Winter in Sweetwater County
by Ciara Knight (Goodreads Author)

Feb 21, 2015

4 of 5 stars

Lisa Mortan’s ideal life crumbles when her rich and powerful fiancé demands she ends an unwanted pregnancy. With no job or social support, she flees to a small town in hopes of finding a good family for her unborn baby, but instead finds a man who is as broken as she is.

Eric Gaylord returns to his home town for a respite after a tragic loss, but when his spitfire mother takes on an unknown woman as a business partner, he is forced to face the nightmare he’d left behind or risk losing the one woman who could heal his heart.

My Review:

I wasn't sure if I would like this book. The beginning was totally unrealistic. People do not start a business with a person they don't know especially from a social network site. Also people do not fall in love with someone after only 2 days. I almost put the book down, but I am happy I continued reading it. The setting is in a small cozy town which is a setting I seem to like lately. The book became more realistic when the main characters, Lisa and Eric, have very similar secrets in their lives. Once they get to know each other the secrets are revealed. I found the book had some tension and drama which kept me going to a point I couldn't put the book down. I am glad it only had a little less than 200 pages (EBook book that I downloaded for free.) The plot was not dragged out so I didn't become bored with it. I found the characters to be caring people but of course there was one evil character in the book. There always seem to be one of them included in books. Even though the story was a romance , it didn't have smut in it which is fine with me. This is my first book to read by this author. I will be interested in reading the other 4 in the series. I am hoping I can get them from the library.

A Summer in Sonoma
by Robyn Carr (Goodreads Author)

Feb 18, 2015  

3 of 5 stars

Read in February, 2015

THEY'VE BEEN BEST FRIENDS SINCE SEVENTH GRADE. BUT THIS SUMMER, TEETERING ON THE THRESHOLD OF THIRTY, FOUR WOMEN ARE GOING TO NEED EACH OTHER MORE THAN EVER.

Review:

I thought the book was good but not my favorite Robyn Carr book. I was able to relate to the fact that I am still in touch with former childhood friends but not as close as these four women were. I found that part to be amazing. Each one had their own crises or secrets and helped one another to deal with them. I liked that part, but I found the story to be to predictable and slow moving and too long. The only relationship I was surprised over was Cassie and Walt's . They were so different from one another. Walt's secret was not what I suspected so I was surprised with that one. I am glad I got to read this book since it is one of Robyn Carr's stand alone novels and I am used to her series books such as Virgin River and Thunder Point.

Dying to Read (The Cate Kinkaid Files, #1)
by Lorena McCourtney (Goodreads Author)

Jan 29,20 15  

4 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2015

Cate Kinkaid is just dipping her toe into the world of private investigating until one of the many resumes she has floating around lands her a real job. All she has to do is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? When the big and brooding house happens to contain a dead body, this routine PI job turns out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head?
Readers will be hooked from the very first chapter of this fast-paced and witty romantic mystery from bestselling and award-winning author Lorena McCourtney.

My Review:

I downloaded this free Kindle book onto my tablet and I am glad I did. I like mysteries with suspense. This book turned out to be a light hearted cozy mystery. Some of the characters (older women) are part of the Whodunit Book Club. They are all suspected of playing a role in the killing of one of the members. There are other suspects as well. The Whodunit members each had their own quirky personalities. Even though this was a mystery there was still humor throughout the book. The story had me guessing to the end as to who committed the murder and why. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

The Potluck Club (The Potluck Club #1)
by Linda Evans Shepherd , Eva Marie Everson

 

4 of 5 stars

 

Read in January, 2015

In the Colorado town of Summit View, women from Grace Church meet once a week to pass a hot dish and to pray. But the Potluck Club, as they call themselves, is a recipe for disaster when they send up enough misinformed prayers to bring down a church.

