Author: Janet Goss

Publisher: NAL Trade Paperback

ISBN: 978-0-451-235695

Publish Date: March 6, 2012

Pages: 322 Trade Paperback

Type: Fiction

Purchase: $10.19 at Amazon.com

Solving the Puzzle…

Dana Mayo, an artist and cross-world solving whiz, lives in New York.  The one problem in her life that she seemingly can never solve is her love life.   She continues to carry a torch for a man who she loved over 20 years ago.  When she met Ray Devine, he was a married man.  She just can’t seem to let him go, or at least the image of the man she believed was her true love.  She attempts to track him down, however is met with disasterous results.

Shortly thereafter, Dana meets a handsome neighbor, Hank Wheeler, a general contractor who lives with his pet pig in a brownstone which he is renovating for a wealthy client.  Dana and Hank are a seemingly right match in every way, yet there is something about him that just doesn’t add up for Dana.  The way that he handles his job and speaks of his past leaves Dana with doubts that he is not who he claims to be.  Yet, he fits her well and she continues to date him, all the while using his pet pig, Dinner, as the subject of her art pieces which she is succesfully selling.

Added to the mix is an alluring, sexy younger man, W.W. Moody.  She meets him in her travels to visit her best friend, Elinor Ann.  Her instant attraction and their mutual chemistry is undeniable.  The surprising part about their crossing of paths is that he is a famous newspaper crossword puzzle creator.  Dana is obviously a fan and has solved many of his puzzles.  Moody is nearly half her age and not a right fit for Dana’s life.  She attempts to steer clear of Moody and focus on her relationship with Hank, however Moody is as persistent with his adoration as any man can be.  She engages with him in creating puzzles which may potentially make the paper and is undeniably attracted to him.  Dana goes against her better judgment and does meet up with him on several occasions and finds herself unable to resist their physical connection.  Eventually, Dana subcombs to his ways at a crossword-solving competition/convention and finds herself in a position of having to admit to Hank that she has been unfaithful in the relationship.

Reeling in the knowledge that Ray Devine has passed away, Dana is torn admist her feelings for both Hank and Moody.  They both want her… they both love her… now, it’s up to Dana to solve her love-life once and for all.

Poor Miss. Mayo…

When I began this book, the first chapter instantly hooked me into the story.  A fantastic beginning with surprising turns in the plot, I admittedly couldn’t put the book down.  However, as the book progressed, the pace slowed for me.  It never slowed to a pace in which I lost interest in the story, however it took me a bit longer to finish this book than to others which have completely engulf my senses.  

As to the heroine of the story, Dana, she is a flawed character who is relatable.    However, so much emphasis was put to her personal love life rather than to who she was just as a woman in the world.  Too many others in her life impacted her life choices.  She didn’t represent a strong, empowered woman who I could find respect for.  I had a difficult time connecting to her.

Rating

Overall, it was a good book which I enjoyed reading.  Like most novels, some parts stood out more than others.  As I mentioned before, the beginning of the book was intriguing.  Towards the end of the read, I was anxious to discover who Dana Mayo decided to give her heart to.   I found the book to be an enjoyable one and it made for a nice bedtime story.

For more information on Janet Goss, visit her website at www.janetgossbooks.com.

FTC Disclosure:  This book was provided to me from the publisher.  Clicking on the either the photo of the book cover or the link next to the purchase price stated above will bring you to my Amazon Affiliate page.  No purchases are necessary.

Author: Ashley Ream

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

ISBN: 978-0062093646

Publish Date: March 6, 2012

Pages: 306 Trade Paperback

Type: Fiction

Purchase: $10.19 at Amazon.com

Meeting Clementine…

Clementine Pritchard, a world-renowned artist, has decided her own fate.  Tired of living an unhappy life, filled with counseling and  psychiatric medications, she chooses to end her life in 30 days.  Within this last month of her life, she has elected to end the therapy, flush her medications down the toilet, and tie up the loose ends of her life. 

