SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET by Debbie Macomber

January 22, 2016
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Blossom Street #6

This is the 6th entry into this very gentle series, which of course I started with book 10. When I need something I know will be light, sweet and ultimately satisfying, I turn to Debbie Macomber. It encompasses everything Macomber readers expect; women’s friendship, sweet romance and knitting. The series is set in Seattle and centers around A Good Yarn, a knitting shop. I don’t knit but I envy those who do.

 

Lydia Goetz, owner of A Good Yarn, decides to offer an evening knitting class called “Knit to Quit.” She gets an interesting mix of people. Phoebe Rylander signs up in hopes of getting over her broken engagement. Her fiance was arrested for soliciting a hooker – for the second time. She took him back once before and despite her mother’s pushing, not to mention his need to always be in control and working hard to get her back, she won’t budge. She hopes the knitting will take her mind off of things.

Hutch took over his family’s chocolate business after his father died very suddenly, and very young, from a heart attack. His doctor warns him that he is heading down the same path and recommends he takes up knitting as a stress reducer, so Hutch joins the class. And Alix Turner joins to try and help her kick the smoking habit since she wants to have a baby.

The young widow, Anne Marie Roche, is finally happy to be settled with her adopted daughter Ellen. They are a small family, and when Tim comes by the bookshop asking about Ellen, Anne Marie gets her guard up.  Lydia and Brad decide they want to try and adopt a baby. Anne Marie loves being stepmother to Brad’s young son Cody, but two rounds of brain cancer left her unable to have her own so they hook up with a social worker to try and adopt. While they are waiting, a 12 year old girl needs immediate placement in a foster home so they take her in, which causes a bit of strain on the family.

All these women are friends, and their relationships and the budding romance between Phoebe and Hutch make for an interesting and enjoyable read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and it was completely captivating and entertaining, despite the reader. Narrated by the single-named Delilah, who I did not love, to say the least. Delilah is quite the actress, or at least thinks she is, but was completely over the top here. Not to mention reading the same line twice on more than one occasion, and even worse, mispronunciations – I was especially annoyed when a thriller reader in the story was reading Brad “Metzler” books, who I happen to know as Brad MELTZER! Twice she called him Metzler. Arggh! I am very glad a different narrator does some of the later books, I won’t be listening to any more Delilah if I can help it.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

BLOSSOM STREET BRIDES by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (March 31, 2015). ISBN 978-0345528865. 432p.

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FORBIDDEN TO LOVE THE DUKE by Jillian Hunter

January 10, 2016
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The Fenwick Sisters Affairs, Book 1

The Fenwick sisters share an historic home that has fallen into serious disrepair since their father’s death in a duel. They have been selling off whatever they can to survive, until finally Lady Ivy Fenwick decides to answer an ad for a governess position with the nearby Duke of Ellsworth.

Lady Ivy had her coming out before her father’s death, and attended a ball where she was kissed by a stranger. He knew who she was though, so when the Duke of Ellsworth sees her applying for employment, he immediately hires her.

While she’s an excellent governess, she proves to be quite a temptation for the Duke, and he for her. When another man starts courting her for all the wrong reasons, the Duke does not take it very well.

This was a charming read with some humor and a terrific romance. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

FORBIDDEN TO LOVE THE DUKE by Jillian Hunter. Signet (February 3, 2015). ISBN 978-0451470133. 352p.

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THE LIE AND THE LADY by Kate Noble

January 7, 2016
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Read on to find out how you can win a copy of the first book in the series, The Game and the Governess!

Winner Takes All, Book 2

In the first book of the series, the Earl of Asbury trades places with his secretary, John Turner, for a bet. While posing as the Earl, Turner falls in love with the visiting widow, Leticia, Countess of Churzy, but as soon as she finds out he is just a secretary, she dumps him and storms off.

This sequel follows John Turner and the Countess. She has been traveling, trying to stay one step ahead of all the stories about her misalliance. While in Paris she meets a lovely older gentleman, Sir Barty, and quickly agrees to become his wife.

