Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

Rating: DRAG!

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
by James Patterson
Romance, Fiction
Paperback: 304 pages
Publication Date: July 2003





Cover Description

Katie Wilkinson has finally found the perfect man - but one day he suddenly disappears, leaving behind only a diary written by a new mother named Suzanne for her baby, Nicholas. In it she intimately reveals the romance between herself and the child's father, her hopes for their marriage, and her unparalleled joy in motherhood. As Katie reads on, she realizes that the man she loves is Suzanne's husband. Now, filled with terror and hope, Katie must struggle to understand what has happened - and find out if her new love has a prayer of surviving.

VERDICT

I guess if you are a James Patterson fan you might enjoy Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. This was the first James Patterson book I have read and I am a bit dissapointed. It is a touching (and depressing at times) love story with some beautiful details, but I didn't appreciate the way it alternated back and for between the diary and present day events. Without seeing more of Katie and Matt's relationship, I felt a bit cheated.

All in all, I would spend my $7.99 elsewhere.

Good Reading,

Sarah :)

Now Reading... Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning

Beyond the Highland Mist
(Highlander Series #1)
by Karen Marie Moning
Romantic Fiction, Time-Travel, Faeries
Paperback: 416 pages
Publication Date: June 2004








Cover Summary
 
An alluring laird
 
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir. No woman could refuse his touch, but no woman ever stirred his heart - until a vengeful fairy tumbled Adrienne de Simone out of modern-day Seattle and into medieval Scotland. Captive in a century not her own, entirely too bold, too outspoken, she was an irresistible challenge to the sixteenth-century rogue. Coerced into a marriage with Hawk, Adrienne vowed to keep him at arm's length - but his sweet seduction played havoc with her resolve.
 
A prisoner in time
 
She had a perfect "no" on her perfect lips for the notorious laird, but Hawk swore she would whisper his name with desire, begging for the passion he longed to ignite within her. Not even the barriers of time and space would keep him from winning her love. Despite her uncertainty about following the promptings of her own passionate heart, Adrienne's reservations were no match for Hawk's determination to keep her by his side....

Author's Website
http://www.karenmoning.com/


Reading Soon
Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Rating: BRAG!

by Sarah Addison Allen
Contemporary Fiction, Mystery
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publication Date: March 2011






Cover Description

The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be.

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.  Show More

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.


VERDICT

Delicious enough to devour in a day! Sarah Addison Allen bestows on us a magical tale about friendship, southern charm, romance, and female independence. The Peach Keeper was thoroughly entertaining until the very end.
This charming story is the first novel I have read of Ms. Allen's. Now, I cannot wait to read more from her.

Good Reading,
Sarah :)


Quotes from The Peach Keeper

"Happiness means taking risks. And if you're not a little scared, you're not doing it right."

"When you're a teenager, your friends are your life. When you grow up, friendships seem to get pushed further and further back, until it seems like a luxury, a frivolity, like a bubble bath."

"Maybe you're afraid to relax and let some things just happen."


About the Author
taken from www.sarahaddisonallen.com

Seven Things About Sarah
1. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a trash man. I would spend hours daydreaming about riding on the back of a garbage truck, jumping off at every house and dumping people's trash into it.
2. I was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, a place Rolling Stone magazine once called "America's New Freak Capital."
3. I have my B.A. in Literature, a major I chose because I thought it was amazing that I could get a diploma just for reading fiction. It was like being able to major in eating chocolate.
4. I can't turn away stray cats and I'm convinced they know this.
5. My father was a copy editor, reporter, and award-winning columnist for our local paper.
6. My mother has a nose ring, but we pretend it's not there.
7. Garden Spells, my mainstream debut, didn't start out as a magical novel. It was supposed to be a simple story about two sisters reconnecting after many years. But then the apple tree started throwing apples and the story took on a life of its own... and my life hasn't been the same since.

Now Reading... The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

The Scarlet Lion
by Elizabeth Chadwick
Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: July 2007
Paperback: 576 pages

Cover Summary

The Legend of the Greatest Knight Lives On

William Marshal's skill with a sword and loyalty to his word have earned him the company of kings, the lands of a magnate, and the hand of Isabelle de Clare, one of England's wealthiest heiresses. But he is thrust back into the chaos of court when King Richard dies. Vindictive King John clashes with William, claims the family lands for the Crown-and takes two of the Marshal sons hostage. The conflict between obeying his king and rebelling over the royal injustices threatens the very heart of William and Isabelle's family. Fiercely intelligent and courageous, fearing for the man and marriage that light her life, Isabelle plunges with her husband down a precarious path that will lead William to more power than he ever expected.

