Covet

Title: Covet
Publisher: Dutton
Pub Date: September 17th 2013
Author: Tracey Garvis-Graves
Received From: Dutton

What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else? 

Chris and Claire Canton’s marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he’s offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire’s concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can’t weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.

Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they’re spending hours together. 

Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire’s marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn’t take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she’ll never cross.


I could barely bring myself to start Covet, I'll fully admit I was nervous.  I loved On The Island so much that I was scared to see what came to the table from Tracey Garvis-Graves as a second novel, totally unrelated to On The Island.  But it only took me a few moments to get sucked into new characters and a new story. I just don't know how it is that the author manages to get into my head with characters I cannot put down once again. 


Then what happened to me is I read the book, and couldn't stop thinking about it. I started my review.. and could not finish it, I could never say quite the right things that rolled around in my mind.. hence why I am not a writer.. So here it is, months of thoughts on Covet that have overtaken my brain. 

Covet moves between the voices of Claire, her husband  (very strained) Chris and Local Police officer and new friend in Claire's life Daniel. I love this chance to be inside the minds of more than one character and to kind of understand how they feel about the things happening in the story.  When your in a relationship with someone you deal with so many changes. feelings and desires that change throughout that time frame. This is really the story of how Claire and Chris change due to circumstances in their lives. There are some moments in their story that gripped my heart, moments where I didn't know what I wanted for Claire. I felt as confused as she was about her situations and couldn't form my own opinion. I was just sucked into reading more and knowing how the lives of Claire and Chris and Daniel were brought to this point and how to move forward! 

To sum this up I have to say that Covet is the book that every women who has ever been married, or is ever considering marriage is going to want to read. It is another 5 star WIN from Tracey Garvis-Graves!

Uncharted an On The Island Novella

Title: Uncharted
Publisher: Dutton
Pub Date: July 2nd 2013
Author: Tracey Garvis-Graves
Received From: Dutton

Tracey Garvis Graves—and Anna and T.J.—return in this
companion novella to the New York Times bestseller On the
Island. 

When twenty-three-year-old dot-com millionaire Owen Sparks walked away 
from his charmed life, he had one goal in mind: get as far away as possible from 
the people who resented his success, or had their hand out for a piece of it. A 
remote uncharted island halfway around the world seemed like a perfectly logical 
place to get away from it all.

Calia Reed wasn't part of Owen's plans. 
The beautiful British girl—on holiday in the Maldives with her brother, 
James—made Owen wonder if getting away from it all might be a lot more enjoyable 
with a carefree girl who didn't know anything about the life he left 
behind. But Owen had no idea how much his carefully detailed plans would 
go awry. Nor did he realize that a decision he made would have such a 
catastrophic effect on two passengers who boarded a plane in Chicago.
And when Owen shows up at Anna and T.J.'s door with an incredible story to tell, 
everyone involved will learn just how much their lives are 
intertwined.


If your a fan of  On The Island this is a companion piece you don't want to miss! I was so excited to jump into the lives of Anna and T.J. again. Let me tell you, this novella didn't disappoint one bit. Starting out with the new characters of Owen, who I immediately loved and wanted to reach out and hug. Calia and James who quite honestly I was a bit unsure of at first but grew to love.  Mainly my uncertainty was because let's be honest who is that adventurous? I know I am not. I found myself reading this story with Owen sharing about his personal time On The Island and filling in some blanks as if I was seeing a puzzle in my head being slowly put together! Connecting each and every dot for me is important sometimes. I don't want to spoil anything in the book, but questions are answered, new characters are drawing me in and above all I gasped at more than one point! Seeing the settled in life and love between Anna and T.J. and knowing just how different things could have been was a particular diamond in the rough inside this story! I give another 5 stars to Tracey Garvis-Graves for her great Novella. 

Bonus Feature. Check out a special preview of Covet at the end of this book. It's out in September and it was so good I still can't put my thoughts into words! 

The Banks of Certain Rivers

Title: The Banks of Certain Rivers
Publisher: Self Published
Pub Date: March 19th 2013
Author: Jon Harrison
Received From: Purchased



Neil Kazenzakis is barely holding his life together: ever since an accident left his wife profoundly disabled, he's been doing his best as a single dad and popular high school teacher. He's also been dealing with Lauren Downey, his sort-of girlfriend of the past two years who's pushing for a commitment—and for Neil to finally tell his son Christopher about their secret relationship.

Neil's carefully balanced world begins to fall apart when some questionable footage of him is anonymously posted to YouTube...just as Chris learns about Lauren in the worst possible way. Doubting his own recollection of the events in the online video as he's threatened with the loss of his job and the ability to care for his wife, Neil must find a way to prove the truth to his family, his community, and himself as he struggles to regain the splintered trust of his son.

Heartbreaking, poignant, and written with devastating humor and warmth, The Banks of Certain Rivers is a shattering story of memory, loss, and just how far a man will go to show the people closest to him the meaning of love.

 It has been some time since I've found a book with little to no knowledge of what it is about and had my socks blown off but On The Banks of Certain Rivers did just that. First of all this wasn't the typical love story, or family drama story. I loved seeing the husband and father point of view here from Neil. Every moment of the story line drew me in to him as a character. I just couldn't hold on to see how he would handle the next step. The fact that he was a high school educator and had the issue with some footage online really drew in some mystery to the story, but just the right amount. Add in a mother in law with some need for his attention, a teenage boy, and a girlfriend we all know it's going to be hard. Each character really had a tie into who Neil is right now and how he got there. It really isn't often I love a book so much I can't put it down but this is for sure one of those stories!

