I Couldn't Love You More

Title: I Couldn't Love You More

Publisher: Grand Central Publshing

Pub Date:  May 15th, 2012

Author: Jillian Medoff

Received From: NetGalley


Which child would you save? A decision no parent can even fathom. 

Eliot Gordon would do anything for her family. A 38-year-old working mother, she lives an ordinary but fulfilling life in suburban Atlanta with her partner, Grant Delaney, and their three daughters. The two older girls are actually Eliot's stepdaughters, a distinction she is reluctant to make as she valiantly attempts to maintain a safe, happy household... 

Then Finn Montgomery, Eliot's long-lost first love, appears, triggering a shocking chain of events that culminates in a split-second decision that will haunt her beloved family forever. How Eliot survives--and what she loses in the process-is a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved a child. With hilarious honesty, wrenching depth, and a knockout twist, I Couldn't Love You More illuminates the unbreakable bonds of family and reveals the lengths we'll go to save each other, even as we can't save ourselves.

Choice, we all have a choice in the things that we do and say each day. Eliot has many choices she makes in her life. She works hard to keep life stable for her stepdaughters, Charlotte and Gail, to keep her partner Grant happy and to raise her young daughter Hailey. But choices that are made in this book have consequences, how this mirrors our real life. I make choices every day too. I guess though I am lucky that I haven't yet made a choice that truly altered someone else s life. 


This story was truly phenomenal, I sat and read it with eager emotions and then turned to true fear as I was paralyzed on my couch waiting for things to get better. At one point I considered stopping, but man am I glad that I stuck it out. As I look back over the story as a whole I see how real it is and can be. How my life could be Eliot and Grants life in a second. But I am most struck by the relationships in the story, Mothers, daughter, sisters. The theme is really quite deep and wide and yet so well refined! Kudos the Jillian Medoff for keeping me so ingrained in her story!

Always in My Heart

Title: Always in My Heart

Publisher: Harlequin

Pub Date:  May 1 st, 2012

Author: Kayla Perrin

Received From: NetGalley

Home is where her heart is…

The oldest of three adopted daughters, Callie Hart has always loved being the protector of the family. But now she is all grown up— with a young son of her own to protect. Callie can’t wait to show him off when she reunites with her two sisters in Ohio. But that also means coming face-to-face with the lover she left behind. Nigel Williams is even more irresistibly attractive than ever. But what will he do when he learns about the secret she kept hidden
from him for ten years?

Nigel has never forgiven Callie for fleeing Ohio—and the passion they shared. And when she shows up on his doorstep asking for forgiveness, the Cleveland cop is furious at her deception. But how can he deny the feelings Callie reawakens in him? Blindsided once again by the heat of desire, Nigel vows to fight for his future with
the woman he has always loved.

Always in My Heart is a great title for a great romance. Callie has a secret she has kept for year, but when she return home to celebrate the life of a loved one she decides to do the right thing and share her secret with her former boyfriend. Nigel is of course running the gamut of emotions over this secret. Life has changed for them both and this book details the changes and emotions they go through in forming a new life with this knowledge. Neither one can really admit how they feel and that adds a dimension on excitement to this book. 

Coming in with even more excitement is the story of Callie's best friend Tamara and her ex Patrick. Patrick has been doing some terrorizing not only of Tamara but also Callie and her son Kwame. The climax of this book brings some great moments and of course some romance. I love a good romance book, and this one is at the top of a good easy read!

Deadlocked

Title: Deadlocked

Publisher: Victor Gollancz Limited

Pub Date:  May 1 st, 2012

Author: Charlaine Harris

Received From: Purchased


With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.
Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down


Enemies, Power, Blood all three are themes of Sookie's life. She was born with a power she doesn't want. She spends her life in this series dealing with supernatural beings and the troubles they bring to her life. In this the twelfth installment I finally saw something I have been waiting for. Sookie standing and fighting for herself. 


This book was a good continuation of the characters and stories, I loved seeing the grown up actions and reality of some of the characters like Tara and Jason. The one characters I felt fell a bit flat in this story are Eric and Bill, while once on the top of my beloved list, I just wasn't to engaged in them this time around! On a whole level it was a good book but possibly not as great as I expected!

The Summer of the Wolves

Title: The Summer of the Wolves

Publisher: Zondervan

Pub Date:  May 1 st, 2012

Author: Lisa Williams Kline

Received From: Net Galley

Stepsisters, yes. Friends? Maybe ...

