Book review: Second chance by Jane Green

With this life-affirming tale of friendship and fate, Jane Green once again shows why she is a nationally bestselling author with legions of loyal fans. The story of a group of people who haven’t seen each other since they were best friends in school, they reunite when one of them dies in a terrible tragedy. Recapturing the intimacy of their younger days, they are each surprised at the impact their encounter brings. Warm, witty, and as wise as ever, Second Chance will strike a chord with anyone who is still trying to figure life out. I’m not sure what happened to Jane Green’s writing craft in this book; the POV jumps wildly in and out of various character’s heads, sometimes in the same sentence. The tense shifts from present to past and back. I suppose the effect is supposed to be one of sitting over a cup of tea with a good friend and having a gossip about other good friends. Only problem is, the book doesn’t come with tea. The story is Green’s version of The Big Chill – a man dies (and why Green chose to make it a terrorist attack on US soil is beyond me; the means of death is very tangential to the story and a car accident would have served the exact same purpose) and his death serves as the impetus for his old school friends, who haven’t really seen each other in twenty years, to gather together. They are your usual collection of stereotypes in reunion stories: the woman trapped in a loveless marriage; the happily married couple who can’t conceive; the mousy one; the glamorous, alcoholic film star. No new ground is broken, although the familiar old tropes are trod on over and over. Still, like all familiar things, there is comfort in visiting and Green’s characters, if not highly original, are engaging

Book Review: A rogues proposal by Stephanie Laurens


Demon Cynster has seen love bring other men to their knees and he wants no part of it. That is, until he meets the enchanting Felicity Parteger, who wants to marry and become a mother. Although passion runs high on both sides, Felicity knows Demon is not one to surrender his freedom Oh another Cynster marries, thankfully he realizes this by chapter two. And, unlike Devil his older cousin, Demon was willing to fall and admit to falling by the end of the book. Love Flick for her willingness to follow danger and leave Demon to catch up, not to mention her quick friendship with twins. And yes I know this review may not help unless you LOVE the Bar Cynster’s and their entire crazy, overbearing, protective, possessive family members, including the beautiful, darling, amazing, adventurous and protective Females

Epic fail

Well I can laugh at myself and say I epic failed on updateing with reviews as I wanted to from my last post. However I have been reading rather busily so at least that is something right? I have some reviews that I am going to get up this week for sure. whew.

Book Review: The Last Rake in London by Nicola Cornick

Under a blaze of chandeliers, in London’s most fashionable club, Jack Kestrel is waiting. He hasn’t come to enjoy the rich at play, he’s there to uphold his family name. But first he has to get past the ice-cool owner: the beautiful Sally Bowes. And Jack wants her to warm his bed–at any price Edwardian society flocks to Sally’s club, but dangerous Jack Kestrel is the most sinfully sensual rogue she’s ever met. Inexperienced with men, the wicked glint in Jack’s eyes promises he’ll take care of satisfying her every need…. I spent most of this book hoping the heroine would buck up and kick her boorish hero squarely in the family jewels. The writing wasn’t horrible , except for repeated misuse of the word “quiescent.” Although, given what a doormat the supposedly independent and self-minded heroine is, perhaps quiescent IS the word for her….this one rates a meh. But at least it was a fast read.

True Mom Confessions:Real Moms get real by Romi Lassally

Mothers’ hilarious, outrageous, heartfelt admissions


“Sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom.”


“I put an educational DVD on so I could have sex. It wasn’t with my husband.”


Romi Lassally provides a judgment-free zone where women can reveal their mommy misdemeanors. From not feeling like cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night, to barking something completely inappropriate to the children, to wanting to be pawed by hands that aren’t covered in jelly, the confessions pour in daily.


Heartfelt and hilarious, naughty and nasty, frank and outrageous, the confessions culled together for this book represent the best-or the worst?-of those humbling hidden secrets of motherhood in all its glorious messiness as improvisation and triage. They dare to suggest that it’s okay for moms to make mistakes, to have unkind thoughts, to publicly or privately embarrass themselves-and above all to be human.


This was a fast read for me and being only a step mom I was not fully sure I would relate,but it seemed like fun. So I went for it. Well I am glad I did because it was a great book, it made me laugh and it made me cry and really no matter what kind of Mom you are you can relate.

If you are a Step Mom, Mom Mom, Fur Mom or any kind of Mom at all I reccomend reading this one. It will help you and make you see indeed your not alone in the little things and bigger things either. True Mom Confessions is just that!

Happy New Year

I finished my goal of 50 books this year not to shabby since I started so behind the ball. I did not get all the reviews written mostly because the books I finished the year out with for the challenge were ones I have already read and I just could only type so many Reviews. Bad of me I know.

But the new year commeth and I shall set my goal for a reasonable 50 again and start the reviews once more.

Happy new year fellow book Lovers.

