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"Maybe I just want to know you again," Ryan said finally. "You're my father. I'm your son. It seems as if we should be closer than we are."
Title: Ryan's Return
Author: Barbara Freethy
ISBN: 978-0380785315
Publisher: Avon/2006
Pages: 374
It is return of the prodigal son to Serenity Spring. A famous photo-journalist now, Ryan Hunter is invited for the Centennial Celebration. He had left behind his father and a brother he had betrayed. Now when he returns, he finds his father still the same, his brother who detests him and a young boy who looks like him.
With no love lost between them, Ryan knows he has to somehow face his past if he wants to moves in present and future. His father,who never stopped loving him, that young daughter of Kara has so much faith on him. So he just can't leave it all behind.
The interaction between father and son, between the two brothers and that of the young girl with Ryan and also a love affair of Andrew, his brother. These all make the book very readable. It is in no way a heavy book, but it does make us sad at many levels. It has those comic moments, especially when the two brothers are locked up in jail.
I found this novel utterly sweet and extremely readable. The romance element is sweet and doesn't take over the story. That is how it should be, in a novel that speaks of family relations.
You can download the kindle edition for FREE here!
"You have a twin sister. Her name is Monica. Go to Benjamin Books. Look at the poster in the window."
Title: My Sister’s Voice
Author: Mary Carter
ISBN-13: 978-0758229205
Publisher: Kensington/2010
Pages: 352
Book Blurb:
The man slung her over his shoulder and ran.
“Hey!” She kicked, squirmed, and pounded his back with each labored step he took.
“Be still or I’ll drop you on your head so you can break your neck,” he growled.
Title: I'll Be There
Author: Deborah Grace Staley
ISBN: 978-1611940473
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books/2011
Pages: 234
Jenny Thompson disappears in In Angel Ridge, Tennessee after a bombing. She is assumed to be dead by all. She is a newspaper editor and has gone into the bottom of some illegal activities. The bad men want her dead. She is in the hiding and while being hunted, she meets the reclusive mountain man, Cord Goins. He is her only hope. Cord has a past but he knows how to keep her safe.
Just when we think, it is a normal romance, there is this twist, which turns the novel and keep us hooked. With that element of suspense and mystery, I'll be there is an interesting enough novel, which holds the reader's interest.
"Her eyes grew wide. Pa? She‟s over here? Whatever did that mean? Paul made it clear that he had no children. So who was this child and why did he pick her out?"
A Husband for Margaret by Ruth Ann Nordin
I read A Bride for Tom by Ruth Ann Nordin some days ago, Jessica's friend Margaret places an add to find a husband. Instead of Paul, his brother Joseph comes to see her along with his four sons. Paul had met with a fatal accident. Joseph's woife is dead and he needs a woman to care for his young sons.
Margaret had expected a man without children but after much thought marries Joseph, becomes the mother of his children. The four boys are kind of lovable and they fiercely love Margaret, who also returns their love. She is protective towards them. All seems well until an acquaintance of Joseph turns up, who has wished to marry him. She tries to create trouble between Joseph and Margaret. Now with the help of the children, Margaret makes a plan to get rid of that woman! The point is, is that going to work?
A Husband for Margaret made a good, light read. Nothing heavy but was fun. I would call it any great shakes but it gives us a few laughs. What is more, it is available free. Check it out by clicking on the title or the cover.
“You could have had me for free.”
She planted her hands on his shoulders and pushed, skittering away on her heels. “I…I was sent on a story. It had nothing to do with you, you egomaniac.”
Sold To the Highest Bidder by Donna Alward (Free Kindle Edition)
Ella comes back to Colorado to put her past behind. He goal is to get Devin to sign those Divorce papers. They have been married for the past 12 years as teenagers, and she had left him soon after to live her dreams. Every year she sent him the papers to sign and he refused to do that.
Now she is determined to get it done personally. So she lands up in Colorado and finds him standing in an auction block for charity. And ends up bidding for him. She is the highest bidder. She thinks that he will sign those papers in those 48 hours that she owns him! But he is determined that she has to work for that. At the end of it, she leaves happily enough..with one glitch! She finds too late that he still hadn't signed at the dotted line.
