Can't Stop Believing by Jodi Thomas (Book Review) w/ a guest post by Jodi Thomas!

Title: Can't Stop Believing
Author: Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Berkley

About the Book: NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jodi Thomas takes us back to Harmony, Texas, in CAN’T STOP BELIEVING. The sixth book in her popular Harmony series presents a story where big dreams are brewing—and anything and everything is possible…

Cord McMillan gave up his freedom at eighteen when he went to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Now, ten years later, he's about to give it up again for a piece of land. Nevada Britain, his neighbor, has just made him an offer he can't refuse: If he'll marry her, she'll sign over a section of property that their families have been fighting over for a hundred years. Nevada refuses to ex-plain why, but Cord knows the bargain is in his favor. 

He just has one condition--she has to sleep in his bed every night as long as their doomed marriage lasts.  

Nevada only wants to maintain her family's legacy--and redeem herself for a wrong she did Cord years ago. But as she spends more time with her husband by necessity, she discovers something unexpected--a love so deep it takes her breath away. 

“Another winner...Fans will be delighted.”
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Compelling and beautifully written.”
-Debbie Macomber, #1 New York TImes Bestselling author

Book Links

~Goodreads~

~Pre-order on Amazon~

My thoughts: First I want to apologize to Jodi for being late with my review.  She is one of the nicest authors I have ever worked with and I hate it that I missed my review date!  And I absolute love her Harmony series.  

This is book 6 in the series, and I have loved - loved - loved - the ones that I have had the good fortune to read! (Welcome to Harmony, Book 1; Somewhere Along the Way, Book 2; The Comforts of Home, Book 3) and really hope that I can fit the two I missed in my reading schedule! (Just Down the Road, Book 4; Chance of a Lifetime, Book 5)

I think the reason that I like her books so much is that her characters are flawed, which makes them so real.  They have things in their pasts that they are ashamed of, but those things have helped shape who they are.  They are not always the best looking, like you seem to find in all the romance novels. They might be overweight, or handicapped, or made to feel homely or unloved, but this just makes them more believable.  These are people that you could meet in your hometown, or right next door.

The books in the series, while they might focus on a person or couple, are really about all the people in the town.  You never know who might show up from previous books, or who you might be meeting that is going to be a major player in a book down the road. I loved it that this book, Can't Stop Believing, revisited Ronny from The Comforts of Home and brought some closure to a chapter in her life, as well as Tyler Wright, whom we met in Welcome to Harmony.

By no means don't think that you have to read them in order though!  Like I said, I missed two books in the middle, but that did not affect this storyline at all.  I think what it will do though, is make you hungry for more and you will find yourself traveling back to Harmony again and again.

About the Author: Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of 37 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, WELCOME
TO HARMONY, the first book in the Harmony series, won a RITA, the highest award for women’s
fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

Website
Twitter
Facebook

From the day I started writing CAN’T STOP BELIEVING, I felt like I was surrounded by people I could love.  These characters walked off the pages and said hello.  I had to laugh when Martha Q, a widow seven times married, forms a writing group and then decides to help folks out whether they want it or not.  I cried when Ronny first sees a love she thought she’d lost.  And I fell in love with Cord and Nevada as they fought their way through all the baggage they both carried to find something worth keeping.

People often ask me where my characters come from.  In truth, I don’t feel like I make them up.  I feel more like they sit down across the desk and talk to me as I write.  They tell me the story and some nights I stay up longer to get it all down.

Cord McMillan stopped my heart when I first saw him.  He was a man trying to stand tall even after life had done its best to knock him down.  He doesn’t think he has a friend in the world and every time someone shows him a kindness, he pays it back double.  He can’t believe it when his rich, spoiled neighbor offers a bargain he can’t turn down.  He offers her the one thing she can’t buy, honesty.

CAN’T STOP BELIEVING will warm your heart.  The people of Harmony will stay with you long after you finish reading.  Come along with me into a story that will make you laugh and cry and fall in love for the first time, for the last time, forever.

Enjoy the book,

Jodi Thomas

November Giveaway Hop - Win The Comforts of Home by Jodi Thomas!

Welcome to the November Giveaway Hop!  This is my first giveaway in which I am using Rafflecopter, so if there are any problems - please leave me a comment so I can try to fix them!

