Review: Love Unexpected: With All My Heart

 

Published: February 2014, Covenant Communications, 176 pages

My Source: I borrowed a copy from the library

Description:
Discover the extraordinary magic of love with heartwarming novellas from three of today’s bestselling romance authors . . .

Hanging by a Moment—Krista Lynne Jensen
Kendal Johnson-Bauer needs a break. After a year on her own, Kendal is in desperate need of a getaway, and the British Virgin Islands provide the ideal escape from reality. She is ready for sun, sand, and relaxation—but what she’s not prepared for is an unexpected encounter with Bret—the one who got away. Even years after their college friendship, the old romantic tension is still there . . . but is Kendal really ready to love again?

A Raven’s Heart—Anita Stansfield
London, 1869: Stella Hollingberry has reached an unhappy fork in the road, and her meager options seem to spell certain misery. Should she marry for security rather than love or be consigned to hard labor in the factories? Just when she feels hope slipping through her fingers, Stella is stunned to receive the news that she is the heiress of Ravenswood—the estate, it seems, is to be her salvation. Little does she know that it is not only freedom that awaits her there, but also a most unexpected love. . . .

Count My Heart—Sheryl C. S. Johnson
A series of bumps in the road has led Trisha Pearson here: struggling with her most unique predicament yet and desperate for assistance, she relies on the aid of a helpful—and handsome—stranger. Nate Arden is just in town on business, but he’s more than happy to help a damsel in distress—especially one so beautiful. . . . When the two part ways after their misadventure, they assume it will be forever. But when chance brings her charming knight in shining armor back into her life, Trisha realizes that the twists and turns of fate may just lead her to happily ever after. . . .

My Review: 
I enjoyed the way each story was so different, yet they had a common thread. I loved the tropical setting in the first story and loved the way Kendal shed her insecurities. The second story was a historical fiction and it was fun to see how strong Stella was, considering her situation. She had such a kind, good heart. I loved the twist at the end. The third story was fun because it took place in my hometown! I thought this one was funny in places and it really engaged me. I loved the tension between Trisha and Nate. All three stories were fun and clean--I just wish they would have been longer.

Review: Fear of Falling (White Cairns Ski School # 2) By Roz Marshall

 
Publication: November 2013, 66 pages
My Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Description: A lost child and an approaching blizzard put White Cairns' ski instructor Fiona Easton in a life-threatening predicament. Can she overcome her fear of heights to prevent tragedy blighting her life again?

"Fear of Falling" is the 2nd novella from the 'White Cairns Ski School' series about a Scottish snowsports school.

Whilst this is a stand-alone book, you might enjoy reading the series from the first episode, "Winter Arrives". A seasonal short story for Christmas, "Skiing with Santa" is also available, set chronologically between episodes 1 and 2.

My Review: I love the way each episode helps the reader learn more about different characters. Fiona has such a mothering instinct. A girl in her group doesn't want to participate and Fiona coaxes her into it but talking to her and figuring out the issue and a solution. When a child is lost in her group at the start of a big storm, she does what she can to rescue him. I love the way this ski team really seems like family. They care and look out for one another and that relationship is very endearing.

 

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About the Author:

Roz lives in Scotland with her husband and the obligatory dog and cat. She has been writing since childhood, including screenwriting, songwriting, web pages and even sentiments for greeting cards!

The White Cairns novellas are written from experiences she had whilst working as a ski instructor in various Scottish ski resorts and slopes - they do say you should 'write what you know'!

Website: www.rozmarshall.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rozmarshallauthor

 

Stacking the Shelves #12

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

This is a place to share any books received in the last week--physical and digital.

I got some great books this week! What's on your shelf?

Borrowed:

Dreams of Lilacs by Lynn Kurland
Isabelle de Piaget is determined to elude her overprotective family by means of a hasty escape to France. But instead of making a surprise visit to her brother there, she winds up shipwrecked on the French coast with no memory of who she is or how she came to awaken in the dark and forbidding castle of an equally brooding lord.

Gervase de Seger rescues—very reluctantly—the bedraggled urchin he finds on the road and puts her to work where he can ignore her. Unfortunately, he soon realizes that her brother is an intimidating lord who is going to be absolutely furious when he learns that his beloved sister has been laboring as a scullery maid. Yet Isabelle may be the one who holds the key to solving Gervase’s most pressing problem: that someone has been trying to finish the task of separating him from his title and his lands.

Finding the truth propels Gervase and Isabelle from the buried secrets of half-ruined keeps to the glittering French court, and to the realization that love can blossom in the most perilous circumstances—and in the most unexpected places of the heart . . . 