She doesn't understand why he refuses to do so. On the face value, it seemed like any other romance with lots of arguments but it does take an unexpected turn and made the novel worthwhile. Two childhood sweethearts, who married so young, it was inevitable that one walks out soon after. One tries to move on, the other is stuck in time. But is it what appears? Ella seems to have moved on, Devin stuck in time. But it is nothing like this. I liked the way author kept us hooked. By the twists and turns. It made a one good read for a lazy Sunday. I quite enjoyed. And available for free, it is well worth it. Click on the title/cover to get the free Kindle Edition.
"His shoulder slumped, he turned towards the next lady in line. He, however, was not a graceful young man for in the next moment he succeeded in toppling into Beth and they fell onto the barn floor."
A Bride For Tom by Ruth Ann Nordin
Tom is unlike any hero of a novel. He is clumsy and totally a misfit around women. He is trying to find a wife but with his track record, no woman is willing to be near him. Jessica takes it upon herself to teach him how to avoid mishaps and be comfortable around women. Tom is not aware that Jessica is engaged to be married. He starts to like her and thinks of marrying her. Jessica too starts liking Tom...
It is a short novella and is quite light and funny. One simply likes Tom, his clumsy way, and also the way he behaves with his brothers. He knows how to get back at his youngest brother, who is really a pest! (I loved the pest!!) The scene with Jessica, her fiance, his mother and Tom's youngest brother is hilarious! One of the highlights. I quite enjoyed reading it! Via Kindle on PC. Yes, it is available free. Click on the title and cover to download it! Or click here to download the nook edition for free!
"Read it? No. And I'd never answer one of the ads. I don't suppose you would ever...?"
"Advertise myself? Not on your life. You know what kind of women you'd meet, pathological liars, schizophrenics..."
Lonely Millionaire by Carol Grace
Mandy Clayton answers a personal ad in the Yukon Man on her sister's dare, and she finds an interesting man in Jack but when Adam Grey arrives at her Bed and Breakfast, she is irresistible to his charms. Yet the thought of Jack keeps her away from him.
Adam Gray is there because of his friend, Jack to check on Mandy but obviously he can't tell her that. He finds her very attractive. It was he, who had written all those mails for Jack. Adam works was not interested in a mail-order romance, but he was willing to write some love letters for his friend. Adam wants her for himself but his work is such which prevents him from a permanent relationship. Also the fact that he can't just take her away from Jack. After many twists and turns, they overcome all hurdles to be together. What else do you expect from a romance?
It has good pace and dialogues are enjoyable. I read it in the midst of a reading slump and found it pretty interesting. For all those romance reader out there I say go for it. Available free from Amazon for your Kindles! Nooks owners might find it in B&N!!!
"I doubt if he abducted her."
"Well, if he's not upstairs in his room, we may have a problem."
Title: The Abduction
ISBN: 978-0525425571
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile/2011
Pages: 256
I used to read a lot of John Grisham. The Pelican Brief is one of my favourite novels. The Abduction was sent to me by the publisher. I was happy to receive it. But when I saw it has a teenage detective, I had my misgivings. But when I started it, I changed my mind. I am way older than the intended readership for this novel.
Theodore Boone's friend April disappears. She has a dysfunctional family and her only friend is, Theo. The police is clueless. Theo, along with his friends and an Uncle, who is the black sheep of the family, searches for her. He has a good legal knowledge (His parents are lawyers) and also has wonderful investigative skills.
This is a very enjoyable read, not too complex but keeps our interest intact till the end. It has good pace, and any adult reader too will like it. I found Theodore very knowledgeable, he hates going to school but goes nevertheless. He likes to be present in the court. This is not an blood and gore type of mystery, considering the teenage readers. That is what I liked about it. But then, John Grisham does not disappoint.
"What do you mean, news?”
“Well, at least you have your priorities in order.” My brother sounded like he was pouting. I remembered the way he would hide under the kitchen table when our parents fought, refusing to come out.
