All Summer Long #9

ALL SUMMER LONG                                  SUSAN MALLERY
Posted: June 30, 2013

All Summer Long (Fool's Gold, #9)Former underwear model turned entrepreneur Clay Stryker has loved, tragically lost and vowed that he'll never risk his heart again. After making his fortune, the youngest of the rugged Stryker brothers returns to Fool's Gold, California, to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But he's frustrated to discover that even in his hometown, people see him only for his world-famous…assets.Firefighter Chantal (Charlie) Dixon grew up an ugly duckling beside her delicately beautiful mother, a feeling reinforced long ago by a man who left soul-deep scars. Now she has good friends, a solid job and the itch to start a family—yet she can't move toward the future while she's haunted by painful memories.

Clay finds an unexpected ally, and unexpected temptation, in tomboyish Charlie, the only person who sees beyond his dazzling good looks to the real man beneath. But when Charlie comes to him with an indecent proposal, will they be able to overcome their pasts and find a love that lasts beyond one incredible summer?


MY REVIEW:


Once again Susan does a fantastic job of bringing her characters to life. Her story telling is like a movie unfolding to the point where you can almost see each person. For sure you can feel their emotions. Like Charlie (short for Chantal) who is a Firefighter who has always felt lime they ugly duckling next her famous ballerina mom. Then when she was raped in college those scars have never gone away. When she meets the brother of a good friend who has just moved to town they become good friends. Which to most seems very odd since Clay used to be a underwear model & she is so tomboyish. Yet, they find common ground & she ask him to help her in an unusual way. With a romance that catches them & everyone else by storm. I like the tenderness that she gave Clay for the research to help Charlie & for the emotion shown and vulnerability shown all through knowing she wanted the bigger picture. Not sure it is realistic but hey its a story.

Where Azaleas Bloom #10

WHERE AZALEAS BLOOM #10                       SHERRYL WOODS
Posted: June 30, 2013

Where Azaleas Bloom (The Sweet Magnolias, #10)Single mom Lynn Morrow is determined to put food on the table for her son and daughter. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband has failed to meet his obligations time and again—but it turns out that Ed is struggling with his own demons.Enter contractor Mitch Franklin, an unlikely knight in shining armor. A widower with two grieving sons, Mitch once admired Lynn from afar. Now he sees in her not only the sweet girl who got away, but a woman desperately in need of support. While rushing to the rescue of Lynn and her children comes naturally to Mitch, he's also wise enough to encourage Lynn to find her own way…hopefully straight into his arms.

MY REVIEW:

As always Sherryl Woods offers up a storyline that keeps you totally engulfed in the story. All the characters are so charismatic that you can't seem to get enough of them. All the "Sweet Magnolias" are a force to be reckoned with and Lynn albeit not officially a "Sweet Magnolia" at the beginning of the book. By the end show her strong resolve & back bone in order to keep her family fed & a roof over their heads proves soon enough she's got the stuff. Getting a divorce from Ed is going to be the best thing to happen to her though she may not think that at first.
Enter Mitch. An old school friend who had a mad crush on her when he was 13 but Ed had won her heart. He is a widower a year now after his wife was killed by a drunk driver. He is working next door to Lynn's & sees that she is struggling to make ends meet. So, he steps in to help.
This story not only show you to rely on friends, asking for help, go out and help yourself don't wait for it to happen & follow your dreams & go after what you want. Really loved all the twist & turns of the storyline. The secret Ed was hiding did not see that coming at all. Must read for sure

A New Dawn In Montana

A NEW DAWN IN MONTANA                     ISLA TEAGUE
Posted: June 30, 2013
 
 

Holly Winters arrives in Montana having inherited a ranch from the father she never knew.

As far as Holly is concerned, the faster she can do what she's got to do in Montana - and get back to her hectic career - the better.

But there are two things she hasn't bargained on:

- Falling for the heart-stoppingly lovely Ben Cormack, owner of the neighboring ranch;
- And finding out something important about her father - something that will make her re-evaluate everything about her life.
 
