Book 111: MEASURE OF LOVE Review

Measure of Love by Melissa Ford
ISBN:  9781611942828 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781611943030 (ebook)
ASIN:  B00C7Y1Y8E (Kindle edition)
Publication date: March 28, 2013
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books

Rachel has made a new life from scratch with her ex-husband, but can they survive the wedding plans?

It may be her second time getting married, but Rachel Goldman is definitely navigating a sticky relationship with her former—and soon-to-be-again—mother-in-law. Plus she’s in a tug of war with the editor of her upcoming book on divorce who is begging her to keep her happy new relationship with her ex, Adam, on the down low. How can Rachel do that when her society-obsessed mother-in-law is eager to get a featured story in the wedding section of the New York Times? Throw in a sister-in-law-to-be who’s navigating her own upcoming nuptials as well as a friend who not only doesn’t want to get married, but is possibly having an affair. Rachel finds herself with too many pots simmering on a very familiar stove.

Rachel Goldman should be on top of the world. Her blog is an internet success. She has a book about to published. And she's in love. Of course, there are a few snags; her book is about being successful at divorce and she's about to remarry her ex-husband. If that isn't bad enough, she thinks her best friend, Arianna, is cheating on her live-in boyfriend, Ethan, who just happens to be Rachel's brother. Almost forgot...her ex-mother in law, Anita, wants to make Rachel and Adam's second wedding even more of a society event than their first.

Rachel carefully navigated the world of marriage breakup, divorce, and being single in Life From Scratch. Although she was devastated by the breakup and divorce, she found solace in writing about her problems and endeavored to achieve success at cooking. She merged these two into a blog that become a massive hit and evolved into a book contract. Rachel wasn't looking for love, but she found it - with her ex-husband, Adam. He has left his law firm and embraced his first love, literature, by becoming a teacher. In Measure of Love, Adam and Rachel take their relationship to the next step, marriage (or in this case remarriage). Rachel is happy that Adam wants to commit to her, but before she knows it she's trying to plan a wedding in less than four months. What follows is a mixture of I Love Lucy and Jane Austen's Emma (the latter is actually referred to in the story); well-intentioned meddling with disastrous results (minus the comedic happy endings).

I found Measure of Love to be a fast-paced and enjoyable read. I almost felt as if I was meeting up with old friends as I revisited with Rachel, Arianna, Adam and others in their new struggles and dealings. Rachel isn't as self-assured in Measure of Love, but only when it comes to her love life. Arianna is still somewhat exotic, but not nearly as extreme when compared to Adam's sister Lisbeth. Lisbeth is an artist and is planning her own wedding to her partner, Emily, a physician (truly an odd couple with disparate personalities, but they fit). I felt sucked in by Rachel's internal struggle with her remarriage and her well-intended meddling. I waited patiently with Adam as he watched Rachel struggle with these issues. I suffered along with Arianna as she drifted slowly away from her best-friend. And I hoped for that happy-ending for not just Rachel and Adam, but also for Lisbeth and Emily, as well as Rachel and Arianna. The characters are well-developed and the situations not only realistic but relatable. Ms. Ford blends great writing and a tale about romance and love, mixed with relationship/friendship drama and touches of humor; the result is a great read about second chances for love. Measure of Love is the second installment in Ms. Ford's Life from Scratch series. I am rather anxious to read the next installment featuring Arianna's story, Apart At the Seams.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book 109: THE BURGESS BOYS Review

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
ISBN:  9781400067688 (paperback)
ISBN:  9780812984613 (ebook)
ASIN:  B009MYAWIA (Kindle edition)
Publication date: March 26, 2013
Publisher: Random House

Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his big-hearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever.

With a rare combination of brilliant storytelling, exquisite prose, and remarkable insight into character, Elizabeth Strout has brought to life two deeply human protagonists whose struggles and triumphs will resonate with readers long after they turn the final page. Tender, tough-minded, loving, and deeply illuminating about the ties that bind us to family and home, The Burgess Boys is Elizabeth Strout’s newest and perhaps most astonishing work of literary art.