Title: Close Your Eyes
Author: Amanda Eyre Ward
ISBN: 978-0345494481
Publisher: Random House/2011
Pages: 272
This books open in 1986, where Lauren Mahdian and Alex are kids, six and eigth, respectively. When Lauren wakes up from a nightmarish dream, she finds her mother murdered and father arrested of the same crime. Alex and Lauren are bound by that tragedy. Alex has always been in touch with their father, writing him letters and calling him. However, Lauren has no contact with her father.
Come to 2010, Alex, now a doctor and wants to do something. He goes to Iraq and disappears. Lauren is now utterly alone, with no one to turn to. Her boyfriend, Gerry, is a good person but Lauren is unable to get close to him. Slowly, Lauren tries to unravel the truth from her memories, to find out what really happened that night.
We find that Sylvia and Victoria are strangely connected to the Mahdian family. How? The answers to that one keeps the reader in tenterhooks until the end. It is about love between siblings, about love for ones parents and also about that love, which the giver can't understand. Lauren has this strange compulsion to find out everything after Alex disappears. It is her love for him that forces her to seek the truth which she had always tried to brush aside.
It has the right element of suspense, mystery and a good story line. All in all, a good read.
Title: Borderlands
Author: Brian McGilloway
Gracie was the first to speak. “That woman just gave her baby to Isobel.”
Title: The Nesting Dolls
Author: Gail Bowen
ISBN: 9780771012754
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart/2010
Pages: 336
It might sound strange but, this 12th Joane Kilburn novel is my first. Although it might appear that some parts are missing but It is a stand alone one. Here she is married to Zack Shreve, and they are both happy with her adopted daughter Taylor. With Christmas around the corner, everything looks bright and happy. But a young woman enters their life, and leaves her infant son with Isobel Wainberg, Taylor's best friend, and disappears. Everyone is looking for her wanting to know her motive of leaving the baby boy. But she is found dead, after being raped. No one has seen her in the vicinity, and no one knows who she is.
It turns out that she was the daughter of Delia Wainberg, Isobel's mother. Zack, Delia, and Noah, are old college friends, yet Noah and Zack do not know Delia's past. The baby is much loved by all and Delia is anguished to find her long lost daughter dead. Abby has left the baby in Delia;s care but Nadine, her partner to wants the child. Zack is representing Deila and Joanne thinks Nadine too deserves a chance.
The novel sometimes gets off the mark but it has a good pace. The complications of relationships is well depicted. And the suspense holds good till the end. I liked the title and the characters. Another good crime fiction novel!!
A searing pain impacted her stomach, followed by several more blows near her ribcage. A large knife stabbed through her torso repeatedly, thrust after thrust.
Rhythmic.
Intense.
Absolute.
Silent Partner by Jennifer Chase
ISBN: 9780982953600
Publisher: JEC Press/2010
Pages: 308
The ending is a complete surprise. Why am I starting from the end? Because this starts with the usual story line. Even one starts to thins it is predictable somewhere in between. But no, it is a complete turnaround.
Jack Davis works as a K9 officer in the local police department. When a murder is committed, he gets to meet Megan again. They have known each other since they were children. It is her sister who is murdered. And Megan is a suspect. There is this psychopath killer Darrell Brooks, which is totally evil and twisted soul. Jack is ion his trail.
Megan sees things in her mind. She hallucinates. No one believes her except for Jack. They resume their old relationship. And Jack is also investigating the case by trying to track down Brooks. He does get a lead. Jack has a silent partner, his dog Keno, who is brave and can go to any length to save his master's life.
This novel has some interesting moments, holds our interest and definitely has a good unexpected ending.
"Henry appears, doing up his cuff links. He's wet, dirty, and unshaven. He looks about forty. But he's here, and he gives me a triumphant smile as he walks through the doors of the church and down the aisle." ~~Page 102, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Title: The Time Traveler's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
ISBN: 978-0156029438
Publisher: Vintage Books
Pages: 615
The Time Traveler’s Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger is an unconventional love story story, between Henry and Clare. Henry is a Time Traveler who has no control over it. He travels in and out of any of his chronological age. But Clare is a normal person. They meet unconventionally and the decision is already made for them that they will marry, which they do. Henry waits for Clare to grow up before he can even think of having a relationship with her. Clare does seem impatient at times, to have a physical relationship with the man she fell in love when she was only a child.
