Review: The Oysterville Sewing Circle

The Oysterville Sewing Circle

About the Book:

At the break of dawn, Caroline Shelby rolls into Oysterville, Washington, a tiny hamlet at the edge of the raging Pacific.

She’s come home.

Home to a place she thought she’d left forever, home of her heart and memories, but not her future. Ten years ago, Caroline launched a career in the glamorous fashion world of Manhattan. But her success in New York imploded on a wave of scandal and tragedy, forcing her to flee to the only safe place she knows.

And in the backseat of Caroline’s car are two children who were orphaned in a single chilling moment—five-year-old Addie and six-year-old Flick. She’s now their legal guardian—a role she’s not sure she’s ready for.

But the Oysterville she left behind has changed. Her siblings have their own complicated lives and her aging parents are hoping to pass on their thriving seafood restaurant to the next generation. And there’s Will Jensen, a decorated Navy SEAL who’s also returned home after being wounded overseas. Will and Caroline were forever friends as children, with the promise of something more . . . until he fell in love with Sierra, Caroline’s best friend and the most beautiful girl in town. With her modeling jobs drying up, Sierra, too, is on the cusp of reinventing herself.

Caroline returns to her favorite place: the sewing shop owned by Mrs. Lindy Bloom, the woman who inspired her and taught her to sew. There she discovers that even in an idyllic beach town, there are women living with the deepest of secrets. Thus begins the Oysterville Sewing Circle—where women can join forces to support each other through the troubles they keep hidden.

Yet just as Caroline regains her creativity and fighting spirit, and the children begin to heal from their loss, an unexpected challenge tests her courage and her heart. This time, though, Caroline is not going to run away. She’s going to stand and fight for everything—and everyone—she loves.

My Comments:

Have you ever read one of those books that just ties up too neatly?  Well, this is one of them.  While I enjoyed the story and admired a lot about Caroline, there were quite a few events in the book that made me raise my eyebrows--why in the world would any sensible person make THAT choice?  As a romance novel, I knew the ending of the Will/Caroline story right away, but some of the subplots has resolutions that I just didn't think rang true.  

Like many of Susan Wiggs' other books, this is set in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone, or do they?  I wonder if she is setting up another series?  The setting was wonderful and I would like get better get to know some of the sewing ladies.  

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

The View from Alameda Island

The View of Alameda Island

About the Book:

From the outside looking in, Lauren Delaney has a life to envy—a successful career, a solid marriage to a prominent surgeon and two beautiful daughters who are off to good colleges. But on her twenty-fourth wedding anniversary Lauren makes a decision that will change everything.

Lauren won’t pretend things are perfect anymore. She defies the controlling husband who has privately mistreated her throughout their marriage and files for divorce. And as she starts her new life, she meets a kindred spirit—a man who is also struggling with the decision to end his unhappy marriage.

But Lauren’s husband wants his “perfect” life back and his actions are shocking. Facing an uncertain future, Lauren discovers an inner strength she didn’t know she had as she fights for the love and happiness she deserves.

My Comments:

This book was unbelievable.  I don't mean exceptionally good or exceptionally bad; I mean that so many improbable things happened that by the end of the book there was no doubt that it was fiction.  While there was nothing that happened that in and of itself was impossible, the combination just had me shaking my head.  

One of the impossible stories had to do with a Catholic priest.  After many years in the priesthood, the last few on the "bishop track" Fr. Tim decides that while he still has faith in God and in the Church, he no longer wants to be a priest--he wants to work for an organization that serves the poor, and, of course, he doesn't want to be celibate anymore.  Once he makes the decision to leave, he gets into a relationship with a woman he has known for years and in the space of a few months has been laicized and has married the woman in a Catholic church.  

Ok, I can accept that if Robyn Carr is not Catholic she wouldn't realize how impossible that is, but the book main character's first marriages are each abusive in their own way and the behavior of each ex just gets stranger and stranger as the book progresses.  If either one of them had a spouse like those it would be unusual; that they both did?  Just bizarre.  At the end of the book something  happens to the ex's and it is all just too convenient.  

On the other hand, I really liked Lauren and how she stepped up to take control of her life.  Her new man is everything her husband wasn't--focused on her and what is good for her rather than on himself.  