Imagine a life that has always been defined by one horrific and tragic moment. Imagine a life that has always been overshadowed by the success of a sibling. That is the life of Bob Burgess. Jim Burgess is the older, smarter, and successful brother.  Susan Burgess is Bob's twin sister and alone in her own unhappiness. She’s also a divorcee raising her son back in their rural hometown, Shirley Falls, Maine. Bob and Jim have both left Maine and are practicing lawyers residing in New York. Jim has a lovely wife, three children, and a job at a prestigious law firm but is an overbearing and rather obnoxious person . . . especially to his family. Bob is divorced, living alone in a small and empty apartment, childless and works at Legal Aid. Bob adores, if not idolizes his older brother and has for as long as he can remember. That will all change when the Burgess Boys are called back to Maine to help their nephew Zach on a legal matter. (Zach throws a frozen pig's head into a mosque during a prayer service, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan.) When it appears that Zach may be charged federally with a hate crime, he runs away, leaves the country and joins his father in Sweden. Susan is bereft at his departure and must learn to cope with his absence. Bob worries that he may be branded a fugitive and only wants to make things as easy as possible for both Zach and Susan. Jim seems to only care that he has put his neck and reputation on the line. These three differing views on one simple action show the true nature of these siblings.

On the surface The Burgess Boys is about family and what we are willing to do to support our families. Underneath, it is also about family dysfunction and touches on prejudice, racism, narcissism, depression, infidelity, and responsibility. Ms. Strout has presented a story that almost defies explanation due to the simplicity of the heart of the story and the complex interactions among all of the Burgesses, their friends, coworkers and associates. Bob and Jim's relationship suffers and seems to breakdown in the latter half of the book, mirroring other relationship breakdowns due to lies and half-truths. The reader is given a glimpse into the minds of Susan, Bob and Jim, as well as Jim's wife Helen, and Susan's son Zach. More importantly we are also given a glimpse into how things appear from an alternate point of view, that of Abdikarim Ahmed, a Somali refugee and elder in the Muslim community in Shirley Falls. He provides a nice balance to Zach's story. 

I didn't find this to be an easy read, nor a particular enjoyable read since it deals with some dark and disturbing issues (depression, alcoholism, prejudice, etc.). The major characters, the Burgess siblings, all have flaws and major issues to overcome. Some flaws and issues are dealt with realistically and others seem a bit contrived. At times, I felt that some of the characters were becoming cartoonish caricatures rather than individuals (namely Jim and Helen). Even with these limitations, I think The Burgess Boys is a story that makes the reader to think. And isn't that what literature is all about?

Read an excerpt:

  The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout (an excerpt) by Random House Publishing Group

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book 108: THE REPEAT YEAR Review

The Repeat Year by Andrea Lochen
ISBN:  9780425263136 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781101598849 (ebook)
ASIN:  B0095ZQ0V4 (Kindle edition)
Publication date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Berkley

Everyone has days, weeks, even months they wish they could do over—but what about an entire year? After living through the worst twelve months of her life, intensive care nurse Olive Watson is given a second chance to relive her past and attempt to discover where she went wrong… 

After a year of hardships, including a messy breakup with her longtime boyfriend Phil, the prospect of her mother's remarriage, and heartbreaking patient losses at the hospital, Olive is ready to start fresh. But when she wakes up in her ex-boyfriend's bed on New Year’s Day 2011—a day she has already lived—Olive's world is turned upside down. Shouldering a year of memories that no one else can recall, even Olive begins to question herself—until she discovers that she is not alone. Upon crossing paths with Sherry Witan, an experienced "repeater," Olive learns that she has the chance to rewrite her future. Given the opportunity of a lifetime, Olive has to decide what she really wants. Should she make different choices, or accept her life as she knows it, flaws and all?

