Review: Heartwishes

Heartwishes by Jude Deveraux
#5 in Edilean Series

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

Gemma Ranford wants the job cataloging the documents of the Frazier family so much that she is ready to do battle to get it. Fascinated with history, and desperately trying to finish her dissertation, she's hoping against all hope that the papers will yield new information to invigorate her research.

What she didn't expect to find is references to the Heartwishes Stone - believed by most to be pure legend - and said to grant wishes to anyone named Frazier.

As Gemma learns more about the family - and even begins falling in love with the eldest son, Colin - it becomes increasingly clear that their wishes are actually coming true. Together, Gemma and Colin must work together to find the stone that's been missing for over 100 years - and with an international thief also on the hunt, the clock is ticking. Because in the wrong hands, no one named Frazier will ever be safe.

My Thoughts

Gemma Ranford is a history student working on her dissertation. She is told about a job offered out of this little town Edilean in Virginia. Mrs. Frazier has just acquired a bunch of books that hold paper history of her husband's family from England. She goes to interview for the job and meets Colin Frazier, the oldest son. She is told she got the job and starts going through boxes only to read about a family story about a Heartwishes Stone.. She is of course intrigued by this and most find out more. Through out her learning more about the Frazier family history she starts spending a lot of time with Colin. Strange things start happening around town and they are thrown into the middle....

This is about as typical as a Romance Novel can get, but the characters are well developed and I found myself liking them all. You get to see how the characters from previous books are, which I always enjoy. I love the small town feel, you never have any secrets in a small town. It was a well developed story and I enjoyed it. I would probably read it again if the opportunity came about, but it didn't strike me as a favorite.

Feature and Follow #6

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

This Week's Question is: 

If you could only have ONE – one book – for the rest of your life. Don’t cheat…what would it be?

For me it's the perfect balance of a action and romance. Also, I loved learning more about Acheron. Some parts were hard to read, for me that just makes it that much more believable.

Next Week: 
 Bookshelf Tour. Give us a tour of your bookshelf.

Latest Distraction: DIY Barbie House

So, I had planned to finish Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb and post the review today. Instead after I moved my daughters furniture and toys around in her room and had pieces of her plastic Barbie house fall off in my hands... I got to thinking if it was possible for me to use something else as the Barbie house. Something made of wood. With this thought in mind my web searching started. I love Pinterest. I found all kinds of Homemade Barbie houses, and before I knew it the kids were off to bed and I was still finding ideas for a Barbie house. Different furniture ideas, wall designs, flooring.

These are just some of the examples that I've come across. I've already seen a bookcase and a dresser that would probably work. I'm super excited about this, because with just a little work Bella (my daughter) will have a higher quality house to play with.

So, my book got pushed to the side.. lol. I know this is slightly off topic (for a book blog) but it's why my book got pushed to the side, so I figured it was alright.

Review: Iron Kissed

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
#3 in Mercy Thompson Series

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to shapeshifting car mechanic Mercy Thompson to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not. And she'll have to choose between the two werewolves in her life-whether she wants to or not.

My Thoughts

Mercy finds herself in even more trouble than previous books.. She is asked to help the Fae community with her keen sense of smell. They've asked her to help them solved murders that are happening on the reservation. Her mentor and friend Zee is accused of murder. Nobody else will help him so it's up to Mercy, and no matter how much Zee doesn't want her to she's gonna do it anyways. As if this isn't enough for Mercy, she must choose between Samuel and Adam.

I've found myself so wrapped up in these characters. I love them all. This was such a good story and it had me going thru all kinds of emotions, I even cried at one part.. This one just like the previous books is full of action and just enough left unanswered that you must pick up the next book and see how it goes.

Tuesday Teaser #6

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Abducted Heiress by Amanda Scott
#1 Secret Clan Series

"Dunsithe Castle, the Scottish Borders, 1527

When they came for her, she was sleeping. Her dreams were untroubled, for she did not yet clearly understand that her father- the big, laughing, teasing man she adored with all her heart- was gone from her life forever." Page 8/315 (ecopy)

Find this book on Goodreads

Review: Contract for Marriage

Contract for Marriage- Barbara DeLeo

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

Property tycoon Christo Mantazis wants the one thing his riches can't buy--the villa where his mother has lived and worked as housekeeper for forty years. That it's the same house he was banished from after being caught making love to the owner's irresistible daughter stirs up old memories, and now he wants her more than ever. Magazine editor Ruby Fleming's not about to give up her home to Christo, the man who broke her heart--until she discovers her mother left half of the estate to him, and she realizes she's trapped. When Christo offers a marriage of convenience, Ruby knows it's the only way for them to get what they want. Ruby needs a link to her past, and Christo needs his mother to retain her home. But it's another need--to have Christo again--that Ruby must resist at all costs.

My Thoughts

I've never read this author before, and received this book in a giveaway. The story sounded interesting. The book immediately jumps into what seems like the middle of a storyline. I felt like I was missing something. Right from the start the two main characters Christo and Ruby have misconceptions of how each other felt when they were together years ago. This story line always seems to bug me.. why don't they just ask each other instead of assuming they know exactly how the other feels. It would save everyone a lot of heart ache. But it worked surprisingly well in this story. I really enjoyed Ruby and Christo. Ruby wanted a family and for her child to have a father, but wasn't willing to sacrifice her happiness for what looked to be perfect on the outside. Christo was too afraid to feel like he did in the past so he was trying to control everything. From the wedding to the doctor. I think it came down to the simple fact that if he didn't know how to deal with something emotionally he tried to control it physically. I would have liked for the story to be a little longer so that the characters could have been developed a little more. Christo's mother would have been a nice one to know more about. The ending seemed a little rushed to me. As for the epilogue it was almost like an after thought.. completely removed from the original story, I don't think it contributed much.

The story overall was a nice light romance, easy read. It kept my interest enough for me to want to keep reading. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

Review: Forbidden Falls

Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr
#9 in Virgin River Series

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

Virgin River is abuzz with the news that a stranger bought the town's abandoned church on eBay. The buyer, a young widowed reverend, is a little like the building itself: in need of some loving care. Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings an improbable candidate his way. "Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colorful clothes and even more colorful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination, and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs. This unlikely duo may come from two different worlds, but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness is never out of the question.

My Thoughts

The story is about Reverend Noah Kincaid. He buys the old town church and renovates it. He hires Ellie Baldwin to be his assistant. They work together to fix the church while learning more about each other along the way.

It was a sweet story and i enjoyed the progression of their relationship. I also really like that you still get to read about the lives of the past characters. When it would be really easy to push them aside and all but ignore them. I've always wondered how it would be like to live in a small town where everyone knows everyone and these stories seem to be a pretty good example. Everyone cares what happens to even the newest members of the town.