Review: Shine

Shine by Lauren Myracle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book that will stay with me for a LONG time. Shine, is written so beautifully that you immediately fall in love with our main character, Cat a sixteen year old girl living in the south. Cat's former best guy friend Patrick, was found beaten and tied to a gas pump with a gas nozzle in his mouth and something written on his chest in blood.

In a small town of 700 some, I am sure the officers feel a sense that they might know who did this terrible crime, but if they charge someone, repercussions might be more than they want to deal with.

However Cat has a different plan. She wants to know who did this terrible thing. At the same time, it is a journey for her to figure out why exactly she stopped being friend with Patrick and the others.

Told in the southern voice I love, you can't help wanting to go on this journey with Cat. Kept me guessing till the very end -- Subject material I wasn't sure about at the beginning, but Cat's point of view isn't about sexual preference or right/wrong, it is about human compassion -- Brilliant book, read it! It will stay with you for a long time.

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Tuesday Teaser

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! So my read comes from

"Nellie thought a moment. Well because the more she defended Max, the more upset everyone got with her. "I don't know, it's just all so kind of, you know... freaky." " What is your teaser for today?

Mailbox Mondays

It's Mailbox Monday time! Mailbox Monday is going on tour and October is being hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse and Wit! Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks and audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists! I received The Angel Makers by Jessica Gregson,

The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt

, The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

and The Talk of the Town by Fran Baker.

I am looking forward to reading all of these!

Review: Falling Together

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pen, Will and Cat all met in college. But for six years they haven't seen one another, talked, nothing. They all promised not to check up on each other, just get a clean break. However when Pen and Will get a message from Cat to meet her at the reunion, they both are apprehensive but go in the end. It isn't Cat that sent them the notes though, it is Cat's estranged husband, Jason. A meathead if you will. Will and Pen greatly dislike Jason, but he asks them for help finding Cat.

When finding Cat seems to be the most important thing on this trip to the Phillistines, I think everyone finds a bit more of themselves. Marisa de los Santos writes with such descriptions you will feel like you are snorkeling with them, or at the santucary seeing the tiny monkeys, or traveling in one of the seats besides them on the plane.

Pen is one of the best characters I have come across in awhile. She is full of life, love and comes full circle dealing with her father's death, her love for her daughter's dad, Patrick and I think they all come away with new insights into life.

I am not going to spoil it for you and tell you if they found Cat, but what is more important is what they came back to the States with! Enjoy!!!

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Review: An O'Brien Christmas

An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book really was different from the usual back and forth girl and guy get together/fall apart etc. In this book, which left off of Beach Lane in which Susie promises Gram that they will all go to Ireland for Christmas to celebrate Susie and Mack getting married.

Well we all knew that Matthew and Laila would be the ones in the majority of the book but in her usual style, Sherryl Woods doesn't disappoint us with a peek of maybe who we might see in the next book, either Gram and her beau from Ireland or maybe Luke with one of the girls... I guess we get to sit on it for awhile and wait!

I loved as usual the whole family interacting and all full of love. Even though they might seem meddling and just down right nosy, this is a family I think we all secretly want to be a part of. Heck yes I would like to become an O'Brien! LOL

And that is when you KNOW you have read a good book, if you feel like they are family.

I received this ebook for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Review: Beach Lane

Beach Lane by Sherryl Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beach Lane is my favorite Cedar Cove books! I always feel like I am returning to Cedar Cove as one of the family each time we visit. Each time we visit someone new is falling in love with someone else and we see them banter back and forth and it all ties up into a very nice bow at the end, which Sherryl Woods has crafted so well.

But this time in Beach Lane we have 2 get together only to battle life, not each other. I think it is different from all the books. Mack and Susie are my favorites! A few times I caught myself cry, the book is just so heartwarming and true to life.

Susie is fighting for her life, finding out she has ovarian cancer; while Mack is trying to figure out who he is if he isn't a sports writer. Can they work it all out and be together?

Find out all in this book, and of course Sherryl doesn't disappoint, giving us a sneak peek of who might be showing up in An O'Brien Family Christmas!

View all my reviews I received a copy of this book from the publisher on netgalley.com

It's Monday!

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Haven't been able to post on here but I wanted to see if I could. So I finished Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers last week. Excellent book. Recommend it to everyone.

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Reading right now: The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff - on page 141 out of 305 -- Isabel Wolff is a master storyteller -- if you didn't pick up her last book, A Vintage Affair you are missing out! Don't forget to get this new one when it comes out as well. It is so good you can't put down.

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On my list to read this week:

1. All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson
2. The Gap Year by Sarah Bird
3. The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen
4. The Train of Small Mercies by David Rowell
5. All Our Worldly Goods by Irene Nemirovsky
6. The Legacy by Katherine Webb
7. Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman

Hope you all have a fantastic week! Can't wait to share next week!