strange break up of an archer (a Cupid) and a breaker (one who breaks up couples) blend together to create an engaging story.
A small English town becomes the healing home for a university historian after her beloved granny's death and the unexpected end to her engagement. She engages with the elder herbalist healer in the town who teaches her the recipes for healing. New love also finds her but her life in New York poses questions for her to answer.
Brilliant novel that relates the struggles of a mother of twins navigating life a year after her husband’s tragic death. Monkey wrenches are thrown at her from many angles, complicating her need to protect her twins while her heart grapples with deceit and lies.
Great book Very interesting and engaging premise of two academics and their long, argumentative career relationship. The fake marriage is written with flavor and flair. Characters are well defined and captivating.
A sweeping historical novel relating the life in the early 1900s and in the 1960s of a woman who chooses herself over the constraints of 1900 society. The milieu of early Pasadena is excellent as are the interactions of characters. Thoroughly enjoyable.
A delightful book, funny at times, serious at others. It has quirky characters and an engaging plot.
The Yukon setting is snowy and cold but not the relationship developing between April and Reggie. There are personality quirks in regimented Reggie that cause friction. chemistry is way off the charts and leads to spicy moments. A winning story.
A fake dating couple in the French Alps are both dealing with their personal problems as they navigate a fresh relationship.
Sweet story, even with grief as one topic, with a two week relationship that could become more.
Two history professors are in the hot and dangerous trail of uncovering a three hundred year old American political conspiracy. The closer they get, the more dangerous it becomes. Along the way, romance blooms. Thrilling and exciting.
A young woman, grieving for her father, is left a letter by him to visit five churches. She is bewildered by the request. Her friend arranges for a young man to be a tour guide. Her journey is one with uncomfortable discovery, changing her views along the way.
A touching look at relationships, both new and old.
Sweet and endearing story. At the crux is confusion about oneself and love. Both Cassidy and West have inner struggles about their place in their families or in the town. Driven together by performances in a Wild West show, their chemistry is off the charts. A relationship may be in the future.
A very engaging and fun novel. A weekend in Nantucket for a family goes down several routes as each member has a lot of change in the future. Coming home to Nantucket brings the opportunity to share the changes and shake up the parents who are harboring their own secret change to come. Family dynamics and love.
A historical cowboy/ranch novel with great characters, an unscrupulous banker, gossip, and danger in the hills. The story is very enjoyable and the romance delightful. I look forward to more of Ms Adams' books.
This is a great book, filled with the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the characters. The cast of people is outstanding-Vera, a woman in need of a life change and a waking up, Eli, long in love with Vera and never feeling enough when compared to Brody, an absolute user of Vera. There are a group of senior citizens, former Hollywood people with their problems that add to the scenes of the story. Throw in several hilarious lines and enjoy the humor amid the craziness.
A truly wonderful novel. The characters are well defined and add so much to the story. The main character’s life blows up causing her to lose her reality show position. She finds herself at complete odds when she stumbles upon a group of people all, like her, needing friends. The traumas she continues to experience are contrasted with those of her new friends. Add in a romance to complete the wonderfulness of the book.
I had a hard time with this novel and almost did not finish it. The reason was that there were too many sad times/tragedies with no real relief between them. It made the story more morose than I personally felt was necessary for the plot. I do not know if that was the intended purpose but comic relief has its value,
A lovely and heartwarming romance and a very enjoyable read. There are conflicts, worries, and joys tucked into the pages creating a wonderful story of family, friends, and love.
The developing life of a young witch from Puritan times to current time and that of a male witch run in parallel stories as their ultimate bond is formed. This story lays the groundwork for the impending battle between good and evil. A little tedious and repetitious at times. Overall, a good novel.
Not just a romance but truly a love story. Opposing work rivals find more to each other while on a month-long work trial to win a major advertising deal. Once working together for the same firm, Campbell bested Mattie at every turn. She developed an extreme dislike of him which tempered their every exchange. This was the opportunity for Cambell to change Mattie’s opinion. Finding middle ground is the impetus for a love story.
A relationship drama spanning over forty years. Theo, son of a Lord, falls in love with Anna, a coal miner’s daughter. The dictates of his society coupled with an unfortunate and devastating incident separate them for years but their paths cross again. Their enduring love resurfaces, only to be denied repeatedly. A memorable novel.
