When Sparks Fly  by Helena Hunting

When Sparks Fly was my first book by Helena Hunting so I did not know what to expect. I enjoyed the beginning and liked the characters. I went down hill from there. All the characters seem to have way to many hidden issues and from there we go into pages of explicit sex. Not what I read a book for I actually enjoy a good plot line wrapped in good story telling. I made it half way through before deciding there are to many good books left to read to keep fighting my way through this one. It was not for me.
Thank you netgalley for the early copy.

Lets read a good book....An Island Summer by Helena Halme

 

An Island Summer by Helena Halme was not my cup of tea.  There were a lot of characters ( none of which were appealing ), the story jumped around a lot and was very hard to follow.  Since this was the first in the series that I have read I don't know if it would have been a smoother read if I had read the previous books.  I found the book very depressing including the location.  Just not my cup of tea !
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Lets Read a Good Book.......HIDDEN (Lost and Found Series # 1) By Fern Michaels

   

HIDDEN (Lost and Found Series # 1) By Fern Michaels
I have been a Fern Michaels fan for many years.  This book is a light, easy read with has very likeable characters.  It would be a great beach / vacation read or like I did just curled up on the couch.  I didn't want to put it down.  It did seem the author tried to impress with the dropping of brand names and the use of words not found in everyday conversation.   I would definitely read book # 2!!

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for the early read.

Summer Island Sisters by Ciara Knight

 

Summer Island Sisters

by

Ciara Knight

I was never able to get into this book.  It felt like I was dropped in the middle of a story with too many missing pieces and I never felt connected to any of the characters.   I read other reviews and it appears I'm the odd man out because everyone else seemed to love the book.  It is listed as a  stand alone read but maybe if I had read book one I would have connected to book two better.  Read it and maybe you will love it like the other reviewers did. 

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book

Let's read a good book......The Hotel by Pamela M. Kelley

 

 

 This is the first book I have read by Pamela M. Kelley but I hope it won't be the last.   I enjoyed it from the first page.  The characters are lovable and people you would like to hang out with and the story line was very interesting.  I had the audio book and the person selected to do the reading was PERFECT !!!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book !

Let's read a Good Book......The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

 

  The Santa Suit  by Mary Kay Andrews is one of the sweetest,  most magical books I have read in a long time.  This is the perfect Christmas read.  It will leave you smiling, shedding a few tears and with a happy heart.
I think I have read everything Mary Kay Andrews has written and like all the others, this book will not disappoint.  You will be grabbed on page one and it will not let you go. Love, dogs, snow  and Christmas what more could you ask for?
Thank you  NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader's copy.

Let's read a good book.......The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee

 

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee

 So this is the second book  I have  read by this author and my opinion has not changed. This book ( The Dating Dare) is a fairy tale for adults.  If you enjoy the standard Hallmark movie you will enjoy this book. There is no in dept story, I didn't feel any real connection to the characters and didn't miss them when I had finished. The characters have no depth and the story is superficial but put together it was enjoyable. It was very cute and a quick, easy and entertaining read, perfect for travel or a relaxing bubble bath if you can get past all the use of the "F" word.
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let's Read a Good Book......Behind The Red Door by Louise Claire Johnson

 

 

 

Behind The Red Door by Louise Clair Johnson

 I started the book with no idea  what I would find between the covers but found it captivating from the first page.  To say I  found the story of Elizabeth Arden impressive would be a total understatement,  what she did was totally amazing.  I wonder if as a girl growing up in the 60's, if I had been able to read the Arden story how it might have changed my life's dreams and goals.  
This book is written in a way that allows you to live with Arden, not as a bystander reading about her.  The author, who wove her own modern day story into Arden's was able to bring the era and the cities alive and allow you to live each second along with both Arden and herself.  For me personally, since I had been to  New York, Geneva and Canada where much of the book takes place, this added another level of feeling present.  I would recommend  this book to all females both young and young at heart.

 Thank you, NetGalley and Gatekeeper Press for allowing me to read this book.

Let's Read a Good Book........The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

 

     

The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews

 I love a Mary Kay Andrews book.  They are great beach, vacation or curling up on a rainy day reads. And this is one I did not want to lay down.    Mary Kay always picks amazing settings and characters you will love and those you will love to hate along with the secondary characters who bring a lot of interest to the book.  This book is a murder mystery with a little romance, a lot of love and a couple of sharp turns. 