For Review:

Becoming Lady Lockwood by Jennifer Moore
Amelia Beckett is delighted to be a widow. Married by proxy to a man she’d never met, Amelia recognizes that a fortuitous entry into widowhood frees her from meddlesome chaperones and matchmakers. Heiress to her mother’s sugar plantation in Jamaica, she happily anticipates working in a man’s world, with the additional credibility of her new title: Lady Lockwood. But with the arrival of Captain Sir William Drake, her plans quickly go awry . . .William has traversed the Atlantic with one purpose. If he cannot prove that Amelia’s marriage to his brother was a fraud, she will be entitled to a sizeable portion of his family’s estate. He is determined to return this duplicitous “Lady” to London for an official hearing, and he carries with him a letter that will ensure her cooperation . . .Left with no choice, Amelia joins the captain on his return voyage to England, and the two quickly find that ship life does not allow for evasion. Amelia and William are ceaselessly thrown together, and amidst fierce storms and ocean battles, what began as antipathy seems to be evolving quite unexpectedly. But as they draw ever closer to their destination, will the impossibility of their circumstances shatter any hope of a future together?

The Husband Maker by Karey White
Charlotte’s a girl with nicknames. She may not love being called Charles or Chuck, but the hardest nickname to take is the one she was given in college, the one that’s followed her now for too many years. They call her “the husband maker” and sadly, it fits. Every guy she's dated since high school has gone on to marry the next girl they date. Not two or three girls down the road. The very next one.
Is she doing something wrong or is she just cursed?
When Kyle Aldsworth enters the picture and sweeps her off her feet, Charlotte begins to hope that maybe she's not destined to be single forever. A senator’s son with political aspirations of his own, Kyle's wealthy, handsome, and in need of a wife. Will Charlotte be disappointed yet again, or will she finally be able to make a husband for herself?


Dream On by M. Kircher
Seventeen-year-old dreamwalker, Em, might have to choose—leave her mother forever in the dreamworld or save the life of hot, rebel Gabe.
Emily Dal Monte and her mother, Lily, are special. They’re humans with a special glitch in their genetic code that allows them to explore the fantastic, and often terrifying, world of their dreams for as long as they choose to remain asleep. But when Em’s father is killed in a tragic accident and her distraught mother loses herself more and more in the dreams of her crumbling mind, Em is forced to support the two of them the only way she knows how, by writing down her mother’s amazing dreams and selling them as books. Enter Gabriel Sobel, the punk newcomer at Em’s high school who realizes Em is the daughter of his favorite, reclusive author. Gabe can’t figure out why Em keeps brushing him off and makes it his mission to find out what’s really going on at the Dal Monte household. He stumbles upon their shocking family secret just as Lily takes a turn for the worse. It’s up to Em, Gabe, and one very nosy book editor to hop from one extraordinary dream to the next, to find Lily and convince her to wake up before she loses her mind…and before Em loses her first chance at love. 

Review: I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark

I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark
Publication: April 2014, Simon & Schuster, 320 pages
My Source: I borrowed a copy from the library.

Description: When Laurie Moran's husband was brutally murdered, only three-year-old Timmy saw the face of his father's killer. Five years later his piercing blue eyes still haunt Timmy's dreams. Laurie is haunted by more: the killer's threat to her son as he fled the scene: Tell your mother she's next, then it's your turn . . .

Now Laurie is dealing with murder again, this time as the producer of a true-crime, cold-case television show. The series will launch with the twenty-year-old unsolved murder of Betsy Powell. Betsy, a socialite, was found suffocated in her bed after a gala celebrating the graduation of her daughter and three friends. The sensational murder was news nationwide. Reopening the case in its lavish setting and with the cooperation of the surviving guests that night, Laurie is sure to have a hit on her hands. But when the estranged friends begin filming, it becomes clear each is hiding secrets... small and large.

And a pair of blue eyes is watching events unfold, too...

My Review: I've been a fan of this author's for years. What I really like about her books, is that I keep guessing and changing my mind about who did it right up until the very end. In fact, with this one, my son asked me if I had figured it out yet and I said, "No--I still have 15 pages left." Most of the suspects seem to have a shady side or reasons why they really could have done it, so it makes for a fun mystery. The other thing I really like is her books aren't gory. Yes, there's always a murder; yes, there are things that go on that aren't pleasant, but it's never graphic.

This story was a little different in there were two murders and while unrelated, there was a tie connecting them. I loved watching how the connection was made--it wasn't what I expected. Laurie's husband was murdered at the park in front of her young son and a threat against her and her son was given. Now, a few years later, she is doing a tv show on unsolved cases. There was a murder of a socialite 20 years earlier that wasn't ever solved. She attempts to bring back the "key players" to recreate the scene to see if any information surfaces.

I liked Laurie. She is very bright and really thinks things through. She goes the extra mile in life--both with research and mothering. I can only imagine how hard it would be to live with that threat over my head and still try to live life day to day.

