Surprised By Love
By
Julie Lessman
Shy and unattractive as a child, Megan McClare has always been teased by her classmates. But when she returns home from her senior year in Paris, the wallflower has suddenly blossomed into a beauty.
With ambitions to become a lawyer or doctor, Megan accepts an
internship at the district attorney's office only to discover that she
will be working with Devin Caldwell, a boy who mercilessly mocked her at
school--and with whom she was hopelessly enamored. She turns to her
dear friend Bram Hughes for support and advice. But Bram's vision is
clouded by his sudden unwelcome attraction to a girl he had always
thought of as a kid sister. He advises forgiveness, but can he forgive
himself for pushing the woman he loves into the arms of another man?
MY REVIEW: Alas, this book was so disappointing... disappointing because I realized as I started reading it that it is the 3rd book in a series which means it is also probably the end of the series so yet again I will have to say good-bye to the beloved characters Julie has poured herself into. Sigh. Thank goodness Julie gave me a wonderful book to delve into before I had to say good-bye!
In Surprised By Love we revisit the McClare family but this time we see Megan return from Paris as a ugly duckling that has blossomed into a beautiful swan. On top of adjusting to everything else she realizes that Bram has always been her surrogate older brother but now she feels much more towards him... and he abruptly realizes that he feels the same toward her but he is committed to someone else whether he wants to be or not.
In the meantime we see Caitlyn, the Matriarch of the family, still on a quest to figure out whether love will fit into her life as well. Since being widowed she is totally devoted to her children, but is it time to find love again herself... and if so, then who... the man who broke her heart so many years ago, or the new, noble, knight in shining armor - the district attorney?
One of the things I love is that even though Megan is the MAIN character in the book, we have been following Cait through all three books and in this one we finally get to see who is going to make her happy. The continuity of characters is one of Julie's specialties and one of the reasons I love her books and characters so much. There is one good thing about this being book #3 in this series and the end of another wonderful family sagas... now I get to see what she has up her sleeve next!
BY
Jill Williamson
Book #3 in The Safe Lands series
The remnant of Glenrock has been scattered. But they are not beaten.
The
Safe Lands have long kept the true meaning of Liberation secret from
their people. But after being sentenced to Liberation themselves, Mason
and Omar soon discover the truth.
Levi watched his brothers’
public sentencing and tries to hold out hope they are still alive, He is
forced to focus his attention elsewhere, however, when his new wife,
Jemma, is captured and made the Safe Lands’ newest Queen. His only
choice to save Jemma may be to take up Omar’s old role of undercover
vigilante, leading the rebels in their quest to overthrow the
government. But will Levi’s new role be enough?
Meanwhile,
Jemma’s sister, Shaylinn, is ready to give birth to the “Safe Lands’”
children … but not even Ciddah is sure they can be delivered safely in
the midst of a rebellion. And Mason must face the fact Omar’s illness
could be fatal.
If they can all unite their efforts, together
they may be able to expose the Safe Lands’ lies to the people. But if
they fail, they will all surely die.
MY REVIEW:
It isn't often that I truly advocate reading books in order... as in DON'T read this book until you read books #1 and #2 but I would certainly do that in this case. The whole series is AMAZING, but you will be lost if you start here. So AFTER reading #1 and #2 then by all means you will need to dive into Rebels to see what is going on. The characters of Glenrock are wonderful and exciting in their flawed lives as they try and take back the lives they lost when their village was captured. This book may be one of the best third in a series books I have read and it was a bittersweet read knowing that it would end on the last page. But I still raced through it to see what would happen to everyone. No one was left out, we revisit with Mason, Omar, Levi, Jemma, Shaylinn, the twins and many more. At this point I don't know that I can or should say much about the plot line... read the first two books to know what is going on and then just enjoy. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games or Divergent then these need to be on your To Be Read pile!
Deceived
by
Irene Hannon
For three years, Kate Marshall has been grieving the loss of her husband
and their four-year-old son in a boating accident. But when she spots a
familiar-looking child on an escalator in the mall, she is convinced it
is the son she thought was dead. With police skeptical of her story,
she turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan. The former Secret
Service agent is dubious but agrees to investigate. Digging into the
case he discovers that the incident may have been no accident at all.
But if Kate's son is alive, someone is intent on keeping him hidden--and
may be willing to go to lethal lengths to protect a sinister secret.
