Look Away Dixieland by Marona Posey

March 21, 2014 By 1 Comment

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Look Away Dixieland by Marona Posey
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Historical, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (355 pages)
rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Jenna left her life of punishing poverty behind, finding success, romance, wealth and an Oscar nomination in Hollywood but what she wanted most was the forgiveness of her mother for a terrible wrong she committed against her. Her dark secret put the man she loved in a hidden grave while his brother searched to find him. Only the love of a mother, who would go to the ends of the earth for her daughter, gave Jenna the redemption she sought. Follow Skye Campbell and her daughters from a mountain cabin in Alabama to a vineyard in Napa and a mansion in Beverly Hills.

1941, a frigid December night in the mountains of north Alabama sparks an event that changed several lives. The death of Skye Campbell’s second husband will haunt Skye and her two daughters, Jenna and Carrie, for years to come. With the news of Pearl Harbor being bombed, Owen Campbell’s disappearance wasn’t so mysterious, until he didn’t return home from the war, nor did the army have him shown as enlisted. Owen’s younger brother, Colin isn’t too happy about the brother that took care of him during his youth disappearing without any word. He knows Skye and her daughters had something to do with his brother’s absence.

Depend on fiber, cialis generika respitecaresa.org magnesium, zinc, and vitamin diet more often. The target oriented and beneficial properties of this drug have explored the human dysfunction brand viagra pfizer reasons and started to work on a variety of problems or just to improve their overall performance in bed. The easily seen problems due buy levitra from canada to which one can easily put to termination of the ED issues, on a quicker note. If a man is already consuming other medicines for hypertension, blood buy professional viagra pressures etc. then he should consult a doctor and get the necessary medication prescribed for him. Seventeen year old Jenna took a hundred dollars of her mother’s money and caught the first train leaving Decatur, Alabama. She ends up in the cold big city of Chicago. With her past a haunting memory, Jenna changes her name, finds a job and a place to stay. Other than a daily reminder of her step-father Owen, life for Jenna is going pretty good. As with life nothing is perfect and Jenna will find herself having to make another quick escape during the night.

Skye remains in Alabama and continues to be questioned about Owen’s where abouts. With the war coming to an end Skye thinks it’s best to leave the state before Owen’s body washes up along the Tennessee River and she will have to surely answer how her husband ended up murdered. Skye, with her children in tow, journeys west to California.

Marona Posey delivers a magnificent start to the “Look Away” series. The first novel in the series is highly entertaining, and a fascinating mix of history and mystery. I found the novel very impressive and difficult to put down.  The characters are well developed and given likable personalities. Even though they were near poverty in the beginning of the book and things worked out financially well for them during their journey, their lives weren’t perfect. They did have to endure hardship in other ways. This to me made their lives more realistic and believable.

I do have to mention that the novel did have more than a few editorial typos through out the book.

Looking at the Hallmark picturesque bookcover I would not think this novel would be packed with such action and attention grabbing adventure. I am a happy reader and thank Mrs. Posey for an astonishingly exciting experience with characters that I look forward to following in the next installment of the Look Away series.

Please grab a copy of Look Away Dixieland I’d hate for you to miss out on a start to a great new series.

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Molly Harper by Emelle Gamble

March 14, 2014 By 8 Comments

0Cover_Molly Haper
Molly Harper by Emelle Gamble
Publisher: Posh Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (293 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Rose

Movie star Molly Harper has it all, beauty, success in her field, and a loving family and marriage to actor Ben Delmonico.Norma Wintz, Molly’s mother, has it all, a lovely life style and two children who adore her, and a respite from the battle against cancer she’s been fighting. Anne Sullivan, at age fifty, is optimistic that her move to sunny Santa Barbara, California, will allow her to be closer to her youngest son and his family, and help her start her life anew after the death of her beloved husband.

But all three of these women, despite their considerable blessings, are plunged into turmoil when the most intimate of secrets that ties their lives together is revealed. At this same time, Molly Harper is confronted with the news that her marriage to actor Ben Delmonico is over. As she navigates this heartbreak and tries to keep the personal details of the drama off the front pages of the newspapers, Molly must also find a way to once and forever negotiate a way forward with her ex- lover and best friend, the volatile and compelling Cruz Morales.

