The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

In the last year I've read so many good reviews that I choose this book to complete the YA D2 challenge.  Why did I wait so long?  I started this book early in the evening, the suspense had me riveted until I turned the last page and left me wanting me more.  I look forward to the companion book, The Dead-Tossed Waves.

YA Catch Ups

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Two best selling authors team up for a funny, touchingly good read..

The cautionary tale is about two boys, one the son of a commandant in Hitler’s army and the other a Jew, who come face-to-face at a barbed wire fence that separates, and eventually intertwines their lives.

Told from a 9 year old, son of a German officer's perspective. A thought provoking book.

Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends. Friends that liked having trust funds and new cars and friends that didn’t like constant reminders they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.

First book in a series. I enjoyed it enough that I will read the next one. Got me to think if I would blame the entire family for one's crime.

Parisian teenager Lou has an IQ of 160, OCD tendencies, and a mother who has suffered from depression for years. But Lou is about to change her life—and that of her parents—all because of a school project about homeless teens. While doing research, Lou meets No, a teenage girl living on the streets. As their friendship grows, Lou bravely asks her parents if No can live with them, and is astonished when they agree. No's presence forces Lou's family to come to terms with a secret tragedy. But can this shaky, new found family continue to live together when No's own past comes back to haunt her?

A wonderfully written story of friendship and how far would you go to help someone.

Thirteen-year old Clair Lothrop's world is falling apart. Her mother has died. Her father spends his evenings shut into his study. In a desperate attempt to get her father's attention, Clair stops talking. Clair's vow of silence gets her father's attention, but not in the way she had hoped. Her father, who is the pastor of a large metropolitan church, resigns to begin a mission in the remote woods of northern Michigan, taking Clair with him. Clair is furious at having to leave her friends. The woods are frightening. Her new house is a tumble-down shack where raccoons and mice have made their home.


But everything changes when Clair meets Dorrie, a girl her age who is hiding out in the woods from her hateful grandmother and her violent father. With her goat, Guinevere, and her knowledge of nature, Dorrie is a survivor. Through this surprising new friendship, Clair finds strength and courage she didn't know she had.

Another great read from Gloria Whelan.

The Pirate Queen

The envy of all her friends, wife and mother Saphora Warren is the model of southern gentility and accomplishment. She lives in a beautiful Lake Norman home, and has raised three capable adult children. But she’s also married to a successful, yet philandering plastic surgeon. It is for that reason that, after hosting a garden party for Southern Living magazine, Saphora packs her bags to escape the trappings of the picturesque-but-vacant life. Her planned destination is a neglected family bungalow on the Outer Banks.

Saphora’s departure, though, is interrupted by her husband Bender’s early arrival home and his words that change her life forever: I’m dying.

Against her desires, Saphora agrees to take care of Bender, who instructs her to take him to fight his illness in their coastal home in Oriental—the same house to which she had planned her get-away. When her idyllic escape is overrun by her grown children, grandchildren, townspeople, relatives, and a precocious neighbor child, Saphora’s escape to paradise is anything but the life she had imagined

Patricia has written quirky, lovable characters that you will identify with as they learn the meaning of love and forgiveness, even in loss.  Characters seeking an answer to questions, the whys of what has happened and may be surprised to find where the answers lie. A tender story of family that will satisfy.

The Silent Governess

Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear his.

But now that she has, what is Lord Bradley to do with her? He cannot let her go, for were the truth to get out, he would lose everything—his reputation, his inheritance, his very home.

He gives Miss Keene little choice but to accept a post at Brightwell Court, where he can make certain she does not spread what she heard. Keeping an eye on the young woman as she cares for the children, he finds himself drawn to her, even as he struggles against the growing attraction. The clever Miss Keene is definitely hiding something.

Moving, mysterious, and romantic, The Silent Governess takes readers inside the intriguing life of a nineteenth-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears.

I know better than to start a Julie Klassen book later in the evening. I did not listen to my own advice with this one and was up until the wee hours of the morning finishing it. I loved the historical detail, the romance, and the mystery that had me turning the pages to solve.  I am looking forward to her next novel, The Girl in the Gatehouse.  Any fan of historical regencies will love this book

North and South

I participated in Ticket To Anywhere's Read-a-Long of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

I have never read this book, but have seen the BBC Mini-series in my Netflix Instant Queue.  When I found out about the read-a-long, I figured it was a perfect time to read the books and then watch the series. 

