Miss Someday by R.J. Ryker

Summary

It's funny how one stupid little mistake can change your life forever. 

Okay, maybe what I did was slightly more serious than your average slip-up. 

But still...

As far back as I can remember I've had one goal in life: get into the vocal performance program at the Vanderbilt Conservatory of Music in New York City. It's the crème de la crème of music schools. 

Guess what. They accepted me, a practically anonymous girl from the other side of the continent. And they even offered me a partial scholarship. 

And there's my problem--a partial scholarship. 

Why not get a student loan to make up the difference, like every other kid my age? So, about that not-so-little mistake I made...

I was only trying to save my mother from getting in trouble, again. Somehow, some way, I got mixed up in helping my mom and her loser husband do a drug deal. 

A one-time mistake that changed the course of my life forever. It turns out you can't get student loans if you have a drug conviction. True story. Look it up. 

No student loan means I might as well forget attending the world's most elite music school. 

But I'm not about to let go of my dream. 

I have this letter from my mom. It arrived the day after she passed away. She explains everything, who my birth father was, how to find him and--here's the interesting part--how much money he has. 

This man I've never met just might be my ticket to Vanderbilt Music Conservatory, alma mater of some of the world's very best musicians. 

The only problem is, I have to keep my past a secret from my newfound father. And I have a feeling that's not going to be easy...

My Thoughts

Loved It!!! Is that enough of a review?! Lol!  Seriously though, sometimes I feel like that's enough! Haha!

There are times when I read books and have no problem putting them down and moving on to something else I need to do.  Then there are times when I read a book that I would rather let all other things in life slip by so that I can just keep reading.  This was that book for me.

While there were times when I wanted to shake Brittany a bit, I also had to accept that I don't really know how I would act if I was in the same type of situation.  Wow, am I vague or what?!  Sorry!  I don't want to give anything away!

Anyways, pick up this book!  I absolutely loved it!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Home Sweet Sonoma by Georgia James and Deborah Parrish

Summary

She's savvy and sharp, and loves her fast-paced city life. But whether she's ready or not, Kitty Taylor is about to find herself stopping to smell the rosé . . .

Superstitious, type-A executive, Catherine "Kitty" Taylor, is about to celebrate the greatest achievement of her career with her brilliant lover-lawyer, Nick Dylan, at her side. But when bad news hits the office, Nick races to New York to salvage the deal of a lifetime, forcing their personal lives to take a back seat, yet again.

With life in limbo, an omen compels Kitty to follow a chain of events, luring her to the wine country to celebrate her mother's 70th birthday. But as she steps foot in the door, she witnesses an event which proves that magic doesn’t really exist after all.

Stuck in a crumbling old church that her mother calls home, Kitty is faced with a vineyard bursting with ripe fruit, and must learn to nurture her feminine side, one grape at a time. Luckily, her mother’s rock-solid handyman, Daine Shepherd, who lives on the property, is just the one to help her do it. As Kitty resists, he gently persists, and their attraction grows by the day. She is not only forced to reconsider her relationship with Nick, but her urban lifestyle with all its fringe benefits. Dwelling in the luscious and slow wine country, she finds herself looking in all kinds of surprising places for the love she didn’t even realize she needed.

This wine country romance goes best with a glass of Chardonnay (or Cabernet), so kick back, relax, and follow Kitty on a soulful journey where she learns to trust her instincts and discover what she most wants out of life.

My Thoughts

Seriously, people.  I needed this book!  I needed the emotions it gave me, I needed the comic relief, and I needed the reminder to slow down and appreciate life and the people in it.

When I first started reading it I had a life full of distractions so I was having a really hard time getting into it.  I would read a little and feel like I wasn't following or something.  My first thought was that the book was lacking something.  Then, I kind of stepped back and realized that my life was crazy busy so it probably wasn't the book.

When I finally had the time to sit and get myself fully into the book I fell in deep.  It was so good!  I teared up, I rolled my eyes, I felt happy, I felt frustrated, I laughed!  All in one book!  This book is definitely worth picking up and settling in for a relaxing night of reading.

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Lyons Legacy by Charlie King

Summary

Ten years on from the events that took place inside The Lyons Orphanage, Sam is still no closer to finding his parents. 
Sam takes a job at the Crown Prosecution Service to find clues about the identity of his parents by investigating the case against Howard Lyons, who was sectioned as a result of his actions. 
Nicholas Lyons, stricken with illness, pleads with Sam to visit his brother and have him transferred to a prison for his crimes, to save Howard from the indignity of life in a psychiatric hospital. 
This sets Sam on a path to learn all he can about the case but clean-cut Sam knows he’ll have to break a few rules to get to the bottom of it.

My Thoughts

I love it when I receive a sequel to a book I've reviewed in the past!  Well, I do if I enjoyed the previous book! Haha!  And, since I did enjoy the first book in this series (The Lyons Orphanage) I am happy to read and review this sequel!

The Lyons Legacy, just like The Lyons Orphanage, does read a bit slow in the beginning.  Actually, it's pretty slow for the majority of the book.  However, when it kicks into high gear, it moves along quite nicely!

I enjoyed seeing the growth and maturity in the characters as well as in the writing all around!  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to read and review another good, entertaining book!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pickles the Dog: Adopted in North Dakota by Kat Socks, Illustrated by Ben Brick

Summary

Adopting a pet from a shelter is not only exciting, but it’s truly a feelgood experience as well. Join Kat and her family as they bring their adopted dog, Pickles, home to their family farm. Kat and Pickles work together to make the transition fun.