Henry De Tamble is suffering from a rare genetic disorder called Chrono Displacement. This is what makes him time travel and he meets his future wife in one of those travels. From there, their love story starts. Clare is aware that Henry can't be there for her always. But she loves him and they do manage to live an amazing life. They do have problems but love is so strong that they survive.
It is written as short diary entries, going back and forth, which can a bit confusing initially but falls into place after a while. One might find it a little confusing in the beginning but soon the pieces fit together, and it is easy to get lost in the world of Henry and Clare.
This is not a novel which goes from one point to other. It takes off tangentially. And everything fits together well. Not a novel to be taken lightly. And not for everyone. Those who like different kind of novel, will love it. As I did.
Eggsnake is more longer than all around Room, we’ve been making him since I was three, he lives in Under Bed all coiled up keeping us safe. Most of his eggs are brown but sometimes there’s a white, some have patterns on from pencils or crayons or Pen or bits stuck on with flour glue, a foil crown and a yellow ribbon belt and threads and bits of tissue for hairs.
~Page 21
Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
ISBN: 9780330519021
Publisher: Picador/2011
Pages: 401
The novel opens with the 5th birthday of Jack, a bright, babbling boy, who is looking forward to his birthday. He knows his Ma will make things for him, spoil him and be very good to him. But the reader does not that they are living a small space, cut off from the world. Their whole world is that room. Jack does not anything that is outside. Outside for him is in TV. And inside is what it is. Ma and Jack are friends with every inanimate object they have. Al there is the room is shared by both. Nothing belongs to just one of them.
How did they come about into that room? Ma, (she has no name) was kidnapped from her college campus by a psychopath when she was 19. And she has been held captive in a soundproof room, hidden from the world. Jack is born in that tiny space. The man who kidnapped her is known as "Old Nick". And when he visits Ma, Jack is sent into the wardrobe where Ma keeps him hidden. She doesn't want "old Nick" to see him, interact with him, although the boy is obviously a result of his visits.
Jack is very bright, intelligent and knowledgeable. Ma tries to teach him as much as she can, fully well knowing their situation. She knows that they have to escape somehow and plants ideas about their escape in Jack's mind. And the escape is on Easter.
The Outside is not all hunky-dory for Jack. He wants to go back. When his Ma is rescued too, he wishes for both to be back in that room. Ma has a tough time to adjust too.
The novel alludes to many real and allegory things. It is not an easy read but once you start, you can't put it down. One loves Jack instantaneously. The novel speaks about a mother's love for her child and to protect him at any cost. We do see Ma getting lost into herself completely and Jack somehow understands that. The novel is not explicit. It touches a very serious crime yet it is so beautiful. Made more so by Jack and his Ma, their relationship. I say, a must read!
One of the best books I read. Thanks to Aisle B. for my copy.
I opened our front door and found my mother hanging from the rafters. I'm sorry, I said, and I stepped back and closed the door.
~Page 1, Caribou Island by David Vann
Title: Caribou Island
Author: David Vann
ISBN: 978-0061875724
Publisher:Harper/2011
Pages:304
Based in wilds Alaska, we see Gary trying to build a cabin from scratch in Caribou Island. There is nothing, no plan, no clear cut vision, but just the compelling need to build a cabin in the middle of nowhere. His wife, Irene is against it. But she is helpless in a way. She thinks if she does not do as Gary wants, he will leave her. She has mysterious headaches. Dsspite tests, nothing comes up.
Gary is one of those people who always regrets what he has done. He is most of the times thinking, what if. He has many regrets, yet he goes on to his next ventures, with a single mindedness.