Author's Website

http://www.elizabethchadwick.com/



Excerpt from Chapter One
Fortress of Longueville, Normandy, Spring 1197
Isabelle de Clare, Countess of Leinster and Striguil, wife to King Richard's Marshal, was in labour with their fourth child. "Arse first," announced the midwife, wiping her hands on a length of towel after examining her patient. "Bound to be a boy, they always cause the most trouble." Isabelle closed her eyes and reclined against the piled bolsters. Throughout the morning the contractions had become steadily more frequent and painful. Her women had unbraided her hair so there would be no bindings about her person to tie the baby in the womb, and the thick, wheat-gold strands spilled over shoulders and engorged breasts to touch her mounded belly. "He" was already late. Her husband had hoped to greet his new offspring before setting out to war ten days ago, but instead had had to bid Isabelle farewell with a kiss at arm's length, her pregnant belly like a mountain between them. It was May now. If she survived bearing this child and he lived through the summer's campaign, they would see each other in the autumn. For now, he was somewhere deep in the Beauvaisis with his sovereign, and she was wishing she was anywhere but this stuffy chamber undergoing the ordeal of childbirth. A contraction started low in her spine and tightened across her womb. Pain bloomed through her lower body, causing her to gasp and clench her fists. "Always hurts more when they come tail first." The midwife looked shrewdly at Isabelle. "It's not your first; you know what to expect, but infants that enter the world by their backsides have a dangerous passage. Head comes last and that's not good for the babe. Best pray to the blessed Saint Margaret for her help." She indicated the painted wooden image standing on a coffer at the bedside surrounded by a glow of votive candles. "I have been praying to her every day since I knew I was with child," Isabelle said irritably, not adding that the overdue birth of a baby in the breech position was hardly a happy reward for her devotion. She was coming to abhor the statue. Whoever had carved it had put a sanctimonious expression on its face that fell little short of a smirk. The next contraction wrung her in its grip and with it the urge to push. The midwife signaled to the girl assisting her and busied herself between Isabelle's thighs. "You should summon your chaplain to christen the child, immediately," she announced, her voice muffled by the raised sheet. "Do you have a name?" "Gilbert for a boy, and Isabelle for a girl," Isabelle gritted through her teeth as she bore down. The contraction receded. Slumping against the bolsters she panted at one of her women to fetch Father Walter and have him wait in the antechamber. The next pain seized her, then the next and the next, fierce and hard, no respite now as her body strove to expel the baby from her womb. She sobbed and grunted with effort, tendons cording her throat, her hands gripping those of her attendants hard enough to leave lasting weals on their flesh. There was a sudden gush of wet heat between her thighs and the midwife groped. "Ah," she said with satisfaction. "I was right, it is a boy. Ha-ha, fine pair of hammers on him too! Let's see if we can keep him alive to have use of them, eh? Push again, my lady. Not so fast, not so fast. Go gently now." Isabelle bit her lip and struggled not to push as hard as her instincts dictated. Taking the baby's ankles, tugging gently, the midwife drew his torso up and on to Isabelle's abdomen. As the mouth and nose emerged from the birth canal she wiped them clear of blood and mucus, then, watching intently, controlled the emergence of the rest of the head with a gentle hand. Propped on her elbows, Isabelle stared at the baby lying upon her body like a drowned, shipwrecked sailor. His colour was greyish-blue and he wasn't moving. Panic shot through her. "Holy Saint Margaret, is he...?" The woman lifted the baby by his ankles, swung him gently, and applied a sharp tap to his buttocks, then again. A shudder rippled through him, his little chest expanded, and a wail of protest met the air, uncertain at first, but gathering momentum and infusing his body with a flush of life-giving pink. Righting him, the midwife turned to Isabelle, a smile deepening the creases in her wrinkled cheeks. "Just needed a bit of persuading," she said. "Best have the priest name him though, to be on the safe side." She wrapped him in a warm towel and placed him in Isabelle's arms. The cord having been cut and the afterbirth expelled and taken away for burial, Isabelle gazed into the birth-crumpled features of her newborn son and, still deeply anxious, watched his shallow breathing. A baffled, slightly quizzical frown puckered his brows. His fists were tightly clenched as if to fight the world into which he had been so brutally initiated. "Gilbert," she said softly. "I wonder what your father is going to make of you." She blew softly against his cheek and gave him her forefinger around which to curl his miniature hand. After a moment, she lifted her gaze from the baby and fixed it on her chamber window and the arch of soft blue sky it framed. Her own ordeal was almost over and, God willing, if she did not take the childbed fever, she would soon be on her feet. Saint Margaret could be thanked with an offering and packed away in her coffer again until needed again. Now she would concentrate on prayers for her husband's safety and ask God to bring him home in one piece to greet their new son.

