Smitten Book Club

Book Summary:

The thick, leathery tome Heather pulled out of the dusty cardboard box was definitely coming home with her. Not only was The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship an appealing curiosity by virtue of its title; it was also written by Smitten, Vermont native Pearl Chambers, a local gentlewoman from three generations back.

Little did Heather know the repercussions this little curiosity would have on her and her friends’ romantic exploits.

When Heather and her fellow book club members begin passing the book around, their respective interpretations are unleashed on their respective love lives . . . for better or for worse. Is it a mystery? An idealist fantasy? An intimation of Jane Austen? As romantic love finds its way to each woman, the Guide proves itself both surprisingly prescient and hilariously irrelevant.

What’s more, a handwritten inscription indicates that the arcane book might hold the only extant clues leading to buried gold—exactly what one of the members needs to keep her house. How could they not go treasure hunting?

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. I loved watching the relationships grow between the friends and see how they stood by each other through life struggles. I think it's great to have all 4 stories in the same book. We are able to move right in to the next story without pause. Each story while different, follows the same overall story of the treasure they hope to find.

The idea of passing the book around and learning of a treasure while also helping them in their love lives was interesting and useful for the reader also. There were some great pearls of wisdom shown in the book, but not only that, we were brought on the journey of what those bits of wisdom really look like in life.

Each story was well written and I was fully engaged in what was going on, and found myself wanting to help the couples along :)

I loved the little "extras" included in the back of the book. What fun! I highly encourage you to give this book a read. 

Don't forget to check the sidebar of my blog for a Kindle fire giveaway going along with this book!

Disclosure: I received a free print copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  My reviews are always my own opinions and may differ from others.

Tangerine Morning by Rita Garcia

 Tangerine Morning is Book 2 in the Serenity Cove Series by Rita Garcia, here we find Jezzica at odds with God. Her husband was killed just a few years prior, and she is still dealing with the struggle of moving on. When a new detective comes to town she immediately has mixed feelings. She has a distrust of police because of their lack of being able to find her husband's killers.

Zach is determined to reach her. He wants to be friends and wants to help her uncover the truth. Along the way the feelings on both sides increases. The question is, will Jezzica allow herself to move on and trust another man. Can she take that step to moving beyond the feeling of being unfaithful to her husband?

Jezzica's sister, Catylen, has her own struggles that we learn about. The difference is that she is trusting God. She has the relationship with God where she knows the love regardless of circumstances. When Jezzica watches how her sister deals with her own personal agony, will that allow Jezzica to find a way back to God?

I really enjoyed this book. I feel it did a great job of teaching about putting our trust in God regardless of what we might be going through. Each character had his or her own difficulties they had to deal with, and gave a lot of variety in situations. I feel this was a smart way to provide the knowledge that everyone has different struggles, and God can help you through any situation.

This book would be great for young adult along with women in general who love a good story. It also would be a good way to help someone in need, maybe someone who doesn't fully have God in their hearts and is in need of that.

You can find the book for yourself HERE

Rita Garcia lives in California with her husband. They have 4 children and 7 grandchildren. You can find out more about her at http://www.ritagarcia.com/

Disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review. I was not compensated in any other way. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations. I am a part of CWA review crew

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island by Cara C. Putman

This is part two of  the Waterfront weddings book.  I have enjoyed being able to bring you both stories! I felt that providing the stories into separate reviews would give a unique and special look at both of them. 

In this story, Alanna is returning home to Mackinac Island after being away for 11 years. She fled after a terrible tragedy occurred putting her brother Trevor wrongly in the hot seat of suspicion. Now Alanna's father has been hospitalized and her mom is in need of help running the family painting shop.

Not only did Alanna leave her family all those years ago, she also left Jonathan, the man she loved for many summers. When she runs into him immediately upon her return, she tries to avoid him. Her plan is to get back out of town as fast as she can. Circumstances keep bringing them together and finally she starts to relax and remember why she loved him before.

