Talk of the Town, by Lisa Wingate

Talk of the Town was such a fun read.  It was lighthearted and funny, sweet and romantic without crossing the line.  Lisa Wingate's language was clean and her storytelling was superb.  I downloaded this book because, at the time, it was being offered for free.  Even though it is not free any longer, I still encourage you to get a copy.
It is worth the read!

Most of us here in the South can relate to the small town setting.  The plot is based primarily on an American Idol type show with one of the finalist's coming home for a "surprise" concert.  As anyone in any small town can tell you, there is no such thing as a surprise.  Watching the big city people from the show interact with the small town inhabitants is funny enough, but adding in the antics of stars and the egos of executives and this is laugh-out-loud funny.  I will admit that the descriptions of the residents of Daily, Texas made me picture them just as Wingate described them; strangely, they seemed just like many of my family members!


Here's where you can find your own copy of this book at Amazon, at Barnes and Noble, and at Kobo.

Check out Lisa Wingate's Talk of the Town yourself and let me know what you think!

Divine Appointments, by Charlene Baumbich

This was an interesting novel. At first glance, it appears that it is going to be somewhat mystical and otherworldly. The story is engaging, however, and quickly draws you in. The characters are realistic and well-formed. The story provides a good message in a non-imposing format. It is definitely a book to lend to a friend.

Josie is strong and independent, and set in her ways. She is also single and menopausal. Watching her try to keep her life as fiercely controlled and regimented while things spiral beyond her control is humorous and something most of us can relate to.

Barb comes across as the typical grandmotherly figure. She is there for everyone and always has a treat and some advice for you. The glimpses into her personal life help round out and make her human.

Marsha's creative writing therapy is humorous when used in the overall narrative, but seems out of place when chapters of her fiction are placed in between chapters of Baumbich's novel. Overall, Marsha was my least favorite of the primary characters.

Overall, this is a clean book, and one that I would (and did!) loan to a friend... my mother. :-)

You can find your copy of Divine Appointments here at Barnes and Noble or here at Amazon.  I was forwarded a print copy for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Pirate Queen, by Patricia Hickman

This was the first of Hickman's books that I have read.  The description on the back cover was interesting enough to cause me to pick it up and start reading.

The Pirate Queen opens with a Southern Living party at the magazine-worthy home of Bender and Saphora Warren.  Saphora is in the midst of plotting her escape from the world in which she lives.  Just as she is about to be free, Bender comes home and informs her that he is dying and he wants her to take him to their vacation home to die.

Hickman's story is a tale of love lost and love found, forgiveness, faith discovered, and family.  The plot was strong and engaging.  I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading before I found out how it all ended.  The characters were well formed and realistic.  The dialogue was also realistic and, with few exceptions, flowed smoothly and did not feel forced.  All in all, this is a well-written novel.

Hickman places Saphora in many situations that are similar to life situations most people face frequently.  It's nice to see Saphora struggle with the choices she must make, and to see her deal with outcomes that she did not want.  It's easy to identify with her as we all do the same in our lives.

Ultimately, I liked The Pirate Queen.  I will certainly encourage others to read it and will be loaning my copy to friends.  It's clean and touches on being spiritual.  I would classify it as a vacation book.

Here's where to find it on Barnes and Noble as an ebook, and here's where to find it on Amazon.  I was forwarded a print copy for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. 

Lydia Bennet's Story: A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Odiwe

Like most women, I enjoy Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice, and not just for the images of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy it brings to mind.  Since I enjoy the story so much, I am typically eager to read any new books that tell more of the Bennet/Darcy tale.  I've purchased many and borrowed just as many from my mom, who is responsible for this aspect of my character.  Imagine my surprise then, when browsing the ebooks online, to find Lydia Bennet's Story:  A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice available for free.  It is on Barnes and Noble for free here, Kobo is also free here, and Amazon here.

This is not exactly a sequel, as it begins during the story of Pride and Prejudice.  It tells Lydia's side of things from the time that Elizabeth is visiting Charlotte Collins and Jane is with their aunt and uncle in London.  To see Lydia's logic behind her choices makes for a new and different twist on the classic.  Odiwe's novel continues beyond the marriage to Wickham and on in the future, continuing the stories of the rest of the family as well.  This is worth reading if you enjoy Pride and Prejudice.

I will point out that Ms. Odiwe tried to write in a style similar to that of Jane Austen, but she was unable to completely achieve that goal.  While remaining completely clean, she was not able to be as completely innocent as writers in Austen's time were.  However, most of these incidents of impropriety were from Lydia herself, which is appropriate given her character.  One other observation is that, when mentioning locations, Odiwe wrote out the full name, as opposed to Austen and her contemporaries who would use the first letter followed by a line (H--).  While nice to have the full name to read, I found I missed the discretion of the original.  That's a personal preference, though, and had no bearing whatsoever on the novel itself.