Content: murder (not descriptive) and suicide (memories of finding someone, not descriptive), a few swear words (MUCH less than her earlier books), mention of sexual abuse (more implied and no details given) and affairs (again, skimmed over, no details).

 

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About the Author:
 Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins Clark Conheeney, best known as Mary Higgins Clark, (b December 24, 1927 in the Bronx, New York) is an American author of suspense novels. Each of her twenty-four suspense novels has been a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her novels remain in print as of 2007, with her debut suspense novel, Where Are The Children, in its seventy-fifth printing.

Clark began writing at an early age. After several years working as a secretary and copy editor, Clark spent a year as a stewardess for Pan-American Airlines before leaving her job to marry and start a family. She supplemented the family's income by writing short stories. After her husband died in 1959, Clark worked for many years writing four-minute radio scripts, until her agent convinced her to try writing novels. Her debut novel, a fictionalized account of the life of George Washington, did not sell well, and she decided to leverage her love of mystery/suspense novels. Her suspense novels became very popular, and as of 2007 her books have sold more than 80 million copies in the United States alone.

Her work dwells primarily on a central theme: the psychological trauma endured and overcome by her strong female characters. Clark, known as the "Queen of Suspense", was also the inspiration for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America. She is the mother of author Carol Higgins Clark and formerly the mother-in-law of author Mary Jane Clark.

Review: Before the Clock Strikes Thrity by Aubrey Mace

Before the Clock Strikes Thirty by Aubrey Mace
Publication: April 2014, Covenant Communications, 193 pages
My Source: I borrowed a copy from the library.

Description: 
With wedding festivities swirling around her, the bride's fortune-telling aunt transfixes young Shannon Fielding. The gypsy woman foresees love in the girl's future: before her thirtieth year, Shannon will meet the man of her dreams. The promise of romance is absolutely thrilling it's almost enough to compensate for the groom's annoying younger brother . . .
Shannon has remembered, and loathed, Nathan since their childhood meeting at the wedding reception that set her on a never-ending quest to find her Mr. Right. When Nathan steps back into Shannon's life, she is forced to reconcile her memory of the obnoxious boy he once was with the endearing man he's become. Nathan quickly becomes the best friend a girl could ask for but when their friendship threatens to develop into something more, can Shannon give up the idea of the mysterious soul mate she's sought for so long?

My Review:
This is exactly the kind of romantic comedy that I love! I've decided, after reading everything this author has written, that I won't be disappointed with her books.

Shannon meets her best guy friend in an unusual way and when he doesn't remember her from the past, she accepts it and is determined that all they'll ever be is friends, because come on--he's "Jerkface." Nathan, it turns out, is a very decent guy--he just had a moment of being a young teen when they met.

I loved the friendship these two had. They were very competitive with one another and decided to take turns planning "scary" activities for them to participate in, thus getting to know each other really, really well. Shannon is completely clueless. I sometimes wanted to shake her to see if she was awake and paying attention to life, yet she is a true, fun friend who is very likable. She's really not afraid of much and is very agreeable to many things that would scare me off. Nathan is a very patient friend, who is one of the most unselfish guys I've ever read about! He's not a wimp-- he is so kind and caring. What girl in her right mind wouldn't love to have a friend like him?!

There are tender moments, as well as frustrating ones (in a good way), funny ones, and fun ones. And I can't forget those romantic ones. *sigh* I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Content: kissing. Clean!

 

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About the Author:

Aubrey Mace lives in Sandy, Utah. She attended LDS Business College and Utah State University. When she is not writing, she enjoys cooking, traveling, gardening, playing the cello (badly), and spending time with her family and psychotic cat.
Aubrey has four published novels: SPARE CHANGE, which won the 2008 Whitney Award for Best Romance, MY FAIRY GRANDMOTHER, SANTA MAYBE, and BEFORE THE CLOCK STRIKES THIRTY. She also has a novella, "The Science of Sentiment", included in the Timeless Romance Anthology Spring Collection.
You can visit Aubrey at her website, www.aubreymace.com.  

Review: The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

The One (The Selection) by Kiera Cass
Publication: May 2014, HarperCollins Children's Books, 323 pages
My Source: I borrowed a copy from the library.

Description: THE SELECTION changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. Now, only one will claim Prince Maxon’s heart…

It’s swoon meets the Hunger Games in the final instalment of THE SELECTION trilogy!

For the four girls who remain at the palace, the friendships they’ve formed, rivalries they’ve struggled with and dangers they’ve faced have bound them to each other for the rest of their lives.

Now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown – or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realises just how much she stands to lose – and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.

The breathtaking finale to THE SELECTION trilogy will make you swoon!