All in all, I've seen much better from Carr but she did keep me reading and involved in the story until the end.  

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-

Who I Am With You: My Review

Who I Am With You

About the Book:

Jessica Mason isn’t looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter—and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband’s betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows.

Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship—but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination. 

When Jessica begins to read her great-grandfather’s Bible, she finds a connection with a man she never knew. Somehow the verses he marked and the words he wrote in the margins open her heart to healing. And as Ridley and Jessica help each other forgive the people who have wronged them, they must decide if the past will define them or if they will choose to love again. 

Who I Am With You weaves together a modern-day romance with Jessica’s great-grandfather’s story from the 1930s, reminding us that some truths can cross generations and that faith has the power to transform families forever.

My Comments:

There were a few years during which I read a lot of Christian fiction, mostly because the publishers were generous with review copies.  When NetGalley started offering a variety of genres I started reading different things and often skipped the Christian fiction. This one caught my eye so I gave it a try.  Unfortunately, though the basic storyline/romance was interesting, the book quickly became a sermon dressed up like a story and the characters became unrealistic.  It is one of those too good to be true, find Jesus and all will be well type books.

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

Things to Do When It Is Raining: My Review

Things to Do When It's Raining

About the Book:

Mae Summers and Gabe Broadbent grew up together in the idyllic Summers’ Inn, perched at the edge of the St. Lawrence River. Mae was orphaned at the age of six and Gabe needed protection from his alcoholic father, so both were raised under one roof by Mae’s grandparents, Lilly and George. Their childhood friendship quickly developed into a first love—a love that was suddenly broken by Gabe’s unexpected departure. Mae grew up, got over her heartbreak and started a life for herself in New York City.

After more than a decade, Mae and Gabe find themselves pulled back to Alexandria Bay. Hoping to find solace within the Summers’ Inn, Mae instead finds her grandparents in the midst of decline with their past unraveling around her. A lifetime of secrets stands in the way of this unconventional family’s happiness. Will they be able to reclaim the past and come together, or will they remain separate islands?

From the bestselling author of Mating for Life comes a powerful story about guilt, forgiveness and the truth about families: that we can choose them, just as we choose to love.

My Comments:

This is one of those books that I can see other people enjoying a lot more than I did.  It is the story of four couples--Lilly and George, Lilly and Everett, Virginia (Lilly's daughter) and Chase and Mae (Virginia's daughter) and Gabe.  In some ways it may have been the story of Jonah (Gabe's father) and Virgina as well.  It is a story of love, of secrets and of pain.  It is the story of the end of life and the story of new life.  It takes place in different timelines and at first it is hard to follow how it all fits together.

Unfortunately, I never connected with the characters or felt real empathy for them.  While I finished the book, I was glad to be done. 

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

Quick Review: An Engagment in Seattle

An Engagement in Seattle

About the Book:

Beginning marriage in unexpected ways…

A Convenient Beginning

Aleksandr Berinksi is a Russian biochemist in the United States on a visa, which is about to expire. Marriage will allow him to stay—marriage to Julia Conrad. If Julia’s going to save her Seattle-based company, she needs him as much as he needs her. There’s a Groom Wanted in Julia’s life. And not just any groom!

An Unusual Beginning

A billboard on the side of a Seattle road is common enough—but one advertising for a bride? It’s Chase Goodwin’s solution to the problem of finding a wife quickly, a wife to bring home to Alaska. Lesley Campbell has her own reasons for responding…and in no time she’s the Bride Wanted in Chase’s life!

My Comments:

According to the back cover copy above, this book has two stories; my NetGalley only had one, and it was about what you would expect from a romance novel bundled with another in one volume.  

Chase was a man on a mission--he wanted a bride and was advertising for one.  In the mean time, he met Lesley whose snatched purse he rescued, and he fell hard and quick.  Lesley was recovering from having her heart broken when her fiance of several  years dropped her just before the wedding, to marry a co-worker.  She decides she will marry him and go with him to Alaska.  Of course once they get there she realizes just how small the town is...but this is a romance novel so...

About the best grade I give these short formula romances is a B-, so that's what this one gets. 

