Review: Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Publish Date: March 25, 2014
Trade Paperback {p.366}
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Publicist
Gerri Gilbert, Sonja Johanson, Andy Jamison, BJ Smith

Gerri can't decide what's more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair the damage. Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it's time to look carefully at herself. The journey for Gerri and her family is more than revealing—it's transforming.

Andy doesn't have a great track record with men, and she's come to believe that for her a lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to her down-to-earth, ordinary contractor—a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her—she questions everything she thought she wanted in life.

Sonja's lifelong pursuit of balance is shattered when her husband declares he's through with her New Age nonsense and walks out. There's no herbal tonic or cleansing ritual that can restore her serenity—or her sanity.

Miraculously, it's BJ, the reserved newcomer to Mill Valley, who steps into their circle and changes everything. The woman with dark secrets opens up to her neighbors, and together they get each other back on track, stronger as individuals and unfaltering as friends.

The characters and their issues draw you in as a reader because they are real and relatable. I was drawn to some characters more than others, but I still wanted to know the outcome for all of them.

Of the four friends, I was most interested in Andy and her budding relationship with her carpenter. I instantly adored Bob, the carpenter. I didn't understand why everyone in their lives was finding it hard to believe that Andy would be involved with Bob, but I however immediately got her attraction to him. They got to know one another as friends before it became something physical. I must admit, Bob may have been my favorite character of the entire book.

Sonja, I was iffy about. But once her marriage blew up, I loved her. The Sonja after her marriages falls apart was stronger, more real than the Sonja before. I didn't like her husband George before nor after. He just seemed so uncaring about what Sonja was going through.

Gerri, I felt for what she was going through, but at times I felt she should be focused on her own issues instead of telling Andy what she needs to do. When she should have been nosing into anyone's business it should have been Sonja's but BJ had to pint out everything going wrong there to Gerri. That proved to me that Sonja was right in her assessment that Gerri and Andy are friends and just includes Sonja.

I truly did enjoy every minute of this book. Great story, great characters, my only issue was the characters excessive use of the word "gd." But it was not enough to deter me from the story.

Review: Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews

Publish Date: June 4, 2013
Hardcover {p. 456}
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Public Library
Grace Stanton, Wyatt Keeler

Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their “divorce coach” starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?

Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life’s unpredictable twists and turns. Mary Kay Andrews' Ladies' Night will have you raising a glass and cheering these characters on.

I almost gave up on this one around chapter five or so. Here's why. First off, Grace finds her husband cheating, and she chooses to leave the house? No not happening. If he wouldn't get out, she should have stayed in one of the fifty million bedrooms the house had. Secondly, her mother kept telling her to get a divorce attorney yet she refused. She wasn't sure she wanted a divorce even though she caught her husband cheating and he admitted to it being a more than one time thing. I didn't know if I'd ever get past her "kept woman" persona to truly like her. Her not knowing anything about their finances and lack of asking her husband questions regarding those things kind of put me off toward her. Even so that I was unsure if I would finish this book.

I'm so glad I did. It picked up a lot after Grace started "divorce camp," and befriend the people in camp with her. All of them had some horror stories of their own. And the divorce counselor was a total disaster herself. Grace's ex, Ben, seemed like a total a-hole from page one. Especially when it came to her work; he could come in and make what she'd been working on for hours seem like crap.

Camp is also where Grace connects with Wyatt, who is also going through a divorce and custody battle. I liked him from the start and thought he'd be perfect for Grace. Of course they have their issues, mostly his ex-wife Callie, but other than that they seemed to work together perfectly. He did manage to piss me off a bit when it came to his ex; he was far too nice to her.

I got a kick out of Wyatt's father Nelson throughout the entire book. I was always laughing at him and his oh so kind words for his son's ex. Grace's mom, Rochelle, I never really clicked with. I don't know what it was, but she just came across as a little dull.

Overall the story moved along nicely with no lags other than the bit there at the start. That could have just been something I experienced because I was upset with Grace for having her head in the sand when it came to her finances.

Review: Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

 

Spring Fever
Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: June 5, 2012
Hardcover {p.402}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Annajane Hudgens, Mason Bayless
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Annajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless. They’ve been divorced for four years, she’s engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she’s ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia. But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she’s been given a second chance. Maybe everything happens for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back.

But there are secrets afoot in this small southern town. On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone. Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future.

I've always been a fan of Andrews since I first discovered her, and Spring Fever was no exception.

Annajane and Mason are still very much in love with each other although they've been divorced for quite some time. Both of them are now engaged to other people. Mason's fiancee is a scheming gold digger and Annajane's fiancee seems to be a bit of a slacker hippie type. Mason was the typical southern gentleman who does the right thing despite the fact that it may not best for him. He and Annajane try to ignore the attraction between with little success.

