The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James

★★★★★

What happens when your best hope for the future is through the past?

Voice-over artist Alice avoids telling the truth. It's not lying, exactly, and the freedom of reinvention makes those tough years in the past a little easier to bear. So when she meets writer Clayton Miller, she recognizes the suspicious signs of someone who wants to shrug off his old life. Untangling the web of secrets they've constructed creates an unlikely friendship-until Alice discovers that Clayton has betrayed her in the worst possible way.

The author of fifteen international bestsellers, Erica James deftly explores infidelity, bereavement, and the bonds of family with a sparkling voice that will resonate long after the book is finished.

Praise for Erica James.

I thought The Queen of New Beginnings was a great book!  I didn't know what to expect because I had never read anything by Erica James.  I picked this up when it was a freebie at bn.com.  It's another British chick-lit story, which I'm coming to find I really enjoy!  Even thought it is a light-hearted book, the story definitely has some depth of emotion to it.  I thought the plot was good and was really well thought out.  I was not expecting it, but this book was a page-turner!  I am going to keep my eye out for more by Erica James.  Great book!

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
In the fall of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.


Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for a funeral. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers soon realize that everything they thought they knew-about themselves and the dreams they held dear-was not as it seemed. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

I was so excited to read The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks.  After reading 3 not-so-great books in a row, I was ready for something good and knew Sparks wouldn't disappoint!  Of course he did not.  This book is definitely a page turner and of course includes a great love story (actually 2 of them).  Sparks has such a knack for creating these stories that make you feel the emotion of his characters.  He did a great job with this novel.

I certainly don't want to ruin the book, so I'm not going to say too much - but there are reasons I enjoyed some of his other books better.  But trust me, this book is most definitely worth the read!

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan

★★☆☆☆
There is a most unusual woman living in Gap Creek. Julie Harmon works hard, "hard as a man," they say, so hard that at times she's not sure she can stop. People depend on her to slaughter the hogs and nurse the dying. People are weak, and there is so much to do. She is just a teenager when her little brother dies in her arms. That same year she marries and moves down into the valley where floods and fire and visions visit themselves on her, and con men and drunks and lawyers come calling.

Julie and her husband discover that the modern world is complex and that it grinds ever on without pause or concern for their hard work. To survive, they must find out whether love can keep chaos and madness at bay.

Robert Morgan's latest novel, Gap Creek, returns his readers to the vivid world of the Appalachian high country. Julie and Hank's new life in the valley of Gap Creek in the last years of the nineteenth century is more complicated than the couple ever imagined. Sometimes it's hard to tell what to fear most-the fires and floods or the flesh-and-blood grifters, drunks, and busybodies who insinuate themselves into their new lives. Their struggles with nature, with work, with the changing century, and with their disappointments and triumphs make this a riveting follow-up to Morgan's acclaimed novel, The Truest Pleasure.

I was so disappointed in Gap Creek!  I got it because not only was it a freebie, but it was part of Oprah's Book Club.  It has to be good, right?!  Wrong!!  :(  The most riveting part of this book is the summary.  It is really a slow, depressing book.  :(  After I read it, I read some of the reviews at bn.com.  The most recent comments said things like 'Slow,' 'Like Watching Paint Dry,' 'Mega-depressing Oprah Book, 'ZZZ,' and 'Free is the Perfect Price.'  I guess I should have read the reviews BEFORE I read it!


Unfortuantely there's not too much to say about this book.  It is slow.  It is depressing.  Most definitely not a page turner.  It doesn't even end well.  Boo.  :(


I'm ready for a good book!  I've read 3 not-so-great ones in a row.  So I just purchased and started Nicholas Sparks' new one, The Best of Me.  So far, soooo good!

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry by Katrina Kenison

★★★☆☆
As mothers today we are faced with a daunting list of responsibilities. How easy it is to simply rush headlong through our lives, slaves to our daily obligations, and in the process race our children through their childhood. But there is a better way... In Mitten Strings for God, Katrina Kenison shares her own search for a more satisfying balance in her life. The result is a lyrical and tender series of reflections, interwoven with gentle suggestions and advice, that remind us what happens when we slow down and are fully present in our lives. Suddenly there is room for joy and play and intimacy, space for wonder and reverie, and time to awaken to the beauty of the world and discover the sacred in the ordinary. Tranquil in our own hearts and minds, we can offer our children the one thing they need more than anything else: us. And we receive something priceless in return-the chance to savor our lives and the precious people in them.


I was really looking forward to reading Mitten Strings for God because I think so many times I feel caught up in getting 'stuff' done, even if it's for the kids, that I have to remind myself to sit down with them and just enjoy the moment.  Based upon the title, I also thought this book was written from a Christian perspective.


I thought the concepts in this book were great: slow down, play with your kids, enjoy being with them.  Your time with your children doesn't have to be constant instruction.  I thought these were great concepts and great reminders.  However, contrary to what I thought, this book wasn't written from a Christian perspective (which was fine); but for me it was a little too 'touchy-feely.'  I could only read so much about watching trees sway in the wind and listening to crickets chirp (I may be making that up, but that's the feeling I got when reading).  Maybe that's my not-slowing-down mentality coming through!!  But I actually didn't finish reading the book because I got the gist pretty early on and got bored of reading more of the same.


This book has high ratings on bn.com, so if it sounds interesting I'd say give it a whirl.  I totally agree with the concepts of enjoying your children, but the style of this book was a little over-the-top for me. 

Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell

★★★☆☆
When you meet the man of your dreams on girls night out, it's hardly…Perfect Timing.  In this fresh and funny contemporary romance by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Poppy Dunbar's whole life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter with a handsome stranger...Never a troublemaker, Poppy had always been content with the way things were supposed to be done—which included marrying predictable Rob McBride. But that was before she met Tom Kennedy the night before her wedding. Could she really be falling in love with a stranger?  Unable to forget Tom, or go through with the wedding, Poppy runs off to London. Her new life and colorful friends are anything but predictable. Misunderstandings, family secrets, and jealous quarrels ensue, but can Poppy stop running long enough to figure out what—or, rather, who—is in her heart?

I've read a few Jill Mansell novels and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I was really looking forward to reading Perfect Timing.  Sadly, this book was a bit of a let down for me.  It certainly wasn't a page-turner for me like her other novels I've read (Miranda's Big Mistake and Millie's Fling).  Unfortunately, I thought this book was a little slow and boring at parts.  The last 60 or so pages were really good, and I did like how the book ended (although slightly predictable).  I thought there was a good story buried in there, but it could've used to have been trimmed of the slow sections.  Cute story, but not as good as her others.

Double Shot by Erynn Mangum

★★★★☆
Like I did for the last Maya Davis Series book, Latte Daze, I am not going to post the summary for Double Shot because it will be a spoiler since this is the third book in the series!  (The first is Cool Beans).

This book is just a continuation on in Maya's story.  It is so sweet.  I was so very sad when this book was over because it was the last in the series.  I honestly felt a little down for a few days because it felt like I had lost a few friends!  Pathetic, I know.  But these books are so cute and sweet, I would definitely recommend them for something light and semi-romantic!

Latte Daze by Erynn Mangum

★★★★☆
I'm not going to post they summary of Latte Daze because, since it's the second in the Maya Davis series (Cool Beans is the first), there are some spoilers in the summary!

And I'm not going to post much about what happens in this book, either, because there is a third book in the series! (Double Shot).

But like Erynn's other books, this was a great read.  You wish you were actually hanging out with her group of friends.  Such a cute, sweet story.  I was sad when it was over, but at least there is a 3rd book in the series!