Review: Summer on the Island

 

Summer on the Island

About the Book:

After the death of her US senator father, Marlow Madsen travels to the small island off the coast of Florida where she spent summers growing up to help her mother settle the family estate. For Marlow, the trip is a chance to reconnect after too long apart. It’s also the perfect escape to help her feel grounded again—one she’s happy to share with friends Aida and Claire, who are hoping to hit reset on their lives, too.

A leisurely beachfront summer promises the trio of women the opportunity to take deep healing breaths and explore new paths. But when her father’s will reveals an earth-shattering secret that tarnishes his impeccable reputation and everything she thought she knew about her family, Marlow finds herself questioning her entire childhood—and aspects of her future. Fortunately, her friends, and the most unlikely love interest she could imagine, prove that happiness can be found no matter what—as long as the right people are by your side.

My Comments:

As you may surmise by the dearth of recent posts, I've been in a reading/blogging funk lately.  I haven't felt like reading and I have wanted to write even less.  Given that attitude, I didn't really think it was right to blast some author about a book I didn't like primarily because I didn't want to read at all.  

However the other day I was perusing NetGalley and I saw Summer on the Island and I wanted to read it. I generally like Brenda Novak's books and the premise of this one sounded interesting.  Unfortunately, this one came out as just too predictable.  It's a romance so it was no stretch to figure that they would end up together, but the other plot threads involving Marlow's friends and family members were just as predictable.  

One first for me is that this was the first book I've read that incorporates Covid-19 and the changes it made to the world.  Marlow and her friends live in California and one has lost her business due to the pandemic.  Of course in Florida the pandemic is little more than a subject of disinterested conversation.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade  B-

Review: When I Found You

 

When I Found You

About the Book:

After everything she worked for is destroyed, pediatrician Natasha Gray is determined to build a new life. Divorced, bankrupt and suddenly a single mom, she’s ready to start over in Silver Springs—on her own. She certainly doesn’t need help from Mack Amos, the man who’s already broken her heart twice.

Although Mack has had feelings for Tash since they first met, too many things have stood in the way. He’s always given her the support she needs, though, and he’ll do the same now. Even if the desire he wrestles with threatens to undermine his intentions…

But her heart is not the only reason Natasha wants to keep Mack at bay. More time in her life means getting closer to her son, which could lead to a revelation neither of them is ready to face.

My Comments:

Fans of Brenda Novak will know what I mean when I say this book is Silver Springs meets Whiskey Creek.  Natasha is starting over in Silver Springs, but someone else wants a new start too--Mack Amos, one of the Amos brothers from Whiskey Creek.  While the story of how Natasha got to this point doesn't really ring true, I liked her and her son.

Those familiar with the Whiskey Creek series will remember that when the Amos patriarch was released from prison, he returned home with a wife in tow--and that wife had a daughter, Natasha.  Mack's feelings about Natasha weren't brotherly then and certainly aren't now-over 10 years after the Whiskey Creek books.  

Both Mack and Natasha have been through some rough times lately, but I loved watching them move to happily ever after.  Like the other Whiskey Creek books, the extended cast plays an important part.  Mild Spoiler:  The big Whiskey Creek secret comes out.  Still, I think you could enjoy the book even if you never met any of the Whiskey Creek characters.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade: B. 

Review: Bookstore on the Beach

 

Bookstore on the Beach

About the Book:

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

My Comments:

With a cover like this I didn't expect anything to emotionally taxing.  I was wrong. Honestly, I don't know how I would react if I was in Autumn's place.  So much of what she thought she knew about her family turned out to be wrong.  She made decisions based on information she had at the time and then that information turned out to be wrong.  Should she stick to old promises, or do what feels right today?  Those are the kinds of decisions none of us can make for others.  Honestly I disagreed with the choices of many of the characters but have to admit that I don't know what I would really do in a similar circumstance.  

Overall I enjoyed the book, but my disagreement with the choices did affect my enjoyment of the story.  

Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B. 

A California Christmas: Book Review

 

A California Christmas

About the Book:

Up-and-coming TV anchor Emery Bliss can’t imagine anything more humiliating than the sex tape her ex revenge-posted online. That is, until it causes her to lose her job on top of her self-esteem. Seeking solace—and anonymity—in Silver Springs, Emery isn’t looking to get involved with another man any time soon. But when she’s thrown back into contact with Dallas Turner, she sees something that his many detractors have missed.