Life normally doesn't come with "do-overs" or second chances, but Olive Watson and Sherry Witan are given the opportunity to relive one year, 2011. Will they be able to make the most of this second chance or will they make the same mistakes all over again in The Repeat Year by Andrea Lochen.

Olive Watson is a young twenty-something. She's relatively debt-free, has a well-paying job as a nurse in the intensive care unit at a local hospital. She has close friends, a loving boyfriend, and is close to her mother and brother. Olive has been dating Phil for almost four years, but a series of incidents led to a separation then breakup. This was followed by her mother's engagement announcement and remarriage, which Olive doesn't take very well since it's only been a few short years after her father's death. Olive goes to bed on New Year's Eve 2011 in what was admittedly the worst year of her life after the year her father died. She expects to awaken on January 1, 2012 but awakens to January 1, 2011. At first she thinks she's crazy and just experiencing a weird deja vu moment, but she quickly learns that she is repeating 2011 . . . her nightmare year. Fortunately, there's someone to provide her with a little guidance, her mother's friend - Sherry Witan. Sherry tells Olive that she isn't quite sure why these repeat years or second chances are offered, but she's being given an opportunity to change the mistakes of the past and hopefully move forward to a better year.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading The Repeat Year. At first I thought it was going to be like the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, but this isn't repeating the same day over-and-over to get it right. Olive is forced to relive an entire year and hopefully make better choices. After I overcame my preconceived notions of what to expect, I actually enjoyed The Repeat Year. Olive and Sherry aren't perfect women. They are simply people that have made mistakes, some large, some small, and some life-changing. But unlike most of us, they've been allowed the opportunity to correct those mistakes, stop being judgmental (of themselves more so than anyone else) and to accept life and love with all of the inherent flaws. I found The Repeat Year to be a fast-paced read about self-discovery, acceptance, and tolerance. The characters were well developed and quite realistic. If you want a great read for a lazy afternoon, then I suggest The Repeat Year. Ms. Lochen has provided a story that offers a little bit of romance, a little bit of humor, some soul searching, and some family drama in an entertaining package.

I read The Repeat Year as part of the Book Sparks PR 2013 Summer Reading Road Trip. If you'd like to follow along, please visit Book Sparks PR here. Next stop is The Love Wars by Allison Heller.

Book 107: WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS Review

What A Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr
ISBN:  9781402279560 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781402279577 (ebook)
ASIN:  B00B2AO76U (Kindle edition)
Publication date: May 1, 2013
Publisher: Sourcebooks

How far will a mother go to protect her daughter?

An unsettling, emotional and suspenseful novel of the unshakable bonds of motherhood, in which Michelle Mason not only loses her memory after a deadly car crash, but can't find her 16-year-old daughter, the one person who may know what happened that day. But the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of everyone, even herself.

A dramatic portrayal of the fragile skin of memory, What a Mother Knows is about finding the truth that can set love free.

Read an excerpt here: http://www.leslielehr.com/images/WhatAMotherKnows-excerpt1%202.pdf

Michelle Mason used to have it all, a great job, a loving husband and two wonderful children. Everything changed after she has a horrific car crash that seriously injures her and kills her passenger. Michelle is finally able to return home after dealing with major surgeries, a medically induced coma that lasted months, and one year in rehabilitation. The home she returns to isn't the home she remembers. Her husband is now residing in New York, her son is in a boarding school, and her daughter has disappeared. The first brick in Michelle's carefully constructed "memories" is destroyed when she's told her daughter isn't studying internationally but has run away from home and it might be related to the car accident. Michelle's husband, Drew, tells her that a police report has been filed, a detective hired, and people are searching for Nikki. Michelle seems to instinctively know that there is more to the story than she is being told, so she launches her own investigation. As she uncovers details over the course of months, she is made to feel as if she's unreliable due to her tragic injuries. Can she trust the people that have repeatedly lied to her, or does she trust her instincts?

