Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

★★★☆☆

As a wedding planner, Sherilyn Caine should have the perfect wedding experience...

After all, she just landed her dream job at the wedding destination hotel, The Tanglewood. The rest should be a piece of cake for Sherilyn's Type A personality.

But while everything else goes smoothly, her own wedding plans start to sink right before her eyes. One way or the other, Sherilyn is determined to make this wedding work—until the latest development threatens to call the whole thing off. Is it possible that Sherilyn is allergic to her fiancé?

Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride was a cute story.  It was kind of simple and a little bit trite.  It wasn't a story with lots of depth, but it was a cute, semi-quick read.  I got it as a freebie and am glad I had a chance to read it.  I would probably read another of Bricker's stories if they were freebies, but I'm not sure I would actually purchase one.  I'm glad I read this, though.  :)

Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar

★★★☆☆
Michelle Aguilar’s inspiring story goes beyond her grand-prize victory on television’s immensely popular The Biggest Loser. Becoming Fearless is about having faith in God when you’ve lost faith in yourself. It is an encouragement to “feel the fear” in any obstacle in life without being paralyzed by it. Finally, it is a story about reconciliation between Michelle and her mother, an exploration of the difficult and freeing work of forgiveness, and a reminder that what you learn on the journey is even more important than the destination.

This book is a story by Michelle Aguilar, one of the winners of the TV Show The Biggest Loser.  It was a decent book, but I thought it would be more about her journey of faith throughout the process based on the summary!  It was more about the Biggest Loser process and the issues she had (still has?) with her mom.  It was a decent book, but I guess I was hoping for something more!

Pillow Talk by Freya North

★★☆☆☆

By day, Petra Flint is a talented jeweler working in a lively London studio. By night, she's a sleepwalker troubled by a past she can't put to bed and a present that leaves her clinging to an unsuitable boyfriend. Arlo Savidge was once a budding heartthrob musician. Then tragedy struck and he chose to forsake stardom and all future affairs of the heart for a quiet life in the countryside as a music teacher.

Petra and Arlo haven't seen each other since they were teenagers-when their feelings ran deep but the timing wasn't right. Now, seventeen years later, they run into each other once more. Might first love get a second chance-or will what keeps them up at night keep them apart forever?

I don't know if it's because I had just finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey or what, but I could NOT get into this Pillow Talk.  It is one of the few books I have stopped reading mid-read.  I was probably 80 pages into it, and I just decided to abandon ship.  The storyline was silly, the characters weren't all that interesting, and I was bored reading it!  It is about a girl who sleepwalks and doesn't know she's doing it (hence 'Pillow Talk'), but that's all I really got out of it.  It was a flub.  :(

Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy

★★★★★
When college student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating.  The unworldly Ana realizes she wants this man, and Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian’s secrets and explores her own desires.

There is so much hype right now about the Fifty Shades of Grey books, I just had to see what they were all about!  Well, they sucked me right in.  By this point, it is well-known that there are lots and lots of steamy scenes in these books.  That is true.  But I think the reason for all the hype is the actual love story that occurs over the course of these books.  Grey learns to actually romance Ana.

I will say that when I first started reading the first book in the series, I wasn't that in to it.  Grey, in my mind, was depicted as creepy and almost evil.  I wasn't into reading a trilogy about him.  But oh how his character develops and changes!  There were several moments where it reminded me of the movie Pretty Woman.  It is such a great love story about surrendering preconceived ideas of yourself so you can love your partner more.  Grey's character changes so much from the beginning that you can't help but fall in love with him just as Ana does.

I don't think I'm unusual in finishing the trilogy in probably a week and a half!  The first two books took me about 4 days... the third was a bit slower but still good.  The second was probably my favorite.

The storyline makes these truly 5-star books in my opinion.  It was really hard to find another good read after this, I had to settle on something non-fiction because nothing could quite compare with this story!  Definitely recommended if you haven't read them.

Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate

★★★★☆

In this compelling tale by Lisa Wingate-award winning author of the national best-seller Lone Star Café-the associate producer of TV's hottest show fears Amber Amberson's tiny Texas hometown already knows its Amber is an American Megastar finalist. But after several hilarious culture clashes, the Hollywood pro enlists the help of the quirky townsfolk when the sweet and naïve Amber goes missing.

I was excited to read Talk of the Town because there were lots of good reviews on it (it was a freebie when I got it).  I have to say, though, this book did not capture my attention right off the bat.  I was about 60 or so pages into it, and I thought I might abandon ship.  It just seemed kind of trite, cutesy, and predictable.  It definitely didn't draw me in from the get-go.

I went back to make sure I really did see some good reviews on this book, and I decided to keep reading.  I'm so glad I did!  :)  This ended up being such a cute story.  The main character, Mandalay, is really sweet, and I loved reading about her interactions with Carter.  He is gentle, kind, and reserved, and I found myself not wanting to put this book down after a while.  I'm glad I stuck with it, it's a feel-good book.

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

★★★★☆
Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life-- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him . . . and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heart wrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

I really enjoyed The Choice!  I wouldn't say it was one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks novels, but it was a page-turner nonetheless.  I don't want to say too much to give away any of the plot!  But you really grow to love Travis' character, and Sparks weaves a great love story between him and Gabby. 

Also, as a sidenote, since I've read Sparks' memoir Three Weeks with My Brother, I am convinced that Travis was based off his brother Micah!! 

Both are great reads.

Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

★★★★★
As moving as his bestselling works of fiction, Nicholas Sparks's unique memoir, written with his brother, chronicles the life-affirming journey of two brothers bound by memories, both humorous and tragic.In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother, Micah, set off on a three-week trip around the globe. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at thirty-seven and thirty-eight respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world and often overtaken by their feelings, daredevil Micah and the more serious, introspective Nicholas recalled their rambunctious childhood adventures and the tragedies that tested their faith. And in the process, they discovered startling truths about loss, love, and hope.  Narrated with irrepressible humor and rare candor, and including personal photos, THREE WEEKS WITH MY BROTHER reminds us to embrace life with all its uncertainties...and most of all, to cherish the joyful times, both small and momentous, and the wonderful people who make them possible.

I had heard of Three Weeks with My Brother quite a while ago, but at the time it just didn't seem like anything I would like to read.  Though I love Sparks' fiction novels, I just didn't know if I wanted to read a nonfiction memoir.  But when I recently borrowed another Nicholas Sparks book from my mom, she said I just HAD to read this.  So I did!

Goodness, it was SO good!  This book chronicles Sparks' once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world with his brother in addition to reflecting on their lives growing up.  It's unbelievable the tragedy these brothers dealt with throughout their lives.  It makes you understand why not all of Sparks' books have happy endings.  His own life was so riddled with sadness and hardship, there were many spots in the book I was reading with a lump in my throat, just as in his novels.

I really enjoyed learning about Sparks' personality (overachieving, type-A, introspective), and I loved seeing how he has been able to accomplish pretty much anything he's wanted to through sheer determination and hard work... even helping his autistic (they think) son.

I also enjoyed getting to 'know' the members of his family... I'm currently reading his novel The Choice, and I'm convinced the main character is very closely based on his brother!

Having read this book, it makes me appreciate his other novels on a much deeper level.  I would definitely recommend this book!!  It was surprisingly great!