This hop is being hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkston.  It will run from Tuesday, Nov 8 through Friday, Nov 11th. It officially starts at midnight, but I wanted to make sure that rafflecopter worked before I went to bed!  There are over 200 blogs giving away things that a reader, author or blogger would enjoy! 

I have a copy of The Comforts of Home by Jodi Thomas to giveaway. 

About the book: In Harmony, Texas, twenty-year-old Reagan Truman has found her place and her family. But with her uncle taken ill and her friend Noah lost and disheartened with his life, Reagan is afraid of ending up alone again -- and she's not the only one. Harmony seems to be full of people yearning to make a connection. Like funeral director Tyler Wright, who longs to take his relationship with his friend Kate to the next level, but doesn't know how. And Ronelle Logan, a woman frightened of everyday human interactions, until she meets an angry, lonely man -- someone just like her.

When a terrible storm threatens the town, the residents of Harmony are forced to really think about what they truly want. Because making the connections they so desperately desire mean putting their hears at risk.

You can read my review here.  Please give rafflecopter time to load if it is not showing up. 






Start Hopping!

Jodi Thomas on The Comforts of Home

THE COMFORTS OF HOME will be hitting the stands on Nov. 1, 2011 and I’m very excited to see my people of Harmony, Texas come alive. In my mind they already are and sometimes I feel like they’re so real that I could pack my bag and go down for a visit any time I liked.

With writing it’s always been that way for me. I don’t really feel like I create characters, I feel like I just meet people and get to know them. If I’m lucky they tell me their story. When I meet people who read and love my books I always like to hug them. After all, we have friends in common.

In THE COMFORTS OF HOME I wrote about people who probably live all around us but we never take the time to know. One was Ronelle Logan. She’d lived and worked at the post office without anyone noticing her. She solved the funeral home’s crossword puzzles before she handed over the magazines, but no one complained. Tyler Wright, the funeral director, just brought her a huge crossword puzzle book. He was a kind man who tried to help everyone he came across. In the lives of these people now and then, wonder happens, brightening the world around.

In a closing note, I’d like to add that you are going to love a new character I introduce. He’s just a kid (17) with long hair, and a dream to make it big in the music world. We’ll be watching him grow up and fall in love several times before he figures women out.


Come along with me to Harmony. We’ll have a grand visit with the people there.

Wishing you much love and laughter in your life,

Jodi Thomas

www.jodithomas.com

www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

The Comforts of Home by Jodi Thomas (Book review)

Title: The Comforts of Home

Author: Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Penguin


About the book: In Harmony, Texas, twenty-year-old Reagan Truman has found her place and her family. But with her uncle taken ill and her friend Noah lost and disheartened with his life, Reagan is afraid of ending up alone again -- and she's not the only one. Harmony seems to be full of people yearning to make a connection. Like funeral director Tyler Wright, who longs to take his relationship with his friend Kate to the next level, but doesn't know how. And Ronelle Logan, a woman frightened of everyday human interactions, until she meets an angry, lonely man -- someone just like her.

When a terrible storm threatens the town, the residents of Harmony are forced to really think about what they truly want. Because making the connections they so desperately desire mean putting their hears at risk.

My thoughts:  I really like the way that Jodi brings her characters to life.  You learn a little more about some of the characters that were introduced in the first book, Welcome to Harmony, and get to know some other characters like Ronelle Logan.

 I really liked Ronny, she was probably my favorite character in this book.  She starts out as this lonely girl, who just sort of goes along in the world, trying to stay hidden - and either being verbally abused by her mother or virtually ignored.  Out of chance, she delivers the mail to a wheelchair bound man one day who truly sees her, and a friendship is born.  It was really neat to see her start to come out of her shell, sort of like a turtle, very slow, thinking she might pull her head back in at any time.

Then there is Autumn, who is found at the cemetary by none other than the local mortician.  She is very sick, very nearly frozen, and newly pregnant.  With no where to go and an abusive boyfriend looking for her, she takes up residence at the funeral home and soon has created a new atmosphere there with her spot-on cooking and unobtrusive ways.

These are just two of the inhabitants of Harmony that you get to know - and these are people that you want to know.  It makes you want to live in a small town, where the comforts of home can be found in more places than just where you grew up.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review.~

If this sounds like a good book - please watch for the Giveaway Hop Nov 8 - 11th, (hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Tristi Pinkson), where I will be giving away a copy!