Reading Soon
Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

The Scottish Rose by Jill Jones

Rating: BRAG!

The Scottish Rose

by Jill Jones

Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: February 1997
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

 


Verdict

Enchanting! Captivating! I really thought this was going to be a copy cat of Outlander (by Diana Gabaldon). To my pleasant surprise, it was so much more.

Jill Jones entrances the reader with an adventure that mixes love with legends, and transports the main characters back to 17th century Scotland. Beautifully crafted happy ending! I Loved it!

Good Reading!
Sarah :)

  

Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland



 



The Honours of Scotland, Edinburg Castle





Rating: BRAG!


Die for Me
(Revenants Series #1)
by Amy Plum
Publication Date: May 2011
Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal Romance
Print: 352 pages



Verdict
Mesmerizing, romantic story set in Paris. Good use of vocabulary for the intended age group.  I was a bit disappointed in the ending; I know it is a series, but the ending was sort of blunt. Overall, a terrific read! Amy Plum is a wonderful storyteller and I can't wait for Until I Die (Revenants #2). Keep up the good work, Amy!

Good Reading!
Sarah

Now Reading... The Scottish Rose

The Scottish Rose
by Jill Jones

Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: February 1997
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

Cover Summary

It began with a letter...that leads to a passion and adventure beyond her dreams...

"I have taken measures to hide Mary's rose chalice...I fear that all in the castle may die for hiding it, but it is our duty to protect this sacred emblem of Scotland."
--Letter written in 1651

Taylor Kincaid hosts a top-rated television series that debunks everything supernatural. So when she finds herself on the Scottish coast-- to claim an out-of-the-blue inheritance and ancient letters telling of royal gold-- she's prepared to explode the local legend: an archway made of stone through which young women disappear. Until a stormy sea sweeps her through the Ladysgate-- and with her, handsome, rugged sea captain Duncan Fraser.

Beyond it lies the Scotland of 1651. It is the land of Taylor's heirloom letters and Mary Queen of Scots' fabled jeweled chalice, The Scottish Rose, emblem of peace. Together Taylor and Duncan must search for it amid the passions and perils of history...or, in a desperate bid to recross the centuries, risk losing each other and the love they've found beyond the gates of time.

Author

Jill Jones lives in western North Carolina with her husband, Jerry, who is a watercolor artist.

Reading Soon...
Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwich
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addision Allen

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Rating: BRAG!

Meridian (Fenestra Series #1)
by Amber Kizer
Young Adult Fiction
Pages in Print: 320
NOOK Book pages: 216
Copyright: 2009

It was a little dark for my taste in the beginning, but soon becomes a story of good vs evil with the main characters on the side of good, of course. Ms. Kizer is a wonderful storyteller and it comes through beautifully in this book. The storyline was unpredictable and kept me guessing what would happen - which I loved. Another point to make is that while there is a love interest, book 1, at least, does not develop an overly romantic theme. The only advice I would have for Ms. Kizer, is to get a better editor, because the writing seems choppy at times due to poor sentence structure and the vocabulary should be at a higher level for the age group it is targeting. Overall, however, Meridian is a fantastic read for fans of the Young Adult genre.

Good Reading!

The Fenestra Series:
Book 1: Meridian
Book 2: Wildcat Fireflies
Book 3: Speed of Light
Book 4: Counting Tens

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander series #2) by Diana Gabaldon

Rating: BRAG!
NOOK Book: 866 pages
Historical Fiction
Warning: Language, Sexual Content

Excellent writing! It was a long read but certainly time well spent. Diana Gabaldon mesmerizes her readers with tantalizing detail throughout and sensational character development! While it was my second time reading it, I found it extremely difficult to put down. You will cry, cringe, crack up, and be contented while reading Dragonfly in Amber.
I can't wait to move on to Voyager (Outlander series #3)! But I will read a few other novels before beginning this long read.

Good Reading!!
Sarah

Now Reading.... Dragonfly in Amber Update

Well, I am nearing the end of Dragonfly in Amber in Chapter 42. It is 866 pages and I am almost near one of the most difficult events of the entire series. Ugghhh!

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon, for those of you who haven't read it, is a series of 7 books, so far, and all are between 750-1200 pages long. But you won't want to put the books down. This series is endearing, terrifying, funny, sad, and kinda grotesque in a few parts as well. The love the two main characters, Jamie and Claire, have for each other is inspiring and heart wrenching.