MY REVIEW:
I have often thought that the worst part of a disappearance (like a missing person) is not knowing what happened to them. In this book Irene takes that with a twist and a woman that lost her husband and son in a "boating accident" thinks that she knows what happened... except her son's body was never found. And then one day at the mall... a word... a glance... a boy... and now she can't sleep... is it her son?!? Is he still alive?!? Is she crazy?
This is an intriguing scenario that while riddled with lots of "what are the odds" kind of moments, is incredibly well written and played out. For a long time you aren't even sure if there is really a "bad guy" or not, but then when things start spiraling to the finish it is a wild ride that you will be glad you went on. I love Irene Hannon's books - she is one of my favorite mystery/suspense writers!
Thunder
by
Bonnie S. Calhoun
In post-apocalyptic America, Selah Chavez is crouched in long grass on a
shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city. It
is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and she is hunting,
though many people refuse to eat animal flesh, tainted by radiation
during the Time of Sorrows. What Selah's really after are Landers,
mysterious people from a land across the big water who survive the
delirium-inducing passage in small boats that occasionally crash against
the shoreline. She knows she should leave the capture to the men, but
Landers bring a good price from the Company and are especially prized if
they keep the markings they arrive with.
Everything falls to
pieces when the Lander Selah catches is stolen by her brothers--and
Selah wakes up the next morning to find the Lander's distinctive mark
has suddenly appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now
one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her--Bohdi
Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell.
MY REVIEW:
I am finding myself drawn to Dystopian YA lately... I'm not even sure why, maybe that is seems to be set in an alternate universe or maybe because it is about overcoming everything that has gone dreadfully wrong... I don't know. But I do know that in light of the Hunger Games and Divergent, Bonnie Calhoun has hit upon a new and different take on the dystopian scenario.
I didn't know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this story. Selah is a fabulous heroine... on a journey of self-discovery but in no way, shape or form is she perfect. Far from it and she knows that, but she feels a need to prove herself... and then a need to make things right... and then a need to be part of something bigger than herself. By the end she does all of those things, and the series is only beginning. I am fascinated by Bohdi and his race of the Landers and we don't know much about them by the end of the book, I have a feeling there are a lot more details to come in the next book.
I really enjoyed following Selah on her journey and am looking forward to book #2 "Lightning"!
Love's Fortune
by
Laura Frantz
Sheltered since birth at her Kentucky home, Rowena Ballantyne has heard
only whispered rumors of her grandfather Silas's vast fortune and grand
manor in Pennsylvania. When her father receives a rare letter summoning
him to New Hope, Rowena makes the journey with him and quickly finds
herself in a whole new world--filled with family members she's never
met, dances she's never learned, and a new side to the father she
thought she knew. As she struggles to fit in during their extended stay,
she finds a friend in James Sackett, the most valued steamship pilot of
the Ballantynes' shipping line. Even with his help, Rowena feels she
may never be comfortable in high society. Will she go her own way . . .
to her peril?
MY REVIEW:
Laura Frantz has done it again. Her historical romances never fail me. She delves into times and places that I don't normally venture into and immerses me into settings that feel real, story lines that I don't want to walk away from and characters that I wish were real. Isn't that the point of reading historical fiction?
In Love's Fortune we are entering Book #3 of a brilliant trilogy and I do recommend reading these 3 in order just so you can understand the generations involved in this family and the background leading to Rowena's story. Each book is focused around a young lady from a different generation. So in book #1, Love's Reckoning it was Rowena's grandma, in book #2, Love's Awakening it was Rowena's aunt and in book #3 it is Rowena herself but we get the privilege of having all of the generations appearing in and being an important part of her story.
Do not think that Laura's historical romance are full of sappy love stories and nothing of much interest - you would be sooooo wrong! She has a way of building suspense and keeping me on the edge of my seat even when you wouldn't think it was possible and her twists and turns keep me from being able to guess at the intricacies of her story lines... I can usually predict who the heroine will end up with but how they are going to get there is beyond me. In this one I loved meeting Rowena (Wren) and getting to revisit the characters already developed in previous books. James Sackett, steamship pilot and hero, is fantastic and a hero to fall in love with. There are many subplots riding along with the main story that kept me turning pages as fast as I could and there was one downside to this book... I knew it was book #3 and there would be no more following. I almost cried at the end saying good-bye to these characters. The only good thing about this series ending is that I can't wait to see where Laura Frantz takes me next!
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