Review: One Perfect Summer

 

One Perfect Summer

About the Book:

When Serenity Alston swabbed her cheek for 23andMe, she joked about uncovering some dark ancestral scandal. The last thing she expected was to discover two half sisters she didn’t know existed. Suddenly, everything about her loving family is drawn into question. And meeting these newfound sisters might be the only way to get answers.

The women decide to dig into the mystery together at Serenity’s family cabin in Lake Tahoe. With Reagan navigating romantic politics at work and Lorelei staring down the collapse of her marriage, all three women are converging at a crossroads in their lives. Before the summer is over, they’ll have to confront the past and determine how to move forward when everything they previously thought to be true was a lie. But any future is easier to face with family by your side.

My Comments:

Have you every wanted to take a vacation from real life?  Have you ever gone through a time in your life where it was apparent that life as you knew it had to change, a lot?  Put those two things together with an unexpected result from a DNA test and you have One Perfect Summer.   

Serenity, Reagan and Lorelei all took at DNA test for different reasons, and through it, found out that they were half sisters.  While Lorelei knew nothing about her family or family history as she had been found wandering the streets as a toddler, the other two, Serenity and Reagan have always known where they came from--or did they?  

The women decide to meet for a week at Serenity's family cottage to get to know each other and try to figure out how they could be half sisters.  As luck would have it, all three undergo significant life upheaval after they plan their trip, but before they meet, and so are dealing with important life choices, as well as their relationship with each other.  

During the course of the story, the women deal with ghosts from their past, men in their lives and the secret that brought them together.  However, there is an old saying that if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras, and to me, the most likely horses about why they are related (sperm donor fertility treatment or adoption) never seem to be considered, and yes, in the end, they do find a zebra but to me it just sort of fell flat.  

The story also gives each woman a love interest in the book and, in the end, there was no real resolution there either.  Maybe that's how real life is--there is a hint of happily ever after, but no real resolution of that plot line.

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley.  Grade:  B. 

Christmas in Silver Springs: My Review

Christmas in Silver Springs

About the Book

So much for forever. When Harper Devlin’s rock star husband ditches her on his way to the top, she takes her two daughters to her sister’s place in Silver Springs for the holidays, hoping family can heal her broken heart. But comfort comes in unexpected places when she crosses paths with local Tobias Richardson.

The moment Tobias spots Harper, he recognizes a sadness he knows all too well. After spending thirteen years in prison paying for his regretful past, Tobias is ready to make amends, and maybe helping Harper is the way to do it. But offering her a shoulder to cry on ignites a powerful attraction and a desire neither saw coming.

Fearing her reaction, Tobias doesn’t reveal his checkered past. He’s falling hard, and if Harper finds out, he’ll lose her for good, especially because her famous ex is now trying to win her back. Secrets have a way of coming out, but maybe this Christmas will bring Tobias the forgiveness—and the love—he deserves.

My Comments

Fans of Novak's other Silver Springs books will enjoy this Christmastime treat.  Both Tobias and Harper are starting over. Tobias spent his young adult years in prison as a result of an accidental shooting while high on drugs.  His pre-prison life left a lot to be desired, and he is doing his best to make a new life for himself, and as we all know, for someone with a prison record, that's hard.  Harper's life was great--married to a guy she loved, who just happened to be a wealthy and famous musician--until he dumps her and their children for greener pastures. 

Of course, as a Christmas romance, we know the ending is going to be happy, but not with a bump or two from the famous ex, and from the landlord's son who seems to be heading to the place Tobias just left.

The themes of forgiveness and atonement are also here, carried over from the previous book in the series and I liked the way they played out.

While certainly no literary classic (but you knew that looking at the cover) this was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Grade:  B. 

Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley

Review: Unforgettable You

Unforgettable You

About the Book:

Jada Brooks couldn’t have known how her life would change when she fell for bad boy Maddox Richardson back in high school. She couldn’t have known his troubled brother would leave hers forever crippled. Or that she’d be forced to shun Maddox completely—only to discover she was carrying his child.

Although Maddox was devastated by the events that transpired that fateful night, losing Jada was the worst of it. He’s back in Silver Springs, ready to make amends and provide the kind of youth outreach that once saved him. If he’d known Jada was in town, too, he would never have come. 

