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Tag: May 2019

Book Review: Promise Me Happy

July 29, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Promise Me Happy – Robert Newton – Penguin Books Australia – Published 7 May 2019

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Synopsis

Nate’s had it tough. An abusive father. His mother dead. He’s done things he regrets.

But he’s never met anyone like Gem. She’s a tiny piece of wonderful and she’ll change everything he knows about himself. Is this the beginning of happiness? Or is there more hardship around the corner?

My thoughts

Promise Me Happy – a moving, authentically Aussie coming of age story at its best. Perfect for fans of YA contemporary fiction about relationships, family and finding a place to belong, Promise Me Happy is a soothing, gently-paced and touching novel.

Nate knows this is his last chance. Leaving juvie to live with an uncle he doesn’t know, Nate has low expectations about this next phase in his life, yet it can’t be worse than returning to live with his drunk and abusive father and memories of his dead mother. But living with uncle isn’t at all what he expects, nor the charming little fishing town, the slower lifestyle, space to breath, quirky young neighbour, Henry or the intriguing, combat-boot and tartan-wearing Gem. It may be just the second chance Nate needs, if he can hang on to it.

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Book Review: Wooing Cadie McCaffrey

May 9, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Wooing Cadie McCaffrey – Bethany Turner – Revell – Published 21 May 2019

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Synopsis

After four years with her boyfriend, Cadie McCaffrey is thinking of ending things. Convinced Will doesn’t love her in the “forever” way she loves him, Cadie believes it’s time for her to let him go before life passes her by. When a misunderstanding leads to a mistake, leaving her hurt, disappointed, and full of regret, she finally sends him packing.

But for Will, the end of their relationship is only the beginning of his quest to figure out how to be the man Cadie wanted him to be. With the dubious guidance of his former pro-athlete work friends and tactics drawn from Cadie’s favorite romantic comedies, Will attempts to win her back. It’s a foolproof plan. What could possibly go wrong?

My thoughts

Wooing Cadie McCaffrey is a humorous and refreshing novel – it’s also a lesson in miscommunication and how to complicate a relationship by NOT TALKING! So if you like rom-coms, epic romantic moments or enjoy reading a book from between your fingers due to agony from misunderstandings, then this is the book for you.

Cadie McCaffrey has been waiting for her boyfriend, Will, to propose for years. Every time she thinks he has finally decided to get down on bended knee, she is tragically disappointed. When another misunderstanding leads Will and Cadie to take their physical relationship further than either of them planned, Cadie decides it’s time to break up from Will and keep moving on with her life. Will is devastated and is determined to win Cadie back, even if that means he has to sit through dozens of romantic movies and plan romantic moments to woo Cadie into giving them another chance.

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New Book Releases May 2019 – Young Adult Fiction

May 1, 2019 / / 0 Comments

New Book Releases for May 2019 – Young Adult Fiction

Here’s my list of top picks for May 2019 new releases. What’s on your reading list? Click on covers for more details.

 

Young Adult Fiction

Nocturna – Maya Notayne – A Forgery of Magic #1 – Balzer+Bray  – Published 7 May 2019

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks.

As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

Middle-grade fiction: Fantasy.

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New Book Releases May 2019 – Christian Fiction

May 1, 2019 / / 0 Comments

New Book Releases for May 2019

Here is my list of top picks for May 2019. Click on the covers for more details.

 

Christian Fiction

Moments We Forget – Beth K. Vogt – Thatcher Sisters #2 – Tyndale – Published 7 May 2019

Jillian well knows her role as the middle sister – peacemaker, often the bearer of bad news and someone who knows not to challenge the spotlight-stealing older and younger sisters. But, Jillian has beaten breast cancer and she’s ready to get on with her life. Yet her newly formed marriage is struggling under two busy schedules, she can’t seem to keep up at work and the kitchen renovations that were meant to be fun are turning up endless problems. Even the book club she formed with her sisters to help them all keep in touch and get along seems destined to be one big fight. When life and circumstances get you down can these sisters be there for each other?

Christian fiction: Contemporary.

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Book Review: Moments We Forget

April 29, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Moments We Forget – Beth K. Vogt – Thatcher Sisters #2 – Tyndale House Publishers – Published 7 May 2019

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Synopsis

Jillian Thatcher has spent most of her life playing the family peacemaker, caught in the middle between her driven, talented older sister and her younger, spotlight-stealing twin sisters. Then on the night of her engagement party, a cancer diagnosis threatens to once again steal her chance to shine.

Now, Jillian’s on the road to recovery after finally finishing chemo and radiation, but residual effects of the treatment keep her from reclaiming her life as she’d hoped. And just when her dreams might be falling into place, a life-altering revelation from her husband sends her reeling again.

Will Jillian ever achieve her own dreams, or will she always be “just Jillian,” the less-than Thatcher sister? Can she count on her sisters as she tries to step into a stronger place, or are they stuck in their childhood roles forever?

