Ah, time to review a Christmas story...well, in October I read lots of thrillers and mysteries but in December I have tried to read lots of Christmas and heartfelt books. So, let's get down to this review:
A Vineyard Christmas by Jean Stone
From GoodReads:
In the midst of a Christmas blizzard: A baby on the doorstep.
It's taken a long time and a little heartache, but Annie Sutton is finally following her dream of living on Martha's Vineyard. She fell in love with the island's singular beauty while using it as a setting for two of her novels. In her cozy rented cottage on Chappaquiddick, she's settling in for her first Vineyard winter--complete with a fierce nor'easter on the way, forecast to bring high winds and deep snow. But the blizzard also brings something unexpected to Annie's front porch: a basket, encircled by a ribbon, containing a baby girl. The note reads: "I named her Bella, after my grandmother. Please help her, because I can't."
Adopted as a child, Annie is grateful for wonderful parents who raised her as their own. Yet she also hopes to spare little Bella the feelings of abandonment that still haunt her. And so, rather than take the baby to the police, Annie decides to keep her and try to find the birth mother, giving her a chance to change her mind.
But it's not easy keeping a secret in a close-knit, island community, especially amid the bustle of Christmas. Before the holiday ends, there will be revelations, rekindled hope, and proof that families--the ones we are born into and the ones we claim for ourselves--are the gifts that truly matter . . .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You get so much from this book, Christmas magic, a baby's love, a mystery, an island community, love and did I say magic? It's all wrapped in this little Christmas book.
Once I read that this book was taking place in Martha's Vineyard, I was sold and then it was taking place during Christmas and I mean, come on, what else could I ask for more. I live in MA, so the Vineyard is magic already during the summer so to read something about it during Christmas, give it to me.
So, Annie Sutton is a writer (bonus points lol) and has always dreamed of living on Martha's Vineyard. So when she has basically lost everyone and everything in her life she finally makes the final leap and moves to the island. She has always loved the beauty of the island and now she is ready to spend her first winter there on her cozy rented cottage. Of course, there is a nor'easter on the way, forecasting high winds and deep snow. But Annie is prepared for the blizzard, she goes into town to get ready even buying a Christmas tree. But, with the blizzard she gets the biggest surprise of all, someone drops a basket, encircled by a ribbon and a baby girl inside it. With a note attached: "I named her Bella, after my grandmother. Please help her, because I can't."
Because Annie was adopted as a child, she starts to get attached to Bella in a new level of connection. She decides to keep the baby and find out who left her at her door step instead of handing her over to the police.
Because of this decision we get to see how a island community gets involved and how this mystery can lead to a lot more than Annie was hoping for. It's a Christmas that she will never forget.
This book is such a quick and fast paced read, one that you cannot put it down because you want to find out who little Bella's mother is. And you will try to connect the pieces together, that is until things will take a turn that you never saw it coming. Ah it was a lovely read, one that I still think about it today. And I'm so happy that there is more to Annie's story than this. I'm sure to continue with it.
5 out of 5 stars for sure.
XOXO,
Nelia
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Book Review: Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs
During October I read lots of mystery, thrillers books this year and I can't believe that I still have this one to review it, lol. Oh well, let's get to it:
Book Review: Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs
From GoodReads:
When Tsara Adelman leaves her husband and two young children for a weekend to visit her estranged uncle, she little dreams he is holding several local children captive on his lavish estate. Mike Westbrook, father of one of the boys, kidnaps her to trade her life for the children's. Soon Tsara and Mike are fleeing through New Hampshire's mountain wilderness pursued by two rogue cops with murder on their minds.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tsara has been estranged with her uncle for years and years but when he invites her to party at his lavish estate, she decides to go and make amends, specially when her husband convinces her to go and enjoy the weekend by herself as he would stay home with the kids. When she gets to her uncles estate things goes perfectly fine until the first night when she gets kidnapped. While she is kidnapped she ends up learning that her kidnapper is Mike Westbrook, who ends up been a father of one of the local kids that her uncle is holding captive. Mike kidnaps Tsara in order for her uncle to release his son.
What her uncle ends up doing is sending the two town cops who are murderers and set out in search for her and Mike with only one thing on their minds; to murder them in order to keep them quiet about what is happening at her uncles house.
Throughout the book we see how Tsara and Mike travel from through NH's mountains and how FBI gets involved and how her husband and brother worrying more about her. I really enjoying this book and how we got to see how Tsara and Mike's relationship evolved from victim and kidnapper to somewhat friendlier, nothing romantic for once. Not going to lie that somehow the book felt like it drag a little, but it had a good ending and you got to see how someone copes after a kidnap.
An overall a good read. 4 out of 5 starts.