My Thoughts

I love it!  I love it!! I love it!!!!!

First of all, this book is adorable.  The Illustrations are wonderful and I am a definitely sucker for books about adopting pets!  And, to top it off, the stuffed animal version of Pickles is the best!  So cute and soft.

I took this book to school and read it to my kindergarten class.  They are the real critics here.  Well, they loved it!  They have asked me to read it a few more times since then, too.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book and reading it to/with children in your life.

*Note:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Refugee (Valiant Book 1) by Tony D. Jones

Summary

Val is an ordinary boy in an ordinary city, until one day he wakes up shocked to find that suddenly neither of those things is true. He finds himself stranded in a fantastical world of magic and mystery, struggling to cope as he is blindsided by one unexpected revelation after another. He was struck by lightning? He’s in a parallel dimension? His new friends aren’t human? He’s not human either? Each discovery is somehow more bizarre than the last, and every answer only yields more questions. 

As Val is struggling to get a grip on his new situation, a disastrous encounter flips his already shaky reality completely upside down. A critical mistake turns him into a fugitive, hurling him into an extraordinary adventure fraught with grave peril, mortal terror, and heart-pounding excitement. Accompanied by an increasingly unusual band of reliable friends and unexpected allies, Val must run (and fight) for his life as he comes to terms with this new world and his place in it.


My Thoughts

When I received the review request for this book I was definitely interested!  I was super happy when it arrived.  Then, when it was finally time to read it, I picked it up and started.  I just couldn't seem to get into it!  I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for a fantasy type book or what the problem was.

So, I put it back on the shelf and went on to the next on my list.  I picked it up a few more times off and on but kept having the same issue.

Now, here it is quite a bit later, I picked it up again and started it all over.  I don't know what was wrong with me before because this time I quite enjoyed it!  Shame on me for waiting so long!

I'm not trying to claim that the book is perfect with no flaws or issues at all, because that rarely exists.  However, it was a pretty good book and I wish I had read it sooner!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An American Family by Jackson Baer

Summary

Isaac Childs has the perfect life—until that life comes crashing down when his wife Ramie vanishes.

Isaac learns that his wife's disappearance is the ninth in a string of similar cases. In the wake of this news, he struggles to cope, to be a good father to his daughter and college-bound son, and to reclaim something of an ordinary life even as he conceals his troubled past.

After the FBI makes an arrest, and his wife is presumed dead, Isaac begins to move on. Yet will his secrets catch up with him? Has he conquered his vices for good? And what of the FBI's theory that the case isn't completely resolved, after all?

Evolved Publishing presents the first book in the "An American Family" series, contemporary suspense thrillers that explore one family's trials and tragedies.


My Thoughts

Oh, the struggle with this one!  I like it... I'm not sure if I like it... I like it... not really liking it now....
That was my brain while reading this book.

An American Family started out great!  It pulled me in instantly and kept my attention for a bit.  Then there were things that started driving me crazy.  I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that made me cringe, how fast things moved and changed in the story, the writing style, I'm not sure.

You know how you can watch a tv show or a movie and like the plot but you don't really like the acting?  It's like the actors seem like they're reading it straight from the script or something?  Well, that's how this book made me feel.  I wanted to know how it ended but I didn't really like reading it that much.  Does that make sense?

And, speaking of how it ended... it doesn't!!! Not really, anyways.  It is left, in my opinion, halfway through the story!  I have read plenty of book that end somewhat open but never to this degree.  I get that authors want people to buy the next book in their series but this one was just to abrupt and open ended for me.

I hate to post things like this.  It makes me feel so bad!  But, I did promise to give an honest review.  I do encourage everyone to pick it up and try it for yourself.  Just because it wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean that every reader will feel the same way.

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the Storm Ends by Rebecca L. Marsh

Summary

Beth thought her violent childhood was something she left in the past—until she met Erin. Now the abuse of her step-father has returned in terrifying nightmares.

Beth became a child psychologist so she could help children who are broken and hurting, but Erin, the fifteen-year-old who killed her father, is different. If Beth can’t reach her and find out why she did it, Erin will spend the rest of her childhood behind bars. To most people, it looks simple—Erin is either crazy or evil, but when Beth looks into Erin’s haunted eyes, she’s sure that something terrible was done to this girl. Erin, however, isn’t talking.

Beth believes Erin might open up to someone with whom she feels a kinship. Of course, Beth knows she shouldn’t share her own past with a patient, but the clock is ticking toward Erin’s trial, and Beth is out of options.

Little does Beth know that taking this terrifying leap will not only reveal the truth about Erin, but will rip Beth’s past wide open as well—and a connection between them that will shake Beth to the core.

My Thoughts

When I picked my kindle up to read this book, I couldn’t really remember what it was about. I just knew it was the next one on my tbr list. As I started reading it, I started to remember bits and pieces of the summary. I tend to like it when that happens. Coming into a book with no expectations!

When the Storm Ends had my attention from the beginning.  I never had a “just power through the boring part” moment at all!  The storyline was very good!  Now, there were a few times when I wasn’t completely in love with the writing style and things like that but, overall, this book was super interesting.

The ending wasn’t what I was expecting but I think I liked it better than what I had in my own head!  I really enjoyed this book and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to read it!  I definitely recommend that you read it too!

*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.