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for a copy of this book.

Let's Read a Good Book.......Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis

 

 “Love for Beginners" Jill Shalvis, is the perfect book for summer vacation, even if you are just staying home.    It is the 7th book in her Wildstone series but these are all stand-alone books.

  Even adults needs fairy tales and this book is a great one.  A love story with animals what more could you need?   It is also a core storyline that you don’t read in every book.  The  secondary characters were amazing and funny and added personality to the story.  I didn’t want to put it down.

Thanks to William Morrow/Custom House and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Let's Read a Good Book ....... Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer

 

 

Family Reunion

by

Nancy Thayer

First , I love  Nancy Thayer’s books and have read many.  This one I enjoyed immensely.

Second, I have never and will never understand selfish, narcissist people who are never satisfied with what they have and always want more…..they must live very miserable lives…….and yes this book has one. ( I’m still trying to figure out why these adult kids think that their mother owes  them any of the money from the sale of her property.)    This book also has a beautiful relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter that I wish I could go back in time and have with my grandmother.   This is a sweet family story, minus the selfish kids,  and a man having an affair on the same island as his daughter and mother-in-law live ,  is that stupidity or wanting to get caught but   you will not want to put this book down.

This is a must read.  Thank you #Netgalley #ARC .   Due to be released May 4, 2021.

Let's Read A Good Book...... (NOT) Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr

 

 

Sunrise on Half Moon Bay

by

Robyn Carr

 

I have loved reading Robyn Carr for years but this book not so much. I do not enjoy reading about people being used and taken advantage of and by page three this book was clearly about big, smart rich sister using younger, vulnerable sister. I was turned off immediately. Then the book goes in a totally different direction as though the first chapter and the rest of the book was written by different people and who ever wrote it clearly did not read that first chapter. I found the only characters I liked was the private detective, the grocer and Ross, all minor characters, the main characters were just not appealing and not well developed. I hope this isn't a series because none of these people felt like friends and I really don't want to meet up with them again.

Let's Read A Good Book.......( NOT ) Trusting the Badge by Dorothy F. Shaw

 

Trusting the Badge by Shaw, Dorothy F.
This was a book I was looking forward to reading but quickly changed my mind once I got started.  15 minutes in the " F " word had been used at least 10 times and  for no good reason except a lack of adjectives.  Then they author threw in a "GD" and it was time for me to close this book.  There is really no excuse for the "F" word every other sentence.  Pull out your Thesaurus and find a non offensive word.  For me this book is a big NO !!!!
Thank you  to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Let's Read a Good Book....." No Way Out" by Fern Michaels

       

No Way Out
by Fern Michaels
 I enjoyed this book immensely and didn't want to put it down.    It is a perfect  book for a rainy day, the  beach or vacation.  
It starts very suspenseful and mysterious and will have you spooked.   Then suddenly it's like everyone takes a happy pill and becomes a different person.   It reads like the book was written by two different people who didn't have the same plot plan for the book.  The first half is dark and full of bad things yet to come and the second half is " tip toeing through the tulips".  The plot  ends  quickly and is rather anticlimactic.
Thanks  NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read this book.

Let's Read a Good Book.......Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico

               Long Island Iced Tina by Maria DiRico

For me, the best thing about this book was the cover.  It is a little to “Italian Mob Family” for me and there were no characters that I felt attached to.  That being  said, it might be the perfect beach  cozy since it’s light hearted, easy to lay down and might make you laugh.    It’s not necessary  to have  read the first book to follow this one .
Thank you to Maria DiRico, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book.
#LongIslandIcedTina    #beach read,#contemporary,#NetGalley,#read-in-2021,#review-books,#Hallmark Movie,#women-author,

Let's Read a Good Book......"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah

 

 

I don't know when a book has touched me like " The Four Winds" did.  It is set in a time period I don't usually read and I kept putting off starting it but once I did I didn't want to put it down and at the same time it is so painful I had to come up for air every not and then.   These characters will become a part of you and you will feel like you are living every dust storm, flood and blistering hot day right there with them.   Even though I am a US history buff this book brought to life a time that I think gets skimmed over in history but you will never ever forget it now.   After reading this book you will be grateful for every bit of food, every drink of water and a roof ( no matter how many leaks) over your head.  I believe you will be profoundly different when you close this book.

Thank you to the publisher (St. Martin's Press) and /or author (Kristin Hannah) via NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.