MY REVIEW:
When I downloaded this free ebook for my Kindle app, I had no idea that it was Christian literature and ended up liking the book even with the references and scriptures sprinkled in. There were many strong women characters of various ages with the same problems we all face or have faced. Marriage, family, secrets, regret, work, misunderstandings, nosey neighbors and dealing with difficult personalities. The majority of the characters stand by each other through thick and thin. The title of the book includes the word "potluck" because the group of ladies met once a week to discuss issues and they each brought a potluck dish.The recipes to the foods mentioned in each chapter can be found in the back of the book. There are two more books in this series and I hope to read them both.

The Homecoming (Thunder Point, #6)
by Robyn Carr (Goodreads Author)

Jan 08, 2015  

3 of 5 stars

Read in January, 2015

At the age of nineteen, Seth Sileski had everything. A superb athlete and scholar, handsome and popular, he was the pride of Thunder Point. Destined for greatness, he lost it all in a terrible accident that put an end to his professional football career when it had barely begun. The people in his hometown have never forgotten what might have been.

Seth has come to terms with the turns his life has taken. But now he's been presented with an opportunity to return home and show his father—and the people of Thunder Point—he's become a better, humbler version of his former self.

Winning over his father isn't the only challenge. Seth must also find a way to convince his childhood neighbor and best friend, Iris McKinley, to forgive him for breaking her heart. With his homecoming, will Seth be able to convince the town, his family and especially Iris that he's finally ready to be the man who will make them all proud?

My Review:

I only gave this book 3 *. It was good but kind of flat. It had the same storyline as most romance books do but not as much romance. I would say half the book was a slow read for me. I feel like it got more suspenseful when it got into the society issue of abuse. I was curious to see what the outcome would be with the case and I was pleased with the outcome. I also found Seth's relationship with Oscar and how it came about was unrealistic. When people become involved in an accident, they don't become friends with one another.
Since I love Robyn Carr books I am still interested in continuing with the series.

Under a Raging Moon (River City Crime Novel)
by Frank Zafiro (Goodreads Author)

Dec 25, 2014  

3 of 5 stars

A violent robber is loose in River City. Meet the cops that must take him down.

Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man’s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.

These are the patrol officers of River City – that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn’t always understanding or even grateful.

Review:

This book was ok. I thought there would be more action and twists in it but it wasn't enough for me. I found the characters to be confusing as to who was who. Also I found the book to be choppy. It kept going back and forth between the crime and the personal lives of the police officers. I wish it held more of my attention. I read the Kindle version of the book.

Moonlight Road (Virgin River, #11)
by Robyn Carr (Goodreads Author)

Dec 13,  20 14 

4 of 5 stars

 

Read in December, 2014

WITH HER BELOVED YOUNGER SIBLINGS SETTLED AND HAPPY, ERIN FOLEY HAS EMPTY NEST SYNDROME. AT AGE THIRTY-FIVE.

So she's hitting the pause button on her life and holing up in a secluded (but totally upgraded --- she's not into roughing it!) cabin near Virgin River. Erin is planning on getting to know herself ... not the shaggy-haired mountain man she meets.

In fact, beneath his faded fatigues and bushy beard, Aiden Riordan is a doctor, recharging for a summer after leaving the navy. He's intrigued by the pretty, slightly snooty refugee from the rat race --- her meditating and journaling are definitely keeping him at arm's length. He'd love to get closer ... if his scruffy exterior and crazy ex-wife don't hold him back.

But maybe it's something in the water --- unlikely romances seem to take root in Virgin River ... helped along by some well-intentioned meddling, of course

My review:

I like the VR series but I did not find this book to be as engaging as the other books in the series. I liked reading about Erin and Aiden's relationship however, I didn't need to read about their love making escapades. It seems like all books with some romance become too graphic and don't add to the plot. They get old after awhile. I usually quickly scan over these parts.

I did like the last 100 pages or so because of the suspense and figuring out what the outcome of the story would be and I was pleased with the outcome. Looking forward to the next book in the series.