Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett (Booktown Mystery #2)

• Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin
• ISBN-13: 9780425226414

Once a struggling town, Stoneham, New Hampshire, is now enjoying a renaissance __ thanks to booksellers like Tricia Miles, proprietor of Haven't Got a Clue. It's a great place to find a good mystery to read -- or to solve ...

To celebrate her bookstore's anniversary. Tricia Miles hosts a book signing for bestselling author Zoe Carter. But the event takes a terrible turn when the author is found dead in the washroom. Before long, both police and reporters are demanding the real story. So far, the author's obnoxious assistant/niece is the only suspect. With a sheriff who provides more obstacles than answers. Tricia will have to take matters into her own hands --- and read between the lines to solve this mystery. Quoted from the back of the book. 

I enjoyed this second installment of the Booktown mysteries. I think Tricia is a very nice person who just happens to get involved in mysteries by just walking into a place at the wrong time. Her sister can be a little overbearing but is always there for her sister. I like how the real person who "did it" is not figured out until the end of the book. Tricia had to step up her investigative skills this time in order to get her business back open. She has a lot of friend who are willing to help solve the crime. I would love to live in this little town full of bookstores.  I give this book 5 stars. 

Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr (Virgin River #8)

 

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira
• ISBN-13: 978-0778327493 

Noah Kincaid arrives ready to rll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings an improbable candidate his way.

"Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. Whth her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and dertermination, and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs.

This unlikely duo may come from two different worlds but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness is never out of the question. Copied from the back of the book.

Robyn Carr has not disappointed me with another great installment in the Virgin River series. Complete with the bad guy, new couple in town, a love story, lasting friendship, and a little adventure. I love Ellie and her determination to do anything she needs to to get her kids back and make things right. I also liked learning about Jo and Nick some long time residents of Virgin River. I give this book 5 stars.

Love Lifted Me by Sara Evans

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson 
• ISBN-13: 978-1595544919 

Jade and Max share a deep love, though revelations from his past have recently shaken their marriage. And Jade is completely smitten with Max’s little son, Asa, whom she is now raising as her own. Their blended family brings her a joy she’s never known. But there is one more secret to be uncovered. One that will impact them all.

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Max is doing his best to “man-up” and prove himself worthy of Jade’s devotion. As well as that of his young son. It seems like life in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, will pick up where it left off until Max is faced with an unusual opportunity—leave his family’s law firm to coach high-school football in Texas.

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Realizing a fresh start will bring healing to their marriage, Jade takes the leap of faith and moves with him and baby Asa, bidding good-bye to her beloved Blue Umbrella shop.

 

The new beginning in quaint Colby, Texas, is soon sullied when Max discovers the high-school program isn’t all it seemed. While Max struggles to rebuild a once glorious football team, Jade wrestles with news that could break Max’s heart . . . and change their lives forever.

 

I had a very hard time with this book and struggled. Everytime I picked it up and tried to read it I could not keep with it. From the back of the book it sounded like a good book. I have since found out that this is the third book in a series and am wondering if I would have started from book one it would have been better. I don't like to say I don't like books so I won't say that. I actually could not finish this book and hope to maybe try it again one day. I received this book from Book Sneeze to review. I am going to give it 1 star at this time. 

FTC DISCLOSURE:I received this book in return for a fair and honest review

The King of Torts by John Grisham

• Mass Market Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Dell 
• ISBN-13: 978-0440241539 

The Office of the Public Defender is not known as a training ground for bright young litigators. Clay Carter has been there too long, and , like most of his colleagues, drams of a better job in a real firm.  When he reluctantly takes the case of a young man charged with a random street killing, he assumes it is just another of the many senseless murders that hit D.C. every week. 


As he digs into the background of his client, Clay stumbles on a conspiracy too horrible to believe. He suddenly finds himself in the middle of a complex case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and looking at the kind of enormous settlement that would totally change his life ---- that would make him, almost overnight, the legal profession's newest king of torts. 