Review: Christmas on the Coast

Christmas on the Coast

About the Book:

Christmas is approaching on the island of Jersey, but Libby is feeling far from festive. Her police work and duties as vicar’s wife weigh heavily on her, she’s anxious about her troubled children, and now her best friend, Stella, has suddenly turned against her, citing a mysterious family grudge.

Libby is devastated by Stella’s unexpected coldness. But then her father shows her a diary written by her great-aunt Queenie, which sheds light on a long-hidden secret—one rooted in love, loyalty and betrayal. Writing during the Nazi occupation of Jersey in the winter of 1941, Queenie reveals a community torn apart by illicit romance, heartbreak and revenge—and by dark acts of fear and desperation.

The more Libby immerses herself in Queenie’s journal, the more she understands why its secrets still haunt her family and Stella’s. Christmas is a time of forgiveness, but is the treachery of their shared past too shameful to be forgotten?

My Comments:

This is one of those book I always thought would be better than what it turned out to be.  I loved the setting--the island of Jersey, in between England and France.  I loved the dual time lines--part of the book was set during WWII and part of it was in 2016.  I liked the way the WWII story was told via journal entries.  

What didn't I like?  Well, the whole story about Stella turning away from her because of a family grudge.  These women had been friends through thick and thin since they were kids (now they have grown kids) and they knew there had "always" been problems between the families and now that she knew the reason (something that obviously had nothing to do with their generation) Stella was going to leave a close friend?  Sorry, I don't buy it.  

Other than that, it was a feel-good Christmas read and just the thing for a cold afternoon.  Grade:  B-

I'd like to thank the publisher for making the book available via NetGalley.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.  If you have Kindle Unlimited, this book is part of it.  

Review: The Rancher's Christmas Song

The Rancher's Christmas Song

About the Book:

Music teacher Ella Baker's plate is already full. But when single dad Beckett McKinley's wild twin boys need help preparing a Christmas song for their father, Ella agrees on one condition: they teach her to ride a horse. She's hoping that'll help mend her strained relationship with her rancher father; it certainly has nothing to do with the crush that's lingered since her one and only date with Beck. 

It isn't disinterest spurring Beck to keep his distance—if anything, the spark is too strong, with Ella reminding him of his ex-wife. Soon what started as an innocent arrangement is beginning to feel a lot like family. But with the holidays approaching, Beck and Ella will have to overcome past hurts if they want to keep each other warm this Christmas…

My Comments:

It's a Harlequin Christmas romance; do I really need to say anything else?  He's handsome; she's beautiful and the kids are good-hearted imps.  They've both been hurt, it is Christmas time and ....

Nope, nothing original at all, and a little over-written, but if you are looking for a heartwarming way to pass a couple of hours you could do worse.  

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-

Review: Lilac Lane

Lilac Lane

About the Book:

At the heart of Lilac Lane is Keira Malone, who raised her three children alone after her first marriage broke apart, and who, after years of guarding her heart, finally finds love again. But that love is short-lived when her fiancee suffers a fatal heart attack. Grieving and unsure of what’s next, Keira agrees to move from Dublin to Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, to spend time with her daughter, Moira, and her new granddaughter, Kate, as well as to help her son-in-law, Luke, with his Irish pub, O’Briens.

Not wanting to live underfoot, she rents a charming cottage on Lilac Lane, replete with views of the ocean and her neighbor’s thriving garden—not to mention views of the neighbor himself. The neighbor is none other than Bryan Laramie, the brusque and moody chef at the pub, with whom Keira is constantly butting heads. But things get real when Bryan’s long-lost daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a baby, shows up out of the blue. As Bryan and Keira each delve into their pasts, reopening wounds, the rest of the town is gearing up for the Fall Festival Irish Stew cook-off, and making no bones about whose side they’re on. It’s Kitchen Wars meets This is Your Life—a recipe for disaster…or a new take on love?

You won’t want to miss this epic return to Chesapeake Shores, a place we’re betting you’ll want to stay forever.

My Comments:

The fun thing about series books is keeping up with friends you made in the first book(s) as you read through the series.  The bad thing about them is some writers use series books as a way to be lazy about character and plot development.  I'm afraid that Sherryl Woods has reached that point with the Chesapeake Shores books.