Meanwhile, their daughter Rhonda is thinking about settling down with Jim, a dentist. She tries to hold her family together. She is very worried about her parents, knows hat the cabin is a foolhardy decision but she can't do anything about it. Her brother Mark is not to bothered.
Caribou Island speaks of the conflicts in our mind. One which we can't vocalize but are very much affected by those. Irene has never recovered from her mother's suicide. And fears abandonment from Gary. She is a terrible situation of not loving him and yet can't live if he leaves her. Raw, stark and bleak feelings take her over.
Caribou Island is dark. It tells us how love can go wrong. After a while hope has no place. We do lose the thread once in a while but we can't let go of the novel. The building of the cabin is a metaphor of everything going wrong.
I have read too many romances in the form of e-books. And none of those need a full review. So I thought I would do Mini Reviews! All these novels can be found free! From Amazon. I read those with the help of a Kindle For PC, which can be downloaded for free from there. Try it! Works GREAT!!
Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren
Alex is a private investigator who works with her dad, and she is hired by a woman who has seen a photo in a newspaper of Brodie Hayes,a former rodeo star. And thinks that he is her long lost son stolen from the hospital forty years ago. Alex tracks him down and unknown to him takes something from for a DNA sample. Initially Alex is skeptical about the whole thing but somehow it is not really closed case at all. She starts to empathize with Brodie. It is not really a superficial romance although the does does suggest that. It has depth and the characterization is good even of those who have grey shades. The love story is only secondary to the story of stolen child..that is Brodie...
The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding
Tom and Sylvie have an one-night stand and as a consequence Sylvie gets pregnant. When Tom sees Sylvie after a few months, he thinks she is having a baby by some other man and also thinks Sylvie is going to marry that man. Both are in love with each other but they don't say it. This novel is all about misunderstanding. And it kind of finishes fast. The characters are too proud to talk about their feeling. Made a fast and easy read.
A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight
In a stormy night, the reclusive Ethan Hunter leaves his infant daughter in Molly's care. She is terrified but does care for the little girl. And when he returns to get his daughter back, Molly and Ethan are stuck in the farmhouse during the snowstorm, but when they're back in the real world that their relationship starts. Molly, who has withdrawn from society after being part of a horrific tragedy, is forced to get and it seems she can't Ethan. Both Molly and Ethan have histories and troubled pasts but they do deal with that to find happiness with each other.
Click on the titles to get all those downloaded for free!!
To be continued, next Sunday.......
“I’m not sure. I just wanted to have a conversation with my father – ”
“ – I thought your father was dead.”
“He is. I wanted to have a conversation with him in my head, to imagine the kind of advice he would give me – and I found myself here.”
Title: Blue
Author: Lou Aronica
ISBN: 1936558009
Publisher: The Fiction Studio/2011
Pages: 400
Chris's daughter Becky, a 14 year old, has a blood disorder and is not going to live long, Chris is divorced from his wife but loves Becky more than anything in the world. But Becky has drifted away from him. He used to tell her mazing stories and now Becky barely talks to him. Chris is unable to cop with that yet he can't let go of her.
Miea is a young queen, who has lost her parents at an young age and now trying to cope to look after her kingdom. There is some sort of blight in her land and nothing can cure that. By some quirk, Becky reaches the kingdom, which is a fantasy land, and finds that it is the same one she had created with her dad. Becky thinks that Chris, a plant genetist can cure the blight. Chris can;t believe the make believe world exist but he does when he too goes there with Becky.
Becky seems to be perfectly fine there with no trace of disease and also the blight seems to disappear in her presence. And then Chris realizes that he has to take the biggest decision of his life.
The novel is a fantasy one, yet it is filled with beauty of nature, love for fellow beings and about a world which can exist in our hearts and minds. Chris, Becky, Miea are all related in a way which seems impossible. Yet Aronica has made it very plausible. It is magical yet, so realistic. Father daughter relationship is so beautiful. Letting go is so difficult yet one has to do that when there is no other choice. One goes through a whole gamut of emotions while reading it.
I read the e-version of the book and enjoyed it very much. I recommend it for young as well as adult readers. Blue will totally take you over.