While she is on the island, she finds herself determined to clear her brothers name.  In digging up dirt surrounding a teen's death, she finds herself at odds with many people from her past.  When things come to light which affect her family, she turns to Jonathan for help. He is an encouragement to her and stands by her side. When their search turns up a murder, they find themselves not only suspects, but also in danger from the real culprit.  Together they fight to the end.

WHAT I THOUGHT:

When I first started reading the story, I was expecting it to focus on weddings and romance. While there was romance involved, the story revolved more around dealing with the past, mystery and suspense. 

The story had a slow start to it for me. I almost put it down, but I am so glad I didn't. The story pulls you in to the web of secrets in a way that you feel intertwined and can't get out. This is a great story. There are great characters and the author does a great job of developing the characters into people you can completely relate to.  There are many times when you find Alanna in situations very relatable. Not only is it a great overall story, but there are many parts which make you think of what you might do in her circumstances. 

The ending will also take you by surprise which is great!  Check this book out, you won't be disappointed.

You can find the book here at amazon.com

Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of Waterfront Weddings from netgalley.com in exchange for the review. No other compensation was given. My reviews are always honest and my own.

Cover Reveal of Disconnected by Bethany Daniels

COVER REVEAL

Book: Disconnected

Author: Bethany Daniels

DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Reminder - Your post must be live by 7am (EST) time in the USA

Disconnected Blurb:

Liam and Katy were high school sweethearts. Shortly after they graduated they ran off to Vegas to get married. Liam does theater acting and it's there that he is discovered by Excite Entertainment and flown to L.A.

Once he's in L.A his marriage takes the backseat to rubbing elbows with Hollywood's biggest and brightest. One night Liam throws a big party and Katy comes into their house filled with half dressed women. When Katy says she's going to leave, Liam doesn't believe her until he comes home from filming and finds a note that tears him apart.

Four years later, he's tried to move on but never let go of the love he has in his heart for his Katy. It's in a little town they are filming in that their paths cross again and Liam has to try and convince Katy that their love is worth fighting for

Book One: Reconnected Blurb: A fast paced love story! 

Katy Warren thought her life was perfect. Then her new husband, and also highschool sweetheart, gets discovered while theater acting and gets swept away to Hollywood. Once there, things change. Liam throws himself into the Hollywood life and ignores Katy.

One night after a particularly crazy party, Katy can't take it anymore and leaves Liam and his celebrity behind but doesn't get an official divorce.

Four years later, Liam goes to Georgia for filming and crosses paths with Katy again. But now she's just Kate and she has a boyfriend and she doesn't want anything to do with her marriage. Liam has other plans.

Reconnected purchase links:

Kindle - http://amzn.to/18GdO8G

Nook - http://bit.ly/18ujO1U

Kobo - http://bit.ly/11KtiWg

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/315543

Sony: https://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/bethany-daniel/reconnected/_/R-400000000000001048551

iTunes:https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/reconnected/id650158303?mt=11

Paperback - http://amzn.to/ZkFCtS

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author Bio:

Bethany Daniel lives in Texas with her husband and 2 boys. She enjoys reading, photography and of course, writing. When she's not doing that she spends a lot of time chasing her 3 and 4 year old!

Author links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorbethanydaniel

Twitter: @author_bethanyd

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085559.Bethany_Daniel

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Bethany-Daniel/e/B00CPUBPYI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/authorbethanyd

Disclosure: I am part of a group to help promote the cover reveal of the author's new book.

A Wedding to Remember in Charleston S.C. by Annalisa Daughety

Sometimes in life, our biggest struggles are in direct conflict with what we are expected to be an expert at. This is where we find Summer. She is the owner of a wedding planning business. She and her co-worker, Ashley, do a great job on the weddings, have great success and love what they do. In her personal life though, Summer and her husband, Luke are dealing with some major struggles. In the past year, they have had to deal with many heartbreaks. When they find themselves unable to communicate the depth of their grief, they find themselves pulling away from each other when they should be drawing closer.