Book Review: A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander



At her friend Ivy’s behest, Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of a man she finds odious. But the despised Lord Fortescue is not to be her greatest problem. Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess once linked romantically with Emily’s fiancÉ, the debonair Colin Hargreaves, is a guest also. And a tedious evening turns deadly when their host is found murdered, and his protÉgÉ, Robert Brandon—Ivy’s husband—is arrested for the crime.

Determined to right a terrible wrong, Emily embarks on a quest that will lead her from London’s glittering ballrooms to Vienna’s sordid backstreets—and into a game of wits with a notorious anarchist. But putting Colin in deadly peril may be the price for exonerating Robert—forcing the intrepid Emily to bargain with her nemesis, the Countess von Lange, for the life of her fiancÉ.


This is the third book in the series about Lady Emily Ashton, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed each one, I believe that this one is my favorite so far. I have enjoyed watching Emily’s character grow and mature in each book. This time, she sets out to prove the innocence of Robert Brandon, her friend Ivy’s husband, after he has been arrested for murder. The novel moves at a fast pace, and many of Emily’s friends from the previous books appear as new ones are also introduced. At the end of the previous book, Lady Emily became engaged to Colin Hargreaves, and he plays a major role in this story as he did in the others. This time, Lady Emily experiences a few qualms over a past romantic relationship of Colin’s. Political intrigues put Colin’s life in danger, and Emily does her best to ensure his safety. Colin is as wonderful in this book as he was in the other two. I find him to be an unusually delightful hero. He is so supportive of Emily and willing to let her test her abilities and intelligence. I eagerly await reading the next book in the series 🙂

Book Review: Letters for Emily by Camron Wright


You are so young. You may wonder what an old man like me could teach? I wonder as well. I certainly don’t claim to know all the answers. I’m barely figuring out the questions….Life has a strange way of repeating itself and I want my experience to help you. I want to make a difference. My hope is that you’ll consider my words and remember my heart.


Harry Whitney is dying. And in the process, he’s losing his mind. Afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, he knows his “good” time is dwindling. Wishing to be remembered as more than an ailing old man, Harry realizes the greatest gift he can pass on is the wisdom of his years, the jumbled mix of experiences and emotions that add up to a life. And so he compiles a book of his poems for his favorite granddaughter, Emily, in the hope that his words might somehow heal the tenuous relationships in a family that is falling apart.


But Harry’s poems contain much more than meets the eye….As Emily and her family discover, intricate messages are hidden in them, clues and riddles that lead to an extraordinary cache of letters, and even a promise of hidden gold. Are they the ramblings of a man losing touch with reality? Or has Harry given them a gift more valuable than any of them could have guessed? As Harry’s secrets are uncovered one by one, his family learns about romance, compassion, and hope — and together they set out to search for something priceless, a shining prize to treasure forever. They may grow closer in spirit or be torn apart by greed…but their lives will be undeniably altered by Harry’s words in his letters for Emily.

The letters are written by a Grandfather with Alzheimers (ostensibly) to his granddaughter. Grandpa Harry wants to leave letters and poems behind so that people can know him for the man he was in life, and not the man he was as his mind and conduct were claimed by disease.

There are additional story lines relating to his relationships with his wife, his children, and between his children and their families, but I was most struck by two things: his desperation to be remembered with fondness, and not as the crazy crank he anticipated becoming; and the fact that his disease process was exacerbated by a lifelong battle with depression.

I was touched by the story, even when I felt that the ending was perhaps a little idealized for a society that exalts the easy divorce.

Book Review: The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Once an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France, now Lestat is a rockstar in the demonic, shimmering 1980s. He rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his terrifying exsitence. His story, the second volume in Anne Rice’s best-selling Vampire Chronicles, is mesmerizing, passionate, and thrilling.

I’m going to just put this out there: Lestat is among the most fascinating minds I’ve ever been inside in literature. He just is. I understand that this is an erotic horror novel but that doesn’t diminish the truth of that statement. This book holds up to the test of time. I re-read it , and found out that I had not had a silly teenage fancy about it.

Lestat is just one of those… well the main review says Faustian, and I’m going to have to agree. His journey through sensuality, spirtuality, violence and meaning is one of the most fascinating I’ve ever read. It comes to a culmination in “Memnoch the Devil,” I feel, but this is where it begins. Lestat is a thoroughgoing bastard with lines like “I can’t help that I’m a gorgeous fiend. It’s just a card a drew,” and “I don’t like myself, you know. I love myself, and I’m committed to myself to my dying day, but I don’t like myself.” You can’t help but want to know more about him. Mythical, poetic, grand, larger than life. He just sucks you up into his story. I defy anyone to read this and not end up caring for this mind deeply. It’s just so beautiful. I think his journey through the chronicles is very much Odysseus-like. Except that he does not know where his home is, and he rejects the very idea of it. But that’s what he’s searching for all the same.

Perhaps I got attached to these at a young age, so I have a different perspective. But I think you can appreciate his passion, and the beauty with which it is expressed until a far older age than that.

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