Review: Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr

Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr

Publisher: Mira

Pages: 400 

Format: ebook 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Katie Malone and her twin boys' trip along the beautiful mountain roads to Virgin River is stopped short by a tire as flat as her failed romance. To make matters worse, the rain has set in, the boys are hungry and Katie is having trouble putting on a spare. As she stands at the side of the road pondering her next move, she hears a distinct rumble. The sight of the sexy, leather-clad bikers who pull up beside her puts her imagination into overdrive.

Dylan Childress and his buddies are on the motorcycle trip of a lifetime. But the sight of a woman in distress stops them in their tracks. And while the guys are checking out her car, she and Dylan are checking out one another.

In one brief moment, the world tilts on its axis and any previous plans Katie and Dylan might have had for their futures are left at the side of the road.





Kritters Thoughts:  Another book from the Virgin River series, and I loved this one just as much as the last one.  Sweet love stories that can be a little predictable, but if you are looking for a little romance, without the explicit steamy, these are great.


The last one I read was centered around Conner and in this one we get to meet and fall in love with his sister Katie Malone.  I love when a series continues through the eyes of another character because you can dive in quick because you already know most of the characters, but you get to see plot development through another set of eyes.  Katie is a single mom of twin boys and she is single because her husband died in the war.  With a chance encounter with a bad boy actor, she is swept up into a romance.  While their relationship was a roller coaster, it was pleasant and enjoyable instead of jerky and annoying.    


I would definitely recommend this one from the series, but I would say you may want to read Hidden Summit first, so you know the full back story of Conner and Katie.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Ebook Challenge 2012: 15 out of 25


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Little Bird Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose

The Book of Lost Frgrances by MJ Rose

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 384

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra—and lost for 2,000 years. 

Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances—and of her mother’s suicide—she moves to America, leaving the company in the hands of her brother Robbie. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing—leaving a dead body in his wake—Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind. 

Back in Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac discovers a secret the House of L’Etoile has been hiding since 1799: a scent that unlocks the mysteries of reincarnation. The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac’s quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past.





Kritters Thoughts:  An adventure thriller that was a roller coaster that you didn't want to end.  From the beginning, the reader meets Jac L'Etoile who is the daughter of a long line of professional perfumers.  She has left the family business and her brother is left trying to continue it on without her "nose."  


At the same time as the reader is trying to figure out where this storyline is going, there is another one running at the same time that centers around Tibet and a political fight they are having with China as they are denied their theory of reincarnation.  People are being kidnapped and somehow these two storylines will intersect.


This book takes the reader on a trip through a few countries and there is quite a load of characters, but I was never lost or confused.  The writing was effortless which makes it more than just a piece of fiction.  


I would absolutely recommend this to the readers who love a little challenge to their reading.  It took quite awhile for the roads to intersect, but when they did it was magic.  This author effortlessly twisted this story into one big masterpiece.   






Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Media Muscle.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

It's Monday, What are you Reading? (64)

What an awesome week in reading!  With only two commitments, I was able to take some time to just curl up with a book (or few books) this week.    

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney.

Finished this past week:
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
Comeback Love by Peter Golden
Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole
Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard
The Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose
Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery by Keren David
The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

Currently Reading:
How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue


Next off the TBR pile:
Fat is the New 30 by Jill Conner Browne 

In My Mailbox (65)

Two weeks worth of books!  It has been quite a few busy weeks in books, wedding planning and bookish things!  

Warning: Not the best of videos.

A meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

For Review:
Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Comeback Love by Peter Golden  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Daddy's Secrets by Lorena Noe  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh  (Goodreads)
When All That is Left of Me is Love by Linda Campanella  (Goodreads)

Swapping:
Wednesday Night Witches by Lee Nichols  (Goodreads  Amazon)

How to Sleep with a Movie Star by Kristin Harmel  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Fat Chance by Deborah Blumenthal  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Fate and Ms. Fortune by Saralee Rosenberg  (Goodreads  Amazon)
A New Lu by Laura Castoro  (Goodreads)


Winnings:
The Angel at No. 33 by Polly Williams  (Goodreads  Amazon)

The Ramble: Jodi Picoult in DC part 2

Jodi Picoult returned to DC to promote her latest Lone Wolf that I reviewed here on March 6th.  I took my mom into DC again for a fun non wedding outing in the city!  Books is always a good reason to get the mind off all the to do lists.