North and South is a novel about rebellion. Moving from the industrial riots of discontented mill workers through to the unsought passions of a middle-class woman, and from religious crises of conscience to the ethics of naval mutiny, it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Through the story of Margaret Hale, the middle-class southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender in the conflict between Margaret’s ready sympathy with the workers and her growing attraction to the charismatic mill owner, John Thornton.

I enjoyed the contrast of the South's agricultural and the North's industrialization way of life with their social differences. We watch Margaret as she goes from one to the other bringing her prejudices along and then finding an appreciation for their way of life and admiration for the residents of Milton as well as for Mr Thornton, whom she starts out disliking. I thought that the ending of the book was way too rushed as I wanted to savor it.  I watched the mini-series right after finished the book and thought it was a good adaptation and loved how the ending was portrayed, so romantic!

Thank you to Ticket to Anywhere for hosting this read-a-long, as I would not have picked up this book.

Just Didn't Love 'Em

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

I wonder if I would have liked this book more if I'd read it instead of listened. At first it had my attention, but then got redundant until the "escape".  I understand that it was written from Jack's POV, but the voice (narrator?) got so annoying. If I had to hear "Can I have some", "I want some", one more time, I was going to scream. I should have abandoned the audio for the print. After the escape, I was more interested in Ma than Jack, and would have liked it had the POV switched back and forth.  If you have not read this book, choose the print version and skip the audio!

Celia and Djuna were the ringleaders of a highly competitive quintet of girls, caught in an escalating cycle of test, reward and punishment that peaked the afternoon they all walked home along a forbidden woodland road. Celia blocked out what happened, but everyone else in Jensenville assumed that Djuna was abducted that day, though neither Djuna nor her abductor was ever found.

Twenty years later, Celia and her boyfriend Huck are professionally successful, but their relationship has fallen into a stasis that Celia feels helpless to change. When Celia’s memory of that terrible afternoon suddenly returns, she is forced to confront the part she played in her best friend’s disappearance, and returns to Jensenville to confess.

In a hometown defined by what it was and can no longer be, Celia discovers that her unconscious avoidance of what really happened so long ago has had lasting repercussions. Her aging parents—their love handicapped by a lifetime of reserve—insist that she is innocent. Celia’s childhood friends not only don’t believe her, but insist that she should be apologizing for a completely different offense. Huck wants to be supportive, but can neither ignore all that contradicts Celia’s version of the past, nor the damage it has inflicted on their shared life. Celia’s search for the truth has startling and powerful consequences, resulting in a story that persists in the mind long after the last page has been turned.

This was too "all over the place" for me.  Was it about Djuna's disappearance? Celia's bullying as a child? Celia trying to regain lost memories? I found myself not caring at all about Celia.  I do believe this would make for a good discussion at a book club with the issues raised in the story.

Into The Old World

Hosts : Splash of Our Worlds and My Love Affair With Books
Starts: 1st January 2011
Ends: 31st December 2011
Eligible Books: Any books published BEFORE 2009 . All Genres included
Complete details are here.

Books Read:
The Chocolate War
Tonight I Said Goodbye
Undercover
Villette
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Tears of Gold
DarkFever
BloodFever
The Long Road Home
FaeFever
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Guinevere, the Legend in Autumn
The Thief

The Mountain Between Us

On a stormy winter night, two strangers wait for a flight at the Salt Lake City airport. Ashley Knox is an attractive, successful writer, who is flying East for her much anticipated wedding. Dr. Ben Payne has just wrapped up a medical conference and is also eager to get back East for a slate of surgeries he has scheduled for the following day. When the last outgoing flight is cancelled due to a broken de-icer and a forthcoming storm, Ben finds a charter plane that can take him around the storm and drop him in Denver to catch a connection. And when the pilot says the single engine prop plane can fit one more, if barely, Ben offers the seat to Ashley knowing that she needs to get back just as urgently. And then the unthinkable happens. The pilot has a heart attack mid-flight and the plane crashes into the High Uintas Wilderness— one of the largest stretches of harsh and remote land in the United States.