The real show stealer was Sophie, Mason's five-year old daughter. She was so adorable, you couldn't help but love her to pieces. I liked how the author incorporate tidbits from their past to show them falling in love and their marriage falling apart. To me that provided me with a better connection with both characters.

The story provided just enough twists and turns that I didn't see coming, but not twists that were so far out there that they were unbelievable. These are characters I would love to see the author revisit in the future.

Review: Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Summer Rental
Mary Kay Andrews
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: June 7, 2011
Audio Book {14 hrs 46 mins}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Chick Lit
Ellis, Julia, Dorie, Ty Bazemore
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she's made over the past decade of her life. Julia—whose caustic wit covers up her wounds--has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can't hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he's hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs just a few things in life: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?

Five people questioning everything they ever thought they knew about life. Five people on a journey that will uncover their secrets and point them on the path to forgiveness. Five people who each need a sea change, and one month in a summer rental that might just give it to them.

Ellis was a complete delight from the very beginning. Her BFF Julia on the other hand had her moments. I didn’t care for her constant meddling in other people’s business, but other than that she was an okay character. Dorie, Ellis and Julia’s other BFF, was just somewhere in between. She felt like a filler character.

Summer Rental wasn’t as funny as past Andrews books I’ve read, but enjoyable all the same. The relationship between Ty and Ellie was okay, but didn’t seem like a great love affair.

Maryn I liked when she but Julia in her place. But at other times it seemed like she was just to naïve when it came to the men in her life.

Read by Isabel Keating

Duration: 14 hours 46 minutes

Macmillan Audio

Narration: B

These readers did a great job, but there wasn't much of a differnce between the voices of the four ladies.

Review: Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Silver Girl
Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Reagan Arthur
Publish Date: June 21, 2011
Audio Book {14 hrs 28 min}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Women's Fiction
Meredith Martin Delinn
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

Meredith Martin Delinn just lost everything: her friends, her homes, her social standing - because her husband Freddy cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars.

Desperate and facing homelessness, Meredith receives a call from her old best friend, Constance Flute. Connie's had recent worries of her own, and the two depart for a summer on Nantucket in an attempt to heal. But the island can't offer complete escape, and they're plagued by new and old troubles alike. When Connie's brother Toby - Meredith's high school boyfriend - arrives, Meredith must reconcile the differences between the life she is leading and the life she could have had.

Set against the backdrop of a Nantucket summer, Elin Hilderbrand delivers a suspenseful story of the power of friendship, the pull of love, and the beauty of forgiveness.

At times I just wanted to shake Meredith and scream at her to grow a backbone throughout the bulk of this book. She was just so whiny and wimpy throughout. I especially wanted her to stand up for herself with Amy in the salon, but no she just limped off like a kicked puppy.

But on the other hand, she was outright rude at times to Connie, the only person who would have anything to do with her after her fall from grace. If not for Connie, I don't know if I would have enjoyed this book as much. She was definitely the saving grace because Meredith was a complete let down as an overall character.

The surrounding characters all added to the overall believability of the story, because Meredith at times was hard to feel any sympathy for.

Read by Janet Metzger, Marianne Fraulo
Duration: 14 hours 28 minutes
Hachette Audio

Narration: B
The use of two female narrators was a new experience for me. There wasn't a noticeable difference in the two, so you wouldn't know it was two different people if you didn't go into the book already knowing that. Both managed to bring something different to each of the characters.

Review: Already Home by Susan Mallery

Already Home
Susan Mallery
Publisher: Mira
Published: April 29, 2011
Audio Book {11hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Women's Fiction
Jenna Stevens
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.

Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with their firstborn.

Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with her traditional parents, deal with her feelings for a new love interest and decide what to do about her ex's latest outrageous request. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love...

Whenever I read Susan Mallery, I know I’m getting a great romance. But with Already Home, I got something more. With this I got to witness the dynamic relationship between women.

Jenna has come home to heal from a divorce, only to be blindsided by meeting her biological parents. Witnessing Jenna and her biological mother Serenity build their relationship was a heartwarming yet heart wrenching sight. I was so happy and impressed by Jenna’s adoptive mom Beth, with how she encouraged Jenna and Serenity’s relationship. That to me showed Beth to be strong of character.

When I wasn’t totally absorbed in Jenna, Serenity, and Beth’s story, I was absorbed in Violet’s. Violet, the manager of Jenna’s store, had her own difficult story to tell. I loved Violet! She struggled much of the book to find love and acceptance. Most of her issue seemed to stem from her belief that she didn’t deserve it.