Jada has returned to Silver Springs to be with family after her father’s death. But when she sees Maddox, every tough decision she’s made concerning their now twelve-year-old daughter begins to haunt her. Falling for him again is so tempting, but not only does she stand to alienate her family—if he finds out about Maya, she could lose what matters most.

.

My Comments:

I'm a Catholic and one of the things we are supposed to do is forgive.  We aren't supposed to hold on to wounds, pick at scabs and generally stay mad at people.  This book is about people who don't follow that rule, and what it does to their lives.  

Yes, Jada's family had plenty of reason to be angry with Maddox, but by choosing to live in the past and to hang on to hurt, the main people they were hurting were themselves.  

The story is set at the same school for troubled kids that the other books in this series are.  The head of the school sees the good in both Jada and Maddox, and in another major character and it is through her and each other that these characters learn to forgive and move on with life.

As with many of Novak's book's the characters are the strong point. 

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+

Review: Right Where We Belong

Right Where We Belong

About the Book:

Savanna Gray needs a do-over. Her "perfect" life unraveled when, to her absolute shock, her husband was arrested for attacking three women. With her divorce settled, she takes her two children home to Silver Springs to seek refuge between the walls of the farmhouse where she was born. It needs a little TLC, but she's eager to take control of something. 

Gavin Turner understands the struggle of starting over. Abandoned at a gas station when he was five, it wasn't until he landed at New Horizons Boys Ranch as a teen that he finally found some peace. He steps up when Savanna needs help fixing things—even when those things go beyond the farmhouse. 

Despite an escalating attraction to Gavin, Savanna resolves to keep her distance. She trusted her ex, who had a similarly tragic background, and is unwilling to repeat her past mistakes. But it's hard to resist a man whose heart is as capable as his hands.

My Comments:

I work as a criminal defense paralegal and one thing that most people don't think about when considering the criminal justice system is the family of the accused (or guilty).  Whether the accused is convicted or not, whether he (or she) committed the crime, the family pays a price, whether it is simply the cost of attorney fees or whether it is the loss of the loved ones presence or community censure because of the crime.

Savanna had not been thrilled with her marriage but she did her best to hold things together, for the sake of the kids.  While she initially wanted to believe the police had arrested the wrong man, the more she learned and the more she thought, the more she realized it was doubtful they had.  

They lived in a small town and she was finding herself and her children to be outcasts, even though her husband had not yet been tried, so she took the children and moved to some property she inherited in another state.  This is the story of her trying to rebuild her life and the life of her children. 

For the most part, I liked the story.  However, I found the climax scene to be very unrealistic.  

The thread that ties this story to others is a home/school for unwanted children, which is where Gavin grew up.  The story contains brief mentions of characters from prior books, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade B. 

Until You Loved Me: My Review

Until You Loved Me

About the Book:

After catching her fiancee cheating—with another man—usually straitlaced, workaholic scientist Ellie Fisher liberates her wild side just long enough to indulge in a passionate one-night stand with a tall, dark stranger she meets at a trendy Miami bar. Embarrassed by her recklessness, she ducks out the following morning without learning the guy's full name, something that shouldn't have been a problem…until a pregnancy test turns positive. 

Being a professional football player, Hudson King has always been cautious around women. But this one had been different—so disinterested in his celebrity, so convincingly into him. When Ellie tracks him down, claiming she's carrying his baby, he's stunned. And more than a little betrayed. 

But after growing up as an orphan, he'll do anything to stay involved in his child's life, so he urges Ellie to move to Silver Springs, where they can co-parent. Hudson has a lot of love to give, certainly enough for his child, and when their initial spark reignites, perhaps for Ellie, too…

My Comments:

I loved Ellie.  She wants what so many people want--to be loved and to have a family.  She was smart but a little socially lacking.  When her fiancee paid attention to her, she was thrilled, and thought the lack of bedroom action was based on morality rather than on sexual attraction.  They had talked about having children and she was looking forward to being a bride and a mom until she caught him in bed with a male friend.  Amazingly, he still wanted to go forward with the wedding and with having a child, which his boyfriend and he would help raise.

Not long thereafter, she becomes pregnant via a one-night stand.  She feels like she should tell the father--the only problem is that she has no clue who he is, until she sees him on television and realizes he is a famous athlete.  Once Hudson knows she is carrying his baby, he wants her where he can take care of her and the baby, so he moves her into his house, and of course it isn't long before she is in his bed.