It is not for the week stomached and can get somewhat explicit in some parts (which you can fast forward through - like I have done), but you definitely wouldn't want to miss out on the story and the incredibly detailed writing that goes along with it. The settings of the books take place around the globe from Scotland, France, England, America, Canada, Jamaica and more of the Carribean islands.

Goodnite and Good Reading!!

Now Reading Update..... Dragonfly in Amber

I am now in the middle of Chapter 17 and tonight Claire and Jamie have induced me to laughing out loud - producing odd looks from my husband - and being mesmerized by their devotion to each other and their adventures in Paris.

Book quote from my readings of today...

(While Claire is washing Jamie's hair for him after a very difficult night with Bonny Prince Charlie.)

He was big, I thought. Near him so much, I tended to forget his size, until I saw him suddenly from a distance, towering among smaller men, and I would be struck anew by his grace and the beauty of his body. But he sat now with his knees nearly underneath his chin, and his shoulders filled the tub from one side to the other. He leaned forward slightly to assist my ministrations, exposing the hideous scars on his back. The thick red welts of Jack Randall's Christmas gift lay heavily over the thin white lines of the earlier floggings.

I touched the scars gently, my heart squeezed by the sight. I had seen those wounds when they were fresh, seen him driven to the edge of madness by torture and abuse. But I had healed him, and he had fought with all the power of a gallant heart to be whole once more, to come back to me. Moved by tenderness, I brushed the trailing ends of his hair aside, and bent to kiss the back of his neck.

I straightened abruptly. He felt my movement and turned his head slightly.

"What is it Sassenach?" he asked, voice slow with drowsy contentment..........

"No, not a thing," I said again, reaching for the ewer on the stand. Placed near the window, it was ice-cold to the touch. I stepped behind Jamie and upended it on his head.

Good night and good reading!!

Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

Rating: BRAG

Hunger Games Trilogy is, by far, one of the best series of our time and it stays on the book stores best seller lists. Suzanne Collins has provided us with abundant detail in her writing. Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay provide the reader with an intense storyline and suspenseful atmosphere throughout most of the trilogy. It is a perfect read for middle school students through adult readers.

I have recommended these books to students, friends, and co-workers (One of whom is a former drama student and avid Lord of the Rings fan) who have all thoroughly enjoyed them. My children have the hardcover set and I also have them all on my Nook.

If you haven't read this trilogy yet, don't waste another moment!

Good Reading!

Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

Rating: BRAG

The Winter Sea is a must read!! It is a spellbinding novel and you will not want to leave it's pages. One of the best books I have ever read. If you like historical or romantic fiction, you will find yourself enthralled from the very beginning. It will leave you breathless, it will make you cry in at least one chapter, and it will make you wish it were a series because you will not want it to end.

Susanna Kearsley has written this book with such creativity and detail. She approaches this book with an interesting way of reaching back and forth across time. And as amazing as it is, I am so relieved to say that it is a clean read!! There is no bad language and there are no sexual scenes; there are definitely romantic scenes, but they stay at that endearing level and do not reach an uncomfortable amount of graphic detail. This goes to prove that it can be done - we can find heartstopping reads that are clean too!! Maybe it just takes an exceptional writer to do it.

Bloody Valentine (Blue Blood Series) by Melissa De La Cruz

RATING: SNAG

First, forgive any grammatical errors, please, as I am using a virtual keypad on my phone.
According to Barnes & Noble, Bloody Valentine is #6 in the Blue Blood series. However, I found out it is not. Lost in Time is #6 and will be released in October 2011.
So what is Bloody Valentine? Bloody Valentine is a collection of 3 short stories and is only 98 pages as a Nook book. If you haven’t read any of the books in this series, you need to begin with #1 in order to follow along with this short story collection.
The first short story is about Oliver. He is in physical and emotional pain away from Schuyler. But he finds the help of a witch who helps him get over the pain without resorting to forbidden desperate measures.
In the second story we are given a glimpse of what Allegra’s life was like when she was a teenager and had a vision about Schuyler. This story seams a waste of words to me. It doesn’t tie into the other two like they do with each other.
The third and final short story reminds me almost of a Disney princess fairy tale complete with some black and white graphics. – were they practicing for a graphic novel version? Schuyler and Jack finally have their bonding ceremony with a twist thrown in before hand.
And so we will have to wait for Lost in Time to see if they live happily ever after! Hopefully, these somewhat disconnected stories will tie into the next book and bring some understanding to Bloody Valentine’s purpose.
Good Night and Good Reading!