First was her plan as to how to end her life.  She decides to take a trip down to Mexico to obtain a lethal and illegal animal euthanizing drug.  When she drops off her beloved cat, Chuckles, at her ex-husband’s house for him to babysit while she is away, she finds herself faced with telling him a lie about her pending death.  She informs Richard that she has terminal cancer and needs to go to Mexico to obtain drugs for the condition.   Unwilling to let her face a dangerous and notorious Mexican Border alone, he goes on the trip with her, not realizing what she is really there to purchase.  Their unexpected actions in Mexico demonstrate to Clementine that the love between them is not lost.  That loose end was not as neatly tied up as she’d planned.

To the disbelief of her colleagues, Clementine decides to fire her assistant, Jenny, and forgo her upcoming gallery showing.  This is just the beginning of the antics she enacts during the last days of her life.  She plans for her death with precision and poise, yet she is faced with situations pertaining to her mother and sister’s death that she did not anticipate.   Reckless yet thoughtful, Clementine lives each day as though it has a destiny of its own.

Loving Clementine…

As I turned the last few pages of this superbly realistic and poignant novel, I was faced with the last planned day of Clementine’s life.  Filled with both tears and laughter through some of her final steps, I mentally begged Ream not to let Clementine seal her scheduled fate.  I had grown to love Clementine as those around her did.  Only, she didn’t know just how loved and needed she truly was.  Clementine had given up on herself and doubted the loyalty of those who knew her best.   She couldn’t see a future which would bring her not only the great successes but the small indulgences which only life can bring.  However, the reader could see it for her. 

It is nearly impossible to read this book and not find a soft spot in your heart for this unforgettable character.  She became as real to me as a close friend.  As I approached the final pages of the novel, I wished for more and more pages filled with Clementine’s thoughts.  After I finished the book, I was left pondering the outcomes of the vivid characters which Ream had created in my mind.   Few books have left me having to know more, read more.  Losing Clementine is one such book.  It’s the type of story which makes it hard to put the book down and stays with you when you’ve finished it. 

One of my favorite paragraphs in the book is, “I looked at her.  She was ready to crumple.  She was made of nothing more substantial than tissue paper.  She could blow away in the wind right then or dissolve in the rain.”  I have lived such moments, I have loved and lost like Clementine.  I understand the darkness and the light that was so beautifully brought forth in this story.

Rating

I understand that this is Ashley Ream’s debut novel.  I am immediate fan.  I’ve decided to follow her on Facebook/Twitter and encourage readers to explore her website at http://ahream.com/.  Her writing brings you into scenes which are not only memorable and realistic, but also reflect the darker humor in life.   All I can simply say is that I highly recommend the read… it’s well worth your time and will leave you with a lasting impression.

FTC Disclosure:  This book was provided to me from the publisher.  Clicking on the either the photo of the book cover or the link next to the purchase price stated above will bring you to my Amazon Affiliate page.  No purchases are necessary.

Author: Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

ISBN: 978-0-8499-4615-8

Publish Date: November 2, 2010

Pages: 162 Trade Paperback

Type: Biography: Religious

Purchase: $8.75 at Amazon.com

Review

After a minister’s son undergoes emergency appendectomy and nearly loses his life, Colton Burpo begins to reveal to his parents the tale of his visit to heaven while in the hospital.  At the young age of 4 years old, he begins to describe to his parents events of his out of his body experience.  For example, he tells them what he witnessed them doing in another section of the hospital while he was in surgery.   He then begins to share with him the glory of heaven and all that had witnessed, including meeting his great-grandfather and unborn sister.  Colton describes in great detail how angels appeared, what Jesus looked like, and the glorious beauty of heaven.

As Colton shares the details of his visit, these provided facts to his father mirror the words which are stated in the Bible.  At his young age, he had not yet read or heard about such things.  Some of the sweeter points of the book were how Colton described that nobody is old in heaven and everybody appears as their best self.  He held such a vivid image in his mind of the way that Jesus appeared, that he claimed that Jesus didn’t look like most of the pictures that were shown to him.   However, upon meeting a young female artist who had also claimed to have seen Jesus and subsequently painted his portrait, Colton confirmed that image as being what Jesus truly looked like.   Colton also shares his amazement of how “really, really big” God is. 

