Book Review: Wind Chime Point by Sherryl Woods

Title: Wind Chime Point (Ocean Breeze #2)
Author: Sherryl Woods
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

About the book: Facing a personal crisis, ambitious and driven Gabriella Castle retreats to the welcoming arms of her family. Everything she's worked for has been yanked out from under her, and she seeks the serenity of her grandmother's home on the North Carolina coast. With difficult decisions to make about her future, the last thing she wants is an unexpected love.

Wade Johnson fell for Gabi the first time he saw her. It's not the only time he's found himself in the role of knight in shining armor, but Gabi isn't looking for a rescuer. To get her to stay, Wade will need a whole lot of patience and gentle persuasion…and maybe the soothing sound of wind chimes on a summer breeze.

Purchase Links

~Amazon~     ~Barnes & Noble~     ~IndieBound~

My thoughts: WIth this book, the story starts right off and you learn all the 'stuff' that Gabi is having to deal with all at once - she has been forced out of her job - after they found out she was pregnant - and the baby daddy has decided that after five years with Gabi that this is her mistake to handle.  So Gabi does what anyone would do - goes home to heal in the arms of her family.  

The three sisters are very loyal to one another and actually very level headed despite their absentee father and deceased mother.  I think their Grandmother Cora Jane gets a lot of kudos for that. Emily is quite happy with Boone (Sand Castle Bay, Ocean Breeze #1) and would like to see her sisters happy as well.  Of course, Cora Jane had to do some meddling in the first book to get things to turn out the way she wanted them too.  So when Gabi shows up with her unexpected news, and local widower Wade Johnson has been stopping by since the hurricane just to pick up any news on Gabi, Cora Jane decides they might need some help. 

I continue to like this family and how they back each other up, no matter the circumstances.  They are not afraid to tell it like it is, but also know when to back off to give their siblings time to process.  The third book, Sea Glass Island is due out in June - Can't wait!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from McAllister PR and Harlequin MIRA in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Wind Chime Point

Publisher/Publication Date: Harlequin MIRA, April 30, 2013

ISBN:  9780778314424

400 pages

When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak (Book Review)

Virtual Book Tour of When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak runs from April 15 to May 15 and is hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

April 15- Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet

April 15- My Cozie Corner- Review

April 16- Total Book Geek - Review

April 18- My Reading Addiction - Review

April 19- Love in a Book - Review

April 21- Bean Counting Mommy - Review

April 22- What's Beyond Forks - Review

April 23- Books and Needlepoint - Review

April 24- Urban Girl Reader - Review

April 25- Author Ever Leigh - Review

April 26- Kaisy Daisy Blog - Review

April 29- Snifferwalker Books - Review

April 30 - Debbie Jean - Review

May 1 - Andi's Book Reviews - Review

May 2 - Queen of All she Reads - Review

May 2 -The Canon - Review

May 3 - The Boyfriend Bookmark - Review

May 6 - The Adventures Within - Review

May 7 - My Bookmark Blog - Review

May 8 - The Muse Unleashed - Review

May 9 - Melina's Book Blog - Review

May 13 - Bunny's Reviews- Review

May 14 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review

May 15 - RABT Reviews - Review

Title: When Summer Comes

Author: Brenda Novak

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

About the Book: One day, Callie Vanetta receives devastating news . . .

She needs a liver transplant. But her doctors warn that, in her case, the chances of finding a compatible donor aren’t good. Determined to spend whatever time she has left on her own terms, she keeps the diagnosis to herself and moves out to her late grandparents’ farm. She’s always wanted to live there. But the farm hasn’t been worked in years and she begins to fear it’s too much, she’ll have to return to town.

One night, a stranger comes knocking at her door…

He’s an attractive and mysterious drifter by the name of Levi McCloud who offers to trade work for a few nights’ shelter. Callie figures she doesn’t have anything to lose. He needs a place to stay until he can fix his motorcycle; she needs an extra pair of hands. The arrangement seems ideal until what was supposed to be temporary starts to look more and more permanent. Then she realizes she does have something to lose — her heart. And, although he doesn’t yet know it, Levi stands to lose even more. 