Books in the Harmony series:

Welcome to Harmony - Book 1

Somewhere Along the Way - Book 2

The Comforts of Home - Book 3

Find Jodi on Facebook, Twitter, her website.

The Comforts of Home

Publisher/Publication Date: Penguin, Nov 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-425-24448-7

320 pages

Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas - Book Review and Giveaway!

Title: Texas Blue
Author: Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Berkley

Gambling man Lewton Paterson wants to marry into a respectable family, even if it costs him his friendship with Duncan McMurray. After fleecing a train ticket from one of the three gentlemen picked to call on Duncan's cousins, Lewt makes his way to Whispering Mountain. But seducing a well-bred woman is harder than Lewt thought, and he realizes that to entice a McMurray sister, he'll need to learn a thing or two about ranching -- and love.



Emily McMurray has no intention of ever getting married, so she convinces a friend to take her place when the suitors arrive, leaving her free to run the ranch as usual. But when Lewt insists that Em teach him about ranching, she finds herself struggling to keep up both her disquise and the walls around her heart. Because the more time Em spends with Lewt, the more she desires the man she's determined to escape. . .


My thoughts: I liked the premise of this story - of two people who are trying to escape who they are - one to find love and one to avoid love. Neither one of them were pretending to be someone else for shady purposes.  I thought it was a nice switch up to have the man be the one looking for love and a family though, and the woman wanting to avoid it.

Even though Lewt was a gambler, and they were looked down upon by "respectable" people, he was an honest gambler and never left anyone completely broke without an out. He genuinely cared about people.  He would probably say he was determined, but other people might see him as just stubborn. 

The only people Emily was really close to were her family.  She even kept the ranch hands at arm's length and didn't realize the extent that they watched over her.  She had a secret in her past that caused her to mistrust men.  Working every day with Lewt on the ranch though, she first had respect for him, and then realized she was beginning to trust him.

You could really feel the passion between the two of them.  I love that the author was able to convey this passion without turning the scenes x-rated. To me, it makes the love portrayed seem more pure somehow. 

This is book 5 in the Whispering Mountain series, but it reads very well as a stand-alone.  The books in order are:
1. Texas Rain (Whispering Mts)
2. Texas Princess (Whispering Mts)
3. Tall, Dark, and Texan (Whispering Mountain)
4. The Lone Texan
5. Texas Blue

~I received a complimentary copy of Texas Blue from the author in exchange for my review.~

Jodi Thomas gave me a second book to giveaway to one of you!  This giveaway is open to U.S. only and will end at midnight CST, May 7, 2011.

Mandatory Entry: Just leave a comment with your email address.

Additional Entries: Follow my blog - just tell me how you do it - (up to 2 ways, good for 2 entries)

Twitter - leave me the link

Blog post - leave me the link

A total of five entries are available - please leave each entry in a separate comment

Winners of all giveaways on Books and Needlepoint are chosen using Random.org.

Texas Blue
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley, April 2011
ISBN: 978-0425240472
336 pages

Please Welcome Jodi Thomas! (author of Texas Blue)

I hope all my fans will step into Texas history and enjoy the adventure. From the day I was walking in the Hill Country near Fredericksburg, Texas, the story of the McMurray family has been playing in my head. I am very excited about TEXAS BLUE, the first book in the new generation of the Whispering Mountain Series.


I opened in 1875, with two friends parting ways one stormy night in Austin. Duncan, a Texas Ranger, is off to fight at the border and Lewt, a gambler, plans to find a wife among one of Duncan’s three rich cousins while his friend is away.


Duncan, called Duck when he was a boy, is wild and fearless. He leaves his law practice to join a raid at the border. Lewt has never done anything brave and never plans to. He just wants a respectable wife.


Lewt joins a group of men Duncan hand selected to travel to Whispering Mountain and meet his three female cousins. Though Lewt knows his friend would never introduce a gambler to his rich relatives, he wants a chance for more than just a life in saloons.