After reading similar tales such as 90 Minutes in Heaven, this story mirrors other books which I have read before about eye-witness accounts of God’s heavenly home for us.  It doesn’t provide a complete validation that there is, in fact, truly a heaven.  However, the book makes a strong case for believing in it. 

Rating

For Christians, a book such as this is a loving reminder of what we have to look forward to after we have finished our earthly life.   For non-believers, I maintain that this book will, at minimum, raise eyebrows and make them consider the possibility of life in heaven after death.  Children of such a young age cannot muster up the facts that Colton was able to bring forth to his parents out of a simple imagination.  Colton was even able to identify a picture of “Pop” after meeting him in heaven (as he had never met him in life).  This boy was also able to reaffirm the greatness and glory of God and heaven.  It was the perfect reminder during the Christmas holiday season of my Christian faith and of what I have to look forward to.

Author:  Nicholas Sparks

Publisher:  Grand Central/Hachette

ISBN #:  978-0-446-54765-9

Type:  Fiction

Pages:  292 Hardback

Publish Date:  October 11, 2011

Website:  http://nicholassparks.com/

Purchase:  $14.26 (HERE) 

The Story

In the small town of Oriental, North Carolina, people tell lies, capture secrets and hold revenge in their hearts.  Like other small towns, some of its citizens move away and start lives anew.  They move away to escape their secrets and avoid the hurts that once held them captive.  Yet, despite their relocations, their roots are tied to their hometown and the love that bounds them there.  Amanda and Dawson are two such people.  Both moved away from Oriental to start their lives over again.  However, neither of them chose the life that they had dreamed of in high school, when they were completely and solely in love with one another.

Amanda Collier came from a wealthy family whose sights were set on her going to college and marrying well.  Dawson Cole was born into a less fortunate family.   Despite her family’s unwillingness to accept or approve of their relationship, Amanda fell deeply in love with her once-in-a-lifetime soul mate.  He was an outcast from a renegade, criminal-minded family with a bad reputation which proceeded them.  He left his home and moved in with Tuck, a local auto-mechanic.  He kept his meager room and board by working, the majority of the proceeds of which were stolen by his menacing, threatening family.   Luckily Tuck understood and allowed Dawson to stay with him.  It was there that Amanda would come and visit Dawson.  Tuck was the constant, supportive friend who was seemingly always there for Dawson and, later, for Amanda.

Years after life had separated their great love due to instance of tragedy, Amanda and Dawson were brought back together via Tuck’s passing.   As they meet up at his home to sort out his belongings and attend his funeral, they were faced with messages from  Tuck.  He knew and loved them both.  As such, he had letters filled with words of wisdom and love for each of them as they rediscover the long-lost love they had for one another.  Although they are able to face this great love and open their hearts to one another, their fates would take their worlds in directions they could never imagine.

The Review

The Best of Me is one of the best novels to come from Nicholas Sparks.  What amazed me the most about this read was the way in which Sparks painted such a vivid, vital cast of characters, all of which the reader wants to learn the fate of.  Like most small towns, everybody is related to another in some manner and this story provided that same feel… that everything and everybody in the story were connected.   In following the fates of these characters, Sparks surprises the reader with not always providing the anticipated results as the pages turned.  Rather, what the reader anticipated didn’t always materialize in the expected way.

The twists & turns, the underlying love story, the uniquely imaginable characters, and the well synchronized story telling cumulate into a heartfelt and memorable novel.

The Rating

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale,” I am giving The Best of Me a rating of 9 out of 10.  It has all of the components that a good novel needs… love, family, tragedy,  spirituality and betrayal.  A seasoned writer, Nicholas Sparks provides it all!

Disclosure to new readers: I’m a HUGE Nicholas Sparks fan!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Nicholas Sparks.  I have read all of his books, own all of his books and the movies based off of them! 