The return of Summer's former boyfriend complicates things even more. He somehow finds himself in places where he not only can grab some of Summer's attention, but also manages to pull Luke farther away from Summer. He finds that this can work to his advantage and maybe even work in his favor.

Ashley also has trouble of her own in the relationship department. A new man in her life causes her to deal with her past divorce and work on moving past it, which she isn't sure she can.

Through the struggles of marriage, Luke moves out to handle things by himself. Luke and Summer both see this as a temporary solution, because they are still very much in love. This time apart allows for some much needed soul searching. Will this separation keep them apart or can it be the one thing that allows them to find themselves more committed than ever?

As we follow them through their struggles, we catch a glimpse of their future. When they both allow God to be the center of their lives, they find themselves able to communicate on a more heart level. They learn that God is there for them in the hard times as well as the good times.


WHAT I THINK:

This is book 1 in a book with 2 full length books titled "Waterfront Weddings". In this first story, was an amazing story of marriage. I'm sure we have all had relationships that have gone through struggles, and in some way can relate to these characters. I felt a pull into the story which really made me feel a part of the story. I found myself cheering for some characters, while wanting to yell at others. I feel that is a good sign when you really connect with the book.
The characters have great depth to them. The overall story not only keeps your attention, but has good messages throughout.
I look forward to reading the other story and can't wait to share with you about them also!

You can find the book on amazon.com

Disclosure: I received the ebook copy from netgalley in exchange for doing a review. No other compensation was given. My opinions are always honest and my own.

Romance of Grace by Jim McNeely

I was really looking forward to reading this book! I was interested to see what he would say, and how he would address this topic.  We learn from this book that grace can not be commanded or forced. We have to choose for ourselves to accept the grace given us. He starts out with relating the topic to both parables from the Bible, and to current movies and such. I feel this was a great way to introduce us to his thought process. It was great also for someone who might be new to the concept of Grace and might need help understanding.

We find that real grace happens when we stop focusing on the power of the forbidden, and our true desire is for God.  God loves us no matter what, and more than we can imagine. We see throughout this book that it isn't our love, but Christ's love. Jim McNeely does a great job explaining each topic carefully and in a way that anyone can understand. He explains through examples about law and the difference between being moral and good. We have an innate desire to sacrifice and he does a wonderful job relating this to grace.

The book is written well and is clear and easy to understand. He includes Bible Verses throughout each chapter to lead you to the truth found in the Bible. At the end of each chapter, the reader is provided with discussion questions meant to draw you closer in, and get you to think about what you have read.
I love that he speaks truth, and allows us, as the reader, the chance to discover this truth for ourselves.

Whether  you are a Christian or not, there is a lot of great information and direction for leading you closer in a relationship with Christ. It will strengthen your relationship and remind you of what grace really is.

We have a giveaway for starbucks card here :The Romance of Grace by Jim McNeely Description and Giveaway!


Disclosure:  I received an ebook copy of Romance of Grace in order to do this review. No other compensation was given. My reviews are always my honest opinion and may differ from others.