Purchase Links:

~Amazon~

Kindle version price has been lowered to $1.99 for the month of April!

My thoughts: Even though this is the third book in the Whiskey Creek series, it read very well as a stand alone.  Some of the things mentioned makes me wonder who the first books were about and makes me want to go and pick them up!  I really liked Callie and admired her courage in trying to face this alone and spare her friends, even though in a small town I don't think she would have been able to hide her condition for as long as she did.  She had a great group of friends willing to confront her when they felt like she had been avoiding them for too long.  

And then you have Levi - talk about a knight in shining armor.  Though he shows up on her doorstep in the middle of the night, bleeding because he has been attacked by dogs, I would say he ends up being just what she needs.  In as much as Callie is hiding a secret from him, he is also hiding one from her.  And you know how sometimes the longer you wait to reveal something, the bigger it starts to become, and the harder it is to come clean.  I think this is what was happening between them.  They let too much conspire between the two of them and then didn't know how to approach the secrets between them.  

Not everyone in town is willing to accept Levi as being anything but a vagrant and a drifter - and in their minds that means trouble.  They try to force him to leave, but he is unwilling to go back on his word to Callie, and despite what it might cost him, he chooses to stay.  Those who do take the time to get to know him are willing to give him a chance, if anything because they can see how much he has started to mean to Callie.  

This would be a great one to add to your summer reading list!

~I received a complimentary ecopy of When Summer Comes from Reading Addiction BlogTours in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Please enjoy this excerpt from When Summer Comes: 

Panic turned Callie’s knees to water as she felt the raw power of Levi’s quick, sure movements. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn’t draw in enough air.
For the first time, she was afraid of him. Really afraid. In that moment, she knew without a doubt that he could do anything he wanted to her, and that, despite her diagnosis, she still cared.
The fear didn’t last, however. As soon as he realized it was her, he eased his hold enough to turn her in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I hope...I hope I didn’t hurt you. I didn’t know...”
His words fell off, but she understood. He hadn’t known it was her. She should’ve announced herself. She would have, except that she’d been waiting to get close enough to touch his arm, in case he was sleeping. “It’s okay,” she said. “I...I shouldn’t have surprised you.”
“What are you doing out here?”
He released her but she couldn’t let go of him. She was still trying to overcome the effects of receiving such a fright, worried that she might crumble to the ground. “I-I wanted to see if you’d come inside.”
“Why?”
His deep voice rumbled in her ear, but he must have felt her shaking because his hands no longer hung at his sides. They were sliding up her back. She could feel the warmth his splayed fingers provided as he drew her into a solid embrace that reassured her but did nothing to slow her galloping heart.
Instinctively, she turned her cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Don’t read anything into this. He’s just being kind. Such contact was normal, given her reaction. But she couldn’t deny that the chemistry between them had suddenly changed. She liked the feel of his firm chest, the security she felt in the circle of his arms, but there was also a sexual element—probably because he wasn’t completely dressed. She’d already felt the band of his briefs, the crisp hair on his legs as he brushed up against her.
She swallowed hard as his hands settled between her shoulder blades. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“I was...I was worried that maybe Denny and his fool of a friend would come back and cause trouble.”
“They might. But they’re the kind of trouble I can handle.”

About the author: New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than forty-five books. A three-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised over $1.6 million. Come meet the long-time friends who have made Whiskey Creek the “Heart of Gold Country” with WHEN WE TOUCH, WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES, WHEN SNOW FALLS and WHEN SUMMER COMES.

When Summer Comes

Publisher/Publication Date:  Harlequin MIRA, Jan 2013

ISBN: 978-0778314233.

