Sisterhood Award!!!

I have been so late in announcing this - please forgive me Evy - the award was truly appreciated!!

Evy at Evy's Harlequin Presents blog has gifted me the Sisterhood Award - and I couldn't be more excited - it is always a treat to be nominated by other bloggers out there and to know that people are actually reading my posts and enjoying them!! LOL

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I am nominating everyone that follows this blog - whether by the Follow Me link, Google Reader, or any other way that you visit me. This award goes to all of you - it is great knowing that I have "sisters" out there that love books as much as I do!!

Passing Through Paradise - Susan Wiggs

Title: Passing Through Paradise
Author: Susan Wiggs
Publisher: Hachette
Published: 2002
Pages: 419
Genre: Romance

Another good book from Susan Wiggs. Even though this is one of her older books - I still enjoyed it and was totally immersed in the book. Her characters are vivid, and their emotions come rolling off the pages.

Sandra is a complex character - having to overcome the accusations of an entire town. Her husband's death was ruled an accident, but the townspeople believe she is guilty. Having been under suspicion for over a year, Sandra decides that it is time to move on - away from Paradise. Wanting to sell her childhood vacation home where she has been in hiding, she needs to hire a contractor to restore it to its original beauty.

Mike Malloy is a contractor who has lost everything. Through divorcing his wife, he lost his company and is about to lose his children. While waiting for the courts to decide his visitation rights, he decides to take the job of restoring Sandra's house. "She soon realizes he's skilled with his hands...and at touching her lonely heart."

Although this book is light on romance, it is complex in plot, characterization, and emotion. Another great read by a fantastic author - she touches the heart with her writing and brings to life a world rich with beautiful descriptions and characters that will be remembered long after the book is done.

You can read my full review here.



Rating: 3.5/5
Pages: 419
Completed: 4/7/09

Montana Creeds: Logan - Linda Lael Miller

Title: Montana Creeds: Logan
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Publisher: HQN
Published: 2009
Pages: 374
Genre: Romance

This is just one of Linda Lael Miller's new books for 2009, and she starts the year off with a bang. Montana Creeds: Logan is the first book in the Creed Brothers' trilogy - they are three estranged brothers who come home to find family - and love.

Logan has sold his online legal company, given up his wandering ways, and returned home to put down roots and restore his family's ranch. Briana is a divorced mother of two boys who is renting a home on the Creed land. She is surprised that Logan relates so well with her children after hearing all the stories about the brothers hell-raising. But after her ex returns, and some one sets out to terrorize her by vandalizing her home, Logan shows Briana - and the town - what the Creed boys are really made of.

This is a great romance - Briana is a tough mother who has had to survive against the greatest of odds, and Logan is your typical rowdy cowboy who wants to remedy the past by reestablishing his relationship with his brothers and to have a family of his own. The kids were realistic as was the budding relationship between Logan and Briana. The only thing that I didn't like was Briana's quick trust in her ex after being abandoned two years before in a Walmart parking lot with nothing but the two boys. She immediately releases the boys into his care as soon as he shows up in Stillwater Springs. I think she should have been a bit more cautious.

All in all it was a sweet romance with likable characters, a bit of suspense with the vandalism, and a whole lot of fun to read.

You can read my full review here.



Rating: 3.75/5
Pages: 374
Completed: 4/1/09

Simple Wishes - Lisa Dale

Title: Simple Wishes
Author: Lisa Dale
Publisher: Hachette - Forever
Published: 2009
Pages: 365
Genre: Romance/Women's Fiction

So much more than a romance, this book has it all - mother/daughter relationships, cultural issues, betrayal, emotional growth, parental legacies, unresolved anger, and forgiveness. It deals with real life issues with the characters being so believable they jump out of the pages and stand before you. This is Lisa Dale's debut novel and she comes out with a bang. I can't wait to read more from this author. I believe she has another book coming out in November 2009.

Adele is returning home after her dream of living in New York is shattered by one mistake. She returns to the cottage that she inherited from her mother. There she befriends Beatrice, a Korean woman, who Adele believes has some secrets to share about her mother. However, Beatrice tries her best to keep her from digging into the past. Adele embarks on a journey of self-discovery, learning to grow in the midst of tragedy, accepting life's simple pleasures, and opening her heart to love.

Jay is an artist in woodworking. He has secrets of his own. They both need to realize that the legacies our parents leave us sometimes are not always the best. Learning to overcome them is a journey all its own. As Adele and Jay grow closer together, "secrets from her mother's past threaten to send her fleeing back to the city. Can Jay convince her to stay with him?"

You can read my full review and quotes here.

Rating: 4/5
Pages: 365
Completed: 4/1/09

Book Binge

COMPLETED 4/30/09

The annual Book Binge runs the whole month of April, and the rules are very simple.

1. For the month of April, keep track of the books you read.

2. On May 1, post your list on your blog.

I already have a couple of books read for April, but I haven't posted the reviews for them yet.

Here is my List:

1. Montana Creeds: Logan by Linda Lael Miller 4/1/09; Review
2. Simple Wishes by Lisa Dale 4/1/09; Review
3. Passing Through Paradise by Susan Wiggs 4/7/09; Review
4. Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren 4/21/09; Review
5. Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne 4/22/09; Review
6. The Secret Hour by Luanne Rice 4/25/09; Review
7. Hot Flash by Kathy Carmichael 4/30/09;