Nightingale Way by Emily March

Overview

Eternity Springs is a magical place where hearts come to heal---with a little help. As Emily March's beloved series continues, a broken marriage finds new wings to fly.

Dark, brooding Jack Davenport hides his secrets well, never telling his wife about the dangers of his job, never sharing his thoughts or worries. . .never sharing himself. After tragedy strikes, their marriage shatters. Now a threat to Catherine Blackburn's life brings her back into his---and gives them a second chance.

A reporter whose most recent investigation has ignited a national controversy and put her in harm's way, Cat thinks she can handle herself. So when Jack grabs her off the street and sweeps her to his home above Eternity Springs, she's furious.

In the warm sanctuary of the Eternity Springs community, Jack and Cat face the heartache that drove them apart.  But can they find the courage to pick up the pieces of a shattered love?

Deep Autumn Heat by Elisabeth Barrett

In this sexy new Star Harbor romance series, featuring the too-tempting Grayson brothers, a celebrity chef turns up the heat for a local café owner—and things start to sizzle.

Lexie Meyers decides there’s nothing sweeter than watching Sebastian Grayson’s perfect, wicked mouth devour her coconut cake. He’s hot, he’s hungry, and he’s sizing her up like she’s the best thing on the menu. But she’s been burned in the past and flings just aren’t her thing. Too bad Sebastian can’t resist a challenge.

Worldly, famous, and notorious with the ladies, Seb had planned a weekend of fishing and relaxation with his brothers. Until Lexie, with her kissable lips and frosty “get lost” attitude, makes him want to forget his culinary empire and create some magic with her. After he fires up his charm—including challenging her to a televised cook-off to break through her resistance—it’s now hotter in the bedroom than it is in the kitchen and Lexie isn’t sure whether she’s lost her mind . . . or just her heart.

Review: Pretty Girls by Mimi Strong

Nora Scott is a broken girl--broken physically and emotionally.

A terrible accident took away part of her, and drove away the boy she loved.

Now Aaron Edward is back in town, and he's got his dark eyes set on her. Their chemistry is undeniable, but there's one thing keeping them from being together. Nora has to find a way to forgive Aaron Edward for the accident that took her leg.

Before she can get to a place of forgiveness, she has to deal with her own feelings of frustration with her appearance and career.

CATEGORY:

Commercial Women's Fiction / Coming of Age

Due to sexual content, recommended for older teens and adults, 17+.

REVIEW

**This review has been amended from it’s original version. Pretty Girls was originally released in the summer of 2012. In February 2013, it was re-released with some changes and an added chapter.**

I received this book from a free reading website. I am so happy that as part of the agreement, I had to read the book (fairly soon) and write a review. If it wasn't for the agreement, I would have purchased the book on my own and then shelved it.

Pretty Girls is not like any book I have read before. It’s a story about a twenty-seven year old woman with self-image problems.

Nora Scott is an only child, who still lives at home with her parents.Up until this point in her life, Nora has done pretty much everything her parents have wanted her to do.She went to college and earned a degree in Marketing. However, she ended up working for her uncle’s radio station. Nora wears a prosthetic foot, because she lost hers in a horrible accident at the age of fourteen. Because of this, she has trouble maintaining relationships with men for more than one night.

Aaron Edward was once a close childhood friend of Nora’s. He’s also part of the reason for the accident, which caused Nora to lose her foot. After the accident, Aaron and his parents moved away. Aaron went on have a nice life, but always felt bad about the accident. He has returned to Eugene, Oregon and immediately knows who Nora is. However, after not seeing Aaron for over ten years, Nora doesn’t recognize him.

The book primarily focuses on Nora and her struggles to spread her wings and actually realize she isn’t the “ugly duckling” she thinks she is.

Pretty Girls doesn’t fall into the genre of books I usually like to read. With that said, once I started reading the book, I hated to put it down. There is romance in the book, but romance isn’t what this book is truly about. It’s about becoming what or who you really want to be and learning to love yourself.

Rating: 4 (I’m really glad that I read this book.)