400 pages

Book Review: Sand Castle Bay by Sherryl Woods

Title: Sand Castle Bay (An Ocean Breeze Novel)
Author: Sherryl Woods
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

About the Book: In a trade-off she's lived to regret, Emily Castle left home years ago to become an interior designer. The youngest of three sisters, Emily desperately wanted to prove herself. Success, though, came at the cost of leaving behind the man she loved.For Boone Dorsett, losing Emily left his heart shattered, but another woman was waiting in the wings. Now a widower with a young son, Boone has a second chance with Emily when a storm brings her home. But with his former in-laws threatening a custody suit, the stakes of loving her are higher than ever.

Will fate once again separate them—or is the time finally right for these two star-crossed lovers?

Purchase Links:

~Amazon~     ~Barnes and Noble~     ~IndieBound~

Add on Goodreads

My Thoughts: This is the first in a new trilogy about sisters by Sherryl Woods. I love trilogies and so I jumped on the chance to review all three of these (Wind Chime Point will be reviewed in April, followed by Sea Glass Island in June).  

This one focused on Emily, the youngest of the three sisters.  She left home ten years before and has since become a very successful interior designer.  She has only returned home after a hurricane has damaged her Grandma Cora Jane's restaurant.  Both of her sisters also return to help with the clean up -so you get to meet them all in this book.  There is Gaby, who has a career in PR and still lives in North Carolina.  Samantha is the oldest sister and is an aspiring actress in New York City.  

Cora Jane is somewhat of a meddler and begins pushing to get Emily and Boone back together almost before Emily gets there.  She has always liked Boone and he has become a son to her, so it is only natural for her to want him paired with Emily. He has a precocious son, BJ, who is always welcomed at Cora's restaurant and Emily finds a place in his heart without even trying.  This causes some dissension between Emily and Boone though.  Boone does not want BJ to be hurt as he is still recovering from the death  of his mother.  Where Emily is concerned, Boone is still hurting himself over her leaving years before and wants to spare his son that. Even though they both try to pull away, the attraction between them continues to grow.  

I really hated Jodie, BJ's maternal grandmother.  I just wanted to pick her up and shake her!  She does everything to make Boone feel guilty about the death of Jenny and even threatens to try to take BJ away from him if he continues to see Emily!  Aargh!  Talk about unreasonable!

My only criticism is that the book seemed to get a little long about 3/4 of the way through.  But I had to keep reading because I had to find out how it ended!

~I received a complimentary ecopy of Sand Castle Bay from McAllister PR and Harlequin MIRA publishers in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Sand Castle Bay

Publisher/Publication Date: Harlequin/MIRA, March 2013

ISBN: 978-0778314363

384 pages

The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane (Blog Tour and Giveaway)

Title: The Line Between Here and Gone
Author: Andrea Kane
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA


About the Book: "The man she loved is gone forever. The child she lives for could be next."Each day is a struggle for Amanda Gleason's newborn son as he battles a rare immune deficiency. Justin's best chance for a cure lies with his father, who was brutally murdered before Amanda even realized she carried his child.

Or was he?

One emailed photo changes everything, planting a seed of doubt that Amanda latches on to for dear life: a recent photo of a man who looks exactly like Paul. Could Justin's father be alive? The mother in her is desperate to find out. But tracking down a ghost when every second counts is not for amateurs.

"Forensic Instincts is the one team up for the challenge."

A behaviorist. A former navy SEAL. A techno-wizard. An intuitive. A retired FBI agent. A human-scent-evidence dog. Together they achieve the impossible, pushing ethical and legal boundaries whenever the ends justify the means.

The manhunt is on for the elusive father. Yet the further FI digs into his past, the more questions are raised about whether the man Amanda fell in love with ever really existed at all.

Dark secrets. Carefully crafted lies. From the congressional halls of Washington, D.C., to exclusive Hamptons manors, there are ruthless people who would stop at nothing to make Forensic Instincts forget about the man Amanda desperately needs to find.

Little do "they" realize that once Forensic Instincts takes the case, nothing will stop them from uncovering the shocking truth that transcends "The Line Between Here and Gone."

EXCERPT:  It was well past business hours but she didn’t care.

She knew they worked around the clock when necessary. She wouldn’t call; she wouldn’t give them a chance to turn her away.