A delightful book cover to cover. The characters of Emmie and Cameron have their dilemmas, a forming relationship, and easy bantering made it so easy to fall in love with them and invest in their story. Both Emmie and Cameron are searching for empowerment and trust as they work to resurrect a small town hotel pub. He left an illustrious chef career and needs a life reset. She has been tasked by her parents to run their hotel but her father is stubborn and demands she leave her big city ideas behind. Together they work around her dad and find that they make a great team.
This is an emotional romance with fears and insecurities right up front and undenied. The style of writing is unusual and once you fall into the rhythm of the writing, it creates the sense of urgency to the story.
An incredible story chronicling the survival, grit, and determination by the older woman who survived concentration camps during WWII. Her new companion to the Shetlands slowly draws the ordeal out, bringing the two women understanding of each other. The companion took the job to get away from her own sadness and needed to come to a life altering decision.
I was not aware of the German impact on Norway prior to this novel. The research done by the author was extensive and thorough, creating a fascinating and harrowing story. It is a very emotional story at times and perfect with the narrative. Excellent, excellent novel.
The lives of six university friends weave, wobble, and solidify over several years and six weddings. Tash, Adam, and Hayden (a girl) met early on as freshman and became best friends and more. Jude was the handsome and anti-commitment one Hayden loved from a distance for years. Ross loved Caro. Johnny drank too much. Tash and Adam married and had Lottie. The story of the friends is a moving one.
A perfectly engaging romance with several funny scenes and endearing characters.
Wowza! This story is hot and spicy from the get go-bar meet hook up in Spokane with no names exchanged to an “Oh, no, it’s you” in Marietta. Crazy thing is neither Addy nor Carson want any relationship. Plus, she works as a decluttering guru and he is a messy guy. Can chemistry combined with a very strong pull overcome their hangups?
Terrific cowboy romance coupled with underhanded crimes on a Montana ranch. The ranch is being leased by sisters and the new owner, by way of an inheritance, is seriously considering selling it. Damages to the ranch begin to happen out of the blue at the same time as a sale is being considered. Lil, the rancher, starts to make Jordan, the rancher, rethink selling. Theirs is a slowly developing relationship, which I enjoy. The mystery of the crimes keeps you guessing until the end.
Relationships, frayed or stretched to the limit, are the heart of this story. Sisters with a long term estrangement are finally forced to see each other after several years. A daughter with a wedding days away is struggling with doubts, some of them caused by her clingy mother. The Swiss Alps are the background for this wonderful family novel.
A wonderful cozy romance that will tug on your heartstrings. The sadness of both Grace and Noah slowly begins its repair, helped along by her silent six year old, Jacob, and Noah’s home caretaker, Isaiah. Progressing along, starting and stopping is love on an isolated Maine island.
A touching and romantic cozy romance of three sisters and their mother all at difficult times. Ansley, the mother, is shocked when her husband proposes a move. Caroline falls for a famous actor to the chagrin of her almost ex-husband. Slone, pregnant, is trying to deal with several long delays in her home renovation. Emerson wants to be pregnant to no avail. The tightness and closeness of the sisters’ and mother’s relationships drives this delightful story.
I found this to be an incredible novel tracing the decisions of mothers and daughters and how broken links can often be repaired. At the center of the story is postpartum psychosis, a mental illness that rarely but does affect women. It is what drove Eloise Ambrose to abandon her two month old daughter and disappear, seemingly lost in the rubble of the twin towers disaster. The story traces her life, the life of her daughter, and the events of her daughter’s husband as the story unfolds.
True to the topics Ms Picoult often chooses, postpartum psychosis is not widely known, even though it is devastating to its victims. Please do not skip the author’s note as it contains valuable information as well as how she developed the story.
On the onset, I admit that I am a fan of this author. His Cork O’Connor mysteries are fabulous. They include such interesting information on Native American lore and language. In this novel, the O’Connor men with one young son along with their friend and his son embark on a canoe trip through lakes in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northern Minnesota. His son and grandson have had similar visions about Cork that unsettle him and might point to a heart problem. As the trip begins, criminal activity begins to be apparent. Cork sends the rest of his party home as he searches for a friend canoe guide in the wilderness. A sinister pair of brothers are causing mayhem involving murder, beatings, and danger. Cork begins a journey of a man grappling with his inner demons as the danger increases.
I really enjoyed this witchy novel of goddesses, a teen witch cult/coven, and a sweet romance. The back and forth between Francesca (Frankie) and Ashrad (Ash) is priceless and so entertaining. It buffers the strange and ugly happenings of the teen cult/coven on an island near to Frankie’s and Ash’s homes. Such a great story to engage you.
