Belong to Me

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A wonderful, funny, emotional, amazing book of fiction - I'm not sure how to even begin the review. Can you tell that I really enjoyed this book? At 388 pages, it is not a small book or a quick read, but for me, it was so hard to put down and I found myself reading into the wee hours of the morning - and yes, I had to be up early that same day. Of course every life touches another and in ways sometimes we never see. Cornelia and Teo move from their beloved city to life in suburbia, where Cornelia hopes to find close friendship with her neighbors. It was that same kind of idyllic life that her and Teo had grown up with as children together. Her hopes are dashed as her neighbors live to judge others and Cornelia feels a horrible loneliness set in upon her. Her saving grace comes into play when she bumps into a vibrant woman named Lake in the grocery store, who introduces her to Dev, her gifted teenage son. Cornelia and Teo come to adore Dev, but as bewildering events unfold, can they continue to be true to themselves and each other?



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The Beach House

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This would be a wonderful summer read - however I read it in the dead of winter! Maybe I needed to feel a hot summer breeze and pretend I was at the ocean after all the cold and snow we have had here in Western MD. Did you know that a loggerhead is called Caretta caretta in Latin? I've always been interested in those big old sea turtles and how they travel what seems like millions of miles to lay their eggs. This wonderful book of fiction about a lovely older woman nicknamed Lovie, who loves loggerheads and who is hiding the fact that she is dying from cancer from her two adult children, is mixed with factual tidbits about the Caretta caretta. Lovie wants her last summer in South Carolina to be one to remember.



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Promise Me

Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I always look forward to a new novel by Richard Paul Evans. Small and compact, they are like wrapped packages of candy - ready to be unwrapped & devoured! Past, present, and future all collide in the form of a mysterious man recently widowed Beth Cardall meets on Christmas Day at the local 7-Eleven. The secret he carries and the promise he makes will change Beth and her daughter's life forever.



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An Amish Christmas

An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sometimes in the rat-race of life, we get so caught up with chasing the material things that it trickles down to our kids. In this little novel, Meg Hobart is becoming increasingly aware that such things are happening with her three spoiled children, Sam, Will, and Lizzie. Her husband has a well-paying job, is well respected, and has worked hard to give the family a lovely home with many lovely "things." When he loses his job and doesn't tell his family until everything is lost, Meg and the children are devastated and angry. The only solution is to move in with Meg's estranged parents, up North, and help with the family business. Packed with only a bag each and the clothes on their back, the Hobarts set off toward New York, taking a detour through the snowy Amish countryside of Pennsylvania. What happens next determines the next part of their lives. With a slew of books about the Amish currently published - this is easy, feel good book about forgiveness and making simpler, better choices.



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If you adventure and fantasy teamed with realism...

Halt's Peril by John Flanagan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just when I think that John Flanagan can't top his previous release in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Kings of Clonmel, he comes out with #9 - Halt's Peril. Even though this is published as juvenile fiction, I am just as eager to read it as my 14 year old son. Our heroes, Will, Halt, and Horace band together again to capture the leaders of the cult, Tennyson and the Outsiders who are on a quest to con the unknowing in the Kingdom of Araluen out of the few valuables they own. Traveling with the Outsiders are two Genovesans, paid assassins, who think nothing of taking a life with their crossbows. Full of action, details, loyalty to friends and country, and adventure, Halt's Peril is sure to capture your attention!



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An Irish Country Courtship

An Irish Country Courtship: A Novel by Patrick Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I love Patrick Taylor's series set in Ireland and An Irish Country Courtship continues my love affair! My favorite characters are all there - Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, Dr. Barry Laverty, their wonderfulk housekeeper Kinky Kinkade, Bertie Bishop, that rascal Donel Donelly and so many more. The book opens on Boxing Day in 1964 at Bertie and Flo Bishop party with a bang. Poor Barry, attending with his girl, Patricia Spencer, is shocked to overhear that she is ready to break up with him. And, Fingal has realized his fondness for Kitty has turned into love, but can he voice the words aloud before Kitty moves on? A new year brings new adventures to many of the villagers of Ballybucklebo!



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Nice to Come Home To

A Suitor for Jenny

A humorous, light-hearted romance about a young woman trying to find good husbands for her two younger sisters in Texas. Jenny, unfortunately, sets about it by following the stringent rules set forth in the reference books for attracting and procuring a husband. Her two sisters, Brenda and Mary Lou chafe under Jenny's rules and end up finding young men on their own that they know their older sister will not favor. US Marshall Rhett Armstrong and most of the townsfolk rue the day when Jenny and her sisters come to town!