MY REVIEW:
 
Now this has all the elements you look for in a love story. Even though I knew it was a novella when it was at its end I was saying "No not yet!" So I hope the next book comes along soon. Very quickly read but so worth it. It was that instant connection that is so rare since like Holly people jet set to much that they don't stay still long enough. Ben was a man who had suffered loss in his life with a sibling & now his dear friend who was Holly's father but connections mean a lot to him & mending fences.
 
 


Free to Love

FREE TO LOVE                                           SYDELL VOELLER
Posted: June 30, 2013

Free to LoveOne year after Joanna Sullivan’s husband, Kyle, a firefighter, has been killed while battling a house fire, Joanna makes a desperate attempt to start over. She moves to a new town, embarks on a new career at the local coastal aquarium, and attempts to refurbish a dilapidated duplex. Then Austin, her husband’s brother, visits unexpectedly He offers to stay and help her with the much needed repairs.

Joanna soon discovers, however, that Austin’s presence is proving more disturbing than helpful. His resemblance to Kyle is uncanny, thwarting her resolve to put her husband’s memory to rest. Worse, she is strongly attracted to Austin. Austin, a veterinarian, shares Joanna’s love of nature, and the two find much common ground as they team up to help clean up the beaches and save the native birds and wildlife from the encroachment of civilization.

Can Joanna let go of her grief and love Austin in his own right? Or will he always remain the a painful reminder of her husband?


MY REVIEW:


Kyle & Jo are a newly married couple when Kyle a firefighter is killed in a fire. Jo trying to struggle through the loss can no longer live with the loss living where it happened & moves back to her hometown where her aunt & support is. Kyle's family has thrown themselves into work to survive. So, before moving back she secures a job in her field of study & buys a fixer upper on the beach. Within weeks though Kyle's brother Austin appears after months of no contact. It instantly stirs raw feelings within her & many question of why he is there, why he would track her down & feelings of guilt for not telling anyone she was going. Emotions run high for them both & sparks fly. This is such a raw emotion at times & others just a peaceful experience. I did feel at times I was getting a Eco lesson but it wasn't heavy handed. Overall, totally enjoyed this story

The Great Escape

THE GREAT ESCAPE                                 SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS
Posted: June 30, 2013

The Great Escape (Wynette, Texas, #7)The Great Escape

Where do you run to when your life has fallen apart?

Lucy Jorik is a champ at never embarrassing the family she adores—not surprising since her mother is one of the most famous women in the world. But now Lucy has done just that. And on her wedding day, no less, to the most perfect man she's ever known.

Instead of saying "I do" to Mr. Irresistible, Lucy flees the church in an ill-fitting blue choir robe and hitches a ride on the back of a beat-up motorcycle plastered with offensive bumper stickers. She's flying into the unknown with a rough-looking, bad-tempered stranger who couldn't be more foreign to her privileged existence.

While the world searches for her, Lucy must search for herself, and she quickly realizes that her customary good manners are no defense against a man who's raised rudeness to an art form. Lucy needs to toughen up—and fast.

Her great escape takes her to his rambling beach house on a Great Lakes island. Here, she hopes to find a new direction . . . and unlock the secrets of this man who knows so much about her but reveals nothing about himself. As the hot summer days unfold amid scented breezes and sudden storms, she'll also encounter a beautiful, troubled beekeeper; a frightened young boy; a modern-day evil queen; and a passion that could change her life forever.

In this dazzling follow-up to her New York Times bestseller Call Me Irresistible, Susan Elizabeth Phillips tells the funny, touching, enchanting story of a young woman searching for her destiny . . . and of a damaged man who doesn't believe in second chances.


MY REVIEW:

I had no idea who Panda was until the airport.  I just loved all the messed up characters but at the same time it was hard to follow what the heck was going on sometimes. The whole what's on first who's on second routine. The characters themselves were great. To see them unfold was so much fun. Like Big Mike. I loved how he wore his love for Bree on his sleeves & how he love Toby so very much. I loved how Susan addressed PTSD & how each person has to find the treatment that is best for them but to come forward with it because support is so important & freeing. This book has a lot of twist & turns. Could it really happen not likely but that is why it is called fiction.

                                                                      Back to You #1 Hard Crush HARD CRUSH                                  ...