Keira isn't exactly like any other character, but just like in the other books, the O'Brien family is omnipresent, meddling in other people's love lives and gathering for Sunday dinner at Nell's (everyone), at OBrien's Pub (mostly the men) or at the coffee shop (the women).  Of course there is a happily ever after and like Woods' other books it does not have vivid bedroom scenes.  

Given some things said in this book, I doubt this is Woods' last O'Brien book, but it is mine.  It isn't an awful book, and if you haven't read any (or many) of the others and you are looking for a mild diversion one afternoon, this may be right up your alley.  I, on the other  hand, am tired of the O'Briens.  

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

Blog Tour and Review: Sugar Pine Trail

Sugar Pine Trail

About the Book:

Librarian Julia Winston is ready to ditch the quiet existence she's been living. She's made a list of new things to experience, but falling for Jamie Caine, her sexy military pilot neighbor, isn't one of them. Julia's looking to conquer life, not become the heart breaker's latest conquest. But when two young brothers wind up in Julia's care for the holidays, she'll take any help she can get—even Jamie's. 

Happy to step in, Jamie reveals a side of himself that's much harder to resist. Not only is he fantastic with kids, he provides the strength Julia needs to tackle her list. She knows their temporary family can't last beyond the holidays, but the closer she gets to Jamie, the more she wonders if things could be this merry and bright forever…

My Comments:

Christmas romances can be so much fun, especially if you are looking for a quick easy heartwarming read and don't expect much realism. 

Julia is a sweet small town librarian who has lots of friends, but whose life has been spent meeting the expectations of others.  Not long before Christmas her book club makes wish lists--things they wish they could do, but haven't yet.  Julia's list includes having an orgasm with someone else.  

Julia lives in a large home she inherited from her parents, and which she has divided into two apartments.  A handsome pilot moves in upstairs.  She knows his family and knows that he doesn't do serious relationships, so of course she isn't willing to get close to him.

Right before Thanksgiving Julia notices that two young boys are spending too much time in the library and are walking home by themselves in a serious snowstorm.  She calls child welfare and ends up as their foster mother, and ends up getting a lot of help from the guy upstairs (the pilot).  He ends up seeing her bucket list and helps her achieve most of those goals--and then lets it slip that he has seen the list.

All in all, the book is predictable almost to a fault but they get their happily ever after and that's what Christmas romances are about, right.

Like Thayne's other novels, this one includes a passionate interlude, however, the characters remain dressed.  

Fans of the Haven Point and Hope's Crossing books will enjoy catching  up with many of the regular cast.  

I'd like to thank Little Bird Publicity for inviting me to join this tour.  Grade:  B-

Starting Over on Blackberry Lane: My Quick Review

Starting Over on Blackberry Lane

About the Book:

Stefanie Stahl has a husband with renovation ADD. He can't seem to finish anything he starts and her house is littered with his "projects." If he doesn't smarten up, she swears she's going to murder him and bury him under the pile of scrounged lumber in the backyard.  

Her friend Griffin James is suddenly single and thinking maybe she needs to sell her fixer-upper and follow her career bliss up the ladder of success, even if that scary ladder is clear across the country. Getting her place ready to sell proves harder than she originally thought. She needs help.  

She's not the only one. Cass Wilkes, their neighbor, has an empty nest—with a leaking roof. When her ceiling crashes in, she knows it's time to do something. When Grant Masters offers his handyman services at a fund-raiser auction, the three women go in together to outbid the competition and win their man. (Cass's friends think she should win Grant in a different way, too!) Now it's time to make some improvements…in their houses and their lives.

My Comments:

If the blurb above sounds a little like a soap opera, that's because this book is a little like a soap opera with characters from other books making appearances so we can keep up with them (if we can remember them) and with the main characters going though all sorts contortions before true love can happen.  

If what you want is a light afternoon read with no deeper meaning, this fits the bill. 

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

Review: The Life She Wants

The Life She Wants

About the Book:

In the aftermath of her financier husband’s suicide, Emma Shay Compton’s dream life is shattered. Richard Compton stole his clients’ life savings to fund a lavish life in New York City and, although she was never involved in the business, Emma bears the burden of her husband’s crimes. She is left with nothing. 