Ben, who has broken ribs and Ashley, who suffers a terrible leg fracture, along with the pilot's dog, are faced with an incredibly harrowing battle to survive. Fortunately, Ben is a medical professional and avid climber (and in a lucky break, has his gear from a climb earlier in the week). With little hope for rescue, he must nurse Ashley back to health and figure out how they are going to get off the mountain, where the temperature hovers in the teens. Meanwhile, Ashley soon realizes that the very private Ben has some serious emotional wounds to heal as well. He explains to Ashley that he is separated from his beloved wife, but in a long standing tradition, he faithfully records messages for her on his voice recorder reflecting on their love affair. As Ashley eavesdrops on Ben's tender words to his estranged wife she comes to fear that when it comes to her own love story, she's just settling. And what's more: she begins to realize that the man she is really attracted to, the man she may love, is Ben.

As the days on the mountains become weeks, their survival become increasingly perilous. How will they make it out of the wilderness and if they do, how will this experience change them forever?

I picked up my first Charles Martin book on the recommendation of a book blogger. I have liked every book of his that I've read so far. This one is tender and emotional with a bit of suspense as you turn the pages to find out if they survive. A surprising twist at the end makes this a great read.

Cross Fire

Wedding bells ring
Detective Alex Cross and Bree's wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington D.C.'s most corrupt: a dirty congressmen and an underhanded lobbyist. Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked politicians, sparking a blaze of theories—is the marksman a hero or a vigilante?

A murderer returns
The case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation. As Alex and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, the murders continue. It becomes clear that they are the work of a professional who has detailed knowledge of his victims' movements—information that only a Washington insider could possess.

Caught in a lethal cross fire
As Alex contends with the sniper, Siegel, and the wedding, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig. The Mastermind is in D.C. and will not relent until he has eliminated Cross and his family for good.

James Patterson's Alex Cross series is my favorite of all his series. As I've said many times, when I pick up a JP book, I know it will be a quick, enjoyable, read. This installment had two things I've been waiting for happen.  One of them was just right (wedding) and the other one the with Kyle Craig, Alex's nemesis, seemed rushed and fell flat for me.  I was expecting something more spectacular.   I did like the twist at the end leading us to believe Alex Cross will work with Lindsay Boxer in the future.

Thank you to Hachette Books for providing me with this review copy.

Linger

In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love–the light and the dark, the warm and the cold–in a way you will never forget.

Linger is book two in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.  Shiver was the first book.  I had been on a werewolf, vampire, etc. break when I picked up Shiver and I am glad that I did.  This series is more than a paranormal. This second book deepens the attachment between Grace and Sam and throws a whole new twist into the mix.  The addition of Isabel and Cole's POV helped save this from being to "sappy".  With the aforementioned twist at the end, I look forward to third book, Forever.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "S".

The Heights

Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights, New York: “I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I’m now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver.” Kate is not ordinary, but she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment, trying desperately to become the parent she never had. Tim and Kate are happily getting by until one day their neat and tidy world is turned upside-down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn.

Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she’s also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn’t quite understand, even as all the Range Rover-driving moms jockey for access into Anna’s circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world. It’s fun, dizzyingly fun, in fact, to pretend for a while that they belong in her life of privilege and excess. Then a secret invitation comes in a plain white envelope from an unlikely messenger, and the games Tim and Kate have been playing become a lot more complicated.

Peter Hedges writes interesting characters. I liked the premise of stay at home Mom taking a can't afford to turn down job and Dad taking a leave from teaching to stay at home.  There were many hilarious moments once he does, and as we see the neighbors from his eyes.  The story is told in the voices of mostly Kate and Tim,  a couple of others add their voices as well.

Backseat Saints

How far would you run to find redemption?

Ro Grandee is the perfect Texas housewife. She's determined to be nothing like her long-missing mother, the one who left her with only a heap of old novels and her father's fists for company, so Ro keeps quiet and takes her husband's punches like a lady. But Ro wasn't always this way. Underneath her pastel skirts and hidden bruises lies Rose Mae Lolley, teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol. Rose Mae is resurrected when a gypsy's tarot cards foretell doom for dutiful Ro: her handsome husband is going to kill her. Unless she kills him first.

Armed with only her wit, her pawpy's ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas. In a journey that is by turns harrowing and exhilarating, she uncovers long buried truths about her family and herself, running from the man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.

Joshilyn Jackson's book had me hooked from the beginning. I loved Rose Mae and turned the pages as fast as I could to find out how she got to where she found herself and what happens when she decides she's had enough.  I look forward to more from Joshilyn!

How Did I Miss Those?

I was going through my 2010 reviews to link my posted reviews and I noticed that I missed quite a few books. So in just a few words here's some very rapid reviews:

Caught by Harlan Coban

Face paced story that is from today's headlines.