XOXO,
Nelia
Book Review: Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs
From GoodReads:
When Tsara Adelman leaves her husband and two young children for a weekend to visit her estranged uncle, she little dreams he is holding several local children captive on his lavish estate. Mike Westbrook, father of one of the boys, kidnaps her to trade her life for the children's. Soon Tsara and Mike are fleeing through New Hampshire's mountain wilderness pursued by two rogue cops with murder on their minds.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tsara has been estranged with her uncle for years and years but when he invites her to party at his lavish estate, she decides to go and make amends, specially when her husband convinces her to go and enjoy the weekend by herself as he would stay home with the kids. When she gets to her uncles estate things goes perfectly fine until the first night when she gets kidnapped. While she is kidnapped she ends up learning that her kidnapper is Mike Westbrook, who ends up been a father of one of the local kids that her uncle is holding captive. Mike kidnaps Tsara in order for her uncle to release his son.
What her uncle ends up doing is sending the two town cops who are murderers and set out in search for her and Mike with only one thing on their minds; to murder them in order to keep them quiet about what is happening at her uncles house.
Throughout the book we see how Tsara and Mike travel from through NH's mountains and how FBI gets involved and how her husband and brother worrying more about her. I really enjoying this book and how we got to see how Tsara and Mike's relationship evolved from victim and kidnapper to somewhat friendlier, nothing romantic for once. Not going to lie that somehow the book felt like it drag a little, but it had a good ending and you got to see how someone copes after a kidnap.
An overall a good read. 4 out of 5 starts.
XOXO,
Nelia
Book Review: Snoopy: Contact! by Charles M. Schulz
Time for another review and a quick one this one...let's do it.
Snoopy: Contact! by Charles M. Schulz
From GoodReads:
Enjoy the Peanuts gang in another collection of cartoons especially selected for middle-grade readers.
Snoopy is one small dog with one huge imagination! From day to day, he can be found stalking the other Peanuts characters as a fierce ready-to-prey vulture, leopard, mountain lion, piranha, or creature from the sea. But his grandest flights of fancy are when he’s airborne as the Flying Ace on his Sopwith Camel seeking out the evil Red Baron. His forays take him through the World War I French countryside in repeated attempts to achieve his quest. In Snoopy: Contact!, enjoy his adventures along with his other unusual encounters: catching bird burglars stealing his Van Gogh, challenging Lucy to an arm-wrestling contest, and becoming the Cheshire beagle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, if you like Snoopy, you will sure like this book for sure. Snoopy is back and it sure is funny and entertaining. He is a WWI pilot in this one and you get to go on his quests with him. And of course you get to see him on his daily life and getting in his regular troubles as regular.
Totally recommend this cute read. 4 out 5 stars.
XOXO,
Nelia
Snoopy: Contact! by Charles M. Schulz
From GoodReads:
Enjoy the Peanuts gang in another collection of cartoons especially selected for middle-grade readers.
Snoopy is one small dog with one huge imagination! From day to day, he can be found stalking the other Peanuts characters as a fierce ready-to-prey vulture, leopard, mountain lion, piranha, or creature from the sea. But his grandest flights of fancy are when he’s airborne as the Flying Ace on his Sopwith Camel seeking out the evil Red Baron. His forays take him through the World War I French countryside in repeated attempts to achieve his quest. In Snoopy: Contact!, enjoy his adventures along with his other unusual encounters: catching bird burglars stealing his Van Gogh, challenging Lucy to an arm-wrestling contest, and becoming the Cheshire beagle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, if you like Snoopy, you will sure like this book for sure. Snoopy is back and it sure is funny and entertaining. He is a WWI pilot in this one and you get to go on his quests with him. And of course you get to see him on his daily life and getting in his regular troubles as regular.
Totally recommend this cute read. 4 out 5 stars.
XOXO,
Nelia
Book Review: Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis
First of all, can you all believe that Christmas is over? Like seriously, it's the day after Christmas and my house is dead silence. The last few days was was crazy loud and I thought it was never going to end and I wanted some piece and quiet and now? It's so freaking quiet, which it's giving me the time to write some book reviews but seriously? Christmas is over which means 2018 is pretty much over and I don't know if I'm ready for 2019...Oh My, someone help me.
Well, let me freak out later and get back to today's post and review one of my favorite books of the year for sure. And no surprise there, right? It's a Siobhan Davis and it's one of her standalones. Siobhan is an amazing writer but have read her standalone books? Because she somehow makes them even better, let's review her latest, AH so good.
Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis
From GoodReads:
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone…
I’m the second-most hated person in Amber Springs.
First place honors go to my twin, Ethan; however, hate isn’t a strong enough word to convey how people feel about him.
Not that I blame anyone—some days, I hate him too. Mostly, I’m just lost and afraid, drowning in a sea of betrayal and guilt, wondering how this happened right under my nose.
There’s no choice but to leave. To move clear across the country in a last-ditch attempt to start over.
Transferring to a new school midway through senior year is hellish for most people. For me, it’s a welcome relief—until someone discovers our secret and now everyone knows.