Overall, I would encourage you to download a copy of Lydia Bennet's Story:  A Sequel to Pride and Prejudice while it is still free.  Much like Pride and Prejudice can be read at any time, this can also be read and enjoyed just about anywhere.  I have classified it as a vacation book because it is light and silly and has romance and comedy, but is serves as a mental vacation on it's own.  I will warn you, though, once you read this you will want to pick up your copy of Pride and Prejudice and read it again!  (it's available for free from all the major ebook sites:  Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Amazon.)

I hope you enjoy this one; please let me know what you think!

Allyson

The Centurion's Wife, by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn

Yesterday I finished reading The Centurion's Wife.  I meant to post about it last night,but discovered I needed more time to think on it before I did.

I've read other books by Janette Oke.  I have found her writing in the past to be somewhat simplistic and repetitive.  While the stories were good, they were not soul-stirring.  The Centurion's Wife did not have that problem.  I was hooked.  I found the story to be thought provoking and very well written.  Of all her books I have read, this is my favorite.  I am looking forward to continuing the Acts of Faith series (this is book one; books two and three are focused on secondary characters from this one).

When I downloaded this, it was a free download on Kobo.  When I went back today to find the link, I found it is no longer free.  I still encourage you to buy this book.  It is available as an ebook on Kobo here and on Amazon here and in print from Barnes and Noble here. 

Oke used a simple woman in Pilate's household to show a new side of the story of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  Her retelling of THE story is fascinating.  Having the people from Jesus' story brought to life makes it that much more real.  What I liked the most was the fact that Leah and Alban were both looking for the truth of what happened to "the prophet" and neither were followers of Jesus.  Without changing facts from the Bible, Oke created a story that tied so many major and minor characters together to bring it all to life.

Personally, I think this is a great book to read during the Easter season.  I also think it would be a great companion to a Bible study of the same time.  While you can read this book as merely a story and take it lightly, I found that nearly impossible to do.  To me, it was much more than just a story.

I hope that you enjoy The Centurion's Wife as much as I did.  Let me know what you think of it!

Allyson

Fools Rush In, by Janice Thompson

Last night's book was another cute, flirty comedic romance.  It was also very clean and had more emphasis on Christianity/spirituality than the others I've read so far this year.  Best of all, like many of the others this year, it was a free download on both Barnes and Noble and Kobo.  Click here to find it on Barnes and Noble's website. 

Fools Rush In is the first book in Thompson's Weddings by Bella series.  If the other books are as delightful as this, I will certainly check out the rest of the series!  Bella and her family are Italians who first lived in New Jersey and have landed on Galveston Island, Texas.  One of the family businesses, a wedding chapel and reception area, has just been handed down to Bella, who decides to branch out and offer themed weddings.  This story follows her as she plans her first big wedding and tries to avoid all the mishaps along the way.

The story is sweet, slightly predictable but not in a bad way, and is laugh-out-loud funny.  Several times I found myself reading passages aloud to Dave because they were so entertaining.  This is certainly a book I would share with a girlfriend and one I would suggest for a vacation.  It's a fun, easy read.  The 330+ pages fly by.


Please, let me know what you think of Fools Rush In or any of the other books in the Weddings by Bella series.

Enjoy!

Allyson

Against All Odds: A Novel, by Irene Hannon

I read this book over the weekend.  It was a free download on Kobo (and also here on Barnes and Noble). 

This book intrigued me, as it was an author I had not heard of.  The plot sounded like almost any suspense movie that tries to also attract women with a bit of romance.  While parts of the story were predictable, others were not.  The characters were believable and realistic.  Overall, the story was entertaining and held my attention.  What I enjoyed most was the fact that there was a religious aspect to the story, but not so much as to detract from the primary story line.  The language was completely free of vulgarities, slurs, innuendos, etc.  There were a couple of scenes that, while still clean, were not suited to children.

This author's writing style and subject matter (the combination of faith/spirituality, suspense, and romance) reminds me of Dee Henderson.  If you enjoy any of Ms. Henderson's novels, you will likely enjoy this one as well.  And the reverse is also true.  If you enjoy this novel, check out some of Henderson's novels.

My verdict:  I would suggest this book to a friend.  So, friend, read this book!  :-)  Actually, I do encourage you to check it out, especially while it is available as a free download. 



Allyson

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

One of the first books I read this year was Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.  This is a gem of a novel.  It's a little over 300 pages and very sweet.  It's a Southern coming-home, find-yourself novel.  I loved how real the characters seemed, how familiar the settings were, and how clean the language and scenes were.  This is a book I wouldn't cringe to see my child read.  It's a book I would (and did!) lend to my mother without worrying what she would think.

This falls under the category of "vacation books" in my mind.  It's an easy read, it's lighthearted, and it's fun.  Perfect for a day on the beach, a rainy/snowy day on the couch in front of a fire, or your next flight out of town.  It's definitely worth the read and a great impulse buy at the book store.  This is a book you will want to lend to your friends or put in a care package for a girlfriend.


Click here to buy from Barnes and Noble.


Let me know what you think of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt!

Allyson