It has been awhile since I have read one of John Grisham's books. I loved his books and was happy when a friend loaned me this to read. As I started reading the book it was good but then it started to drag for me. I don't think this book moved or had me as engrossed as his previous books. I liked the story idea as well as Clay and Rebecca, but it was just not moving near as fast as I was hoping. There were some really fast moving parts in the book but it lagged more than it moved. The last 100 pages for me was the best part of the book, that reminded me of the Grisham I used to read. I give this book 3 stars.

I'm in No Mood For Love by Rachel Gibson (Sex, Lies & Online Dating #2)

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon 
• ISBN-13: 978-0060773175 

 What is Clare Wingate doing? One minute she's suffering in a pretty-in-pink gown she'll never wear again, and the next thing she knows it's morning ... and she has the nastiest hangover of her life. 


To make matters worse, she's wearing nothing but a spritz of Escada and lying next to Sebastian Vaughn ... her girlhood crush turned sexy, globe hopping journalist. Somewhere between the toast and the toss of the bouquet she'd gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble. 


Clare had the right to go wild - after all, she'd been knocked off her dyed-to-match shoes after finding her own fiance in a compromising position with the washing machine repairman. Clearly her society wedding is off. 


But Sebastian pushed all the wrong buttons - and some of the right ones, too. Claire is in no mood for love - not even for lust - and wants to forget about Sebastian and his six-pack abs. ASAP. But he isn't in the mood to go away, and his kiss is impossible to forget. - Copied from the back of the book.

This was the second book in the writer friends series by Rachel Gibson. This book took me just a little longer to get into verses the first one. I did enjoy this book though and read it pretty quickly. I really liked Sebastian and how he enteracted with Clare. Once Clare finally loosened up things moved pretty quickly between the two. I also enjoyed learning about another writer friend in this series. Good book and am looking forward to the next one. 4 Stars

Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

 

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone
• ISBN-13: 978-1451623499 

Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she's mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden. Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate. 


Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success - but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day: and she wanted to make sure Emma's heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.  - taken from the back of the book

Not only did I win this book in a giveaway from Goodreads my book club Novel Ladies chose this book as a November group read so I had two reasons to read it. I am glad that I entered the giveaway for this and chose to read it. This book grabbed me from the first page and I could not put it down. I like how it told both the story of Emma and Beattie's struggles and how they both overcame them. I think I liked reading about Beattie a little more than Emma but enjoyed both. I felt so bad for Beattie as it felt like life just kept knocking her down but she kept overcoming the struggles. I was so sad for her and the situation with her daughter. Emma on the other had it easier in life and then took it all for granted until she became injured and learned to look at life in a new perspective. I wished the book would have taken us just a little further along as I felt the ending left us hanging just a little and wanting more. 5 stars for me.

FTC DISCLOSURE:I received this book in return for a fair and honest review.

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel

• Audible Audio Edition
• Listening Length: 19 hours and 36 minutes
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001AWVRX6 

 

This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love. Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear.

A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own kind. To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly--she is one of the Others, those who have moved into their ancient homeland; but Iza cannot leave the girl to die and takes her with them. Iza and Creb, the old Mog-ur, grow to love her, and as Ayla learns the ways of the Clan and Iza’s way of healing, most come to accept her. But the brutal and proud youth who is destined to become their next leader sees her differences as a threat to his authority. He develops a deep and abiding hatred for the strange girl of the Others who lives in their midst, and is determined to get his revenge. - Taken from Amazon.com

I tried to read this book years ago when it was all the rage and just could not get into but the book sounded so good to me that I wanted to give it another try. So I thought why not listen to it since I have plenty of time at work to do this. Well I am glad I did. It did not move along as fast as I thought it would but I did enjoy it. It only took me two and a half days to listen to it. I plan on listening to the second book next week. I like how the clan ended up accepting Ayla into their clan. I also liked how Iza, Creb and Ayla formed their own little family. I did not like the one guy treated her (I do not know how to spell his name and since I listened to it, I can't look it up). 3 1/2 stars