The pointing, whispering, and scathing looks follow me around again, and I’m back to square one. Except, this time, I’m not alone.
Axel, Skeet, and Heath took me under their wing from the minute I arrived here. I’ve no idea why three of the hottest guys in town took any interest in me or why they continue to have my back, but I’m so grateful to have them in my corner.
Because, right now, they’re the only reason I’m not following my brother into an early grave.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is so much to cover and so much that I can't say not to ruin the book that I don't even not where to start. Okay, trigger points, let's start with that, read this book knowing that Siobhan is touching some every tough subjects but in my opinion is it very well done, you get to know some of feelings of those trigger points from first hands but also from the other perspective points too, some the family perspective points, can't say too much about it because I don't want to ruin everything in the book, but if you read the book and put yourself on that side of character, you get to see how hard it was for her too. No justification at all for what Blaire's twin did, and I think Blaire will live with that forever but it was interesting to read a book like this.
And Blaire's suffering is a lot more deep than we realize at the beginning and when we get to see who deep it is? Oh man, I broke for her, I cried and my heart was bleeding for that girl. I can't say this enough, be prepared to suffer and understand Blaire's suffering, and understand the things she does because she doesn't let people inside of her easily and she just let's things to accumulate inside of her until it reaches the limit. Even when she thinks she has found the loves of her life.
When Blaire and her family lives Amber Springs behind she meets Axel, Skeet and Heath. After some pushing and denying she finally decides to give it a go but the journey is not an easy one for sure. Blaire and the boys meet during the senior year in high school but so much stuff happens in the short time they are together and something that happens to Blaire separates them unexpectedly and they don't end up getting in touch with each other for a while later and then...well you just have to read to see what happens.
This book, oh man, I cried so many times, my heart was jumping out of my chest so many times too. But it had it's steamy and romantic and funny times too, so it was a hell of a ride for sure and a totally worth read. And a 5 out 5 starts for sure. And a book that once you finish? You sure want more of it.
Love it and totally recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
XOXO,
Nelia
Well, let me freak out later and get back to today's post and review one of my favorite books of the year for sure. And no surprise there, right? It's a Siobhan Davis and it's one of her standalones. Siobhan is an amazing writer but have read her standalone books? Because she somehow makes them even better, let's review her latest, AH so good.
Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis
From GoodReads:
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone…
I’m the second-most hated person in Amber Springs.
First place honors go to my twin, Ethan; however, hate isn’t a strong enough word to convey how people feel about him.
Not that I blame anyone—some days, I hate him too. Mostly, I’m just lost and afraid, drowning in a sea of betrayal and guilt, wondering how this happened right under my nose.
There’s no choice but to leave. To move clear across the country in a last-ditch attempt to start over.
Transferring to a new school midway through senior year is hellish for most people. For me, it’s a welcome relief—until someone discovers our secret and now everyone knows.
The pointing, whispering, and scathing looks follow me around again, and I’m back to square one. Except, this time, I’m not alone.
Axel, Skeet, and Heath took me under their wing from the minute I arrived here. I’ve no idea why three of the hottest guys in town took any interest in me or why they continue to have my back, but I’m so grateful to have them in my corner.
Because, right now, they’re the only reason I’m not following my brother into an early grave.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is so much to cover and so much that I can't say not to ruin the book that I don't even not where to start. Okay, trigger points, let's start with that, read this book knowing that Siobhan is touching some every tough subjects but in my opinion is it very well done, you get to know some of feelings of those trigger points from first hands but also from the other perspective points too, some the family perspective points, can't say too much about it because I don't want to ruin everything in the book, but if you read the book and put yourself on that side of character, you get to see how hard it was for her too. No justification at all for what Blaire's twin did, and I think Blaire will live with that forever but it was interesting to read a book like this.
And Blaire's suffering is a lot more deep than we realize at the beginning and when we get to see who deep it is? Oh man, I broke for her, I cried and my heart was bleeding for that girl. I can't say this enough, be prepared to suffer and understand Blaire's suffering, and understand the things she does because she doesn't let people inside of her easily and she just let's things to accumulate inside of her until it reaches the limit. Even when she thinks she has found the loves of her life.
When Blaire and her family lives Amber Springs behind she meets Axel, Skeet and Heath. After some pushing and denying she finally decides to give it a go but the journey is not an easy one for sure. Blaire and the boys meet during the senior year in high school but so much stuff happens in the short time they are together and something that happens to Blaire separates them unexpectedly and they don't end up getting in touch with each other for a while later and then...well you just have to read to see what happens.
This book, oh man, I cried so many times, my heart was jumping out of my chest so many times too. But it had it's steamy and romantic and funny times too, so it was a hell of a ride for sure and a totally worth read. And a 5 out 5 starts for sure. And a book that once you finish? You sure want more of it.
Love it and totally recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
XOXO,
Nelia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)