A fairy tale in current time. After swimming in the local natural pools, five people turn into birds. The lore of the pools is strange and true. One of the new birds was the boyfriend of a girl whose home life is simply sad. Her sister is also transformed along with her best friend and a couple of women. The girl refuses to give up on her boyfriend and searches for a way to turn him back. A quirky story.
Cowboy romance filled with the ups and downs of a young woman’s heart. Lauren has had thirteen failed romances chronicled as the story unfolds. Rhen is the cowboy she meets in a comical way which leads to a volunteer job, an apartment, and lots of heart/soul searching. Young love described at its best-the thrills, the heart flutterings, and the agony of breakups.
Such a delightful cozy romance. Love is slowly building for two people with terrible childhoods. She was abandoned at birth and lived in foster homes. No one adopted her because of a pre-existing heart condition. Her love of astronomy carried her along through life. He lived hand to foot with a vagrant father, never having a real home or any security. Trust was absent for him until they met and love grew.
A lovely and touching story of love, of change, and of a second chance. The characters of Billie, Mick, Phoebe, and Dean are carefully crafted to relay their emotions and personalities, struggles and acceptance. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.
Strange Bedfellows is a very strange and weird novel. There is a cat who changes to a girl and back as the familiar for a guy who is clueless but ardent. Then, there is a witch and her dog familiar (a guy) that shows up and everything goes haywire. A lot of spicy stuff and it feels really weird when it is the dog as a man and the cat woman. The story was a little too strange for me.
Stories that enchant you and bring you into a place where magic abounds are so fun to read. This is Ms. Allen’s specialty and Paper Ghosts does not disappoint. Occurrences of ghosts, deep disappointments, hidden secrets, and backstabbing friends unite to create a tale of love and loss, of the chance to rectify errors. Another terrific novel to enjoy.
This novel-oh my goodness. It is so emotional and heart hitting. The relationships are well defined and very deep. The mistakes of a father, long grieving his wife, unable to be a relatable father-loving his son but not knowing how. Nori and Sophie-friends since young, understanding each other yet not. I cried most of the way through the novel because of the heartache of the story and of the many missing chances. It was a good cry from feeling the story. Excellent novel.
I found this novel to be very sad and borderline depressing. The life of Paulette is fraught with bad decisions and heartache. She carries grief for years from the accidental death of her married lover, has a baby with his best friend, and lives her life moving from one mistake to another. Her treatment as a Black woman in 1970’s England is reflective of the racism of the age and the hardness of life in a predominantly white area. The last chapter was a tearjerker.
An undelivered and returned to sender letter draws three grieving persons together on a journey across the country to deliver the letter to the intended. The story is a heartfelt and tender look at grief which has impacted two sisters (one fourteen years old) and a stranger on this quest. Along the way, feelings are evident as healing begins. Add in an unexpected romance and it is a very touching and often uplifting novel.
Just as a side comment, if you have ever experienced the type of grief that steals your Joy and strikes at any moment months or years later, the emotions of the characters will ring very true, as they did for me.
A romance sparked by magic, vexes, and spice. A relationship starting with contention and distrust is so cute and often funny. Lucy and Grayson are at different ends when it comes to his grandfather, the owner of the bookstore where Lucy is manager. He has not communicated with his grandfather for twenty years and during that time, Lucy has become very endeared to the grandfather. Grayson wants to correct the distance and envies Lucy’s relationship. Sparks and chemistry between them muddies the water.
The injustices and horrors of crimes and of racism are recounted in a story of a Texas Ranger, a Reconstruction Quaker school teacher, and the trial of a murdering gang in Corpus Christi. The dialog is reflective of the time as is the furor of racist mobs and the inequality of justice. A great historic novel.
The tumultuous and very challenging and changing lives of teens at a prestigious private high school is the setting for the novel. Characters from The Academy novel continue into their senior year joined by some new students and staff. The engaging story flows similar to Elin Hilderbrand novels and utilizes dialog, thoughts, and the voice of a narrator.
Fun and engaging novel. So enjoyable to read as the pages are filled with oddball neighbors in a brownstone in Calgary. Main character, Moma, has her own definitions of each resident as she has never interacted with them. When she is tasked with being the temporary manager, she reevaluates her definitions and finds there is more to the people than she imagined. Plus, there is a budding love with Sami, the restaurant owner next door.
A funny cozy mystery about a dog crazy town, a group of critical dog moms, a savvy septuagenarian crime reader, an outcast woman, and murder. The outcast woman is cast as the villain by the town because of her outspoken behavior. She teams up with the septuagenarian and antics ensue as they set out to solve the murder.