"This one? He was barely a child. They’d said he was three, but Len hadn’t . . . were three-year-olds that tiny? Len had expected something along the lines of a good-sized calf, seventy pounds or so, take a little muscle to roll— but this kid would have a tough time toe- to- toe with the goose that patrolled the ragged edges of Len’s yard. Did geese hurt children?"
~~~Page 1, Wrecker by Summer Wood
Title: Wrecker
Author: Summer Wood
ISBN: 9781608192809
Publisher: Bloomsbury/2011
Pages: 287
The title makes one think of destruction, disharmony and chaos. But it is not true. Wrecker is about a boy, and about Melody, Ruth, Willow, Johnny Appleseed, Len and Meg. And also about Lisa Fey, Wrecker's mother. When three year old Wrecker enters Len's life, he (Len) does not know what to do with this small boy. Wrecker's mother has been sent to jail for 15 years and Len is related to her by being married to Meg, Lisa Fey's sister. Meg is not quite okay in the head due to an infection.
After only a day, Len decides to send that boy away from him. He goes to Bow Farm asking them to look after the little boy while he sets the ball rolling. Ruth is only too happy to look after the boy and Melody, Willow and Johnny Appleseed accept her decision. However, for one reason or the other Wrecker lives with them for 6 months before Len takes him away to send him back.
The little boy, the troublesome little boy, has already made inroads into everyone's heart, especially Melody. All of them want him back, including Len, who decides to adopt Wrecker. However, Wrecker is brought by everyone at Bow Farm...Ruth, Melody, Willow and Johnny. None of them are related, not a family unit but they have love and affection for each other and the boy.
Melody becomes his "mother" and other love him just the same. Wrecker comes to love all of them. He is an unconventional boy, a high-spirited one, who misses his real mother Lisa Fey but with time he accepts these people as his own. Including Len and Meg. He comes to love each one of them. Meanwhile Lisa Fey waits for her release to be united with her son. She never had a good life but Wrecker is the best think that happened to her.
With wild California as its backdrop, Wrecker is a novel which makes an impact, the boy makes our heart ache for him, his mother makes us cry, and Melody is so full of love that one can't believe that she is not his mother. Ruth , Willow, Johnny are equally important part in Wrecker's life.
Summer Wood has written a novel, which stays long after we finish it. We keep thinking of Wrecker, Lisa Fey, Melody and Len, along with the others. It is about an extraordinary boy, and other people who are not a family unit as we know but nevertheless a family, and most important, they are Wrecker's family. He gets them all when he needs them most. Love has no boundaries. Especially a mother's love. And it does not have to be tied by blood.....the ending touches us deeply....
This is going to be one of my best books of 2011....
"Emily Barton, I think, has a mental picture of men as interminably consuming whiskeys and sodas and smoking cigars, and in the intervals dropping out to do a few seductions of village maidens, or to conduct a liaison with a married woman."
~~~Page 82, The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
Title: The Moving Finger
Author: Agatha Christie
ISBN: 0440158613
Publisher: Dell/1982
Pages: 189
Narrated by Jerry Burton, The Moving Finger is based in Lymstock, which is a typical idyllic English town. Everything seems to be in a slow pace here. But the tranquility ends when someone with a poison starts to write letters to its inhabitants, shredding their reputation. Everyone seems to dread the mailbox. One day the shock and scandal is so much that the receiver supposedly commits suicide. Some think there is truth in that letter and a few others have their misgivings.
Then another dead body is found and it is a murder. The police have to uncover the truth. Jerry Burton has had a nasty accident while flying and has arrived in Lymstock with his sister Joanna Burton, to recover. Joanna to receives one of the poisoned letters. Jerry knows he has to do something. And Miss Jane Marple comes to his aid in the last quarter of the novel.
The good doctor, Owen Griffith and his sister Aimee, the lawyer Symmington, and other characters including he childish Megan make it an entertaining reading. The novel moves slow for a mystery but it holds the interest of the reader. The ending was surprising. Agatha Christie novels never ever failed. Lovers of cozy mystery, can read it safely!