What A Mother Knows is an intriguing story that pulled me in from the very beginning. Michelle seems to be on a roller coaster ride in her attempts to search for her daughter. Just when she thinks she's found out something useful, there's an unexpected dip or turn that reveals more and more lies from those closest to her. Michelle is forced to face her overbearing but loving mother, Elyse Deveraux, as well as her strained marriage with her husband Drew, and her son Tyler. She doesn't seem to have anyone to support her in her quest for the truth, but she is fervent in her belief that a mother simply knows. This is more than a contemporary story about family, it is also about self-discovery as Michelle learns to adjust to her new lifestyle and limitations, and ultimately a mystery as she searches for her missing daughter. Ms. Lehr has provided a story filled with people that aren't wholly good or bad, but rather residents of the grey areas. Michelle is likeable and a realistic portrayal of just how far a mother is willing to go for the sake of her children. If you enjoy reading family dramas or mystery-suspense, then you definitely want to add What A Mother Knows to your reading list.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher, Sourcebooks, via NetGalley. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book 106: SWEET MERCY Review

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock
ISBN:  9780764210464 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781441261496 (ebook)
ASIN:  B00B85M16C (Kindle edition)
Publication date: May 1, 2013
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

When Eve Marryat’s father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve’s uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

St. Paul seemed like a haven for gangsters, and Eve had grown fearful of living there. At seventeen, she considers her family to be “good people.” They aren’t lawbreakers and criminals like so many people in her old neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a “safe haven,” Eve is blissfully unaware that her uncle’s lodge is a transfer station for illegal liquor smuggled from Canada.

Eve settles in to work and makes new friends, including an enigmatic but affecting young man. But when the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. How can she ignore what is happening right under their very noses? Yet can she risk everything by condemning the man whose love and generosity is keeping her and her family from ruin?

Eve Marryat is a young woman with fervent beliefs. She lives her life in black and white and has tremendous problems accepting that the world has lots of grey areas. She strongly believes that prohibition is good for everyone, criminals are always evil, and that all wrongs must be punished. After witnessing a gang-related shooting on the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota and her father's job loss, Eve and her parents move to Mercy, Ohio. Eve's father has been given a job working with his older brother at the Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge. Eve and her mother are also given tasks to help in the operation of the lodge. Eve presumes that Mercy, Ohio is a long away from the societal ills she experienced in Minnesota and begins to enjoy her life at the lodge. She has a boyfriend for the first time in her life and is surrounded by family and new friends in an idyllic setting. Regrettably reality intrudes on Eve's rosy world and she must ultimately decide if she can accept the shades of grey within the lives of her loved ones or destroy her family's refuge.

Ms. Tatlock paints a vivid picture of rural life during the Depression era. She doesn't sugarcoat the unpleasantness but rather presents it as is without prejudice. Eve may be a typical teenage girl in the 1930s but she seems to lack guile and have a certain naïveté about life and the real world. She has judged the gangsters in Minnesota and deemed them corrupt and evil. She has judged her older sister's behavior and found it lacking in morality. Now she is faced with judging those she has become very close to, namely her uncle Cy. It is in small town Mercy, Ohio that Eve learns not to be so quick to judge and accept people for what they are, warts and all. Sweet Mercy is a coming of age story where the main character, Eve Marryat, learns acceptance without prejudice and the true meaning of mercy. I found Sweet Mercy to be an engrossing and fast read (my only interruptions were caused by severe migraine headaches). The characters are all easy to relate to and realistic. The setting of the lodge and Mercy, Ohio makes for an ideal backdrop for Eve's story. If you enjoy reading uplifting historical fiction, then add Sweet Mercy to your reading list.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley and Book Blasts & Blog Tours. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway - SWEET MERCY by Ann Tatlock

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock
ISBN:  9780764210464 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781441261496 (ebook)
ASIN:  B00B85M16C (Kindle edition)
Publication date: May 1, 2013
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

When Eve Marryat’s father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve’s uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

St. Paul seemed like a haven for gangsters, and Eve had grown fearful of living there. At seventeen, she considers her family to be "good people." They aren't lawbreakers and criminals like so many people in her old neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a "safe haven," Eve is blissfully unaware that her uncle's lodge is a transfer station for illegal liquor smuggled from Canada.