Sir Barty brings her back to his small hometown, where she meets his daughter, a young woman who is a serious botanist in need of some guidance and a husband. Leticia is sure she can make a go of things but is forced to wait the requisite number of weeks while the banns are read in Church. Much to her horror, she finds herself face to face with John Turner.
TLTL TLL Teaser 1 Final
Turner’s mill is in this same small town, and his mother is great friends with Sir Barty, so they are often forced together. Something is afoot with the mill, and Turner is determined to get it running again but is quite distracted by his Letty. Try as they might to keep away from each other, sometimes true love is like magnetic north, and the pull is simply irresistible.

This was a terrific story with humor, pathos, and a bit of mystery in addition to the heated romance. I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

To win your own copy of The Game and the Governess, the first book in the “Winner Takes All” series, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “GOVERNESS” as the subject.

You must include your U.S. street address in your email.

All entries must be received by Jan 21, 2016. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your prize will be sent by the publisher.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

Good luck!

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE LIE AND THE LADY by Kate Noble. Pocket Books (December 29, 2015). ISBN 978-1476749396. 384p.

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THE GAME AND THE GOVERNESS by Kate Noble

January 7, 2016
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Winner Takes All, Book 1

Read on to find out how you can win your own copy!

The Earl of Ashby, Lucky Ned to his friends, is sure he garners all the attention he does because of his innate charm. His old army captain, John Turner, is a mill owner down on his luck after his mill burns down, not once, but twice. Turner is working for the Earl as his secretary, trying to save enough to reopen his mill.

When the Earl is informed that he needs to make a decision about selling his mother’s home where he grew up, he decides to visit it one more time before he sells it. He hasn’t been back since he was a boy. His secretary will accompany him, and then Turner makes Lucky Ned a bet he can’t resist. They will trade places, Turner impersonating the Earl, and the Earl posing as Turner. Furthermore, the Earl has to get a woman to fall in love with him without revealing who he really is. If he wins, Turner will earn enough to reopen his mill, and if he loses, the Earl gets the mill.

There are rules and such, but the bet is on and they arrive in the small town to meet the family they will be staying with, and their visiting friends. Ned, posing as Turner, is determined to win the bet and the governess will fit the bill. Or will she?

I picked this up because it was on many of the best romances of the year lists and I liked it, but I found the back and forth and who was who a bit confusing at times. I did like the humor and the characters, and it all came together really well and I can see why it ended up on those lists. The sequel, The Lie and the Lady, just came out and I liked that one even more.

To win your own copy of The Game and the Governess, please send an email to contest@gmail.com with “GOVERNESS” as the subject.

You must include your U.S. street address in your email.

All entries must be received by Jan 21, 2016. One (1) name will be drawn from all qualified entries and notified via email. This contest is open to all adults over 18 years of age in the United States only. Your prize will be sent by the publisher.

One entry per email address. Subscribers to the monthly newsletter earn an extra entry into every contest. Follow this blog to earn another entry into every contest. Winners may win only one time per year (365 days) for contests with prizes of more than one book. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone.

Good luck!

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE GAME AND THE GOVERNESS by Kate Noble. Pocket Books (July 22, 2014). ISBN 978-1476749389. 432p.

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THE ART OF SINNING by Sabrina Jeffries

January 4, 2016
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The Sinful Suitors, Book 1

I finally started a series with the first book, and now I can’t wait for the next!

Jeremy Keane is an American hiding out in Europe. After his father’s death, he and his sister inherited the family’s hugely successful mills, and she is running the business and doing a good job of it.

Jeremy has always wanted to be an artist, and is making a name for himself in England – and also a reputation as a rakehell. (I just love these old English words that pop up in all these historicals.) Known for frequenting bordellos, Jeremy is in search of his next model but can’t seem to find her there. He attends a ball and spots a woman across the room that he is just drawn to. She is Lady Yvette Barlow, and her brother Edwin is her protector.

Edwin has been having a rough go of finding a husband for his sister. Keane talks him into a portrait, which Edwin thinks will portray her in a marriageable way. Really.

Keane is completely smitten with the lady but believes it to be lust, although he’s never felt this way before, not even with nude models. The Lady is trying to find her debauched and imprisoned brother’s bastard, and enlists Keane’s help.