Both Ellie and Hudson are afraid to get hurt; both have walls up, though Ellie's come down more easily.  It was fun watching them get to know each other in a non-Biblical sense and sure enough, they decided they liked each other.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B. 

Finding Our Forever: My Review

Finding Our Forever

About the Book:

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak welcomes readers to the town of Silver Springs, where surprises wait around every corner! 

The search for her birth mother brought Cora Kelly to the New Horizons Boys Ranch. Getting a job there was easy enough, but confiding in Aiyana, the ranch's owner, that she's really her daughter? Cora's not sure she can do that, not unless she's confident the news will be welcomed. And once she gets to know Elijah Turner—Aiyana's adopted son and ranch manager—that decision becomes even more difficult. 

Although Elijah can't deny his deep attraction to Cora, he's always struggled with trust. Anyone with his past would, and there's something about the ranch's newest employee that isn't exactly as it seems. But if the feelings she awakes in his guarded heart are any indication, she might be just what he's long been waiting for.

My Comments:

Somehow I missed this one when it came out, though I've read other books in the series.  Luckily I've recently become a fan of my library's Overdrive account where I can check out Kindle ebooks and audiobooks.  

The main story in this book is the romance between Cora, a young woman who was given up for adoption as an infant, and Elijah, a man abused as a small child and later adopted by the woman who turns out to be Cora's birth mother.  Cora feels like a part of herself is missing and wonders if that is why she cannot seem to give herself completely to someone else.  Eli is so afraid of being hurt that he knows he closes himself off to others.

Besides the story of Cora and Elijah, this is the story of Cora and Aiyana.  When the story begins, Cora knows Aiyana is her birth mom--the detective had recently given her that information.  Cora decides to get to know her birth mom without letting her birth mom know who she is--that way, if having her reveal herself would cause problems, she could just leave without doing so.  She'd have her questions answered and wouldn't disrupt Aiyana's life.  I really liked that attitude--all too often books about adoptees who find their adoptive parents show people who burst into other people's lives with the attitude of "its my right and its what I want to do" without considering that their might be a reason their birth mother chose a closed adoption, or chose not to search for them after doing so became legally easier.  

The book has several steamy scenes, but if they aren't your thing, they are easy to skim and don't really add anything to the story.  

I enjoyed this book and I'm glad my library had a copy.  Grade:  B.

No One But You: My Review

No One But You

About the Book

Struggling to make ends meet after a messy divorce, Sadie Harris is at the end of her tether. Her waitressing gig isn't enough to pay the bills let alone secure primary custody of her son, Jayden, a battle she refuses to lose. Desperate, she accepts a position assisting Dawson Reed—the same Dawson Reed who recently stood trial for the murder of his adoptive parents. Joining him at his isolated farm seems risky, but Sadie is out of options. 

Dawson has given small town Silver Springs plenty of reasons to be wary, but he's innocent of the charges against him. He wants to leave his painful past behind and fix up the family farm so he can finally bring his dependent sister home where she belongs. 

As Sadie and Dawson's professional relationship grows into something undeniably personal, Sadie realizes there's more to Dawson than the bad boy everyone else sees—he has a good heart, one that might even be worth fighting for.

My Comments

Brenda Novak has written several series of books set in small towns.  No One But You is the second book in the Silver Springs series, something I didn't realize until after I finished it.  Needless to say, it stood on its own and unlike many other series romances, I didn't see any obvious next couple for the next book.

Sadie has left her controlling police-officer husband.  They live in a small town and everyone likes her ex--or at least they don't want to get on the bad side of one of the town's lawmen.  Every time she applies for a job, he sees to it that she isn't hired, so her only income is from a waitress job she had before they split.  She finally finds someone to hire her--the town outcast.  He's the adopted son of a couple who was brutally murdered.  While he was found "not guilty", as my boss, a criminal defense attorney, will tell you, "not guilty" and "innocent" are not synonyms, and most people in town believe Dawson got away with murder.

The strength of Brenda Novak's writing is her characters.  I loved watching Dawson and Sadie get to know each other and heal the hurts each had suffered.  The weakness of her writing is the climax scenes and this one is very unrealistic.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review  copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-. 

Discovering You: My Review

Discovering You

About the Book:

Can she ever trust another "bad boy"? 

India Sommers once had the perfect family—until an ex-boyfriend broke in and shot her husband. Not only did that cost her the man she loved, a respected heart surgeon and the father of her child, but she also feels responsible. Charlie died because of the people she hung out with before she had the strength to change her life.