Eve settles in to work and makes new friends, including an enigmatic but affecting young man. But when the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. How can she ignore what is happening right under their very noses? Yet can she risk everything by condemning the man whose love and generosity is keeping her and her family from ruin?

The Book Diva's Reads is pleased to host a guest post by author Ann Tatlock and provide an excerpt from Sweet Mercy.


Meet the Cast of Sweet Mercy 
by Ann Tatlock

Eve Marryat, our narrator, is a likeable 17-year-old girl who really only has one major flaw: she's a bit smug. She'll tell you so herself, though she's much older than 17 when she’s willing to admit to it. She's a loyal and loving daughter to her parents, Drew and Rose Marryat, though she's rather critical of sister Cassandra, who was drawn to the life of speakeasies, hip flasks and illicit love affairs that catapulted her into marriage and motherhood sooner than she had hoped.

Drew is laid off from the Ford Plant in Minnesota and the family is invited by Cyrus Marryat, Drew's brother, to return to Ohio and help him run the Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge. Eve is happy to leave crime-ridden St. Paul (and sister Cassandra) behind to go live in idyllic Mercy, Ohio. Uncle Cy seems like a hero to Eve, but there's more to him than meets the proverbial eye.

In Mercy, Eve befriends Marlene Quimby, who introduces Eve to her first love, Marcus Wiant. Marcus is the son of the sheriff and works with Marlene's boyfriend, Jimmy Fludd, at the gas station across from the lodge.

Two more young men enter Eve's life, the first being her step-cousin Jones, a reclusive albino who lives and works at the lodge. The second is a fellow she knows only by the name of Link, a drifter who lives at the shantytown up the river and comes by the lodge occasionally for a hot meal and a cold drink.

In spite of Eve's best hopes, the island is not so idyllic, the lodge is full of secrets, and no one is quite what Eve thinks they are, including Eve herself. The summer of 1931 is a season of discovery for Eve, and a time when she comes to know the meaning of sweet mercy. 

Excerpt

From Chapter 1:

 "Well, that’s easy," I said. "It's easy to love Uncle Cy." After all, he was my ticket out. He was my ticket to a new life. We were leaving the city of sin behind. No more bootleggers, brothel-keepers, gangsters, corrupt lawmen, kidnappers, or murderers. We were on our way to Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge in Mercy, Ohio, on the Little Miami River. We were on our way to the Promised Land.

Daddy gave me one more glance in the rearview mirror before settling his eyes on the road for the long haul ahead. Mother wiped at tears one last time before resignedly stuffing her handkerchief back into her pocketbook. She turned her face to the window, her features delicate and gentle in profile, her soft brown hair pulled into its usual knot at the back of her head.

I too settled back for the ride. As the newly awakened Minnesota landscape rolled by, I noticed the morning edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on the seat beside me. Clear of the city limits and facing the long stretch of open road toward Wisconsin, I picked up the paper to pass the time. When I saw an advertisement on page six for Wilson Tailors, I shook my head and clicked my tongue softly. Even the tailors were making money from the fallout of St. Paul's sleazy underworld. In bold type the proprietor, Mr. Edmund Wilson, boasted: "Bullet holes rewoven perfectly in damaged clothes."