Jenna’s newly discovered brother, Dragon, was another character I loved. He made me wish I had a brother. :) He was just the right mix of funny, strength, compassion, and love of family.

When I wasn’t laughing along with this family, I was crying with them. That is what I loved about this book. It drew me in, like I was a member of the family facing this journey right along with them.

I now have to get a copy of this book for my keeper shelf since my copy was from the public library. This is one I definitely recommend for reading again and again.

Read by Teri Clark Linden
Duration: 11 hours
Brilliance Audio

Narration: B+

The narrator took a little getting used to at first. It took me a while to warm up to her, but once I did I enjoyed the book.

Review: A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber

A Turn in the Road
Debbie Macomber
Series: Blossom Street #8
Publisher: Mira Books
Publication Date: April 26, 2011
Audio Book {10 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Bethanne Hamlin, Ruth Hamlin, Annie Hamlin
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories

In the middle of the year, in the middle of her life, Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth. They’re driving to Florida for Ruth’s 50th high-school reunion. A longtime widow, Ruth would like to reconnect with Royce, the love of her teenage life. She’s heard he’s alone, too...and, well, she’s curious. Maybe even hopeful. Bethanne herself needs time to reflect, to ponder a decision she has to make. Her ex-husband, Grant — her children’s father — wants to reconcile now that his second marriage has failed. Bethanne’s considering it....

Meanwhile, Annie’s out to prove to her onetime boyfriend that she can live a brilliant life without him! So there they are, three women driving across America. They have their maps and their directions — but even the best-planned journey can take you to a turn in the road. Or lead you to an unexpected encounter — like the day Bethanne meets a man named Max who really is a hero on a Harley. That’s when Bethanne’s decision becomes a lot harder. Because Grant wants her back, but now there’s Max....

From Seattle’s Blossom Street to the other end of the country, this is a trip that could change three women’s lives.

A Turn in the Road was an emotional journey of the generations of women all with the same common factor: love. As these women road trip from Washington to Florida, we witness their struggle to find their happily ever after.

Bethanne, a six year divorcee, is contemplating whether or not to go back to her ex-husband. She feels that she at least should give it serious consideration for the sake of her adult children. The only problem is that she is unsure if she can ever truly trust Grant again after his betrayal. That is until she meets Max. She is instantly drawn to this man like no other before him. She has to then decide if she wants to take a chance on her ex or the drifter motorcyclist, Max.

Ruth, Bethanne’s ex-mother-in-law, is taking this road trip to attend her 50th class reunion in hopes of reconnecting with her high school sweetheart, Royce. These two are so cut together and showed that love can be found at any age.

Annie, Bethanne and Grant’s daughter, was the only downside of the story. She was constantly whining and interfering in her mother’s life that it made her an extremely unlikable character. I couldn’t take her seriously as an adult and completely understood her boyfriend leaving her. Annie had a lot of growing up to do, and she never accomplished that by the story’s end. For me, Annie is what took this story from a five star read to a four star.

However one of the secondary characters, Rooster, Max’s motorcycle buddy, was a great addition to the story. He was a loyal friend to Max when he needed him most. The scenes Rooster shared with “Granny” were some of my favorites.

Read by Joyce Bean
Duration: 10 hours
Brilliance Audio
Narration: A+
I love Joyce Bean's narration. She is one of my absolute favorite female narrators. She always seems to make the books come alive.

Review: She's Gone Country by Jane Porter

Title: She's Gone Country

Author: Jane Porter
Published: August 23, 2010
Publisher: 5 Spot
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 376
Source: Publisher
Characters: Shey Darcy, Dane Kelly
My Rating:

Synopsis:

Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he'd fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves. Add to the mix Shey's ex-crush, Dane Kelly, a national bull-riding champ and she's got her hands full. It doesn't take long before Shey realizes that in order to reinvent herself, she must let go of an uncertain future and a broken past, to find happiness--and maybe love--in the present.

"Shey Lynne, you've been here three months now and not once have you taken those boys to church."

This book was a mix of humor and frustration for me. Shey's interaction with Dane and her mother provide the bulk of the bright spots of the book. Her romance with Dane seemed to get off to a somewhat slow start, but once it did, it progressed at light speed. Shey's relationship with her mom seemed a little strained, but it provided the comedic outlet.

What kept me from really liking Shey more, was how she seemed to let her children treat her. Her two oldest children, Hank and Bo, seemed to talk to her and behave with her any way they pleased. With me being raised by a Southern mother, I seen their behavior as very disrespectful and she did nothing to correct it. When it came to her boys, I have to agree with her brother Brick, in the fact that she was babying them. Shey kept saying how she used to be this strong woman, but I never seen her as such. She came off as more passive than strong.