A Winter Wedding: My Review

A Winter Wedding (Whiskey Creek)

About the Book:

Kyle Houseman believes he'll never find anyone he could love as much as Olivia Arnold, who's now married to his stepbrother. Not only did he lose her, he's been through one divorce and has no desire to go through another. He's determined to be extra careful about the next woman he gets involved with—which is why he fights his attraction to the beautiful stranger who rents his farmhouse for the Christmas holiday.  

Lourdes Bennett is a country music artist. She's only planning to stay in Whiskey Creek long enough to write the songs for her next album—the album that's going to put her back on top. Her dreams don't include settling in a town even smaller than the one she escaped. But as she comes to know Kyle, she begins to wonder if she'd be making a terrible mistake to leave him behind…

My Comments:

If you can suspend disbelief, this is an enjoyable Christmas romance.  However, like many Christmas romances, it isn't very realistic.  Lourdes is from the town down the street, but she chose to come to Whiskey Creek so she isn't noticed.  Kyle is the landlord; when Lourdes moves in the heat doesn't work.  Instead of going to a hotel, she moves in with him.  Kyle is still carrying a flame for Olivia who also happens to be his ex-wife's sister (long story).  His ex-wife is crazy, and frankly I find their post-divorce relationship to be unbelieveable.  I liked Kyle, I liked Lourdes, and I enjoyed catching up with the whole Whiskey Creek gang.  I didn't like some of the sex scenes--they weren't terribly explicit but I didn't like the attitude embodied in them. I also found it hard to believe that a celebrity who was trying to lay low would have sex in a public place.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B

Review: Secret Sister

The Secret Sister

About the Book:

Did she once have a sister? Has her mother lied all these years? Why? 

After a painful divorce, Maisey Lazarow returns to Fairham, the small island off the North Carolina coast where she grew up. She goes there to heal—and to help her brother, Keith, a deeply troubled man who's asked her to come home. But she refuses to stay in the family house. The last person she wants to see is the wealthy, controlling mother she escaped years ago. 

Instead, she finds herself living next door to someone else she'd prefer to avoid—Rafe Romero, the wild, reckless boy to whom she lost her virginity at sixteen. He's back on the island, and to her surprise, he's raising a young daughter alone. Maisey's still attracted to him, but her heart's too broken to risk… 

Then something even more disturbing happens. She discovers a box of photographs that evoke distant memories of a little girl, a child Keith remembers, too. Maisey believes the girl must've been their sister, but their mother claims there was no sister. 

Maisey's convinced that child existed. So where is she now? 

My Comments:
Maisey lost her baby to SIDS, and not long thereafter, her husband to another woman.  Now, she can't even write and her agent wants the next book.  She decides to leave New York for the hometown she fled years ago, despite the fact that her relationship with her critical mother is no better now that it was when she was a teen.  When she gets to her hometown, an island, she decides that rather than living at her mother's mansion, she will live at a beach resort owned by her mother.  There she meets her old flame,   The old flame is renovating the resort after a hurricane and he comes across a locked box full of pictures of a girl Maisey becomes convinced is her sister.  Where did she go?  What happened?  Maisey's brother, who suffers from drug addiction and bi-polar disorder thinks he remembers her as well, but he doesn't want Maisey to explore further.  Nevertheless, Maisey does.  

As you may have guessed, this is a two-threaded story.  One thread is the romance between Maisey and Rafe.  Both have suffered loss in their lives, but while Rafe is pushing forward, Maisey is wallowing in her loss and is afraid to move forward.  I liked him more than I liked her, and found him to be more realistic.  While Maisey seems to set limits on her mother, I question her choice to move home at such a vulnerable time in her life.  The only thing I didn't like about their relationship was the fact that they jumped into bed as their first joint activity.  

The second thread deals with the missing sister.  Did she exist?  What happened to her?  How has she affected their lives, even though they can't remember her?  I enjoyed watching Maisey put the pieces together and solve the mystery, though I can't say it was a very realistic story.  

If you are looking for a light romantic mystery to read on the beach, this should fit the bill.  Grade:  B.  

Thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy via NetGalley.