Works By Nicholas Sparks

• Safe Haven
• The Wedding
• Wokini
• The Last Song
• The Lucky One
• The Choice
• Dear John 
• At First Sight
• True Believer
• Three Weeks With My Brother
• The Wedding
• The Guardian
• Nights In Rodanthe
• A Bend In The Road
• The Rescue
• A Walk To Remember
• Message In a Bottle
• The Notebook

Author: Emily Giffin

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Website: http://www.emilygiffin.com/

Type: Fiction: Chick Lit

ISBN #: 978-0-312-55417-0

Pages: 368 Trade Paperback

Purchase: $10.19 at Amazon.Com

The Story Line

Tessa Russo is the stay-at-home mother of two small children and married to Nick, a well known plastic surgeon.  Little did she know that on the night of their wedding anniversary, her life would change indefinitely.

Valerie Anderson is a single working mother.  Despite being on her own, she has become a successful attorney.  She is very protective over her only son, Charlie.  Charlie is invited to a sleep-over birthday party at a friend’s house.  While she believes that he is too young for that, she reluctantly agrees to let him go.  The unimaginable happened that night and her son was severely injured.

Nick Russo was the surgeon assigned to Charlie’s case.  Unbeknownst to Tessa, as he works to heal Charlie, he builds a strong friendship bond with Valerie.Even with his best intentions set forth, Nick is tested by his feelings for Valerie.   Tessa struggles to ensure that her marriage remains strong and healthy despite the fact that she feels innately that something is just not right.  All three of them are faced with the challenge of making not only the best decisions, but the right ones as well, while being true to their hearts.

My Review

I am a true fan of Emily Giffin’s books.   She’s well known for her book Something Borrowed, which is now out in theatres.  The sequel to this novel was Something Blue, which earned a 9 out of 10 in my review of it.  Baby Proof followed these two novels and scored high on my list.  Another favorite is Love the One You’re With. The Heart of the Matter had a much different feel than the prior novels.  It was more serious in nature, but contained the depth you crave in a novel.  With well-developed characters and great twists in the plot, this novel measured up to Giffin’s prior works.  Even under the worst of circumstances for these characters, you find yourself pulling for them.  You wanted redemption and love to win.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale”:

The truth of the matter is that I very much enjoyed this book.  Her next work is entitled Where We Belong and readers are treated to an excerpt of that book at the end of this paperback edition.   Giffin has made a lifetime fan of me and The Heart of the Matter measures up to her list of great works.

Author: Kim Gruenenfelder

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

ISBN: 978-031261459-1

Publish Date: December 21, 2010

Type: Fiction: Women’s

Purchase: $8.81 at Amazon.com

Be Aware of What You Pull Out of a Cake!

Have you ever been to a bridal shower in which you participated in a “cake pull?”  In this fantastic novel, a bride carefully makes a cake that holds silver charms in each slice.   Each charm is tied by a ribbon that the guest pulls out of their slice of cake to learn a fortune of their future.  Nicole, the bride, believes that these charms will magically change the future of each of her guests.  For example, if a friend was to pull the baby carriage, then a baby was in her future.  Nicole painstakingly arranges the cake to match her seating chart for the bridal shower so that the each charm she chose for her friends match their destiny.  However, the cake gets accidentally shifted and nobody gets the charms intended for them.

Nicole’s best friends, Seema and Melissa, are disappointed to pull the shovel and the chili pepper, respectively.  Nicole is even more disappointed when she pulls the baby carriage charm.  After all, she is marrying the love of her life, Jason, who happens to bring two darling daughters to the marriage.  Nicole had picked out the chili pepper for Seema so that she would have a steamy-hot love life while she chose the engagement ring for Melissa so that she would tie the knot with her long-time boyfriend of 6 years.  All three of the women were disappointed in the charms they pulled and dreaded what that may mean for their future especially because they begin to see the other women’s fortunes coming true!