The Romance of Grace

The Romance of Grace

Check out this book and giveaway! A message everyone needs to hear! : Join me in learning more about an amazing new book in the Christian market by a very talented new author named Jim McNeely. You can check out his book on Amazon and consider it for your reading collection. It is available in e-reader and Kindle formats for digital form as well. Author: Jim McNeely Blog: www.thereforenow.com Book title: The Romance of Grace. Book Description: What if God sees us the way a man sees a woman he is infatuated with, and His main question is not how to make us moral but rather how to get us to fall in love with Him? In The Romance of Grace, Jim McNeely explores Bible passages that tell us what God really wants for us and what His love means. This is the love of a God who chose to give His life for ours, even carefully retaining His scars into the throne room of heaven and telling us in His very body, "I have gone to great lengths and great costs to say that I forsook all comforts for the love of you." Join Jim in his exploration of life in God's unconditional, redeeming, amazing grace. Author Bio: Jim McNeely is a teaching pastor and elder at Dakota Creek Christian Center in Blaine, Washington, where he lives with his wife, Betty, and their four sons. Formerly president of New Century Data, with clients such as Lockheed Martin and American Airlines, he now works as a programmer and database administrator in the health care industry. Top Endorsements: So often we turn our faith in Christ into a forcing mechanism, which doesn't work in any event; and if anything, produces disillusionment or hypocrisy. The Romance of Grace is a prophetic book. I believe that unless we heed its call, to put grace absolutely without condition and frontally as the be-all and end-all of the Good News, we will lose completely, and not just in “the eyes of the world” but in the failure of well-intentioned religious lives that tried to love and never knew how. —Paul F. M. Zahl, author of Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life It is time, as Robert Farrar Capon put it, to get drunk on grace. Two hundred-proof, defiant grace. That's what you get here in Jim's book. You won’t see a list of qualifications, and you'll get no "footnotes." What you’ll encounter is grace unmeasured, vast and free. It will frighten you and free you at the same time. —Tullian Tchividjian, Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and author of Jesus + Nothing = Everything In The Romance of Grace we are confronted with a truth that we may have previously rejected. It seemed too easy to embrace. It lacked obligation on our part and contradicted accusations we have given credence to for the majority of our lives on earth. Yet herein lies the truth—“Not that we loved God, but that God loved us.” This book will help to right the plumb line in your life. —David Collins, author of Out of the Box, founder of Canadian Food for the Hungry International   Check out Jim McNeely's book for yourself on Amazon. It's fantastic!! Follow author Jim McNeely and his book, The Romance of Grace on Facebook or Twitter. Join us now for your chance to win a free copy of The Romance of Grace in this great giveaway brought to you by Jim McNeely, and Love2EncourageYou.

Giveaway Time!

  Prize: One winner will receive an autographed copy of Jim McNeely's book: The Romance of Grace Location: Must be a resident of the lower 48 states in the USA Age: Must be 18 years or older to enter Date: Giveaway runs til April 12th at 12:01am. Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. Once you've done the mandatory entry, you'll unlock the additional optional entries you can enter also to increase your chances of winning. Good luck to everyone! a Rafflecopter giveaway *Special Thanks to the following blogs for their support of this giveaway:

• CouponBlessingsNow
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 Disclosure: Lost Island of Book Reviews did not receive compensation for this post except for a link on the giveaway form. Lost Island of Book Reviews and Love2EncourageYou are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

Mail-Order Marriages by Debbie Macomber

Mail-Order Marriages

By Debbie Macomber

• fiction
• my rating is 5 out of 5 stars     

The thing I like most about a book series is the excitement you have knowing that the characters you come to love throughout the book will in some way return, through the eyes of another focus character. This allows for a deeper knowledge of a character and how they fit in more peoples lives. In this review, I am looking only at book one, titled Mail-Order Marriages. It is the first of three books but contains in it two stories separated by the titles.  All three books revolve around the O’Halloran brothers and the bush pilot charter service, called Midnight Sons, that they run out of Hard Luck, Alaska. Hard Luck is a very small town located north of the Arctic circle where the scenery is beautiful, but the weather can be rough. 

The first story is called “Brides for Brothers”. This story focuses on Sawyer O’Halloran, the middle brother. When he and his younger brother Christian notice a lot of their pilots are thinking of leaving for someplace where they can meet women, they decide they need to do something to keep them in Hard Luck. They decide to create jobs and offer land to any women willing to live in Hard Luck for a year. As expected, this doesn’t turn out the way they planned. The first woman to arrive is Abby. She is there for a library position. When she arrives with two children, the men realize they may not have thought the plan through like they should have. Sawyer is intrigued, but determined not to get involved with her, and he doesn’t feel like he needs the distraction. As Abby gets settled into the way of life and her kids make friends, Sawyer finds himself starting to fall for her. He finds himself getting more involved with her and her kids, and becoming a part of their lives. This scares and annoys him, and he goes to great lengths to get her out of his mind, including trying to send her back to Washington State. He learns many things throughout their growing relationship about himself, his family and love. He knows life will never be the same, and realizes he can’t live without her.