Ann Tatlock

Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy-Award winning novel Promises to Keep. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in fiction for both All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon. Her novel Things We Once Held Dear received a starred review from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly calls her "one of Christian fiction's better wordsmiths, and her lovely prose reminds readers why it is a joy to savor her stories." Ann lives with her husband and daughter in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Book 101: ORPHAN TRAIN Review

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
ISBN:  9780061950728 (trade paperback)
ISBN:  9780062101204 (ebook)
ASIN:  B0089LOG02 (Kindle edition)
Publication date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from "aging out" of the child welfare system, and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.

Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past. As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life - answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

Molly Ayers is about to age out of the foster-care system. One stupid mistake, attempting to steal a library book, forces her to accept community service hours or be placed in juvenile detention or jail. Molly chooses community service but isn't sure where she'll be able to get the hours she needs. Fortunately Molly's boyfriend Jack is able to arrange for Molly to help an elderly woman clean out her attic for her hours. Molly stands out in Spruce Harbor, Maine. She dresses in Goth style in an effort to keep people away. If people don't get close, she won't have to worry about them leaving or hurting her. Molly has been in foster care for nine years and lived in more than twelve foster homes. Some homes were good and some were very bad. Her current foster father, Ralph Thibodeau, is anxious to provide a stable home for Molly. Ralph's wife, Dina, doesn't like the hassle of another mouth to feed or dealing with any of the problems that Molly faces. Jack is the only person she's really connected with in Spruce Harbor until she meets Vivian.

Vivian Daly was born Niamh (pronounced Neev) Power in Ireland in 1909. She immigrated to the US with her family in the late 1920s and became an orphan in 1929. The Children's Aid Society of New York gathered her and other orphans up and shipped them via train to the Midwest to be adopted. Her name was changed to Dorothy along the way and she was first sent to live with Mr. and Mrs. Byrne in Albans, Minnesota where she basically became an indentured servant sewing women's clothing. After the stock market crash and loss of incoming business, she is sent to live with Mr. and Mrs. Grotto as a mother's helper, where she lives in squalor and has to deal with being molested by Mr. Grotto. After running away from the Grotto family and temporarily being taken in by her school teacher, Miss Larsen, she is finally adopted by a loving family and formally becomes Vivian Nielsen (named after the Nielsen's dead daughter). She later marries and remarries and operates a successful business before retiring from Minnesota to Maine.

Vivian and Molly have a lot in common due to their backgrounds as orphans. Molly quickly learns about Vivian's life as an orphan and the trials of being on the "orphan train." Jack and his mother Terry (Vivian's housekeeper), feel that Molly is taking advantage of Vivian but Molly quickly explains that she is helping Vivian revisit and organize the tokens of her past since Vivian doesn't really want to part with anything. 

Orphan Train mixes happy with sad, good with bad, and pretty with ugly, much like life to tell an interesting story of two women born seventy-four years apart with similar lives as orphans. It was also fascinating to watch a friendship grow between these two women. I found all of the characters to be fully developed and rather enjoyed the seesaw presentation of past and present. I've got to say that I was initially drawn to the story because one of the characters is named Vivian (not a lot of us in the world). I could go on and on and on about this book, but let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Orphan Train. If you enjoyed reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh or if you just want a great read, then I highly recommend Orphan Train.

Watch the book trailer:

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via Edelweiss and SheReads.org. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book 100: A MURDER AT ROSAMUND'S GATE Review

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by Susanna Calkins
ISBN:  9781250007902 (hardcover)
ISBN:  9781250007919 (ebook)
ASIN:  B008RLTZBO (Kindle edition)
Publication date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: Minotaur Books

For Lucy Campion, a seventeenth-century English chambermaid serving in the household of the local magistrate, life is an endless repetition of polishing pewter, emptying chamber pots, and dealing with other household chores until a fellow servant is ruthlessly killed, and someone close to Lucy falls under suspicion. Lucy can't believe it, but in a time where the accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent, lawyers aren't permitted to defend their clients, and—if the plague doesn't kill the suspect first—public executions draw a large crowd of spectators, Lucy knows she may never find out what really happened. Unless, that is, she can uncover the truth herself.