How each of these characters handles the resulting upheaval in their own life, and in their relationships with one another, forms the compelling story of family, secrets and trust in the romantic women’s fiction novel, Molly Harper.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be my last! Ms. Gamble does a wonderful job of drawing these characters and making them just leap off the page.
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The story starts with Anne waiting in a restaurant to meet with the woman who adopted the child Anne gave up at birth–Anne has discovered some information that she feels the adoptive family needs to know. And, that would have been the end of that except for the fact that Norma passes out and Anne’s training as a nurse brings her into the very home of her biological daughter.

Molly is going through crises of her own–her marriage is breaking up, her best friend seems to be on a self-destruct path, and her mom is very ill.

Ms. Gamble puts us slap-dab in the middle of this and magic happens. I found myself caring for the characters and wanting the best for them. At times I found myself smiling over a bit of very well-done “product placement”—the books/movies talked about are Ms. Gamble’s own. Clever bits, those!!

The one character I had trouble liking 100% was Cruz Morales. And, I’m not sure how much of it was the way the character was drawn or because I kept picturing Cruz Castillo from the old soap opera Santa Barbara and having issues reconciling this character’s behavior with that character. I had trouble seeing what Molly saw in him. Perhaps if I had read the novella that was a prequel to this, I would have understood that better. By the end of the book, however, he had grown on me and I was rooting for him and Molly.

I will definitely be searching out the rest of Ms. Gamble’s works.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Latecomers Fan Club by Diane V. Mulligan

February 28, 2014 By 5 Comments

Cover_latecomers fan club

Latecomers Fan Club by Diane V. Mulligan
Publisher: Self Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Womens Fiction
Length: Full (152 pgs)
Rated: 3 stars
Review by Dandelion

What is it about guys with guitars in their hands that makes them so irresistible, even when they are obviously self-centered jerks? If Abby and Maggie could answer that question, maybe they could finally get over Nathaniel. There’s just something about him when he picks up his guitar and gets behind the microphone, something that makes sensible women act like teeny-boppers instead of rational, self-respecting adults.

Abby was first sucked in by Nathaniel’s rock ’n roll swagger four years ago when a drunken fling turned into a series of drunken hook-ups that became something like a relationship. Now, as New Year’s Eve promises a fresh start, she wants to believe he’s finally going to grow up and take their relationship seriously.

What does Nathaniel hope the new year will bring? An escape from the disappointing realities of his life. He’s thirty-four years old and he’s barely making ends meet as an adjunct philosophy professor, which was always only a back up plan anyway. Nathaniel’s real goal was always to make his living as a musician, but his band, The Latecomers, broke up a couple of years ago, and he hasn’t picked up his guitar in months. When he decides to spend the holiday with some high school friends instead of hanging out at the bar where Abby works, he gets the happy surprise of reuniting with his long-lost friend Maggie. Newly divorced, Maggie has just moved back to her mother’s house to regroup.
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Nathaniel and Maggie were supposed to be the ones who left Worcester forever to conquer the world. He was going to be a rock star. She was going to take the world of art by storm. He’s never gotten farther than Boston, and her best effots only left her broke and heartbroken. As they ring in the New Year together, Nathaniel decides it’s time to take control of his life and to start making his dreams come true. He thinks the first step will be easy. All he needs to do is break up with Abby and finally admit his feelings for Maggie. But the new year has more surprises in store, and nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

This was a challenging read that certainly makes you think about choices and how the affect our lives.

Truthfully, I didn’t really care for either party when I first started reading this story. Both seemed so self-absorbed and not into each other. Abby had become involved with Nathanial when she first met him at the bar where she was working. He played his guitar with his band. Abby was interested because of this, and so had been with him for years. She doesn’t really love him, and he doesn’t really love her, but still they stayed together.