I loved blending two stories together. Both men have a great deal to learn about who they are and about what is worth risking your life to keep. Since this is the fifth in my series about Whispering Mountain, it was fun to see the children, Duck and the girls, grow up to be strong independent adults. If you’ve never read any in this series, TEXAS BLUE would be a great place to start. For those of you who love series, you might want to go back to the beginning and start with TEXAS RAIN. I promise you’ll fall in love with the men of Whispering Mountain.


Thanks for inviting me for a visit. I wish you all many hours of pleasure in reading. Isaac Asimov was once asked what he would do if he knew the world would end in fifteen minutes. He said, “Write faster.” As I’m working on my 34th book I’m afraid I’d have to say the same.


Blessings to you all,
Jodi Thomas
http://www.jodithomas.com/
www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

About Jodi
Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today best-selling author of 31 novels and 8 short story collec-tions. As of July 2006, she was the 11th woman to be inducted in to RWA Hall of Fame. She is also cur-rently serving as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.


Starred review from Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Thomas's fifth Whispering Mountain American historical (after 2009's The Lone Texan) is another winner. When Texas Ranger Duncan McMurray tells gambler Lewton Paterson that he's sending three men from good families to court his three cousins, Lewton, wishing for a respectable life and family, decides to take the place of one of the men. He meets the three ladies, but spends his time with Em, the ranch overseer--who is really one of the ladies and never intends to marry. When news reaches the ranch of Duncan's capture in Mexico, Lewt and Em set out to save him. Tension rides high, mixed with humor and kisses more passionate than most full-on love scenes. Fans will be delighted by this series continuation.


Texas Blue
Publisher/Publication Date: Berkley, April 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-425-24047-2
336 pages

Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas - Book Review and Giveaway

Title: Somewhere Along the Way
Author: Jodi Thomas
Publisher: Berkley

My Thoughts:  Somewhere Along the Way is the second book in the Harmony series, but it does well as a stand alone (but I recommend reading the first book - Welcome to Harmony!)  We join a lot of the same characters two years down the road, but let me try to tell you about them.

Reagan is almost 18 and is living with her Uncle Jeremiah - he isn't really her uncle, but he will never state otherwise.  She has 2 best friends - Noah McAllen and Brandon Briggs.  Noah has been distant lately and though Reagan doesn't want more than friendship, she can't help feeling jealous.  Brandon is about as different from Noah as you can get.  Where Noah comes from a close knit family and has plans for college and the rodeo, Brandon's father died years ago and his mother has basically checked out.  He is on his own, determined to turn out better than his parents but is rough around the edges.

Alex (Noah's sister) is the sheriff and is engaged to Hank Matheson - volunteer fireman.  Hank wants to marry, but Alex keeps putting him off. She seems to have a problem admitting that she needs anyone.   Liz, Hank's sister, has just hung her shingle as a brand new lawyer in Harmony.  Too proud to let her family know she is short on cash, she is actually living out of her office and showering at the gym where she has a free month's membership.  The postman begins leaving her "neighbor's" mail with her when his office is locked.  This neighbor is G.L Smith - but his real name is just Gabriel Leary. G.L. Smith is his pen name under which he writes graphic novels.  He lives on a farm outside of town and has been a loner since he walked away from a military hospital about 4 years before as Gabe Wiseman.  He is paranoid and doesn't seem to do well mixing with people - until he meets Liz.

There are some other characters that round out the story and help to give you a picture of Harmony - where things don't always fall into place as the name implies.  It is a story full of warmth though and the characters are ones that I wouldn't mind having in my own life.  It is a story of how family can be found in the most unlikely places and people aren't always who they appear to be.  Sometimes you have to really look to see the gold under grime.  I loved this book and flew through it in 2 days!

~I received a copy of this book from the author for review.~

TIME FOR THE GIVEAWAY!

Jodi has kindly sent me an extra copy to giveaway to one of my readers.

Eligibility: U.S./Canada only

1. Sign up to be a follower of this blog - just let me know how you follow. (1 entry)

2. Follow me on twitter (@kherbrand) and tweet or use tweet button below. (1 entry)

3. Comment on any non-giveaway post and let me know. (1 entry)

All entries can be left in one comment, but must leave email address also! Giveaway will end on Nov 16. Winners will have 48 hours to respond.

 
 
 
Somewhere Along the Way
Publisher/Publication Date:
ISBN: 978-0-425-23772-4
358 pages
 

Jodi Thomas - Here today!