Determined to do just that, Lucy finds herself venturing out of her expected station and into raucous printers' shops, secretive gypsy camps, the foul streets of London, and even the bowels of Newgate prison on a trail that might lead her straight into the arms of the killer.

In her debut novel A Murder at Rosamund's Gate, Susanna Calkins seamlessly blends historical detail, romance, and mystery in a moving and highly entertaining tale.

Lucy Campion is different from other maids (perhaps even other women) during the seventeenth century. She is inquisitive and smart. When her best friend, Bessie Campbell, is murdered in a manner similar to two other girls, Lucy is distraught. When her brother, William, is arrested for the crime she becomes angry and determined to find the true murderer at all costs. 

I enjoyed reading A Murder at Rosamund's Gate, but I found that the story seemed to drag a little in the beginning. Initially we are presented with the back-story, with glimpses into the lives of the magistrate and his family, as well as the lives of the servants. Lucy and Bessie become good friends, perhaps because they are similar in age and working in the same household, but they don't really seem to have much in common. Lucy is interested in working to better herself whereas Bessie is working because it is expected and all she seems interested in is having a good time by dancing and flirting. After Bessie is found murdered and Lucy's brother is arrested, the entire focus of the story changes and picks up pace. Lucy does a credible job as an amateur detective and becomes quite adventurous in her quest for the truth. Although I enjoyed the story and most of the characters, I had a difficult time with the premise that a lowly chambermaid could outsmart the authorities in her search for answers. Ms. Calkins has definitely provided an intriguing story that mixes just the right amount of history with mystery and a splash of romance. If you enjoy reading historical fiction with a few twists, then you may want to add A Murder at Rosamund's Gate to your reading list.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Excerpt: REDEYE by Michael Shean

Redeye (Book 2 of the Wonderland Cycle) by Michael Shean
ISBN:  9781620072356 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781620072349 (ebook)
ASIN:  B00C7T2DJI (Kindle edition)
Publication date: April 12, 2013
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Two years have passed since Agent Thomas Walken and Bobbi January found themselves at the heart of a conspiracy of unimaginable greed and cruelty. The Genefex Corporation remains shrouded in mystery and Bobbi January faces a life of unanswered questions and mounting disillusionment to look forward to. But when she receives a mysterious message from one of Walken's former comrades, she is drawn back onto the trail. Now, Bobbi will find herself newly equipped to discover the truth - about Walken, about Genefex and the Yathi race - and the key to unlocking those secrets rests in the hands of a cyborg terrorist known only as Redeye.

But the road to truth will be a dangerous one, from the glamor of Seattle's ultramodern core to the sprawling wastelands of the Old City and beyond. Alongside a band of lethal comrades, Bobbi will face death and worse amidst urban rot, abandoned subway tunnels, and ultimately the nightmarish halls of the Yathi themselves in a race to stave off what may prove to be the death of humanity itself. For the Mother of Systems will not be denied, and it will take all of Bobbi’s intelligence and wit to stave off annihilation. Drenched in blood and neon, Redeye is a tale of humanity on the edge of a new and terrible reality.

Excerpt

Chapter One

In the end, all Bobbi had left of him was a bloody coat. 

It had been the one that he had worn when they had driven through the Old City, when they had searched for dead little girls in a concrete wasteland. He had driven them through a mass of insane feral killers to save them both. That was him, her knight in cheap black microfiber. 

Tom. On nights like this, she missed him like crazy. 

Bobbi had never thought of him as hers at the time. There was too much going on, too much insanity and Stadil's stupid goddamned quest. And he had followed that road to the end, into the bowels of that abandoned hospital. The hospital that she had destroyed, and probably him with it, at his own request. But he had said that he had forgotten all about the Bureau, and that had meant that he intended to come back. Didn't it? 

