Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, #1)
 

Jan 07, 20 14  

5 of 5 stars

Read from January 04 to 07, 2014

A missing little girl named Maggie Rose . . . a family of three brutally murdered in the projects of Washington, D.C. . . . the thrill-killing of a beautiful elementary school teacher . . . a psychopathic serial kidnapper/murderer who is so terrifying that the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police cannot outsmart him - even after he's been captured.

Gary Soneji wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the first female supervisor of the Secret Service who completes one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read.

Alex Cross and Jezzie Flanagan are about to have a forbidden love affair--at the worst possible time for both of them. Because Gary Soneji is playing at the top of his game. The latest of the unspeakable crimes happens in Alex Cross's precinct. It happens under the noses of Jezzie Flanagan's men. Now Alex Cross must face the ultimate test: How do you outmaneuver a brilliant psychopath.

My Review:

I really liked this book a lot since I enjoy reading suspense,mystery, and crime books. It was definitely a page turner for me. The chapters were only a few pages long which I like when reading books. I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next. Gary was definitely a sick cookie. The crimes he committed were horrific. There were some surprises throughout the story. I plan on continuing to read The Alex Cross series.

A Secret Splendor
by Sandra Brown (Goodreads Author)

Jan 02, 2014  

3 of 5 stars

bookshelves: new-to-me-authors, 2014-new-authors-for-me

Read from December 30, 2013 to January 02, 2014

She is a mother searching for her child . . .

After the death of her little boy, Joey, Arden Gentry feels a terrible emptiness. Divorced and devastated over the loss of her son, Arden is utterly alone.

But she has another son -- a child she agreed to give up at birth to save her marriage and her family from financial ruin. Now that Joey is gone, Arden is convinced that the son she'd never held could ease her overwhelming heartache.

After years of monitoring his whereabouts, Arden leaves Los Angeles behind and goes to Maui, where her son is currently living. But in the tropical paradise of Hawaii, Arden starts to doubt her decision to contact him. Because she knows that finding him could resurrect all the half-truths, secrets and unspeakable lies that surrounded his birth.

My review:
I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the beginning chapter when the plot was introduced and I definitely liked the last 60 pages. I couldn't put it down. I was really into those parts.

The middle of the book was unrealistic to me. The way the 2 main characters fell in love so quickly was ridiculous. I do like how they both had self esteem issues and they were able to help one another overcome them. However, the explicit sex scenes, I could have done without. I found myself scanning over those parts since they became repetitive and they were fill-ins for the plot.

Without giving too much away, I was really annoyed with one of the characters since he was a dirty rotten scoundrel.

Better Than Chocolate (Life in Icicle Falls, #1)
by Sheila Roberts (Goodreads Author)

Dec 28, 2013  

4 of 5 stars

bookshelves: 2013-new-authors-for-me

Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they're about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank—and that would be a disaster, not only for the family but for the town of Icicle Falls, Washington. Can Samantha, the oldest daughter and new head of the company, come up with a way to save it?After Samantha does some brainstorming with her mother and sisters, inspiration strikes. They'll have a chocolate festival! Time's running out, but the Sterling women are determined and the town's behind them, so everything's bound to go smoothly….

Or not. Events seem to be conspiring against Samantha, and her mother's attempts to help aren't helping. To make matters worse, the fate of her company is in the hands of her archenemy, Blake Preston, the bank manager with the football-hero good looks. It's enough to drive her to chocolate. But Blake's also enough to convince her that (believe it or not) there's something even better than chocolate.

My Review:
I decided to read this book because of the title. I was intrigued with it since I am a chocoholic. It turned out to be a good book. It showed how families can work together to achieve certain goals. Your biggest asset is your family It is important to have families that support one another as this book showed. It was a book about small-town life and how sweet it could be.There were humorous parts in the book. It showed how you can successfully balance business and love. Each chapter began with a quote about living life to the fullest. It was definitely an inspirational book. This book was Book #1 in the Icicle Falls series. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

Paradise Valley (Virgin River, #7)
by Robyn Carr

Dec 16, 2013  

4 of 5 stars

I wasn't pulled into this book of the series as I was with the others. This book focuses on 4 couples.

I found Walt and Muriel's relationship to be boring. It did nothing for me. It was part of the book and that was as far as I am concerned. I don't care either way if they continue to be part of the series.

On the other hand, I liked reading about Cam and Abby's relationship even though it wasn't very realistic about how they met and fell in love the same night and what the outcome was of that night. I was glad to hear the true story about Abby's ex-husband. Quite different than I expected. I am looking forward to reading more about their marriage and children.

I liked reading the continuing story behind Rick and Lizzy's relationship. I am glad the book ended with their relationship going in the right direction.

I was very surprised to read about Cheryl and Dan's budding relationship. I never expected it at all after reading about them briefly in the earlier books of the series. I am interested in reading more about how it goes for them.

As always, I enjoy reading about the continuing lives of all the Virgin River residents.

Temptation Ridge (Virgin River, #6)
by Robyn Carr

Nov 26, 2013  

4 of 5 stars

At twenty-five, after five years as her mother's caregiver, it's time for Shelby to experience freedom and adventure. Time for travel, college and romance. But when she visits Virgin River, she runs into Luke Riordan, decidedly "not" whom she has in mind. A handsome Blackhawk pilot, Luke exited the army after twenty years, four wars and having been shot out of the sky three times. At thirty-eight he's tough and jaded. His major was in one-night stands, with a minor in commitment avoidance.

Technically, these two are all wrong for one another. But sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things...two very "good" things.

I love reading the Virgin River books. I like catching up with all the characters from the previous books in the series. It's fun to read about what their lives are like with each installment. Each book introduces new characters with new budding romances and situations. I love the interaction and love the characters show for one another. They are always looking out for one another. I would love to have most of them as friends. There were sad parts in this book and I needed tissues while reading it. There were happy times too. Robyn Carr definitely brings out the emotions in people!

Hold The Cream Cheese, Kill The Lox (Ruby, the Rabbi's Wife, #4)
by Sharon Kahn

Nov 08, 2013  

3 of 5 stars

Read from November 03 to 07, 2013

Ruby, the rabbi's wife, travels from one side of the United States to the other investigating the murder of a master lox cutter, whose roots are traced back to Nazi-era Denmark.

I liked this light hearted cozy mystery. Parts of it were comical due to the parts of Essie Sue , who has a narcissistic personality and her nemesis Ruby, who is an amateur sleuth. I don't know how Ruth allows Essie Sue to get away with the things she does. Somehow, Ruth gets roped into watching Essie Sue's wild 13 year old twin boys. The antics they end up pulling are unbelievable. Meanwhile a murder has happened in their Texas town and this is where Ruth jumps in and wants to help solve the crime.

I also liked the Jewish culture that was part of this book. It brought me back to when I was a child and used to listen to my grandparents speak Yiddush to my parents.

If you want to read a quick comical mystery then i think you might like this book.

The Longest Ride
by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

Nov 01, 2013  

4 of 5 stars

Read from October 26 to November 01, 2013

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remember their love story and recount their life together. This is how the reader learns about the deep love they had for each other.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected surprises.

My review: I think Ruth and Ira's life together was so touching and sweet. They were so devoted to one another which is not always seen nowadays. I enjoyed reading about the budding romance of Luke and Sophia too. I kept changing my thoughts about which romance story I liked the best. I also kept wondering how these two couples would meet up with one another. I was quite surprised how it happened. I never expected it. This story ended on a happy note which is always nice to read.