Cover Reveal- Covet

I have been waiting for this day for a long time. Do you recall almost a year ago when I stumbled upon a book on Amazon, bought it and stayed up all night reading it? http://readingteam.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-island.html

Back then On the Island was a self published hit that went on to become a NYT Bestseller, and has been optioned for a movie.

We'll be getting the sophomore novel from the amazing Tracey Garvis Graves in September and today I bring you the Cover reveal

Isn't it gorgeous?  I love the colors and the flowers across the title. So pretty. I just can't wait to sink my teeth into this book and find out the story of this lovely lady!

Learn more on goodreads here. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13481759-covet)

 

Tomorrow, Tomorrow!

I'm coming back tomorrow!!!

With an exciting cover reveal!!!

Did you miss me? I missed this blog like crazy but  life got in the way.. So hang on to your hats and get ready for tomorrow morning! Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Customizabooks-Twas the Night Before Christmas

So this won't be your typical book review from the Mother Daughter Reading Team. Today we are diving into new adventures with a book that is an App. The App comes to us from one of the hottest new things out there for kids, Blackfish Children's Books.
We all know how great apps are, many of us read books on apps on our smart phones now. But this, this is for the kids and the holidays! Everything we love all wrapped up into one! What better time of year to to find this app with the holidays right around the corner.

 We asked Blackfish Children's Books for a little description and here is what they shared with me:

One of the best-loved and most frequently read Christmas stories of all time, this classic has been updated and customized for the iPhone and iPad. Beautifully illustrated, engaging, and interactive, our version allows you to continue sharing this magical story through the generations.

Features:

★ There are interactive objects on every page that kids love to touch and watch what they do. Try and find all of the objects throughout the story. At the end, the book tells you what you still need to find

★ Recorded narration with words that highlight as it is read

★ Record your own Narration

★ 1 Purchase gets you both iPhone/iPod and iPad versions

★ Easy to use navigation, customization, and page turning effects

★ Music throughout the book


C's Review- This is the coolest book we have seen yet. It is pretty pictures of course and I love Santa. But I can listen to the guy, or make someone else record it or I can even record my voice on my sisters Ipod. It was really easy to record on and I like to listen to myself , but I sound kind of funny. I love that I can read it all year long after mom has put away the Christmas stuff. I just wish there were more books ( SIDE NOTE: I interrupt her review to tell her there are more stories) OMG mom really, what books?  Can we read them all now?  Can I record them? 

Mom's Review- Well nothing quite warms my heart like the excitement of my little girls so I knew I was thrilled with this from the moment I showed it to my daughters. But as I began to really play with it I was struck by two things. one was how real it looked on my screen. Check out this image below, I feel like that reindeer is staring in my eyes. Also the ease of this app/book in terms of recording. I recorded some pages, made a mistake and it caught it and guided me through so I didn't mess up my story. I love that the navigation buttons are clear and the kids never once got lost maneuvering through.I love that this held the attention of a girl reading Little House on the Prairie books and a girl who is reading picture books. It really was family fun all around. 















 My husband and I decided to surprise the girls by recording together the book on each of their I-Pods to listen to in bed on Christmas eve and guess what you can do that too!

Here's a few simple ways. One you can go buy the app yourself here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/twas-night-before-christmas/id581608353?ls=1&mt=8


Or you can enter our drawing below and win a promo code for your very own copy! a Rafflecopter giveaway






Some other praise for the book

A much loved classic for the holidays! This one is so rich in graphics, life, interaction, and overall quality that it is certain to become a favorite for your kids!" -- bestappsforkids.org

"if you are looking for a nice traditional version of ’Twas The Night Before Christmas, illustrations with a warm, cozy feel, fun interactive elements, seasonal music and sound effects this is well worth downloading." -- 4/5 stars -- the iMums





*We were not compensated in any way for this review. We just downloaded the app, loved it and wanted to share it. 

A Season for Sin

Title: A Season for Sin
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub Date: September 12th  2012
Author: Vicky Dreiling
Received From: NetGalley




Introducing the Sinful Scoundrels...

The Earl of Bellingham is nothing is not a creature of habit:  money, meals, and mistresses must be strictly managed if a man is to have a moment's peace.  It's a system that works splendidly for him--until now.  With his oldest and dearest friends succumbing, one by one, to wedded bliss, Bell is now restless and a trifle lonely.  Enter the Sinful Scoundrels--Colin Brockhurst, Earl of Ravenshire, and Harry Norcliffe, Viscount Evermore--who drag him back into society and draw his rakish eye to the ton's new beautiful young widow.  Bell isn't after a wife, but a challenge.  And Laura Davenport should fit the bill quite nicely..


A short introduction to the new series to come brings us the Earl of Bellingham or Bell. Bell is a bit set in his ways and after a recent loss of mistress looking hard for another.  He seems to be setting his sites on the one Lady Chesfield who is setting her sites on finishing off the raising of a young boy. She doesn't come off as a strong character. Quite honestly none of these characters really speak to me in this story but I think it is a factor of not having the time to go into their lives and personalities. It is a bit disappointing to find so much lacking in this short novella, but if you think of it as a great preview and plan to read it right before the publication date of What a Wicked Earl Wants then i think you'll get far more out of this book!