Review: This Heart of Mine

This Heart of Mine (A Whiskey Creek Novel Book 8)

About the Book:

As the daughter of a hoarder, Phoenix Fuller had a tough childhood. So when the handsome, popular Riley Stinson became her boyfriend in high school, she finally felt as though she had something to be proud of. Phoenix was desperate not to lose him—especially once she found out she was pregnant. Yes, she might have acted a bit obsessive when he broke up with her. But she did not run down the girl he started dating next. 

Unfortunately, there was no way to prove her innocence. Now, after serving her time in prison, Phoenix has been released. All she wants to do is return to Whiskey Creek and get to know her son. But Jacob's father isn't exactly welcoming. 

Riley doesn't trust Phoenix, doesn't want her in Jacob's life. He is, however, ready to find someone to love. And he wants a good mother for his son. He has no idea that he's about to find both!

My Comments:

This is one of my favorite of the Whiskey Creek books, perhaps because Riley has become a favorite character.  He is solid, reliable, hard-working and a great father.  He's just the kind of guy a girl would like to take home to meet her parents (except for the fact that he is a single parent, and these days, that's not the turn-off it once was either).  Shortly after Riley and Phoenix broke up while in high school, Phoenix was driving a car that hit and killed his new girlfriend.  Riley has been raising their son,who is now in high school, and he has severely limited contact between their son and Phoenix.  Now Phoenix is out of jail, back in town and she wants to know Jacob.  

Phoenix has had to survive  a lot in prison and has learned that the only one she can count on is herself.  She doesn't want to be indebted to anyone and has always sent money home for Jacob.  Now she wants to contribute even more.  While getting to know Jacob, Phoenix also becomes re-acquainted with Jacob's father, who, it turns out,dumped her not because he wanted to but because his parents wanted him to do so.  Sparks fly, wounds are healed and they live happily ever after--you can't fuss at me for spoilers, the book blurb above says the same thing, and besides, its a romance novel; how did you think it would end?

That whole big Whiskey Creek gang is in the book on the sidelines, but they really don't get all that much screen time.  The big secret isn't discussed but we are caught up on a few  people's stories, but they don't make any difference in this story, and those who are not reading the series will just wonder why those passages are there.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+

No Excessive Realism Here: The Heart of Christmas

The Heart of Christmas (Whiskey Creek Book 7)

About the Book:

Eve Harmon has always enjoyed Christmas, but this year it reminds her of everything she doesn't have. Almost all her friends are married now, and that's what Eve wants, too. Love. A husband and kids of her own. But the B and B she manages, and even Whiskey Creek, the small Gold Country town where she was born and raised, suddenly seem…confining. 

Eve's worried that her future will simply be a reflection of her past. There's no one in the area she could even imagine as a husband—until a handsome stranger comes to town. Eve's definitely attracted to him, and he seems to have the same reaction to her. But his darkly mysterious past could ruin Eve's happily ever after—just when it finally seems within reach. And just when she's counting on the best Christmas of her life!

My Comments:

A couple of years after I moved to New Orleans I got involved in a church singles group.  Most of the members were like me--college graduates in their mid 20's.  One common theme you heard over and over was that people's friends had gotten married and they felt like third wheels or like they just didn't fit anymore.  While older than I was at the time, Eve is in much the same place.  She is close with a bunch of people she has known since childhood but many have paired off,either with other members of the group, or with outsiders.  She wants a child and a husband and is beginning to wonder if she needs to leave this small town to find them.  Then the stranger shows up.  The attraction is instant.  She knows he is lying to her (or at least not telling her the truth she wants to know) but does she dump him?  Of course not.  

As noted in the title of this post, the climax to this story is about as unrealistic as they come.  Honestly,other than hormones and seasonal depression, I don't see what a sensible woman like Eve is doing with a guy like him; it just doesn't fit.  Oh well, it's a Christmas romance, so you know the ending.  

The book is clearly part of a series and while those who haven't read the other books will wonder about some of the side stories, the basic plot is,well, basic.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.  

Review: Come Home to Me

Come Home to Me (Whiskey Creek)

About the Book:

Home is where her heart is. 

When Presley Christensen returns to Whiskey Creek with her little boy after two years away, she has completely changed her life. She's made peace with her past and overcome the negative behavior that resulted from her difficult childhood. Now she's back in the small town that was the closest thing to "home" she ever knew—the town where she can be with the sister who's her only family. 

