Adopted as an infant, Jane Aaron longs to know the identity of her birth mother and why she gave her up. Her only clue is the name of the small Texas town where she was born, so she's come to Cedar Springs for answers.
Handsome ad executive Asher Price lost his wife, the beautiful, mysterious Susanna, in a terrible car crash eighteen months ago. When he hires Jane as the nanny for his two children, sparks fly. Jane finds herself falling in love with both Asher and his children, but begins to suspect that Susanna was not the perfect mother and wife the family portrays her to have been.
As Jane gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about both her own and Susanna's past, devastating secrets begin to emerge that may be more than anyone can bear. Will the truth bring Jane and Asher closer together or tear them apart forever?
My Thoughts - I stayed up late last night reading this, I couldn't put it down. That's saying a lot
because I read a lot of books, not to mention value my sleep. Jane has everything, her life is perfect - a loving adopted family who love her, a hot musician boyfriend who adores her and wants to marry her - but something just isn't right. She doesn't fit in and she needs to find herself. She moves to her birthplace for the summer to start her search and becomes Nanny to widower Asher Price's children.
Julia nailed Asher's daughter, Riley's teenage angst and how her little brother Levi dealt with his mom's death and his dad going away on business by acting out. The characters were very likeable and you always understood where they were coming from. I'm not going to give away any spoilers but I will say I was sitting on the edge of my seat towards the end of the book. This would be a great book club pick, there is soooo much to talk about.
THE ART OF DEVOTION by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin is a haunting debut novel in the tradition of Rebecca and Atonement. Filled with secrets, love, betrayal, obsession, and deceit, THE ART OF DEVOTION is a beautifully rendered window into one family’s dark and complex history. Told from the shifting points of view of four women, the story explores the psychological effects and emotional damage within a family led by a matriarch who was tragically widowed too soon; the fragile, almost inappropriately close relationship between her son and daughter; and the reckless deceit of an outsider. In a recent review, the Romantic Times called the writing “lyrical, reminscent of old gothic romances
In the tradition of bestselling authors Ian McEwan and Anne Enright, Samantha Bruce-Benjamin’s brilliant and timeless debut unveils the dark side of human nature as four women share the poignant tale of love, obsession, and ultimate betrayal that binds them forever.
Have we all not wished to keep forever the one person we love the most?
The secluded beaches of a sun-drenched Mediterranean island are the perfect playground for young Sebastian and Adora. Emotionally adrift from their mother, Adora shelters her sensitive older brother from the cruelties of the world. Sophie does not question her children’s intense need for one another until it’s too late. Her beloved son’s affections belong to Adora, and when he drowns in the sea, she has no one else to blame.
Still heartbroken years later, Adora fills her emptiness with Genevieve, the precocious young daughter of her husband’s business associate and his jealous wife, Miranda. Thrilled to be invited into the beautiful and enigmatic Adora’s world, the child idolizes her during their summers together. Yet, as the years progress, Genevieve begins to suspect their charmed existence is nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion. Soon, she too is ensnared in a web of lies.
Stunningly told in the tragic voices of four women whose lives are fatefully entangled, The Art of Devotion is evocative and haunting, a story of deceit, jealousy, and the heartbreaking reality of love’s true power.
My Thoughts - My poor book club, I come across so many great books I bombard them with suggestions, adding this one to my list too. If you love historical fiction I promise you will adore this book. It is beautifully written and you follow the lives of four narrators who all have their own secrets. I loved, despised, and felt sorry for the characters. Once I started I couldn't put the book down, I don't think you'll be able to either!!
Disclaimer - I received this book for my honest opinion, no other compensation was received.
Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.
A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.
A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.
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Giveaway will end June 27th at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S and Canada. 18+ Disclaimer - I received this book for my honest opinion, no other compensation was received.
What do a 20th century light healer, a would- be debutante teen and a wandering gypsy have in common? A story of human brotherhood released only through the colliding dogmas surrounding their shared tragedy from long ago. Lark Jennison is a free thinker and imagines she has wings! Set in the 1970's in a small southern town laced with folk mysticism, faith healings and the evangelistic zeal of the era, Swimming with Wings is her coming of age story.
Orphaned, seventeen-year-old Lark and her brother are the last generation of the illustrious Jennison lumber family, and her uncanny ability to read a person, along with her eccentric creativity, shine a spotlight of scrutiny upon her. When she falls for Peter Roma, a "river gypsy," she finds in him an equal, but is soon disturbingly set on a collision course with his fanaticism. The drowning accident that had killed their fathers remains a mystery, a harbinger of ill feelings between the Romas and the Jennisons. Is Peter Roma, a scammer, a real gypsy or Lark's personal savior?
His grandfather had been a mystical light healer and heralded the rising tide of a new age; however, Peter's "being saved" interpretation of this leads him into a cult and a world of corruption.
In the end the question becomes who will save who? Lee Libro's writing style is southern lit with a modern twist and has been compared to that of Alice Hoffman. In Swimming with Wings the mystique of Practical Magic meets the human angst of Flannery O'Connor. Readers will enjoy an arresting blend of literary fiction, mystery and romance and ultimately a story about searching for direction, the hidden influences of ancestral roots and the forces that shape belief.
