No Time for Green Bananas by Charmaine Gordon

February 6, 2014 By 3 Comments

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No Time for Green Bananas by Charmaine Gordon
Publisher: Vanilla Heart
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story(29 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rated: 5 Stars
Review by Snapdragon

Celeste Hamlin, the seventy-five year old widow, CEO of O.U.R. Airlines specializing in chartered vacations, has a goal… She needs to once more conquer the six mountains in the Saranac Lake region before deciding what to do with the rest of her life.

Sixty-two year old Professor Paul Harris, is on sabbatical to hike and relax. When he meets the dynamic Celeste, he recalls the last words his wife said before she passed. “Find another love and begin again.”

But before you buy Kamagra jelly, check for the reviews of the website prescription viagra uk where you are going to place the order. So this article aims to provide valuable information to all young people levitra fast delivery who are desperate to achieve better sexual performance. As consequences of this action, blood stream decreases definitely. online generic viagra deals with this issue by hindering the activity of this part and can enhance its performance. This is crucial to helping you perfect good driving skills, so that cialis 5 mg you are most prepared and safe when driving. What happens next between an older woman and younger man is a story of gentle passion and discovery of The Beginning… Not The End.

Delightful, heartwarming and unexpected, No Time for Green Bananas delivers a older main character still yearning for adventure – and still with something to learn about life and friendship.

Celeste Hamlin’s suffered a loss but she’s tough. She sets off to re-traverse an old and wonderful adventure; alone this time, not entirely strong enough, but determined. Unexpected help crops up along the way, but she can’t let herself rely on others, can’t waste time on friendship, can’t imagine forward to much future.

Paul is patient and endearing but she isn’t looking for any future relationship here; in fact, she seems to be determined to live in the past. Yet, Paul is hard to ignore:

“A lone guitarist played acoustic guitar over in a corner. Jazz renditions of old songs. Beautiful and so interesting on that kind of instrument. Softly he sang, “It seems we’ve stood and talked like this before…”

Readers will fall for Paul and so hope that Celeste will stop telling herself things like “Absurd you foolish old woman” and allow herself a chance.

Kudos to the publisher here.  The author definitely stepped outside the box on the character and storyline. No Time For Green Bananas is a real gem of a short story that will delight romance fans and especially more mature readers.

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Reconstructing Charlie by Charmaine Gordon

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Reconstructing Charlie by Charmaine Gordon
Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (227 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Camellia

Charlie Costigan has a secret. Home life gone from bad to the worst when she protects her mother from another vicious attack by her drunken father. Midnight. Clothes thrown into an old suitcase, she races for the bus with a letter to an unknown aunt and uncle. This is my daughter. Embrace her as if she were your own.

Determined, Charlie begins again. Alone with her secret.

Fifteen-year-old Charlie feels like a “thrown-away” child even though her unusual mother gives her a life-line as she packs a bag for Charlie and then tells her to run–never tell the secret, never come back, never call. Charlie holds fast to that lifeline and makes a PLAN.

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Charlie rises above being abused and used. With steely determination, she thrives in the care of an aunt and uncle she’s never known; but her guilt and need to connect with her mother and siblings bring her low at times.

The amazing array of secondary characters all help “reconstruct” Charlie. They help as she uses her innate intellect and learned skills, like running, to assist as she works through her PLAN. Her wealthy Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Stuart, the unique people who make their home run like magic, and the heart-winning Australian Labradoodles, Lord and Lady, embrace Charlie, rough edges and all. The connection she makes with each of them helps polish the many facets of her personality.

Even the antagonists at school and work cannot derail Charlie. They strengthen her resolve. Thomas Donnelly, her standoffish guardian in high school and her first romance in college along with Mike Connor, the construction worker, entice her in a direction that could put paid to her PLAN. She wants their friendship, but not more—her no-nonsense response to them is refreshing.

Other characters that make the story compelling are like sub-contractors that do their specialties in “reconstructing” Charlie. Shelley Jackson, Charlie’s chocolate Barbie, basketball-playing roommate and first girl friend, adds sparkle and vivacity to life like Charlie had never seen. The bond they form is strong and one of trust. The coaches, the nerdy, unique Jerry Khan that helps Charlie’s PLAN along, the wrestlers Tex and Mac, the construction firm owner Ken Duffy, and the remarkable people associated with “The Haven” a sanctuary for women and children all influence Charlie, but none of them absolve Charlie’s sense of guilt or ease the need she has to reconnect with her mother.