Only one friend stands by her, a friend she’s known since high school, who encourages her to come home to Sonoma County. But starting over isn’t easy, and Sonoma is full of unhappy memories, too. And people she’d rather not face, especially Riley Kerrigan. 

Riley and Emma were like sisters—until Riley betrayed Emma, ending their friendship. Emma left town, planning to never look back. Now, trying to stand on her own two feet, Emma can’t escape her husband’s reputation and is forced to turn to the last person she thought she’d ever ask for help—her former best friend. It’s an uneasy reunion as both women face the mistakes they’ve made over the years. Only if they find a way to forgive each other—and themselves—can each of them find the life she wants.

My Comments:

This is definitely not one of Robyn Carr's better books.  It is the story of Emma, who is starting over with almost nothing after the suicide of her husband, who had been convicted of bilking people out of millions of dollars.  She returns to her hometown but because of her husband's notoriety, the only work she can find is low-wage jobs like working at a fast food place or in housekeeping.  

When Emma was off at college, Emma's best friend and boyfriend got too close and ended up pregnant.  Of course Emma felt betrayed, even though her life was quickly moving beyond that small town.  Emma and Riley haven't spoken since, but when she couldn't find any other job, Emma swallows her pride and asks for a job with Riley's cleaning company.  

The main problem with the book is that it just wasn't realistic.  Riley has been keeping people at arm's length ever since her fallout with Emma.  Now all of the sudden she starts dating--and then quits because she realizes the guy who has been under her nose all these years...

Emma's love story is actually pretty believeable, but her work life after she gets home--absolutely not.  Her relationship with her stepmom was equally unrealistic.  She ends up rescuing a troubled teen, and a few months later everything is fine with that teen.  Basically the whole problem with the book is that all the endings were happy and many of them seemed hurried and forced.  

I bought this book with my own money and can say whatever I want about it.  Grade:  B-

Review of Rachel Allord's Mother of My Son

Mother of My Son

About the Book

College student Amber Swansen gives birth alone. In desperation, she abandons the newborn, buries her secret, and attempts to get on with her life. No matter how far she runs, she can't escape the guilt. Years later and still haunted by her past, Amber meets Beth Dilinger. Friendship blossoms between the two women, but Beth's son is a constant, painful reminder to Amber of the child she abandoned. When heartache hits, causing Amber to grapple with the answers to life's deeper questions, Beth stands by her side. Yet just when peace seems to be within Amber's grasp, the truth of her past and the parentage of Beth's son comes to light and threatens to shatter not only their worlds, but the life of the teenager they both love.

My Comments

Over the years I've read a lot of Christian fiction.  Some of the books are stories about people who happen to go to church on Sunday.  Some are stories that really delve into at least one character's spiritual life, and are basically about that character's relationship with God.  Others are sermons dressed up as stories.

Mother of My Son is the story of how guilt can ruin your life.  Amber has been self-destructive since that day when she abandoned her son and it is only after she finds Jesus that she finds peace.  The good people in the book are all faith-filled and the bad ones aren't.  Once Amber accepted Christ, all the pieces fell into place and everyone lived happily ever after.  

If you like explicit religion in books, this one will not disappoint.  Beth hosts a Bible study on the Gospel of John and as readers, we are invited.  Amber's conversion scene involves a heart-to-heart with her grandmother's friend, and we get the lyrics to a favorite hymn.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade B- (I'm not crazy about sermons dressed as stories). 

Review: Saving Jake

Saving Jake

About the Book:

There is always hope.

After eight years in the Marines, Jacob Lorde returns to Blessings, Georgia, with no plans other than to hole up in his empty house and heal what's left of his soul. But with a charming next door neighbor and a town full of friendly people, keeping to himself is easier said than done.

Blog Tour: My Father's House by Rose Chandler Johnson

MY FATHER’S HOUSE BY ROSE CHANDLER JOHNSON

Author: Rose Chandler Johnson

When all illusions of happily-ever-after shatter, Lily must choose to abandon her husband or risk losing much more than her marriage in Rose Chandler Johnson’s debut novel, My Father’s House. She flees their home in Detroit and sets out on a fearful journey to a house in Georgia that her husband knows nothing about. This is one woman’s compelling tale of love and survival as she finds her way back home to who she’s meant to be . . . in her father’s house.