The Bay At Midnight by Diane Chamberlain

One of my favorite authors for family relationships. This story is centered around a tragic event.

The Veil of Midnight by Linda Howard

Nothing special because I have totally forgot what this book was about!  A wedding planner with a murder on her hands.

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins

Known for her seatbelt suspense,  page-turning as the mystery unfolds that has you second-guessing after every chapter.

Driftwood Lane by Denise Hunter

Not my favorite book in the Nantucket series (all stand alone), just a nice story.

Book Tour - Secrets to the Grave + Giveaway

Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.

When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother’s bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. Already on edge with the upcoming trial of the See- No-Evil killer, residents are shocked by reports of the crime scene, which might not have been discovered for days had it not been for a chilling 911 call: a small child’s voice saying, “My daddy hurt my mommy.”

Sheriff’s detective Tony Mendez faces a puzzle with nothing but pieces that won’t fit. To assist with his witness, Haley, he calls teacher-turned-child advocate Anne Leone. Anne’s life is hectic enough-she’s a newlywed and a part- time student in child psychology, and she’s the star witness in the See-No-Evil trial. But one look at Haley, alone and terrified, and Anne’s heart is stolen.

As Tony and Anne begin to peel back the layers of Marissa Fordham’s life, they find a clue fragment here, another there. And just when it seems Marissa has taken her secrets to the grave, they uncover a fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer: Marissa Fordham never existed.

Just as Deeper Than the Dead reminded us how important technology and science have become in solving crimes, SECRETS TO THE GRAVE reminds readers how being a victim of a crime effects individuals long after justice as been served.

Secrets to the Grave is book 2 in Tami's microseries, but it does stand well alone.  This book make reference to the crime/story of the first book so you won't feel lost, but do yourself a favor and read it.  You will find yourself hooked from the opening sentences, quickly becoming involved with the characters, wanting to know what happens next, turning the pages to see if you are right on who done it. Anne is a wonderful character, I found myself worried for her, thinking if one more thing happens to her... I was both fascinated and horrified with Dennis and hope to find out what happened to him in the next book. I felt that the many references the characters made on how things in forensics will get better made it obvious it was written with today's knowledge.  I wonder, did law enforcement make those observations often?  Did they know how far things would advance in 24 years?  Make sure you have a few hours in which to read as you will not want to put this book down.

Tami Hoag is the #1 bestselling author of thirty novels. Since 1995′s Night Sins, each succeeding book has been a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Southern California and Florida.
For more information on Tami:
Visit her website
Like her on Facebook

Giveaway:
The publisher has generously offered both books Deeper Than the Dead and Secrets to the Grave to one lucky winner!  To enter leave a comment with your email and tell me if there is anything from the late 80s that you miss! A random winner will be drawn on December 30.  US/Canada Only, No PO Boxes. 

Tami Hoag’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:


Thanks to Lisa, TLC Book Tours and Dutton for this review copy and including me on this tour.

My review of Deeper Than Dead is here.

Spider Bones

John Lowery was declared dead in 1968—the victim of a Huey crash in Vietnam, his body buried long ago in North Carolina. Four decades later, Temperance Brennan is called to the scene of a drowning in Hemmingford, Quebec. The victim appears to have died while in the midst of a bizarre sexual practice. The corpse is later identified as John Lowery. But how could Lowery have died twice, and how did an American soldier end up in Canada?

Tempe sets off for the answer, exhuming Lowery's grave in North Carolina and taking the remains to Hawaii for reanalysis—to the headquarters of JPAC, the U.S. military's Joint POW/ MIA Accounting Command, which strives to recover Americans who have died in past conflicts. In Hawaii, Tempe is joined by her colleague and ex-lover Detective Andrew Ryan (how "ex" is he?) and by her daughter, who is recovering from her own tragic loss. Soon another set of remains is located, with Lowery's dog tags tangled among them. Three bodies—all identified as Lowery.

And then Tempe is contacted by Hadley Perry, Honolulu's flamboyant medical examiner, who needs help identifying the remains of an adolescent boy found offshore. Was he the victim of a shark attack? Or something much more sinister?

What I really like about Kathy Reich's books is I am assured of a suspenseful mystery as well as learning great historical facts that capture my attention.  This one had many twists and turns and a few times the military acronyms got confusing, but over all was a great entertaining read.  It has me wanting to know about the name on my POW/MIA bracelet.  I hope the resources she provided at the end of the book will help in my search.