Thomas Cooley Walken, agent of the American Industrial Security Bureau. It had not been love, she didn't think, but it had been something perhaps preceding it. Despite everything she had wanted, she had become fascinated with his vulnerability, his strangeness. Walken didn't trust this world that she had accepted as a matter of fact. And now he was gone, and had taken the secret of that disbelief with him. 

All she had left of him was that black coat, pinned up in a shadow box on the far wall of her tiny bedroom by the door. It was the first thing she saw upon rising, the last thing she saw before going to bed. She stared at it now, stretched out like a skin. The stains had long since faded into the fabric, blood long since bonded with the synthetic fibers.

About the author

Michael Shean was born amongst the sleepy hills and coal mines of southern West Virginia in 1978. Taught to read by his parents at a very early age, he has had a great love of the written word since the very beginning of his life. Growing up, he was often plagued with feelings of isolation and loneliness; he began writing off and on to help deflect this, though these themes are often explored in his work as a consequence. At the age of 16, Michael began to experience a chain of vivid nightmares that has continued to this day; it is from these aberrant dreams that he draws inspiration.

In 2001, Michael left West Virginia to pursue a career in the tech industry. He settled in the Washington, DC area as a web designer and graphic artist. As a result, his writing was put aside and not revisited until five years later. In 2006 he met his wife who urged him to pick up his writing once more. Though the process was very frustrating at first, in time the process of polishing and experimentation yielded the core of what would become his first novel, Shadow of a Dead Star. In 2009 the first draft of book was finished although it would not be until 2011 he would be satisfied enough with the book to release it.

Michael's work is extensively character-driven, but also focuses on building engaging worlds in which those characters interact. His influences include H.P. Lovecraft, William Gibson, Cormac McCarthy, Philip K. Dick, and Clark Ashton Smith.

Connect with the author:

Website      |      Facebook     |      Twitter      |      Goodreads 

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: FOR THE LOVE OF BIG ORANGE

For the Love of Big Orange
Series: A Bluegrass Country Novella #1
Author: Leta Gail Doerr
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Ebook
Length: 43000 words

Buy Links:   Amazon   |   Kobo   |   Barnes & Noble 



Book Description: 

They say you can never go home. Well, Lacie Joe Jensen never wanted to.

Lacie Joe left small town Kentucky for the big city lights and never looked back. Until now. Her ailing foster-father needs her, his memory is failing. But townsfolk remember all too well the troubles Lacie Joe caused as a youth, and they're not afraid to remind her. 

Lacie Joe has a few allies in town, for starters, ex-boyfriend turned police officer Jay Hayworth. Jay's kept the fire burning for Lacie during her long absence. He's one of the bright spots in Lacie's troublesome past, him and her truck, Big Orange. A suspicious accident forced Lacie Joe to leave town, Jay steps in to remind Lacie she no longer has the right to remain silent.

About the Author: 

Leta Gail is a small town girl with big dreams, who shares her life with her husband, son, and little dog Kimmy. She enjoys exercise (as if), planning family vacations, dreaming up places to go with her husband, reading, tinkering with computer software, and watching her son grow. 

She is a Project Manager by day working in Information Technology, who moonlights as a writer. She has a monthly column, Blonde Bytes, in a women's magazine - Pastelle Magazine, where she writes about fun geeky stuff.  

She loves to write about great friendships and deep emotions. She finds the humor in everyday life and creates believable characters she hopes her readers will enjoy. She likes storylines like, life after divorce, strong-willed women making their mark on the world, and finding love in unexpected places. She also enjoys writing tales that salute our nation's heroes. 

She enjoys the super support of her husband and inquisitive son while she dreams big and "shoots for the moon," as her husband so aptly states. 

If you enjoy Romance and Women's Fiction, contact Leta Gail via LetaGail[at]gmail[dot]com 

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Giveaway: 

One random commenter will win an eBook copy of For the Love of Big Orange by Leta Gail Doerr! 

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