Now, on New Year’s Eve, Abby is hoping that Nathanial is finally going to ask her to marry him. But Nathaniel is hoping that soon he can escape from his humdrum existence with someone he barely tolerates. Neither party is really happy with their lives. This seemed really sad to me. Nathanial is struggling financially as an adjunct professor, barely making a living. His original plan in life was to be a musician. But his band, The Latecomers, broke up and he hasn’t picked up his guitar in months.

He decides to go to a party with his old friends instead of hanging out with Abby, and while at the party, he sees his first love, Maggie, from his High school days. Spending time with her makes him realize that he is wasting his time with Abby and he decides to break up with Abby. Seems easy enough, but that’s when stuff starts getting very confused.

Things start to change for all three of them on New Year’s Eve. He is in one town, Abby is in another. This gives them both a chance to look long and hard at their relationship. It is much more involved than that, however, and it was at this point I found myself beginning to really get into the story. It started becoming very interesting as I read about how each person started learning more about themselves and decided to change. It was really way past time for them, and I enjoyed reading about all the choices, good and bad, they made. Finally! Some growth!

Overall, this was a well written story, and I enjoyed the writing style of the author. She has a voice that entertains and keeps the reader interested. This wasn’t an easy read, and sometimes wasn’t pleasant, but it offers a bit of a message to us all and does have a worthwhile and satisfying ending — something I wasn’t sure the author would be able to accomplish, but she pulled it off! Nicely done, Ms. Mulligan.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Hourglass by Sharon Struth

July 10, 2013 By 22 Comments

Cover_TheHourglass
The Hourglass by Sharon Struth
Publisher: Etopia Press
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: Full (275 pgs)
Heat: Sensual
Rated: 4 Stars
Review by Poppy

Can forgiveness survive lies and unspoken truths?

Until Brenda McAllister’s husband committed suicide, she appeared to have the ideal life: a thriving psychology practice, success as a self-help author, and a model family. But her guilt over her affair with Jack’s best friend prevents her from moving on. Did Jack learn of her infidelity? Was she the cause of his death?

The release of Brenda’s second book forces her into an unexpected assignment with arrogant celebrity author CJ Morrison, whose irritating and edgy exterior hides the torment of his own mistakes. But as she grows closer to CJ, Brenda learns she wasn’t the only one with secrets—Jack had secrets of his own, unsavory ones that may have led to his death. While CJ helps Brenda uncover the truth about her husband, she finds the path to forgiveness isn’t always on the map.

Well rounded and believable characters are what make The Hourglass a worthwhile read. The plot is no slacker, either, but it’s the characters that will keep you turning pages.
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From the moment I met coffee-deprived Brenda, I liked her. She is strong and determined and I really enjoyed her sense of humor. CJ took a little longer to like, but when he started to open up a bit, I understood what Brenda saw in him. Other characters are involved in the book, but they weren’t as clearly defined. That may be partly due to how sharply I could see Brenda and CJ, so everyone else faded a bit when compared.

I have to admit that having Brenda as an author of successful non-fiction books that focused on relationships stretched my belief system a bit, considering that she’d (almost) had an affair and didn’t realize her husband was suicidal. Still, whether I found that believable or not didn’t really matter, since that wasn’t focused upon, not even in her role as an advisor to CJ for his book. That was more pure psychology than having a focus on interpersonal relationships.

Their chemistry is apparent from the start, even though both spend the first part of the book dating other people. It was interesting watching them come to terms with their feelings, especially CJ as he really didn’t want to feel anything positive toward Brenda.

The mystery of Jack’s death isn’t really a driving force in this book. Its focus is on healing that both Brenda and CJ need to do, and how they do it, and on their relationship. The author does a wonderful job dealing with both things. It’s interesting … the book isn’t edge of your seat exciting, but I was really hooked and read it in just a few hours with very few breaks. I can’t explain exactly why I was so hooked, but clearly the author is exceptionally skilled and knows how to keep a reader entertained.

If you’re looking for a book that will keep you intrigued, even if it doesn’t make your heart pound (but does tug the heartstrings), then I recommend The Hourglass. It’s a book you will read cover to cover and then think about after you’re done.

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