"I smelled the wolf now-sharp and musky. I scanned the pen and saw a shadow behind one of the bushes that might be another wolf. Probably two of the most miserable looking creatures I'd ever seen." -from Summer of the Wolves

Stephanie and Diana are having a hard time adjusting to life as new stepsisters.  The girls "pretend" to like each other, but it's pretty hard considering they are complete opposites.  When their new family takes their first-ever vacation to a horse ranch in North Carolina, not even long horse-back rides in the forest can tame their tempers. Diana's anger issues and Stephanie's fear ofeverything prove disastrous, until Diana discovers the caged wolves in the deep woods. She vows to free them, and surprisingly, Stephanie agrees to help. But their actions have unforeseen consequences, and if there's any chance to make things right, Stephanie and Diana must put their differences aside

My first impression of this book was a bit of amazement this book is recommended as for ages 9-12 but I loved it! Two girls, close in age are brought together by marriage, into a new family they are not familiar with. The book is written back and forth from their points of view. Diana is impulsive and a bit out of control, while Stephanie follows all the rules and is timid and fearful of the thing Diana loves the most, horses. 
The girls bond together with a night out in the woods with the wolves, but they aren't really thinking when the set out to free the wolves about what the consequences might be. They learn quickly that they have disappointed many people and created a dangerous situation. Together the family must come together to right what they can of the wrongs. The girls gain in this process some real education and an understanding of one another. This is a seriously cute book about blending families!

On the Island Giveaway

Today is a very exciting day on the blog, not only do I have an amazing book to give away, but the Author has some great news on her blog! Check out what Tracey Garvis Graves who wrote On the Island has to say!

Now onto the fun for you, Tracey has graciously autographed a copy of On the Island and offered it to you my readers! I'd love to keep it, but I won't I promise!

So enter below for your chance to win. 

The Reverends Wife

Title: The Reverands Wife

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pub Date:  May 1 st, 2012

Author: Kimberla Lawson Roby

Received From: Net Galley





It's been months since Reverend Curtis learned that his wife Charlotte had affairs with two different men, and for now, he continues to be cordial and respectful to her. But he's also made it clear that once their son Matthew graduates high school, he will be filing for divorce. Charlotte, on the other hand, continues to do everything possible to make amends in hopes of saving their marriage. Unfortunately, Curtis is ready to move on and is being propositioned by a woman who desperately wants to become the next Mrs. Curtis Black.  When the situation heads down a path that is frighteningly shocking, could it be the final blow to this once blessed union?






This story was a little bit of romance, drama, family and church all rolled into one. The introduction of Curtis and Charlotte as characters came right from the start with the idea that things would be hard for them and that they were ending their marriage. Ending it of course on his request not hers. As the story continued we watched Charlotte make one bad mistake after another and have her life spiraling down. Curtis had some mistakes too and while what he did wasn't as severe as Charlotte he ended up the one with a mistake that went further. The character of Sharron was one I could tell from the beginning was going to be a huge problem. 


I liked this story but I found it a a bit unconvincing how the characters came together. I just felt it wasn't as real as it could have been. 

Virtual Book tour- The Summer My Life Began

Today I am participating in a Book tour! Check out this great book, and find some new blogs in the meantime!

Title: The Summer My Life Began

Publisher:  Penguin Publishing

Pub Date:  May 10th, 2012

Author: Shannon Greenland

Received From: Net Galley

A fabulous romance with a very unexpected guy . . . The opportunity to explore her love of cooking . . . The freedom to be whomever she wants . . .

This is what seventeen-year-old Em gets when she goes to spend a month at her aunt’s island resort. It’s a dream come true—and exactly the break Em needed from her strict family and their high expectations of her.

But when Em uncovers a long-buried secret about her family, everything changes. And suddenly, Em finds herself making some big choices about her future—choices she never dreamed she’d have the chance to make . . .

Elizabeth Margaret, what a name, from the beginning of the book I expected this character to be a bit stuffy. But really the stuffiness came from her environment. Em as her name is shortened too have her life mapped out for her, I can't help but think of a young Logan Huntzberger (Gilmore Girls) when I begin to get to know Em and her life up to the point of her fateful summer. 


There are quite a few characters in this book in the sense of what has brought them to the Outer Banks. I fall immediately in love with Cade and as his story unfolds that love just deepens! One character I could take or leave is Frederick, I am not sure he really adds anything to the story in my opinion. The plot twist is one I don't want to spoil because I sure never caught it. But it does make some sense and helps clarify questions I had about family dynamics during the story. This is a fun easy read and really put me in the mind set of summer, If I had a beach in my area I'd love to re-read it in the sun and sand!