Over the course of this book, we get to intimately know Nicole (aka “Nic”), Seema, and Melissa as we watch their lives unfold.  Filled with laugh-out-loud moments, the reader gets completely consumed in the lives of these three friends.  This book is so intriguing, yet light enough to read at a deliciously quick pace.   Kim Gruenenfelder scores again with a superb novel.

How Does It Rate?

This author also penned two of my favorite “Chick Lit” novels:  A Total Waste of Makeup and Misery Loves Cabernet. Although this isn’t a sequel to these two other fabulous books, this novel stands proudly on its own.  The characters are well-developed and easily relatable.  You cannot miss with this book as a hillarious tale of self-discovery and love.

Publisher: Berkley Trade

ISBN: 978-0425240861

Publish Date: May 3, 2011

Pages: 432 Trade Paperback

Type: Fiction: Women’s

Purchase: $9.39 at Amazon.com

Summary

The most unlikely trio of women, Madeline, Avery and Nikki are brought together via a mutual tragedy. Their commonality is that they have discovered that their entire life savings has been stolen by their financial advisor in a “ponzi-like” scheme.

Madeline is a housewife whose children, Kyra and Andrew, have left the nest. Unlike some mothers in her circle, she finds joy in the possibilities of her new lifestyle. She looks forward to clearing out the house, creating a craft room, and dedicating her time to personal interests that she’s long since put off after becoming a full-time mother. Madeline is married to Steve, an investment broker, who she comes to find out has placed all of their live savings in the hands of Malcolm Dyer. Malcolm Dyer is now currently missing and under investigation by the FBI for mismanaging millions in private funds. Of course, both Malcolm and the money are nowhere to be found. As Steve had not only invested the couple’s money in Malcolm Dyer’s “to-good-to-be-true-return” funds, but many others as well, he had lost his job months ago. Afraid of Madeline’s reaction, Steve has kept this secret from her leaving for work every day as though it was business as usual. It isn’t until Steve’s mother has an accident that Madeline tries to reach Steven at the office and discovered that he has been lying to her for over 6 months about not only his job, but the fact that they are broke.

Avery is part of the duo who host “Hammer & Nail,” a home fixer-upper show in which she and her gorgeous husband, Trent, renovate projects. Shortly after Trent and their producer begin to have an affair, Avery divorces Trent. Little did she know that when the show was renewed for another season, her contract was not. Not worried about the financial repercussions, she doesn’t go after the normal alimony and financial equality that she was entitled to during the split because the divorce was of her doing. She didn’t expect that she would lose her job just as much as she didn’t expect to discover that her inheritance from her father’s death was completely depleted. Her father had also invested everything with Malcolm Dyer.

Nicole (aka “Nikki”) is a professional match-maker who is suddenly facing financial troubles when she discovers that her nest egg, seemingly growing in Malcolm Dyer’s fund, was lost forever.

What Madeline, Avery and Nikki discover is that, via the Malcolm Dyer investing, they each own a 1/3 share of a home in Florida at Ten Beach Road. This evacuated, beach-side mansion in Florida, is apparently worth millions; that is, had it been in decent enough shape to sell. The trio discover that they are able to double their money in selling this historic building by first bringing it back to life via a renovation. They meet up with an old acquaintance of Avery’s who agrees to perform the renovation, as the general contractor, for a percentage of the sales when the home is sold. He convinces them that the renovation could take place over the summer and that the best approach is for the women to live in the home together and perform much of the “grunt-work” required for the renovation to save money. This begins their adventure, the three women and the contractor on a road to restore their desolate financial situation by renovating and selling this dilapidated home.

Despite their newly discovered camaraderie, family members and secrets emerge that threaten to tear their friendships apart and they almost lose all hope of financial redemption, when a hurricane threatens the nearly-completed mansion.

Rating

The first in a hopefully delightful choice in 2011 summer reads, this book had me longing for a sunset, a margarita, and a great friend to share it with. The novel provides emotional layers of each of the characters and delivers their motivations and fears with subtle precision. For your summer beach-read list, this makes the top 10.