My thoughts

Moments We Forget is the second book in the Thatcher Sister’s series. Moments We Forget continues the story of three sisters, separated by grief and circumstances, slowly working on reconciling as they each face the ups and downs of life.

Jillian well knows her role as the middle sister – peacemaker, often the bearer of bad news and someone who knows not to challenge the spotlight-stealing older and younger sisters. But, Jillian has beaten breast cancer and she’s ready to get on with her life. Yet her newly formed marriage is struggling under two busy schedules, she can’t seem to keep up at work and the kitchen renovations that were meant to be fun are turning up endless problems. Even the book club she formed with her sisters to help them all keep in touch and get along seems destined to be one big fight. When life and circumstances get you down can these sisters be there for each other?

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Book Review: Summer by the Tides

April 27, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Summer by the Tides – Denise Hunter – Thomas Nelson – Published 21 May 2019

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Synopsis

Following a painful betrayal, Maddy Monroe’s love life is a wreck, and her restaurant career is in shambles. When her grandmother goes missing, she and her estranged sisters converge at the family beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina. Being with uptight Nora and free-spirited Emma at the place where their family broke apart is a struggle, and undercurrents of jealousy and resentment threaten to pull the sisters under. In the midst of the storm, sparks begin to fly between Maddy and Gram’s maddening neighbor, Connor Murphy.

As the sisters pack up the family belongings, memories of idyllic, slow-paced summers are resurrected. But long-buried secrets also come to light as Maddy discovers that all was not as it appeared that last summer in Sea Haven–nor today in the seemingly perfect lives of her sisters.

As family tensions rise and Connor causes tumult in Maddy’s heart, the sisters must find a way to accept each other for the women they’ve become before the bitterness of the past destroys their hope for a future.

My thoughts

Summer By The Tides is a delightful, easy to read, easy to enjoy romance. There have been many Christian contemporary titles published recently that feature broken sisterly relationships and the slow mending of these bonds, but Summer By The Tides is by far my favourite. Touching on some tough and thoughtful tones, it remains a lighthearted, sunshine filled and feel good story of love, family and fresh starts.

The day Maddy Monroe discovers her boyfriend is a lying cheater and that she has lost the promotion at work, she gets a phone call saying her grandmother has gone missing. It’s easy to jump in the car and return to her childhood summer house on the beach, harder to face her two sisters and the memories of what tore her family apart all those years ago. With the help of her grandmother’s neighbour, Connor, Maddy and her sisters search for their missing grandmother and get the house in order, sifting through memories and facing the secrets of the past.

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Book Review: Living Lies

April 25, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Living Lies – Natalie Walters – Harbored Secrets #1 – Revell – Published 21 May 2019

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Synopsis

In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name–but no one knows your secret. At least that’s what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton’s newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she’ll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

My thoughts

Living Lies is the first book in the Harbored Secrets series by debut novelist, Natalie Walters. Walters has done a superb job of crafting a thrilling suspense, with threads of heart-pounding romance and important messages about acceptance and removing the stigma of mental health and depression. I truly enjoyed this exciting book and I look forward to reading the subsequent titles in the series.

Lane Kent knows heartbreak. She knows the guilt of her past mistakes. Returning to her home town with her young daughter was supposed to be a fresh start but sometimes the secrets and family expectations feel suffocating. When Lane finds a dead body in the woods, she and Deputy Charlie Woods team up to solve the case.

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Book Review: There’s Something About Sweetie

April 23, 2019 / / 0 Comments

There’s Something About Sweetie – Sandhya Menon – Simon Pulse – Published 14 May 2019

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Synopsis

Ashish Patel didn’t know love could be so…sucky. After he’s dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up.

The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl—under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he’ll be taking his date on “fun” excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?

Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she’s also fat. To Sweetie’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death.

Sweetie loves her parents, but she’s so tired of being told she’s lacking because she’s fat. She decides it’s time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she’ll show the world (and herself) what she’s really made of.

My thoughts

There’s Something About Sweetie is very true to its name – totally and utterly sweet in every way. Seriously. Unicorns and rainbows have nothing on the sweetness that is the story of Sweetie and Ashish. A story about first loves, first serious break-ups, family expectations, body positivity and embracing who you truly are.

Sweetie is an athlete, singer (she just doesn’t sing in front of anyone other than her best friends) and dutiful daughter. She just wishes her mother could support her in accepting and loving her and her body the way that it is. Fat. Ashish knows how to play the dating game. He’s good at it. Or was. Until his girlfriend dumped him for someone else. Now he’s lost all game – on and off the basketball court – and is even seriously considering having his parents set him up with a girl. But when Sweetie’s mother refuses to let Sweetie date Ashish because of the size of her body, Sweetie and Ashish start dating secretly, and they find themselves surprised at the way they connect.

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