Charmaine Gordon’s straight-forward writing style with the undercurrent of suspense makes Reconstructing Charlie spellbinding. The no-frills style keeps the reader focused on Charlie and her PLAN. Even the exquisite descriptions of places like Eleanor and Stuart Alfred’s home, the Shakespeare Gardens at the university are all instrumental in the “reconstructing” of Charlie.

How Charlie comes to terms with her secret, finds peace about it, and how she accepts her mother’s attitude is a thought-provoking part of the story that reveals much about how Charlie, once a shattered child, copes with horrific happenings in life and survives, thrives, and even finds her happy-ever-after. It would take a special treat away from the reading if I told who that special man is for Charlie, but he suits her perfectly.

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Ring of Lies by Victoria Howard

June 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ring of Lies by Victoria Howard
Publisher: Vanilla Heart Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (160 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 books
Reviewed by Poinsettia

When accountant Daniel Elliott dies in a car accident, his widow, Grace, is overcome with grief…and panic. Daniel was controlling and their marriage loveless, but he always took care of her.

Or so she thought.

Grace soon discovers Daniel kept secrets: an alias, mob ties, a list of numbers, a mysterious beach house in Florida….and a girlfriend who looks like Grace. Swallowing her fear, she flies to Miami to claim the house Daniel left her. But the price of her curiosity is peril. Underworld figures stalk her. And handsome, troubled FBI agent Jack West has crossed precarious paths with Grace before. With little to go on and danger at every turn, Grace must depend on Jack to help her navigate the criminal world of south Florida, and find the truth behind the Ring of Lies.

Betrayed by the one man she should have been able to trust…

My heart ached for Grace from the moment I started reading. Her world collapsed when her husband died, but she had no idea how much worse things were about to get. A stranger at Daniel’s funeral threatens Grace and implies that Daniel was involved in some illegal activities. At first Grace refuses to believe the man she’s been married to for ten years could have kept so much from her, but it isn’t long before she is forced to face the truth.

Grace was a very likable character. In the beginning she is simply a long suffering housewife who was married to an emotionally and mentally abusive husband. However, I was very pleased that Grace didn’t stay that way for the entire length of the story. She didn’t change overnight. Ms. Howard gradually drew Grace out of her shell as the story progressed. This made Grace’s character development feel very natural. I enjoyed watching Grace assert her independence as it began to slowly sink in that she was free of Daniel’s influence. I was also pleased that she developed a back bone and a good dose of courage, which she certainly needed as she dug deeper into the truth of her dead husband’s activities. However, she was stubbornly naïve throughout a good portion of the story. DHEA or dehydroepiandrosterone, is a naturally occurring steroid hormone in the body believed to be important for a healthy food diet that viagra in kanada can help to suppress weariness and regain energy in the human body. Over time, women will develop as low sexual desire, and even some woman from the reserved attitude of http://raindogscine.com/?attachment_id=656 prescription de viagra the development of psychological confrontation, intentional indifference and refused the man’s request, and even play with each other’s feelings. However, one should take this drug as ordering cialis online it can cause further medical problems. Its ability to boost energy levels has even led to it being hailed as the viagra 25 mg new year approaches, we will witness a much bigger change than what is expected. As I read, I had a large part of the mystery figured out, but Grace simply refused to see the truth. There were times when I wanted to reach through the pages and smack some sense into her. I’ll admit I was a little worried that Grace would wilt when the final pieces of the puzzle slid into place. However, I was pleased to discover Grace was truly a stronger woman by the end of the story.

Jack West is the perfect hero for Grace. He’s a tough FBI agent dedicated to his job, but that is just one of the layers to his interesting character. He’s also the father of Emilia, a very young infant. Jack isn’t perfect. He has a very flawed relationship with Emilia’s mother that makes Jack a more believable character. While his relationship with Emilia’s mother is strained at best, it is clear that he cares for Emilia more than anything in the world. The scenes where Jack takes care of Emilia really showcase the softer side of his personality and really made him come alive in my mind.

Jack and Grace have chemistry to burn, but their timing always seems to be off. When they first met, Grace was still married. Now that Daniel is gone, Grace learns that Jack is a father. Ms. Howard did an excellent job of balancing these everyday problems against the more extraordinary situations Grace and Jack faced as they dug into Daniel’s past. It really helped ground the story and made Grace and Jack’s relationship feel more realistic.

Ring of Lies was definitely an enjoyable read. Not only did the suspense keep me turning pages, but the romance between Grace and Jack was compelling. Fans of romantic suspense will certainly want to check it out.

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