Release Date:  February 27, 2013

Book Length:  181 pages

Source:  Author - Contest Win

Reading Format:  Available only in eBook and Paperback

Connect with Mimi Strong:

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Buy Links: Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback

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Susan Mallery - Chasing Perfect

Overview

Welcome to Fool's Gold, California, a charming community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. There's lots to do and plenty of people to meet, especially women. Because there's just one tiny problem in Fool's Gold: the men don't seem to stick around. Maybe it's the lure of big-city life, or maybe it's plain old bad luck, but regardless of the reason, the problem has to be fixed, fast. And Charity Jones may be just the city planner to do it.

Charity's nomadic childhood has left her itching to settle down, and she immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer—everything, that is, except its sexiest and most famous resident, former world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she's not about to take a chance on another bad boy, even if everyone else thinks he's perfect just the way he is. But maybe that's just what he needs—someone who knows the value of his flaws. Someone who knows that he's just chasing perfect.

Sand Dollar: A Story of Undying Love by Sebastian Cole

Noah Hartman, eighty years old, lies sick in a hospital bed recounting his life of love and loss to Josh, in his sixties, a wise and compassionate orderly who stopped in to bring him dinner.  As Noah's loved ones arrive one by one to see him, they listen in on his story, and we're transported back in time to Noah's younger years.

Though outwardly seeming to have it all, Noah, now thirty-five, is actually an empty, lost, and broken man running on automatic pilot.  He has no true identity due to having allowed his powerful, wealthy parents to manipulate, control, and brainwash him from a young age.  With the threat of disinheritance and withholding love and approval if he doesn't comply with the plan they have for his life, Noah is lured in by the reward of great wealth and the illusion of running the family business empire some day.  In truth, however, Noah is like a regular, everyday guy living a life that was not meant for him.

Enter Robin, twenty-five years old, who -- in direct contrast to Noah -- is a vivacious, free spirit.  Full of life and always living in the moment, Robin's love saves Noah by inspiring him to stand up to his parents and live his own life at all costs, reclaiming his true self.

Callie's Cowboy by Karen Leabo

Callie’s Cowboy is a re-issue of Karen Leabo’s book from 1996.  However, I’ve never read anything by Karen before, so this book is new to me.

I got more than what I was looking for with this book.  Instead of being just a straight forward contemporary romance, it’s a contemporary romance with a little mini-suspense mixed in.

The Prologue sets up this three part Brides of Destiny series.  The series involves three high school best friends, Callie Calloway, Lana Walsh, and Millicent Whitney.  During their senior year in high school at the spring carnival, the three girls are told their future, by a Fortune-Teller named Theodora.  Theodora gives the girls souvenir mementos from their fortune, as a way for them to remember.  Callie is given a plastic key chain in the shape of a cowboy boot.  Lana is given a toy police badge.  Millicent is given a small brown medicine bottle.  This magical encounter is basically forgotten in the passing years.

The story takes place in Destiny, Texas.  Eight years after high school sweethearts, Sam Sanger and Callie Calloway have broken up.  Sam runs a family ranch called Roundrock in Babcock, Nevada.  Callie is editor of the hometown newspaper, The Daily Record.  In the eight years since their breakup, both Sam and Callie have gone on to live their lives.  But they never stopped loving each other and wondering what if.

The story starts with the funeral of Johnny Sanger, Sam’s father.  From the moment Sam and Callie see another sparks fly, some good and some bad.  Throughout the story you have Beverly, Sam’s mother, trying to subtly play matchmaker and not so subtly being the peacekeeper.

Even after Sam and Callie broke up, Callie remained very close to Beverly.  So, when Beverly asks Callie to help her, by looking into something, Callie agrees to do so.  As if more tension is needed between Sam and Callie, Callie’s questioning of things rubs Sam the wrong way.  What unfolds surprises Callie herself, and possibly the whole town.

The same issues which broke up Sam and Callie eight years previously are still the same issues which could keep them apart now.  However in eight years people grow older and learn what’s really important.

I found my first book by Karen Leabo to be an enjoyable read.  I’m looking forward to the remaining books in this series.

I received this book through a contest win.

Rating:  3

Purchase through: Amazon