Overall it's worth the read, but in the end I would have liked to seen what happened with the young girl Shey befriended who was having family issues at home. Or more about how Dane and Brick's friendship was progressing. Or not. I just felt like I was left with a lot of unanswered questions.

Jane Porter | Blog | Facebook | Myspace | Twitter

Review & Giveaway: The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Title: The Island

Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Published: June 18, 2010
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Characters: Birdie Cousins, Chess Cousins, Tate Cousins, India
My Rating:

Synopsis:

Birdie Cousins has planned a getaway with her daughter Chess on rustic, charming Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, a chance to bond before Chess's upcoming marriage. Birdie's been through a difficult divorce herself, so she knows the big commitment that marriage entails. She's only recently dared to tiptoe back into the waters of romance.

When Chess abruptly breaks off the wedding and her fiancé shockingly dies in a rock climbing accident, it leaves Chess feeling guilty and deeply depressed. Birdie circles the wagons, convincing her younger daughter Tate, and her own sister India to join them on Tuckernuck for the month of July. Secrets and intrigue soon make their way to the surface, as Elin Hilderbrand once again weaves a masterful story of summer suspense.

It took a little bit to warm up to this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I guess I really started to become invested in the characters around the point when Birdie kept trying to call Hank while she was in Tuckernuck, and he would barely speak to her. (Hank is the man Birdie started dating after her divorce.)
 
I did find the characters to be very well developed, and Hilderbrand painted a very vivid picture of Tuckernuck. Her detail of the island made you as a reader want to visit the island. I didn't always agree with the behavior of the characters, but that's what keeps it interesting.
 
Chess's sister, Tate, I loved at times and at others I couldn't stand. I could feel for her and her situation with her sister since I too am an ordinary younger sister to an extraordinary older sister. I think we all go through it at times, but sometimes I wanted to yell at her to grow up.
 
In the end, I didn't feel that there was any closure with what Chess was going to do with her personal life. We got closure on her professional life but not what she was going to do about the romantic aspect.

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS AUDIOBOOK?

{August 24-September 7, 2010}

• Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win
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Review: Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson

Title: Georgia's Kitchen
Author: Jenny Nelson
Published: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 319
Source: Publisher
Characters: Georgia Gray
My Rating:

Synopsis

At thirty-three, talented chef Georgia Gray has everything a woman could want—the top job at one of Manhattan’s best restaurants; a posse of smart and savvy gal pals who never let her down; and a platinum-set, cushion-cut diamond engagement ring courtesy of Glenn, the handsome entertainment lawyer who Georgia’s overbearing mother can’t wait for her to marry. The table is set for the ambitious bride-to-be until a scathing restaurant review destroys her reputation. To add salt to her wounds, Glenn suddenly calls off the wedding.

Brokenhearted, Georgia escapes to the Italian countryside, where she sharpens her skills at a trattoria run by a world-class chef who seems to have it all—a devoted lover, a magnificent villa, and most important, a kitchen of her own. Georgia quells her longings with Italy’s delectable offerings: fine wine, luscious cheeses, cerulean blue skies, and irresistible Gianni—an expert in the vineyard and the bedroom. So when Gianni tempts Georgia to stay in Italy with an offer no sane top chef could refuse, why can’t she say yes?

An appetite for something more looms large in Georgia’s heart – the desire to run her own restaurant in the city she loves. But having left New York with her career in flames, she’ll need to stir up more than just courage if she’s to realize her dreams and find her way home.

Georgia turned onto a tree-lined street of brick town houses and brownstones, stopping when she reached a gunmetal-gray low-rise that shared none of it's neighbors' quiet charm.

In Mrs. Nelson's debut novel, she introduces us to Georgia, a girl who seems to have it all. She is the head chef at one of NYC's hottest restaurants and has an entertainment lawyer fiance. When all that comes crashing down, Georgia sets out to Italy for a summer working for her mentor.

The entire story was told in such vivid detail that I felt like I was taking this adventure right along with Georgia. I was pulled in from the opening sentences. It was well-paced and very well executed. I couldn't believe this was just her first novel. After reading it, I wanted to rush out to buy more books of hers.

Mrs. Nelson has such a witty portrayal of Georgia, especially with her parents Hal and Dorothy, that I found myself laughing till I cried. My only hope is that Ms. Nelson decides to revisit  Nana's Kitchen in the very near future. She definitely has a life long fan in me; I will be reading more from her for sure.

Jenny Nelson | Simon & Schuster | Twitter | Facebook |