There's just one catch. Aaron Amos still lives in Whiskey Creek, at least until he moves to Reno to open a branch of the Amos brothers' auto body shop. And no matter how hard she's tried, Presley hasn't been able to get over him. Seeing him again makes the longing so much worse. But she hopes she can get through the next few months, because she can't fall back into his arms…or his bed. She's come too far to backslide now. And there's a secret she's been guarding—a secret she'll do anything to protect.

My Comments:

Have you ever read a book where you just wanted to reach inside the pages, grab the characters and sit them down and tell them they are doing it ALL wrong.  Well, that's this book for me.  Presley had a rough childhood/young adult life but she's got it all together now.  She's starting a business, moving out on her own and raising her son.  Finally, she's doing things the way they should be done...except that she never told her son's father about the pregnancy or baby.  While I disagree with her decision, I can understand it and almost condone it, and if that was the only secret in the book, it wouldn't bother me so much.

Presley's sister also has secrets she is keeping from her husband.  She doesn't tell him about the father of Presley's baby.   Again, given the relationships between the characters in the book, that is almost understandable.  However not only is she keeping a big secret about their relationship from her husband, she she takes actions with long-term irrevocable consequences based on that secret, and doesn't tell her husband about it.  While Presley's brother-in-law learns Presley's secret after the father does, the other secrets are still secret at the end of the book.  I guess they will blow up in a later book in the series.  

Because of all the secrets I never got terribly attached to any of the characters in this book.  I just see what a mess they are all making of their lives.  Actually the one I liked best was a spurned suitor of Presley's.  He's the kind of guy she needed but of course that's not what she really wanted.

The book is clearly part of a series.  There is a little reference to the back story but that's not really a problem.  Instead we have a bunch of open threads at the end.  What will happen when Amos' father gets home?  What will happen when Dylan learns the big secret?  Will Riley ever find a nice girl?  Will he get back with Phoenix, or what will happen when Phoenix gets home?  Yes, plenty of fodder for more books.

As general market romance, there are a couple of bedroom scenes between unmarried people.  While they are by no means graphic, readers are definitely in the bedroom.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B- (just felt like I  spent the whole book watching a train wreck waiting to happen).     

My Review: Take Me Home for Christmas

Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek)

About the Book:

Too bad not all memories are pleasant! Everyone in Whiskey Creek remembers Sophia DeBussi as the town's Mean Girl. Especially Ted Dixon, whose love she once scorned.

But Sophia has paid the price for her youthful transgressions. The man she did marry was rich and powerful but abusive. So when he goes missing, she secretly hopes he'll never come back—until she learns that he died running from an FBI probe of his investment firm. Not only has he left Sophia penniless, he's left her to face all the townspeople he cheated.…

Sophia is reduced to looking for any kind of work to pay the bills and support her daughter. With no other options, she becomes housekeeper for none other than Ted, now a successful suspense writer. He can't bring himself to turn his back on her, not at Christmas, but he refuses to get emotionally involved. He learned his lesson the last time.

Or will the season of love and forgiveness give them both another chance at happiness?

My Comments:

I really enjoyed this episode in the Whiskey Creek saga.  It was set during the holiday season but wasn't the typical short sweet holiday romance.  Sophia and Ted were young loves but Sophia ended up marrying Skip instead.  Now Skip is gone and she needs a job.  A mutual friend convinces Ted to hire her.  At the same time, Ted starts dating a long-time friend, Eve.  Which girl will get they guy?

"The gang" doesn't seem as important in this book as it did in the other Whiskey Creek books.  Yes, we have the chance to catch up with old friends, but if you missed the first books you'll wonder why some of them even show up.  

My only complaint about the book is that the author either doesn't know about, or chooses to ignore what she knows about bankruptcy law.  In short, at the end of the book Sophia very publicly does something that at best would lead to her bankruptcy being cancelled and making her responsible for all her debts or at worst would lead to her being charged with bankruptcy fraud, even though she did it with the best of intentions.  

Still, its a romance novel, not a legal treatise and so I'll give the book a B.

Thanks to the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.   

Book Review: Home to Whiskey Creek

Home to Whiskey Creek

About the Book:

Sometimes home is the refuge you need—and sometimes it isn't 

Adelaide Davies, who's been living in Sacramento, returns to Whiskey Creek, the place she once called home. She's there to take care of her aging grandmother and to help with Gran's restaurant, Just Like Mom's. But Adelaide isn't happy to be back. There are too many people here she'd rather avoid, people who were involved in that terrible June night fifteen years ago. 