Both sets of families have secrets, and ferreting out the truth leads Yvette and Jeremy down a rocky road fraught with hot sex and eventually love. Great characters make a great love story and that is the case here. I stayed up late into the night to finish and was happily rewarded with a terrific ending.

1/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE ART OF SINNING by Sabrina Jeffries. Pocket Books (July 21, 2015). ISBN 978-1476786063. 400p.

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ONE-EYED DUKES ARE WILD by Megan Frampton

December 30, 2015
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A Dukes Behaving Badly Novel

Lady Margaret Sawford is a scandal. She’s writes a short story serial for the newspaper, refused to marry her parents choice, and they’ve disowned her. The only family she has is her sister, the Duchess. Lady Margaret is on a crusade to help the poor women of London, often putting herself in harms way.

While at a ball, she sees a man who grabs her attention – he’s tall and good looking, and wears an eye patch which she finds exciting. Most people find the Duke of Lashem very intimidating, and he’s quite proper and takes his ducal responsibilities most seriously. Until he meets Lady Margaret.

The Lady convinces him he needs adventure, and he finds himself accompanying her on her visits to the poor, and falling in love. She finds herself adventuring sexually with him and she falls in love. They adventure together until the happy ending.

I loved these characters, they were imperfect and real. This is the third book of a fun series.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ONE-EYED DUKES ARE WILD by Megan Frampton. Avon (December 29, 2015). ISBN 978-0062412782. 384p.

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THE DUKE’S DISASTER by Grace Burrowes

December 26, 2015

DUKE'S DISASTER

Noah Winters is the Duke of Anselm, and he promised his parents that he would marry by his 32nd birthday, which is rapidly approaching. He has been courting Marliss, but after several weeks she agrees to marry someone else. Noah does not want to dishonor his parents’ memory, so he asks Marliss’ companion, Lady Thea Collins, to marry him. She has been chaperoning him and Marliss and he feels comfortable with her.

Lady Thea has also lost her parents. She cares for her younger sister and her brother, who is old enough to take care of himself but instead is just running wild, leaving Lady Thea to negotiate her own wedding agreement. She is reluctant to marry the Duke, but he sweetens the pot by agreeing to allow her younger sister to live with them and to give her a good dowry, and that is enough for Lady Thea.

These two virtual strangers marry and then learn to love one another. Beginning with a proposal was a really interesting twist on the romance genre, and watching this couple learn about each other and fall in love was truly heart warming. I loved it.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE DUKE’S DISASTER by Grace Burrowes. Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 7, 2015). ISBN 978-1492605300. 448p.

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CONFESS by Colleen Hoover

December 19, 2015
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This is ostensibly an adult book, or the “New Adult” sub-genre that gets mashed in with the regular romances, but it really felt like a young adult book to me. The main characters are barely 21 (in fact one turns 21 half way through) and it starts when she is 15 years old.

Auburn has recently moved to Texas from Portland and is not very happy. She’s working as a hairstylist, but hates it and isn’t very good at it. She’s looking for a part time job when she sees a sign go up in an art gallery she passes on her way home from work.

Owen is the young artist in residence. People leave anonymous confessions in his mailbox, and when inspiration strikes, he creates paintings based on the confessions. He is talented enough to have a following and his own gallery, which he opens once a month.

Owen is desperate for help since his girlfriend/employee quit on him and the job right before his opening. So when Auburn inquires  he immediately hires her for the staggering sum of $100/hour. They have immediate chemistry, and book follows their budding romance, alternating their point of view each chapter so we get to hear what Autumn thinks and what Owen thinks.

It’s a great way to write a romance, if a bit repetitive at times, but Hoover really brings these characters to life. They each have secrets which slowly unfold to the reader, and eventually to each other. I can understand why this book is landing on some best romances of the year lists. It was a sweet yet compelling read. Rainbow Rowell and John Green fans will love it.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CONFESS by Colleen Hoover. Atria Books (March 10, 2015). ISBN 978-1476791456. 320p.

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THE HOMECOMING by Robyn Carr

December 18, 2015
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A Thunder Point Novel

This was my first Robyn Carr book and I will definitely be back for more.

