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Downstream: A History and Celebration of Swimming the River Thames

Caitlin Davies

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Stretching 215 miles from its source in Gloucestershire, through England's capital and across to the...

In Pursuit of Privilege: A History of New York City's Upper Class and the Making of a Metropolis

Clifton Hood

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A history that extends from the 1750s to the present, In Pursuit of Privilege recounts upper-class...

TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Aiming for Love (Brides of Hope Mountain, #1) in Books

Feb 24, 2021

What a book!

I was so happy when I received the honor of having Mary Connealy’s newest book Aiming for Love featured on my blog. Mary Connealy is one of my go to authors when I need something to smile about. This book definitely has that aspect in spades, it kept me smiling and laughing through the whole book.

The characters Jo And Dave had such interesting interactions that were so real. Things did not going the way that either of them expected. I thought Dave not quite knowing what to do with Jo’s families ideas was a fun experience as well. Plus all the additional sub characters in this book make it hard to put down as I never knew what was going to happen next. I still totally wish I could do the things that Jo and her sisters could do.

The plot was also very creative to me. I thought the way it was written keeps you wanting more and it gives you more as you read it. Mary Connealy has a way of starting off small and ending with a bang. Personally, I have never read a story quite like this one. But I loved it and I highly recommend picking this one up as a must read.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for all the happiness it brought to my heart, the laughter of the characters, the very unique premise, and the way in which Mary Connealy was able to convey the message of Christ through out the whole book.

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Christine A. (965 KP) rated How To Bury Your Brother in Books

Oct 3, 2020

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

How To Bury Your Brother is the debut novel of Lindsey Rogers Cook. The title drew my eye, and I thought it would have been a humorous novel. Reading the description, you quickly realize it is not. After selecting the book, because of personal reasons, it was not easy to start reading this book. However, once I started, I could not put it down.

Alice thought she would see Rob, her estranged brother, again. His funeral happened first. Years passed, and while cleaning out her parents' house, she discovers a box of letters her brother wrote to other people. Devastated he did not write a letter to her, Alice is determined to learn about the brother she lost and discover why he left by delivering the letters and meeting people who knew Rob.

Doing so forces Alice to look at the dysfunctionality of her seemingly normal family, how Rob and his abandonment shaped her life, newly discovered family secrets, and secrets she has kept from her family and friends.

The well-written story is a fast read. Cook pulls from her Georgian background to accurately portray southern families, their interactions with each other, with the community, and the stories they tell.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 10/2/20.

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Lindsay (1732 KP) rated The Christmas Swap in Books

Dec 24, 2020

The Christmas Swap

Melody Carlson | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Looking for a sweet Christmas themed book that deals with a romance. This book has it and a sweet way of how it goes. This deals with a house swap at Christmas time. This book reminds me of the Hallmark Movie called “The Christmas Swap.” I do not know if this was a make on that or if it was maybe inspired by it. I do not know.

The book is about two families but mostly about a songwriter that somehow ends up taking care of this own house. The way it comes about seems kind of cute. We also have Emma who is struggling to be a musician. How will Emma and West's relationship go?

Will Gillian or maybe Harris mess up the sweet romance that is blooming? Does this seem to take a turn when someone figures out who West is? Is the caretaker who he is? Emma seems to be belated with the house they are staying in and the area in Colorado. Will the family and guest learn to ski and enjoy Christmas before going home?

The author writes this book well. This book is Christmas themed and charming. I enjoyed it. The only thing I kinda wish it was a bit more to it. Though I guess, I read too many romances to see how it ends. It is not all that bad. The story is caring and a bit different in the way that the owner is the one in more of a predicament than the heroine.

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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated After the War is Over in Books

Dec 10, 2020

After the War is Over

Maureen Lee | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

204
Book
After the war is over
By Maureen Lee

Liverpool, 1945.Three women, strong friends, return home from the war trying to fit back into their old lives after they've been demobbed.They've been thrown together by the war and shared all sorts of good and bad times. Now their old lives seem dull in comparison, but not for long... The younger women, Maggie and Nell, are both twenty-one and are full of hope and excitement; Iris, on the other hand, is feeling apprehensive about returning to civilian life. At the age of thirty her only wish in life is to have a baby, but sadly this wish has yet to come true. When one of the women falls pregnant, there begins a dramatic sequence of events so wide-reaching that the three friends' lives will become more intricately interwoven than they could ever have imagined. Over the next quarter of a century this story of three remarkable - and very different - women unfolds into an uplifting tale of how three ordinary families become extraordinary.

This is not normally a book I’d pick up from a shop or the library this was passed on by a friend and I always like to try different books. I really enjoyed it! It’s a gentle well told story of 3 women who’s lives take so many different twists and turns. You find yourself immersed into each of their lives. I will certainly be trying more of her books sometimes a girl needs a break from supernatural and crimes!

Kudos

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Clan of the Jersey Boys (Fangsters #1) in Books

Sep 6, 2019

DNF

I hate DNFs. I always feel bad for not finishing them but sometimes I just cant get into a story. I stopped at 38%.

Right. Well, I expected this to be betterthat sounds bad I knowbut I was expecting them to be these tough vampires who kicked arse while running an illegal empire. In a way it was, but it didnt seem bad-arse enough for me. Sure there were a few scenes with retribution/warnings handed out to people but I didnt feel it.

Another thing that got me was all the mention of family and its many members. Yeah I know families are important in Italian/Sicilian cultures but more people kept getting mentioned and I found myself getting confused. What with Anton and someone else being turned by one person and his dad and uncle turned by someone else and this guy turned by the brother of that guy making them cousinsI got lost. It was a little too much for me to keep up with.

The relationship between Anton and Leo happened a little too fast for me to believe. Not the sexhes an attractive guy after allbut the love yous and how strong their feelings were after the one night they spent together. Or maybe I just missed something?

Its not a bad story, it was just a little different to what I normally read; the mobster/gangster bit anyway. If you like vampires, mobsters and m/m stories then you will probably like this.