Build Wealth & Spend It All: Quick Review

Build Wealth & Spend It All: Enjoy The Life You Earned

About the Book:

You can build wealth. You need to protect your retirement savings from future nationalization, taxation and redistribution. You deserve to spend everything you have earned and saved before you die. 

This is not a novel to numb the pain in your life for just a couple of hours. It is a tool box with the tools you can use to fix your life...forever. 

Dr. Riggs has been building wealth for over fifty years through several very different and very successful careers, each of which made him a multimillionaire. In this book he explains the three basic and easy to understand financial concepts anyone can use to both build and protect their wealth. But it was only during this past year, while he was visiting his 96 yr. old mother in a nursing home, he gained insight into what awaits most of our retirement savings.

The money his mother had earned as a public school teacher and had frugally saved for over 50 years was rapidly being drained away as she dozed off in her chair. They were taking it simply because she still had it; while other residents who had already enjoyed spending their money, were now getting a free ride.

He had helped his mother to save and invest when he should have encouraged her to spend. He had failed his own mother by not encouraging her to spend all she had earned and saved, while she was still able to enjoy it. But he was determined not to fail himself.

He needed a plan...a logical plan to enjoy strategically spending or gifting it all away over a predetermined period of time; before the private IRA, 401(k) and Roth retirement accounts are nationalized and redistributed. He needed a plan to spend it all and die broke - insolvent, but not illiquid or destitute. 

  

Surprisingly, his plan for building his wealth was simpler and came more naturally to him than his plan for spending it all. 

In this book he explains the three basic and easy-to-understand financial concepts anyone can use to help build their own wealth:

(1) Understand the difference between true assets and actual liabilities. 

(2) Always know where you are in the economic cycle. 

(3) Understand the implications of the coming demographic changes. 

Your grave stone will have two dates separated by a hyphen. You have no control over the dates but you do have control over the hyphen ... that's your life. Let this book show you how to make the most of that hyphen.

My Comments:

Most financial planning books tell you to save your money while you are young, invest it in mutual funds, and withdraw part of it when you are old, and leave the rest to your kids.  This book agrees with part about saving your money, but it is the author's opinion that our tax system/government is going to end up confiscating large portions of people's IRAs and 401Ks to get the money to support all the baby boomers who have not saved enough for retirement.  Stanley Riggs, the author, is a fan of investing in real estate and businesses.  He is also in favor of people front-loading their retirement spending during the first years of retirement, and then dying broke, or close to it.  

The book was easy to read and if you agree with his assessment that the government is going to take people's retirement accounts, then you'll probably agree with his choice of investments.  Since I don't agree with that prediction, I take a jaundiced eye toward the book.

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

Review: Innocence Lost

Innocence Lost - A Childhood Stolen

About the Book:

On July 14th, 1942, me, my mother, father, precious little brother, Chaim Kabliski, Aunt Ania, Uncle Addam and my cousins, Adiya and Aaron, were all forcibly evicted from their beautiful apartment in Warsaw by heartless, well-armed German soldiers with snarling dogs and crammed into a cattle wagon along with eighty other suffering souls. 

When we arrived at a camp called Auschwitz/Birkenau, they were all murdered in gas chambers, burned in ovens like trash and their ashes unceremoniously spread like fertilizer on a nearby field. Only through a miracle did I survive. I want you to hear my story so the world will never forget. Those horrible people may have stolen my childhood, but they can’t steal my memories. So, let me begin.

My Comments:

I found this story hard to believe.  The introductory material says the author talked to an Auschwitz survivor and based this novel on her story, so I don't know how much is true and how much is not. Basically the little girl in the story was pulled out of the line to the gas chamber by an SS doctor who had recently lost a daughter her age.  He took her into his home, and when the camp was abandoned, he took her with him when he fled.  Eventually he ends  up as a Catholic priest.  She marries and moves to Israel.  