To read the excerpts from the beginning and follow along with the tour - please visit Book Trib!

My thoughts: Although this is the second book in the Forensic Instincts series, it read very well as a stand alone.  (The first book is The Girl Who Disappeared Twice).  They did a good job of introducing you to the Forensic Instincts team, Casey, Claire, Marc, Patrick, Ryan and Hero.  These five people (and dog) work well together and all bring their specific talents/areas of expertise to the table.  There are a couple of ex-FBI agents, a techno-geek and an "intuitive" or clairvoyant to the rest of us, but she doesn't like to be called that.  Their current case is to locate the missing, presumed dead, father of an infant, Justin, who is fighting for his life.  Amanda, his mother, had heard about this team due to their recent involvement in a kidnapping case (the first book) and when a friend snaps a picture of a man that resembles her "dead" boyfriend she follows her own instincts and hires them.

They quickly get immersed in the case and find that it involves much more than just saving a baby's life - but it doesn't stop them in pursuing any leads -- regardless of any danger or who will be brought down in the process.  They are all in when it comes to doing whatever they can to save Justin's life.

I loved this book and because of the diversity of the team, the speed at which they were able to come up with leads and evidence is believable.  The author allows you to see some of the things going on behind the scenes, but doesn't let you know who the players are until the very end.  Ms. Kane is going to be an author that I watch for, and I am going to have to go back and read the first book in the series - The Girl Who Disappeared Twice.  

Thanks to Meryl Moss Media, I have one copy of this book to give away to one of my US/Canada readers.  Please fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Meryl Moss Media in exchange for my review.~

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The Line Between Here and Gone
Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA, July 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1337-3
400 pages

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf (Book Review)

Title: One Breath Away
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher: MIRA/Harlequin


About the Book: In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom.  Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.


Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands.  Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again.  Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care.  And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.


As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.


My thoughts: I liked the premise of this story and the way that it was told from five different points of view.  The narrators all came from different walks of life and are at different stages of life.  


Meg is a police officer with a child who attends Broken Branch school in Iowa.  On this day, however, her child is with her father for an early start to spring break. Even so, she feels close ties to the children still left inside.  


Will has two grandchildren at the school - grandchildren he just met for the first time weeks earlier.  He had an instant connection to P.J., and they have become very close.  However, P.J.'s sister Augie is a hard nut to crack.  She is much like her mother and Will has a hard time relating to her, in much the same way as his relationship with her mother, his daughter Holly, suffered.  


Augie has not given her grandpa much to work with though.  She grew up hearing her mother complain about her life on the farm and was prejudiced against him before she ever met him.  She would do anything for P.J. though and refuses to leave the school without him.


Holly is in a hospital bed thousands of miles away in Arizona.  She is suffering from burns that cover her hands, arms and part of her head.  Her mother and father flew out and it was the first time she had spoken to them in fifteen years. Her mother has stayed to take care of her and her father has flown home with her children. 


Mrs. Oliver is the third grade teacher whose class the gunman has entered.  It is through her that we learn what we can about the gunman and his motives.  She does her best to keep her class from harm, one of which is P.J.


These five narrators begin to paint a picture of Broken Branch and it's people.  The secrets that we choose not to see, the ones that we do.  Those that we are quick to blame when something goes wrong. I liked the way that secrets were revealed and tension was built.  Unfortunately I had figured out who the gunman was early on, just didn't have a clue to what his motive was.  


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


DON"T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY GIVEAWAY FOR A COPY OF THIS BOOK THAT ENDS ON JULY 16.


One Breath Away
Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA, July 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1365-6
384 pages

The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain (Book Review and Giveaway)

It is so exciting that this tour is ending with a live chat with the author!  I haven't looked far enough ahead to see if I will be at work or not, but if not, I know who I will be chatting with!

Title: The Good Father
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: MIRA

About the book: Four years ago, nineteen-year-old Travis Brown made a choice: to raise his newborn daughter on his own.  While most of his friends were out partying and meeting girls, Travis was at home, changing diapers and worrying about keeping food on the table.  But he's never regretted his decision.  Bella is the light of his life.  The reason behind every move he makes.  And so far, she is fed. Cared for. Safe.