Ever since the graduation party that changed her life, she's wanted to go to the police and make sure the boys responsible—men now—are punished. But she can't, not without revealing an even darker secret. So it's better to pretend…. 

Noah Rackham, popular, attractive, successful, is shocked when Adelaide won't have anything to do with him. He has no idea that his very presence reminds her of something she'd rather forget. He only knows that he's finally met a woman he could love.

My Comments:

This book manages to deal with a lot of serious topics within the framework of a happily ever after quick read romance.  When you have romantic love for someone you are reasonably sure does not, and never will return that love, is expressing it appropriate?  How do friendships change through the years; how should they?  When is it time to let bygones be bygones--and when is it not?  How does our past affect our ability to be married?  How does going along with the gang get kids in trouble?

Addy was gang raped by the popular boys two years older than her on their graduation night.  As noted above, something else awful happened that night too.  When Addy returns to town someone wants to scare her enough to make her leave or at least to keep her mouth shut.  The story begins with Noah rescuing Addy from that scare. From there we watch as she and Noah (on whom she had  a crush as a teen) get to know each other again.  Addy has to decide what to reveal about that horrible night all those years ago and who to protect.  Who tried to silence her?  Will the "boys" be brought to justice?  What is justice in this case?

The other major plot thread is the relationship between Noah and his lifetime best friend, Baxter.  Noah is becoming increasingly uncomfortable around Baxter but can't quite put his finger on why.  Then one night when they are double "dating" (and Noah is hoping for some one-on-one time with his date), Baxter kisses Noah.  Baxter and Noah are both part of a large group of young adults from Whiskey Creek who have been  friends since high school.  It turns out some of them know about Baxter, others suspect.  What now?  How does this change things?  Does it have to?  

There is plenty of non-marital intimate activity but it is described in only the most general way--if you are looking for an instruction manual you will be disappointed, yet is isn't really a "clean" read either.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade B+.  

More Whiskey Creek Books

When Lightning Strikes (Whiskey Creek)

About the Book:

Simon O'Neal's causing trouble again. And it's up to Gail DeMarco to stop him.

Gail DeMarco left Whiskey Creek, California, to make a name for herself in Los Angeles. Her PR firm has accumulated a roster of A-list clients, including the biggest box office hit of all—sexy and unpredictable Simon O'Neal. But Simon, who's just been through a turbulent divorce, is so busy self-destructing he won't listen to anything she says. She drops him from her list—and he retaliates by taking the rest of her clients with him.

Desperate to save her company, Gail has to humble herself by making a deal with Simon. The one thing he wants is custody of his son, but that's going to require a whole new image. He needs to marry some squeaky-clean girl who'll drag him off to some small, obscure place like Whiskey Creek….

Gail's the only one he can trust. She agrees to become his wife—reluctantly. But she isn't reluctant because he's too hard to like. It's because he's too hard not to love!

When We Touch (A Whiskey Creek novella)

About the Book:

You're invited to a wedding in Whiskey Creek, Heart of the Gold Country

Unfortunately, it's the wrong wedding. Olivia Arnold is arranging the festivities—and it's the hardest thing she's ever done. Because she should be marrying Kyle Houseman. They were together for more than a year…. But her jealous sister, Noelle, stole him away—and now she's pregnant.

All their friends in Whiskey Creek know as well as Olivia does that Kyle's making a mistake. His stepbrother, Brandon, knows it, too. But Kyle's determined to go through with it, for his child's sake.

Olivia's devastated, but surprisingly Brandon—the black sheep of the family--is there to provide comfort and consolation. The intensity between them, both physical and emotional, shows Olivia that maybe Kyle wasn't the right man for her….

But is Brandon?

My Comments:

I've been reading my way through the Whiskey Creek books as they have become available on NetGalley.  Last week When Lightning Strikes showed up as as "special" on one of the Kindle newsletters to which I subscribed so I decided to grab it.  I also remembered that When We Touch was on my Kindle, as it had been a freebie at some point.  

Like the other books in the series (you can click on Brenda Novak's tag below to read about them) these books feature a large cast of characters who grew up together; however in both these books the extra characters play a small part, and, as I believe these books were the first, there isn't really any unknown backstory.  

If you are looking for a pleasant afternoon diversion either one of these will fill the bill.  Neither tackle difficult subjects and both have happy endings.  Grade B.