The story was compelling at times but it is a self-published book and it shows.  The writing is not of a professional caliber.  Oral histories can be fascinating and this one shows the ending of the war through the eyes of one of the villain class. It shows an unlikely alliance between an SS physician who hates Jews, and a young Jewish girl.  

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

Review: A Cold Creek Christmas Story

A Cold Creek Christmas Story (Harlequin Special Edition)

About the Book:

Celeste Nicholas has always preferred to keep to herself in her hometown of Pine Gulch, Idaho…until she becomes an instant celebrity! When one of her children's stories becomes a major success, she's suddenly the talk of the town. Celeste should be gloriously happy…but something, someone, special is still missing from her life. Could the return of her childhood crush be the answer?  

Flynn Delaney has moved back home for his daughter's sake. Yet all the millionaire's resources can't help the little girl heal from the tragic loss of her mother. Shy librarian Celeste and her stories do hold some indefinable magic, though. Flynn came home looking for support—can he find that, and true love, in the one who got away?

My Comments:

Celeste is your stereotypical librarian.  She is shy, bookish, and doesn't realize how pretty she is.  Flynn is the son and widower of celebrities.  While very handsome, he wants no part of the celebrity culture.  Flynn's daughter is recovering from a traumatic injury and needs patience, love, and maybe some Christmas magic to draw her out of her shell.  Of course, all can be found in Pine Gulch.  

Last year I reviewed The Christmas Ranch and this is a continuation of that story.  Like Thayne's other books, this has some passionate kissing, but no other activity is even alluded to.  At times the writing seemed overdone and melodramatic, but the basic story was, well, a basic heartwarming Christmas romance.  Grade: B-.

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

Mommy, Mommy, When You Pray

Mommy, Mommy, When You Pray

About the Book:

Celebrate the simple joys of family life! A mother shares with her children the joy and thanksgiving she offers through prayer, teaching them that they are blessings, just in being who God made them to be.

My Comments:

The story starts with a son asking his mother what is in her heart when she prays.  She replies that she thanks God for "little hearts, and hands and faces. Whispers that tickle, and horseback races. For every curious cabinet searcher, and overflowing imagination to nurture.".  There are pictures of the family sledding and kids in a holiday performance.  Kids joining the parents in bed in early morning are also shown. The book concludes with "My heart says thank you.  Thank you God".  

Teaching kids to pray is an important part of motherhood and this book show that we should start with thanking God for the most precious part of our lives, our family.  Grade:  B-

I'd like to thank Catholic Word for sending me a review copy of the book.  Catholic Word describes itself as " a one-stop resource for leading programs and religious titles from over 35 top Catholic publishers. For over 15 years, Catholic Word has built a reputation based on quality, personal relationships and a devotion to excellence in service."  The mission they espouse is "to build up the Church one soul at a time through top quality Catholic materials and resources. Wherever a person is on their faith journey, we offer real help to taking the next step closer to God. Our motto is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason."  They claim to be "100% faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium".  

Quick Review: Christmas on Candy Cane Lane

Christmas on Candy Cane Lane (Life in Icicle Falls)

About the Book:

Everyone's getting ready for Christmas in Icicle Falls, especially on Candy Cane Lane, where holiday decorating is taken very seriously. Tilda Morrison, town cop, is looking forward to celebrating Christmas in her first house…until she discovers that she's expected to "keep up" with the neighbors, including Maddy Donaldson, the inspiration behind the whole extravaganza. But this year, someone's destroying Maddie's precious candy canes! Thank goodness for the cop in their neighborhood. 

Tilda already has her hands full trying to sort out her love life and fix up her fixer-upper. Oh, and won't it be fun to have the family over for Christmas dinner? Not really… Then there's her neighbor, Ivy Bohn. As a newly single mom, Ivy can sum up the holiday in two words: Bah, humbug. But she's determined to give her kids a perfect Christmas. 

Despite family disasters, irritating ex-husbands and kitchen catastrophes, these three women are going to find out that Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year!

My Comments:

I think most Christmas romances are very sweet and very predictable, and this one fits that bill perfectly.  Honestly, sometimes I had a little trouble keeping track of who was who, but in the end it really didn't matter because everyone ended up living happily ever after.  Ho-Ho-Ho.  

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