But when Travis loses his construction job and his home, the security he's worked so hard to create for Bella begins to crumble. . .

Then a miracle.  A job in Raleigh has the power to turn their fortunes around.  It has to.  But when Travis arrives in Raleigh, there is no job, only an offer to participate in a onetime criminal act that promises quick money and no repercussions.

With nowhere else to turn, Travis must make another choice for his daughter's sake.

Even if it means he might lose her. 

Excerpt:

One of them smiled at me, then went red in the face and looked away. I hardly glanced at her. I only saw the thirty-something woman sitting in the leather chair. I felt like hugging her.

            "Hey," I said, like it was any other morning. "How's it going?"

My thoughts:  I have been wanting to read a book by Diane Chamberlain for awhile and jumped at the chance to review this one when it came along!  I am so glad that I did!  (I had to go back and adjust this statement as this is the SECOND book that I have read by Ms. Chamberlain!  The first was The Midwife's Confession which I also loved - click on the title to check out my review.)

The book is narrated by three people: Travis, Erin, and Robin.

Travis is Bella’s father and has been raising her with just the help of his mother since she was born.  But recently they have fallen on some hard times.  They lost their home, Travis lost his job, and his mother, pretty much all at once.  He is doing his best to find work, but without someone to care for Bella he is really struggling.  Through a friend he hears about an opportunity in Raleigh, so goes to check it out.  I think he is still in shock from losing his mom and isn’t thinking through each situation like he should.  He may be 23 and raising a child, but I think he depended a lot on his mom. 

In Raleigh at a little coffee shop Travis meets Erin, our next narrator.  Erin has recently lost a little girl about the same age as Bella.  In her grief she has been unable to work and unable to relate to her husband, so she has moved into her own apartment to give herself some space from him.  Erin is instantly taken with Bella, but doesn’t feel like she should be as she could be betraying her own daughter.  Travis makes the decision to leave Bella with Erin so he can complete the job opportunity that he heard about.  They have been living out of his van for a couple of days and he needs to get Bella somewhere more stable, so he has to do this job – even if he feels in his gut that it is wrong.

Meanwhile we meet Robin, Bella’s mother.  She almost lost her life carrying Bella, and was so sick after she was born, that thinking about raising a child was the last thing on her mind.  Her dad did everything in his power to keep her and Travis apart, meanwhile telling them both lies to further his plan of action.  Bella is now healthy, running a B and B, and engaged to the Mayor’s son, Dale.

I love all of these characters.  Travis made some bad decisions, but I think his heart was in the right place.  Erin steps up even in her grief to take care of Bella, even if she was left with her in a somewhat unorthodox fashion.  I even liked Robin, who you could tell was a good person and you know she would have kept her baby if the situation had been different.

The culmination of the three of them coming together with Bella is very suspenseful!  You just have to hope that they will all make the right choices this time – choices that will keep them safe and give them a chance at happiness. 

I loved this book and am sorry that it had to end!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Meryl L. Moss Media in exchange for my unbiased review.~

And now for the giveaway!  First entry is easy - just leave your email address and click enter!  Giveaway is open to US/Canada only and will end at Midnight on May 18, 2012. 

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The Good Father
Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA, April 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1346-5
347 pages

The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy - First Chapter Scavenger Hunt!

Welcome to Day 18 of The Legacy of Eden First Chapter Scavenger Hunt!  If you need to get caught up - please check out the full schedule here - otherwise, read on

I was calling for her. It was I who had offered to find her.

Oh, God, if I had never…if I had never opened that letter today, if she hadn’t told the lawyers she had wanted nothing to do with them, if Cal Jr. had never inherited the farm, if I’d done the things I’d believed I was capable of, if I hadn’t been capable of the things I’d done, if…if…if…somewhere out there, all the potential versions of my life floated on parallel planes. In one I never went out that night, in another more likely alternative, she does not put down the phone. Instead she stays on the line. We talk for a long, long time.