The Homecoming is a contemporary romance set in a small town in Oregon and is part of a series. Of course I haven’t read any of the other books but that didn’t seem to mar my enjoyment here.

Seth was the most popular boy in school and ended up leaving college to play football for the pros. A car accident changed his life forever. Seth’s injuries were significant and he ends up with several surgeries and one leg shorter than the other. But that doesn’t stop him from applying to the Sheriff’s department. He won’t take no for an answer, and eventually he gets hired.

When the opportunity arises to return home as the Sheriff of Thunder Point, he leaps at the chance, both to be near his parents and his closest childhood friend, Iris. They haven’t spoken in many years, and Seth misses her.

Iris is still angry at what happened during their senior year in high school. Iris ran into Seth at a party after he and girlfriend broke up. She saw he was getting drunk, so she pulled him out of there to take him home. Seth invited her to the prom, but got back together with the girlfriend the next day and they went to prom instead. Worst of all, he had no memory of that night. Or the fact that he and Iris had sex. The bottom line is that Iris has been in love with Seth for as long as she remembers, but she is terribly afraid of getting hurt again.

Iris is a guidance counselor at the high school where they both went and is beloved by her students. Having been a gawky teenager, she remembers too well how difficult a journey it is through adolescence. Iris and Seth’s relationship take some interesting turns along the way to the inevitably happy ending.

What was most interesting to me about this book was they way the intricacies of friendship and the loss of a friend were explored. Whenever I hear about women who have friends for 30, 40 years or more, I’m always awed. I have lost friends over the years, found them again (thank you, Facebook) but can honestly say I do not have a real friendship that has lasted that long – other than my husband. I understand things change, sometimes we are at different points in our lives and we don’t have the same things in common, or there are geographical moves away, although with social media that no longer seems to be a problem. We have had couple friends, husbands and wives, who were incredibly close only to have them push away, without my understanding why. I have always regretted the loss of a friend, and Carr helped me realize that I am not alone, a funny thing to find out at 55+ years of age.

I found this a very thought provoking read, and a good story. More Thunder Point novels are out there, and plenty of others too. Carr is a prolific writer, and I am a most grateful reader.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE HOMECOMING by Robyn Carr. Berkley (December 8, 2015).  ISBN 978-0399174483. 352p.

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THE UNEXPECTED HUSBAND by Debbie Macomber

December 17, 2015
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Jury of His Peers & Any Sunday

This is a “two book collection” rebranded under a new title and cover with a new copyright date of 2012. Originally these were published separately under Jury of His Peers (1986) and Any Sunday (1988.) There is a sweet note from the author explaining how her daughter read these and loved them, and they decided to update the books, thus the reissue and new copyright.

Having read them, I can attest to the fact that they do not feel dated at all and I can understand why Debbie’s daughter enjoyed them. There is just no denying that Debbie writes a good love story.

Jury of His Peers is about a young woman on jury duty, who runs into her old high school nemesis. Caroline and Ted grew up together, but she always found him too perfect and constantly needled him. Ted grows up into a very good looking, kind man and when they meet again Caroline is shocked at the attraction she feels. She fights it every step of the way but Ted is a patient man.

Any Sunday features Marjorie, a young, independent woman who hasn’t been feeling well for a while. Her closest friend finally forces her into a doctor’s appointment with her own doctor. Dr. Sam is an ob/gyn and when it turns out Marjorie’s problem is an appendix about to rupture, he refers to a colleague, but assists with the surgery. Marjorie has no family, and Dr. Sam finds something about her most appealing so he takes care of her – going way above and beyond what most mortal doctors do. Quickly he realizes he can’t be her doctor and her boyfriend, and since he envisions a life with her, he forces her to find a new doctor. There are a few more hitches in their path to happiness, but happiness they find.

These are two quick reads and like all of Macomber’s books, very sweet, romantic love stories without a hint of sex. Give it to your grandmother or teenage daughter without a qualm.

12/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE UNEXPECTED HUSBAND by Debbie Macomber. Mira; Reissue edition (May 29, 2012). ISBN 978-0778313410. 368p.

 

 

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