In “The Marriage Risk”, it’s Charles O’Halloran, the oldest brother, who gets his turn at finding love. Due to the number of women arriving in Hard Luck, Lanni Caldwell is in town getting her grandmother’s house ready to be used for their living arrangements. Her grandmother is in a nursing home and the family has decided to allow the women to use the home rather than see it sit empty. When Charles sees her he has instant feeling, and does not like it one bit. He is determined to stay away and not let her get under his skin. When it turns out she is helping at Midnight Sons for awhile, it seems that is not going to happen. Finally when he allows himself to spend time with her, he learns more about her..and falls in love with her. It’s then that  he finds out things are not as easy as they seem. Turns out Lanni is the granddaughter of his family’s least favorite person. This could be a deal breaker. He is so angry at the fact that she is related to the woman that he thinks broke up his family, he isn’t willing to even think of staying together with her. He begins to fight the relationship with all he has. When Lanni is put in what could be a dangerous situation, Charles has to open up to the fact that he does love her regardless of what the past family situations might be. He has to stop fighting the process of love, and acknowledge what’s in his heart. 

I really enjoyed both stories. I felt the experience of small town living and thinking what fun it would be to visit the fictional town. Not only is it a good romance book, it pulls you in to an experience of being a part of the town where you feel the characters are friends.

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated for this posting. I am sharing this post on my own. My posts are my honest opinions. All images on these posts are directly linked to their source.

The Guest List by Fern Michaels

The Guest List 

by Fern Michaels

• Romance/Mystery
• My rating is: 5 out of 5 stars 

 You know how when you read a book you sometimes wish you knew the backstory and how they came to the place they are at? This book achieves this. In part 1 you get the story of the family and how they deal with a daughter, Abby, who is born with a birthmark that covers one whole side of her face. Mom is unable or unwilling to deal with the child, and through the first few chapters you learn how she translates this dislike with her older daughter, Mallory, and therefore causes hateful thoughts to occur between the sisters. Because of the "imperfection" the sisters are unable to have the sweet friendship between sisters, and it shows the dynamics of a troubled family life. A family tragedy leaves the girls alone, and sent to live with a family friend. The trouble only seems to escalate and the newly married, and new to parenthood, make the decision to send Mallory away to a school they hope can help her.

You are then brought into Abby's growing up years. Although she struggles with her birthmark and the hate from her sister, the love of her adopted family has brought her joy and a feeling of security. She enjoys college life, spending time with her boyfriend and best friend and dreaming about their future lives. She is beginning to do some writing, in hopes of becoming a published writer.

You only really see the life of Abby, but can see Mallory through the family's eyes and by the mention of occasional trying of reconnecting. The hurt Mallory feels about the abandonment is apparent in her willingness to make amends with those she has hurt. You can see how both girls wish things had been different in the early years. As Abby grows older, the dynamics of the family change as Abby gains independence, and the way the step-mom, Carol, reacts to these changes. Carol becomes controlling in an effort to keep Abby needing only her. This is all too apparent when Abby begins to repair her relationship with Mallory.

Things really change when Abby graduates from college with a serious boyfriend and plans to move away. This is when the mystery really begins. There are different focuses coming together from Abby and her friends,to Carol and the step-dad Donovan, and their son. Abby is also dealing with the past, moving on and begins a relationship with her sister you wouldn't imagine could ever happen. as situations begin to unfold, you find out people aren't really who they appear to be. The girls have the growing friendship of sisters...but is it a healthy thing? through fear, trust and following their instincts, the sisters find themselves closer then ever. Will they be able to survive long enough to have their happily ever after? Will their feelings of what really happened be correct? This is a must read for anyone who likes not only the romance,and love of family, but also a good mystery where you won't know what happens till the end!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for doing this post. I am sharing this review on my own. I always try and be honest in my opinions.