She listens.

She forgives me.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I didn’t until I started living with them.

Two days have passed since the letter arrived. I walk past my mother sitting in my armchair mending my pinafore, or my father at the fridge humming to himself as he scans my feeble purchases of organic whole foods.

Tomorrow's excerpt can be found here:  http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/

Unfettered ambition, familial schisms and dark secrets abound in THE LEGACY OF EDEN (MIRA Books, February 2012, $15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.), the masterful literary debut by Nelle Davy, in which a woman recounts her family’s deeply troubled and tragic history as she prepares to return to the once-grand estate she fled almost two decades earlier.

When New York sculptor Meredith Pincetti receives a letter from a law firm, alerting her to the death of her cousin, she is suddenly confronted by her disturbing past—a past she successfully escaped and buried seventeen years ago.

Informed that Aurelia, the once-grand Iowa estate and farm where she was raised, is to be sold at auction to settle her late cousin’s debts, Meredith resolves to return to her family homestead and collect the few possessions that belonged to her parents.

In doing so, Meredith recalls the spectacular rise and disastrous fall of the Hathaway family beginning with her grandfather, Cal’s, dreams and ending with his utter disappointments. We experience her grandmother, Lavinia’s, iron will and ceaseless machinations to ensure that her vision of Aurelia comes to pass. As Aurelia thrives, becoming the largest farm in the county, behind the veneer things are crumbling. Dissipation, brutality and betrayal find fertile ground in the next generation of Hathaways. Seemingly idyllic childhoods precede the exile and return of Hathaways from multiple generations—including Meredith.

And, as Meredith returns to Aurelia, she is forced to confront her own role in her family’s tortured fall from grace. What part did she play in the events that took place during her adolescence two decades earlier? How does her festering relationship with her sisters mirror similar connections between her father’s and grandfather’s siblings? What secrets did she leave behind when she fled Iowa for New York?

Though founded and overseen by male Hathaways, it is the women—Lavinia and her sister-in-law, Piper; Julia, Cal’s daughter from his first marriage; Meredith and her sisters, Claudia and Ava—who play pivotal roles in shaping the events that occur at Aurelia. And, ultimately, it is they who reveal its unspeakable secrets.

You can read my review of The Legacy of Eden here.

THE LEGACY OF EDEN is available wherever books are sold, and at www.MIRABooks.com.

The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman (Book Review)

Title: The Kingdom of Childhood
Author: Rebecca Coleman
Publisher: MIRA Books

About the book: The Kingdom of Childhood is the story of a boy and a woman: sixteen-year-old Zach Patterson, uprooted and struggling to reconcile his knowledge of his mother's extramarital affair, and Judy McFarland, a kindergarten teacher watching her family unravel before her eyes.  Thrown together to organize a fundraiser for their failing private school and bonded by loneliness, they begin an affair that at first thrills, then corrupts, each of them.  Judy sees in Zach the elements of a young man she loved as a child, but what Zach does not realize is that their relationship is, for Judy, only the latest in a lifetime of disturbing secrets.  As the walls close in, Zach finds himself needing to disentangle himself from premature adulthood.  but the lines between adult and child have blurred, and life and sanity are unraveling faster and further than anyone could ever have imagined.

My thoughts:  This was a disturbing book to read.  Like a car wreck that you can't look away from, I found it hard to put this book down.  We slowly learn about Judy's past throughout the book, and the secrets that she has either been keeping or repressed from her childhood.  Born into a dysfunctional family, I was surprised that she kept things together for as long as she did before she began to spiral out of control. 

I did feel sorry for Zach in the book.  He may have helped instigate the relationship, but it should have been Judy, as the adult, who behaved appropriately and didn't pursue it.  She was definitely out of control mentally, and being a mom to two teen girls I couldn't even imagine having a relationship with any of their friends!  Rebecca Coleman did a great job in portraying both Judy and her mental instability and the feelings that Zach was having as a teenager in a relationship in which he didn't belong.  I highly recommend this book to all readers!