Again, it was an interview set up which was refreshing from an author just standing and chatting the entire time. Then came the audience questions - some were typical and repeats from last year and some were unique and I was excited to hear here answers.

We got two books signed, one will be for keeps and you will see the one signed up for grabs here soon.

 

Another great event at Sixth & I Synagogue, I will definitely be returning for things in the future, maybe even sooner than you think!

Review: Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard

Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard

Publisher: The Story Plant 

Pages: 320 

Format: paperback  

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Detroit, 1971. Harry Levin, scrap metal dealer and holocaust survivor, learns that his daughter has been killed in a car accident. Travelling to Washington DC, he's told by Detective Taggart that the German diplomat, who was drunk, has been released and afforded immunity; he will never face charges. So Harry is left with only one option - to discover the identity of this man, follow him back to Munich and hunt him down. The first of a two-hander, Peter Leonard's new novel is a classic cat-and-mouse thriller. Told with swagger, brutal humour and not a little violence, it follows a good man who is forced to return to the horrors of his past.




Kritters Thoughts:  Mystery, suspense and quite a few dead bodies are the simple words I would use to describe this book.  The present day is 1971 and Harry Levin has just lost his daughter when she is killed in a car accident.  Ironically, the person that caused the accident is connected to Levin in more ways than just this one.  


With a Holocaust survivor and a Nazi who doesn't want to stop the mission of the organization, the book rehashes the not so pleasant details of that time in history.  The author takes the reader back in time when it is necessary to allow the reader to have the full story.  As the Nazi - Hess tries to further the mission he leaves quite a few dead bodies along the way and learning their connections to the greater story is intriguing.


This book isn't for the faint of heart.  At times, I had a heard time rediscovering the details of the Holocaust.  I enjoyed learning about personality traits that are prevalent in survivors and to see how it affected their lives almost 30 years after it ended.  I am recommending this book to those who already have an interest in this time in history, but also to those who want to see a personal side of one survivor.  




Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Partners in Crime Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole

Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole

Publisher: HarperCollins 

Pages: 240 

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Real-life flight attendant Heather Poole has written a charming and funny insider's account of life and work in the not-always-friendly skies. Cruising Attitude is a Coffee, Tea, or Me? for the 21st century, as the author parlays her fifteen years of flight experience into a delightful account of crazy airline passengers and crew drama, of overcrowded crashpads in "Crew Gardens" Queens and finding love at 35,000 feet. The popular author of "Galley Gossip," a weekly column for AOL's award-winning travel website Gadling.com, Poole not only shares great stories, but also explains the ins and outs of flying, as seen from the flight attendant's jump seat.




Kritters Thoughts:  Have you ever wanted to go behind the scenes on someone else's job?  For some reason I love hearing what other people do and what they love and hate about their job.  I am not quite tall enough to be a flight attendant, but I am intrigued by the lifestyle of their job.  This book was the perfect read to hear the ins and outs, the positives and the negatives to this unique job.


As a flight attendant Heather Poole has experienced a far share of the crazies - from celebrities to your average person crazy!  Her format to the book, going chronologically and even by subject matter was entertaining and easy to follow.  She didn't a great job of sharing stories without throwing anyone under the bus, I didn't mind the vague details when it came to names of people, places or the airline carrier.  It didn't affect the hilarious stories that she shared.  


What can happen 35,000 feet in the air?  After reading this book, anything!  I would recommend this book to those who travel constantly for a living or those who only travel every so often, each of us can find the humor in the customer service situations that she is thrust into on a daily basis.    


Rating:  absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Being Lara by Lola Jaye

Being Lara by Lola Jaye 

Publisher: HarperCollins 

Pages: 320 

Format: paperback 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  From the time she was five years old, Lara Reid knew she was an alien. Her dark complexion and kinky-hair-so unlike her fair-skinned mother and father's-were proof that she was different. At eight she learned the word "adopted." But the tale of a far-off orphanage in Nigeria was little more another bedtime story. 

Now Lara is 30 and a strange woman in a blue and black head tie is staring at her as she blows out the candles on her birthday cake. And though the woman is a stranger, Lara senses that she has known her for her entire life. She is her long-lost birth mother, Yomi, arrived from Africa. 