My Review: I've been dying to read this one since Book 2 (The Elite) ended! The One picks up right where The Elite left off--there are 4 girls left in the competition to win Prince Maxon's love and the crown. The events that unfold were not always expected and left me feeling on edge a lot of the time. America is a very outspoken, kind young woman, who longs for things to be fair in the kingdom. Some of the decisions that she made didn't make sense and caused issues for her, yet she stood her ground. She seems a little more certain and content in what she wants in life, but she just can't let go of her old dreams. I went through a range of emotions with this one and was satisfied with the way it all wrapped up.

I loved the relationships between a lot of the characters--friendships, family, loyalty, new friends and old, romance, etc. I kept thinking of the quote, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." I wish America would have taken care of all that right from the start. There's so much more that I could say, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. I really enjoyed it and was sad to see it come to an end.

Content: some swearing (maybe 6); some violence (shootings, death, fighting), but nothing too graphic; kissing (one scene was a little more suggestive and could have lead to more but they were interrupted and stopped), a couple sleeping in the same bed, but nothing happened. I would consider it technically clean. The one scene didn't get into anything that should be kept behind closed doors, yet it might not be appropriate for a younger reader (pages 268-273).

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About the Author:
100 Things I Love:

Being married. Cake. The smell of Autumn. Motherhood. Books. Elephants. Back rubs. On demand movies. Actually going out to movies. Faith. Cinnamon rolls. My family. Butterflies. When my kitchen is clean. Crayons. Pink. Tote bags. Dancing. Organizing via color coordination. That my wedding dress was tea length, not floor. Baking. My house. Writing utensils. Paper. India. The sound of water. Making videos. Buttons. The word Episcopalian. Making people laugh. Layering clothes. British accents. Pinterest. Animation. Fireworks. The smell of the Ocean. My wedding rings. Aprons. Reasons to get dressed up. Sex. Pop music. Stars. Taking walks. Daydreaming. Stickers. School Spirit. My friends. Living in a small town. Japan. Singing. Painting my toenails. Pranks/ practical jokes. Painting. Stretch canvas. Costumes. Dipping my fingers in melted wax. Style. Soda. Spending an hour typing at a coffee shop. Musicals. Back to school season. Mopeds. Good hair days. Naps. Not walking up but looking at a beautiful staircase. Driving alone. My ankles. Playlists. Spending entire days in pajamas. Holidays. Telling stories. Spontaneity. Theme parks. Bookshelves. The word copacetic. Boxes. Empty journals. Surprises. Doing things in groups. Doing things alone. Getting real mail. Decorating. Small forks. A good hug. Gift cards. New Years Goals. Going out to dinner. When someone else remembers some great story about me/us that I’ve forgotten. Toy stores. Fireplaces. Breakfast foods. Journaling. Crying for a good reason. Doorbells. Pointless adventures. Voting. My birthday. Reasons to make wishes. Recycling.

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Review: The End Begins: Glimmering Light by Margot Hovley

The End Begins: Glimmering Light by Margot Hovley
Publication: March 2014, Covenant Communications, 160 pages
My Source: I borrowed it from the library.

Description: In a world torn apart by an unprecedented terrorist attack, Amélie Hatch’s life has been thrown into chaos. Safety is fleeting, and there is no rest for a group of Saints fighting to survive . . . Despite the looming threat of terrorism, Amélie’s safe arrival in Salt Lake City should have been the triumphant conclusion to her harrowing journey. With the promise of a future with her true love, Zack, she finds a glimmer of light amidst the bleak unrest of the nation. But Amélie and Zack quickly realize that their journey is far from finished. With the nation’s power grid still compromised and enemy forces drawing closer, Utah is no longer a safe haven—it’s time to move on. And this time, they find themselves forced apart as they embark on separate missions that will test their endurance and threaten all they hold dear. Amélie can only wonder: does Missouri truly hold the key to their deliverance, or will they be forced to run forever?

My Review: I'm putting this one in a new made up genre--LDS Dystopian. This is Book 2 in the series and I strongly recommend that they're read in order, since so much information and back story is given in the first book, The End Begins: Sudden Darkness. If you haven't read that one, you may want to skip my review.

The story goes back and forth between the stories of Zack and Amelie, as they traveled from Utah to Missouri in the Last Days. Zack is sent on a special mission ahead of the main group traveling to Missouri. He and his companions encounter some difficulties and scary situations. Amelie is with the main group of 200,000, and is given a big calling to help organize and interview the youth.

I loved the author's ideas of how things could be and they seemed very realistic and scary to me. Events happened that really tested their faith. I can't imagine going through things like that, yet it really could happen that way. It was a very gripping story.

I enjoyed watching Zack grow. As a new member of the Church and being on his own, he really had to dig deep within himself to endure this and he learned a lot about himself, his faith, and his abilities.

Amelie (Lee) was a really strong person as well. She was determined to do things the way she had in her mind and had to humble herself to accept what was meant to be.

Content: no language, non descriptive kissing, some violence and moments of peril (shootings, suffering, death (not descriptive)). Clean.

 

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