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Meryl L. Moss Media in exchange for my review.~

The Kingdom of Childhood

Publisher/Publication Date: MIRA Books, Oct 2011

ISBN: 978-0-7783-1278-9

352 pages

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain (Book Review)

Title: The Midwife's Confession
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: Mira Books

Dear Anna,

What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry. . .


The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide.  Everything they knew about Noelle -- her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family -- described a woman who embraced life.

Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives -- and the life of a desperate stranger -- with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

My thoughts:  When Noelle commits suicide, seemingly out of the blue, her two best friends try to uncover the Noelle they thought they knew.  The face Noelle presented to the world was that of midwife, supporter of causes - especially ones involving babies, good friend to Tara and Emerson - was not the true Noelle.  For years she has had to deal with the guilt of something she was responsible for - a secret that no one else knew.

After finding a partial letter that Noelle had written before she died, Tara and Emerson set out on a path to try to figure out their best friend.  The story is told from different points of view, but comes together beautifully.  This was a book that I did not want to put down.  I thought I had it figured out, but in the end, I was wrong.

This is a great book exploring the relationships between mothers and daughters, and between women in general.  Again - this would be a great book club pick.  If you haven't read anything by Diane Chamberlain - this would be a good place to start!

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

The Midwife's Confession
Publisher/Publication Date: Mira Books, Apr 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2986-2
416 pages

So Close the Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison (Book Review)

Title: So Close the Hand of Death
Author: J.T. Ellison
Publisher: Mira Books

Across America, murders are being committed with all the twisted hallmarks of the Boston Strangler, the Zodiac Killer and Son of Sam. The media frenzy explodes and Nashville homicide lieutenant Taylor Jackson knows instantly that The Pretender is back...and he's got helpers.


As The Pretender's disciples perpetrate their sick tributes – stretching police and FBI dangerously thin – Taylor tries desperately to prepare for their inevitable showdown. And she must do it alone. To be close to her is to be in mortal danger, and she won't risk losing anyone she loves. But the isolation, the self-doubt and the rising body count are taking their toll: she's tripwire-tense and ready to snap.


The brilliant psychopath who both adores and despises her is drawing close. Close enough to touch...


With her beau, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, So Close the Hand of Death follows a revenge-filled Homicide Lieutenant, Taylor Jackson, in her battle to stay strong and remain sane while fighting with the one person she’s out to get.

My thoughts:  I found out upon reading this book, that it is part of a series of books with Taylor Jackson as the central character. She is a very strong woman and is a homicide lieutenant in Nashville.  She lives with her FBI boyfriend John Baldwin.  This book read okay as a stand alone, but it did give lots of references to the past, which made me wish that I had read the five books that came before.

The conflict in the story is centered around serial killer who is dubbed the Pretender.  (He is also from a previous book).  The Pretender has taken on apprentices and for awhile I was a little confused, because no one was going by real names, as to who was in what area of the country doing what!   This resolved itself as I got more and more immersed in the storyline.  I thought it was pretty amazing how everything that you learned as you read the story had some bearing on the final outcome - down to very small details!  It almost makes me want to go back and read it again to see if I can pick up on other things the second time around.  Instead though, I think I will look up one of the previous novels and see if I can't get caught up before the next book comes out in September! 

I love this - the author has soundtracks for each of her books and it made me think back and realize there were a few songs mentioned throughout.  I am going to have to keep my eyes open with the next one that I read.

Here are her Taylor Jackson books in order:
1. All The Pretty Girls (Taylor Jackson)
2. 14
3. Judas Kiss
4. The Cold Room (Taylor Jackson Novels)
(just nominated for a Thriller award in the Best Paperback Original category)
5. The Immortals (Taylor Jackson)
6. So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson)
7. Where All the Dead Lie (Sept 2011)

You can connect with J.T. Ellison on her blog The Tao of JT.

~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Planned TV Arts in exchange for my review.~

So Close the Hand of Death (Taylor Jackson)
Publisher/Publication Date: Mira, Feb 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7783-2943-5
416 pages