Thanks to her steely reserve, Lara has never fully opened herself to anyone, not even her boyfriend and she is determined not to allow Yomi's sudden appearance to change her life in any way. But some things can't be controlled, no matter how hard we try, and soon Lara's life is turning upside down, filled with dangerously unfamiliar emotions that take her completely by surprise. 

Torn in conflicting directions, desperate to flee, Lara knows she must face the truth about her past and the lives of her mothers, if she hopes to find peace, understanding, and acceptance of who she is-and what it means to be Lara.





Kritters Thoughts:  A story that kept me turning pages from beginning to end.  A little girl suddenly realizes that she is different from everyone else, her parents don't look like her and neither does the rest of her family.  Lara has a hard time finding out the reality of her situation and upon entering her 30th year she is finally finding out the real truth.


Jumping from past and present and between different characters, the reader gets the whole picture for this book - through the eyes of Lara, her adopted mother and her birth mother.  The reader finds out the history that leads each woman to where they are now in the present grappling with forming a new family unit.  I thought this was a fresh approach to the world of adoption.  We find out how she came to live at an orphanage and then what led her to London with her adopted parents.


I would recommend this to readers of all genres.  This story was a new take that I think most readers would enjoy.  It was a great read to find out how a young girl feels when she knows that her family isn't the norm.     




Rating:  definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.


For the rest of the tour:
Tuesday, March 13th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, March 14th: The Book Bag
Thurday, March 15th: Veronica MD
Tuesday, March 20th: Just Joanna
Wednesday, March 21st: Book Club Classics!
Monday, March 26th: Peeking Between the Pages
Wednesday, March 28th: As I turn the pages
Thursday, March 29th: Twisting the Lens
Friday, March 30th: BookNAround
Monday, April 2nd: Knowing the Difference
Wednesday, April 4th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Friday, April 6th: Bookfoolery and Babble 

Review: Left for Dead by J.A. Jance

Left for Dead by J.A. Jance

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Pages: 304 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Ali Reynolds investigates two shocking cases of victims brutally left for dead in New York Times bestselling J.A. Jance’s latest mystery-thriller. When Santa Cruz County deputy sheriff Jose Reyes, Ali’s classmate from the Arizona Police Academy, is gunned down and left to die, he is at first assumed to be an innocent victim of the drug wars escalating across the border. But the crime scene investigation shows there’s much more to it than that, and soon he and his pregnant wife, Teresa, both fall under suspicion of wrongdoing.  Ali owes Reyes a debt of gratitude for the help he gave her years earlier when she was dealing with a troubled friend. When she’s summoned to his bedside at Physicians Medical Center in Tucson, it’s impossible for her to turn away. And knowing Reyes as well as she does, Ali finds it hard to believe that he’s become mixed up in the drug trade, despite evidence to the contrary. 


Upon arriving at the hospital, Ali finds that her good friend, Sister Anselm, is there, too—working as a patient advocate on behalf of another seriously injured victim, an unidentified young woman presumed to be an illegal border crosser, who was raped and savagely beaten.  Ali becomes determined to seek justice in both cases and secure safety for both victims. Together with Sister Anselm and a conscientious officer who won’t let the case drop despite pressure from above, Ali digs for clues to find the true culprits. 




Kritters Thoughts: With quite a few story lines going on at the same time, from the beginning the reader is swept into a world in Arizona where a small town is hit with murders and mayhem.  The true adventure is trying to find out where all the stories will connect and who is at the center of it all.  


At the center of it all is Ali Reynolds who is trying to get to the heart of this town's problems and find out why people end up dead, shot or badly beaten.  A cop, a missing girl and the local postman are all involved with the drama the town is having to get to the bottom of.  I have said this many times, but I can not reveal the whos and the whats because this is so worth the read!


This review is short and to the point - I loved it.  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon and Schuster.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading? (63)

A rough reading week, it was busy, but for some reason I can't remember what took up all of my time.  I do know for sure that each time I went to bed to read, I was asleep after 20 pages, sad but true.  So a measly week, I am hoping that the rest of March doesn't turn out the same.


A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney.

Finished this past week:

The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge
Being Lara by Lola Jaye

Currently Reading:

Comeback Love by Peter Golden
Day After Night by Anita Diamant


Next off the TBR pile:
Cruising Attitude by Heather Poole