Please welcome Jodi Thomas, author of Somewhere Along the Way to Books and Needlepoint.


Thanks for asking me to drop by and tell everyone about my thirtieth novel and what I think is the best one I’ve ever written. These characters came alive for me and I hope they will for you. So, lets step into the second book about a small town in Texas, Harmony called SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY.


SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY is a story about a small Texas town where the people know and care about one another. From the mysterious Gabe Leary who tries to remain unnoticed because he fears someone from his past is hunting him, to the wild Liz Matheson who is trying to straighten her life out and matter, you’ll enjoy the journey.


Readers will see the story through the eyes of a teenager named Reagan who settled in as part of this town she loves and Tyler, the funeral director. You’ll fall in love and laugh at Gabe and Liz as they find love. My characters are not super heroes with magic powers, they are ordinary people living their lives, helping others and sometimes finding a love worth keeping.


I hope you enjoy SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’d be happy to hear for you when you’ve finished the story.


Jodi Thomas


Thank you Jodi for visiting Books and Needlepoint again. I must say that I am almost through with Somewhere Along the Way and am loving it! It kept me up way later than I should have been last night! Readers - be sure to check back later today for my review and a giveaway!

About Jodi

Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today best-selling author of 31 novels and 8 short story collec-tions. As of July 2006, she was the 11th woman to be inducted in to RWA Hall of Fame. She is also cur-rently serving as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.







Jodi’s 30th Novel

NY Times and USA Today best-selling author Jodi Thomas is pleased to present her 30th novel, SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY. Thomas proves once again that she is one of mainstream romance genre’s most compelling writers with her highly anticipated sequel to WELCOME TO HARMONY, which captured America’s heart.

“Picking up two years after the conclu-sion to WELCOME TO HARMONY, Thomas once again brings to life this fascinating little Texas town and its numerous characters. The reader is expertly drawn into their lives and left eager to know what happens next with all of them.”
—RT Book Reviews
www.jodithomas.com

Jodi Thomas - Guest blogger today with a Giveaway!

In a few weeks my 29th book WELCOME TO HARMONY will be out and I think it is my best book to date. It is about the people of a small town in Texas and how their lives weave together. When I was a kid I remember seeing my mother and grandmother quilt. In fact, my whole family quilted. I have a room in my house filled with quilts that go back five generations.


But, I don’t quilt. While my sisters were learning I was reading and as an adult, I never thought I had the time. After my third book by mother said to me one day, “You know, Jodi, you quilt with words.” I think it was the nicest thing she ever said to me and she was right. I take bits and pieces of characters lives and what happens in the world and piece them together into a story.

I guess I have a patchwork mind and WELCOME TO HARMONY is my best creation to date.


Once in a while a book comes along that feels like magic from the day I begin writing. I’ve always loved writing stories about small towns and Harmony, Texas is like the town we all wish we were from.


I open with Reagan, a runaway, being dropped off after dark on the Main Street. Before the night is over, she’s stepped into a world she’s never known. A world where she can belong.

As I wrote it seemed like my characters came to me one at a time, sat down, and began to tell me their story. As the book moves through the weeks, you’ll meet a funeral director who cares about everyone he meets, a volunteer fire chief who loves what he does, a sheriff who fights every day to live up to her family, and a child who sees people for who they really are.

This story will touch your heart and make you laugh. By the time you finish, you’ll feel like Harmony is a real place.

I’ll be writing three books set in Harmony and hope you’ll come along with me on the journey. I know your time as a mom is limited with a thousand things always waiting, but when you have a few minutes, step into Harmony. I promise I’ll take you on an adventure.

Thank you Jodi for being at Books and Needlepoint today.  I am so excited that this is the beginning of a trilogy!  Can't wait to see what is coming up next!

GIVEAWAY

Readers - Jodi has given me an extra copy of Welcome to Harmony to give away to one of you! 

Eligibility:  US Residents only

Mandatory Entry: +1 Please leave me a comment with your email address.

Additional entries: +2 Follow me on Google Friend Connect

+2 Follow me on Twitter and Tweet - leave a link or use @kherbrand so I can find it.

+1 Daily tweets after the first one

+1 Follow Jodi on Twitter

+1 Become a friend of Jodi's on Facebook

This giveaway will end June 3.