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Every Time You Go Away
Every Time You Go Away
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Three years ago Willa lost her husband Ben. Since his death, she hasn't been able to return to their beach house in Ocean City, MD. The main reason is because that was where he died. But now, something needs to be done with the house and Willa thinks the best thing to do is sell it. But being at the house has been quite interesting for Willa. She keeps seeing her husband Ben, and then she hears him loud and clear as if he is still there with her. Is she going crazy or is he really there? As she goes about fixing up the house with her best friend and her son, she sees Ben less and less, but her grief seems to be subsiding.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What drew me to this book initially was the fact that it was based in Maryland. I have lived my whole life here and I love reading books where I can picture myself in the setting. And when it's places your familiar with, it makes it a lot easier to imagine.

I don't know what I would do if I lost my husband unexpectedly. I'm sure the grief would tear me up inside for a very long time. We are a family that enjoys the beach, so I could really connect with this book. We don't have a beach house, but every year we make it a point to get to the beach for a least a week. If my husband were to die at the beach, I'm sure that it would be more difficult to go.

Willa doesn't want to go to the beach house, but she knows something has to be done. The memories of her husband, Ben are too great for her to keep the house, so selling it seems like the best option. Being back in the beach house is bringing up so many memories and making Willa reflect on the past three years and how she has just been going through the motions of life and not really participating in it. Not spending time with her son, Jamie or her best friend Kristin. Having them helping her get the house ready to sell reminds her of all the summers they spent together.

How can Willa sell the house if Ben is still there? If she continues to spend her summers there will she continue to see him? He doesn't know how his appearances work, so how will they know. But Willa knows this summer will change her life in more ways than one.
  
The Cookbook Nook is hosting the town's annual grill competition, but things turn sour when the reigning champion is murdered before the first round even starts. When a friend of Jenna's becomes the prime suspect, she starts nosing around to find the killer.

I love this small touristy beach town, and I have already grown to love these characters. The plot was great with lots of good suspects and plenty of red herrings, too. I can't wait to visit again.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-inherit-word-by-daryl-wood.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Kindle
Book
9
9.1 (292 Ratings)
App Rating
Should have done it sonner.
Two years ago i finally caved and got kindle. Last month i downloaded the app.

  It is amazing now i oftern use it in ques, on public transport basically any time i know i have five mintues.

I love how they sync up so i can use both my kindle and app together. Ever since i droped my back and cracked my kindle screen i dont like taking it out specailly wouldnt want to take it to the beach with me. Now i have the app i read at least one book a day.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated A Time to Swill in Books

Jul 28, 2021 (Updated Jul 28, 2021)  
A Time to Swill
A Time to Swill
Sherry Harris | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Chloe Gets Swept into a New Mystery
Chloe Jackson has just returned from packing up her life in Chicago and saying her goodbyes to move full time to her new home in Florida. Her first morning back, she is running on the beach near her new home when she sees a ship that has beached itself. Hearing a cry on board, she climbs on board only to get swept out to sea. Before she is rescued, she’s found a skeleton that reopens a disappearance from twelve years ago. With some of her new friends under investigation, she is determined to find out what happened all those years ago and why it is coming to light now. What will she uncover?

The plot teaser just covers a few of the questions the book quickly gives us, and I had a very hard time putting the book down. In fact, I used a lazy Saturday to finish it faster than I originally planned. Meanwhile, there’s a strong sub-plot, not that we need any more reason to be addicted. Everything is resolved satisfactorily by the time we reach the end. Since Chloe doesn’t know her new friends super well yet, this book gives her, and us, a chance to learn more about them, and I love the character development. I might not normally pick up a book set in a bar, but I definitely enjoyed this one, especially the location – right on the beach. That setting may make this the ultimate beach read. Whether you pick up this book while on the beach or not, allow plenty of time to get lost in a great mystery when you pick up this book.
  
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Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Magic Hour in Books

May 25, 2018  
MH
Magic Hour
Kristin Hannah | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have read a lot of Kristin Hannah's books, loved them all, and this one definitely did not disappoint.

This book was well written, and the flow of the story was very satisfying. It's a wonderful, magical story about the love between several pairs/groups: mother and child, father and child, two sisters, and some long-time friends. There was just enough mystery to keep me intrigued and engrossed in the story, and Julia's relationships were well-crafted and beautifully developed.

I did get into the story a little slower than most of her books, I think because the character development was a bit more complicated than others - but I'm OK with that. Once I got into it, it was hard to stop! It's definitely a great romantic beach read and a wonderful escape from reality that I enjoyed very much.
  
G
Glasshouse
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The cover of this book actually put me off the contents the first few times I saw it. It isn't as if the cover is bad, and it actually reflects the book fairly well&mdash;but I like books about <b>people</b>, and when there's not a person anywhere on the cover, I have to be prettty bored to read the book.

I'm glad I did read it, although there were some rough bits. I need happy endings in my fiction. I just do, okay? This is pleasure reading, after all. And at one point the main character was so very far down that I felt hopeless for the him! Having experienced major depression, I fully recognized that he was very close to suicide. That wasn't very easy for me to read.

If gender bending is an issue for you, stay away from this one. It goes well beyond <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27341.John_Varley">John Varley's</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49842.Steel_Beach">Steel Beach</a>. I was tickled to see several casual references to polyamory.
  
Murder on the Half Shell
Murder on the Half Shell
Shawn Reilly Simmons | 2016 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Life’s Not Quite a Beach
Penelope Sutherland and her catering crew are working on a period mystery filming on an island in Florida. Penelope has hired a few locals to help out, including two teen girls who work part time as servers. After a party one Friday night, the teens disappear. Suspicion falls on Emilio, one of the chefs that Penelope studied under at culinary school. Penelope doesn’t want to believe her old teacher is guilty, but there is something in his past that makes Penelope doubt her judgement. Where are the girls? Who is responsible for what is going on?

It’s been a few years since I read the first in this series, and I didn’t remember who everyone was. Sadly, this book assumes you remember the relationships, and it took me longer than it should have to figure out those connections. The characters are good, but they don’t feel fully developed to me. I was pulled into the plot, however, with the missing teens making it easy to care about the outcome. There are plenty of twists and turns, and the climax was satisfying. Being able to visit a beach location during the winter was a great treat, and I found the balance of the mystery with the slower life of the island was well done. This is a quick read, and I enjoyed it.