Vicki of Reading At The Beach hosts A-Z Wednesday, this round is author's names and this week's letter is "R".

Hatteras Girl

There are two things twenty-nine-year-old Jackie Donovan asks God for: an honest, wonderful man to marry, and to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks region. In the meantime, Jackie works for Lighthouse Views magazine, writing articles about other local business owners, and intrepidly goes on the blind dates set up by her well-meaning but oh-so-clueless relatives.

There's one specific property Jackie dreams of purchasing: the Bailey Place, a fabulous old home where Jackie spent many happy childhood afternoons, a place that has now fallen into disrepair because of its outrageous price tag.

When Jackie meets handsome Davis Erickson, who holds the key to the Bailey Place, Jackie is sure God has answered both her prayers. But as Jackie learns some disturbing details about Davis's past, she begins to question her own motivation. Will she risk her long-held dreams to find out the truth?

Another fictional bed and breakfast I want to visit! This is my first Alice J. Wisler book and definitely won't be my last. She has created wonderful characters that are easy to love and root for as you sympathize with their struggles. It is a hard lesson to learn to wait when your impulse is to rush it because everything "seemingly" looks right.  Savor this book on a lazy afternoon or better yet, at the beach!

Thank you to Bethany House for this review copy.

Live To Tell

On a warm summer night in one of Boston’s working-class neighborhoods, an unthinkable crime has been committed: Four members of a family have beenbrutally murdered. The father—and possible suspect—now lies clinging to life in the ICU. Murder-suicide? Or something worse? Veteran police detective D. D. Warren is certain of only one thing: There’s more to this case than meets the eye.

Danielle Burton is a survivor, a dedicated nurse whose passion is to help children at a locked-down pediatric psych ward. But she remains haunted by a family tragedy that shattered her life nearly twenty-five years ago. The dark anniversary is approaching, and when D. D. Warren and her partner show up at the facility, Danielle immediately realizes: It has started again.

A devoted mother, Victoria Oliver has a hard time remembering what normalcy is like. But she will do anything to ensure that her troubled son has some semblance of a childhood. She will love him no matter what. Nurture him. Keep him safe. Protect him. Even when the threat comes from within her own house.

Lisa Jackson's book is told in alternating voices of D.D., Danielle and Victoria. Not only does the suspense have you riveted as it builds, but it also is very emotional as you think about the reality of kids with serious problems and what their parents go through. I listened to the audiobook and the three narrators, Kirsten Potter, Rebecca Lowman, and Ann Marie Lee did a great job.  I look forward to more of D.D. Warren!

Skippy Dies

Why does Skippy, a fourteen-year-old boy at Dublin’s venerable Seabrook College, end up dead on the floor of the local doughnut shop?

Could it have something to do with his friend Ruprecht Van Doren, an overweight genius who is determined to open a portal into a parallel universe using ten-dimensional string theory?

Could it involve Carl, the teenage drug dealer and borderline psychotic who is Skippy’s rival in love?

Or could “the Automator”—the ruthless, smooth-talking headmaster intent on modernizing the school—have something to hide?

Why Skippy dies and what happens next is the subject of this dazzling and uproarious novel, unraveling a mystery that links the boys of Seabrook College to their parents and teachers in ways nobody could have imagined. With a cast of characters that ranges from hip-hop-loving fourteen-year-old Eoin “MC Sexecutioner” Flynn to basketball playing midget Philip Kilfether, packed with questions and answers on everything from Ritalin, to M-theory, to bungee jumping, to the hidden meaning of the poetry of Robert Frost.

The title of Paul Murray's book and the blurb on the book jacket got my attention. However, this chunkster (662 pages),  a few times lost my attention. I kept on reading because I was interested enough to know why Skippy died but do think that many pages could have been trimmed from this book. Overall, a tender, at times hilarious coming of age story with a cast of interesting and lovable characters.

Historicals

What happens when the boy she loved to hate becomes the man she hates to love?

The 1920’s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O’Connor is the epitome of the new woman – smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law.

Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for husband – good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face-to-face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

Loved re-visiting the O'Connor family. Enjoy reading as Katie grows up and realizes life is not all about her. Can't wait for Sean and Emma's stories.

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled--by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. After all, the one rule of the house is no romance below stairs.

But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations ...and their hearts.

Deanne's books are always filled with laughter and likable heroines. She can write clean romantic tension like no other! I'll aways reach for one of her books.