My Thoughts - Have you ever read a book that when it ended you said wow... I need to tell everyone about this? This is that book for me. This book was unique. Lark is a peculiar girl, I had to know about her, what made her tick. Libro paints such amazing picture in your head, you ARE THERE. I found out later that she is actually a painter. This was an in depth thought provoking book. My favorite part is how she handles spirituality, it neither bogs you down nor offends. Beautifully written and this is one for a book club!
In Amy Sohn’s smart, sexy, satirical peek into the bedrooms and hearts of Prospect Park West, the lives of for women come together during one long, hot Brooklyn summer. Frustrated Oscar-winning actress Melora Leigh eager to relieve the pressures of raising her adopted toddler, feels the seductive pull of kleptomania; Rebecca Rose, missing her formerly robust sex life, begins a dangerous flirtation with handsome neighborhood celebrity Lizzi O’Donnell, former lesbian (or "hasbian"), wonders what draws her to women despite her sexy husband and adorable baby; and Karen Bryan Shapiro consumes herself with a powerful obsession—snagging the ultimate three-bedroom apartment in a well-maintained, P.S. 321–zoned co-op building. As the women’s paths intertwined (an sometimes collide), each must struggle to keep her man, her sanity . . and her playdates.
My Thoughts - I found myself laughing entirely too much, even at times I shouldn't have.
It reminded me of Desperate Housewives. This is another one great for the beach and there is plenty to talk about. Great Book Club Pick. They even offer a Reader's Guide HERE
Disclosure - A product was given for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given
Should the Cheshire Cat's grin make us reconsider the nature of reality?
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Can Humpty Dumpty make words mean whatever he says they mean?
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Can drugs take us down the rabbit-hole?
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Is Alice a feminist icon? Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has fascinated children and adults alike for generations. Why does Lewis Carroll introduce us to such oddities as a blue caterpillar who smokes a hookah, a cat whose grin remains after its head has faded away, and a White Queen who lives backward and remembers forward? Is it all just nonsense? Was Carroll under the influence? This book probes the deeper underlying meaning in the Alice books and reveals a world rich with philosophical life lessons. Tapping into some of the greatest philosophical minds that ever lived -- Aristotle, Hume, Hobbes, and Nietzsche -- Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy explores life's ultimate questions through the eyes of perhaps the most endearing heroine in all of literature.
My Thoughts - This was certainly an interesting read. It's one of those books that you can flip through and read what you want and come back and read more without getting lost or bored. It's broken down into mini chapters.Chapters like jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, but never jam today: On procrastination, hiking, and...The Spice Girls? Or Reasoning Down the Rabbit-Hole: Logical Lessons in Wonderland.
This book came out at the perfect time coinciding with the Alice in Wonderland movie. It helps you dig deeper into the story. This is a book I'll keep for a long time and pass down to my girls.
Robin Wells takes us back to Chartreuse, Louisiana, for a deeply moving story of forgiveness and second chances.
STILL THE ONE
After Katie Charmaine's husband is killed in Iraq, all she has left is a closet full of his clothes, a few pictures, and fond memories. She not only lost her love, but her last chance to have the children she's always wanted. Until Zack Ferguson shows up in town . . . with the daughter Katie gave up for adoption nearly seventeen years ago.
Zack Ferguson has never forgotten Katie, or the one magical night they spent together. Seeing her again brings up a tidal wave of emotions: regret over the way he left her, anger at the secret she kept, and desire he hasn't felt in years. But he's in town for Gracie. Their daughter is sixteen, angry at the world, and-worst of all-pregnant. She needs the love of her two parents now more than ever. Can these three forgive the hurts of the past and open their hearts to each other?
My Thoughts - This is a rich, dramatic story with well round characters that you will fall in love with.
A story of forgiveness and second chances.
What a wonderful read!
Robin Wells is an accomplished romance author, having written over a dozen titles for Harlequin. She is the author of Baby, Oh Baby (Lovespell, 7/03), which won the National Readers' Choice Award. Robin Wells has won the prestigious National Golden Heart Award from the Romance Writers of America, and her novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Read Robin's Guest Post on Taking Time for Mommy
Great Book Club Pick - Here is the Readers Guide
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Giveaway will end May 23rd at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. & Canadian residents 18+ only. No Po Boxes Disclosure - A product was given for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given
Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know-does not want to know-where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline's sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner.
Only as Matt tries to track down his wife's mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline's trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa's life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known.
Elegant and astonishing, Patrick Somerville tells the story of one man's journey into the heart of marriage, parenthood, and what it means to be a family. Confirming the arrival of an exuberantly talented new writer, THE CRADLE is an uniquely imaginative debut novel that radiates with wisdom and wonder.
My thoughts - I was surprised when I was reading the story that it is in fact two stories. They were so far apart that I wasn't sure how they were going to be brought together. This is a short, rather quick read, but Somerville packs a lot into it. I would definitely recommend this. Perfect book club read.
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Giveaway will end May 16th at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. & Canadian residents 18+ only. No Po Boxes
Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion, no other compensation.
Carey, Beth, and Pam had succeeded at work but failed at romance, and each resolved to have a baby before time ran out. Just one problem: no men. Carey took the first bold step towards single motherhood, searching anonymous donor banks until she found the perfect match.
What she found was not a father in a vial, but a sort of magic potion. She met a man, fell in love, and got pregnant the old-fashioned way. She passed the vials to Beth, and it happened again. Beth met man, Beth got pregnant. Beth passed the vials to Pam, and the magic struck again. There were setbacks and disappointments, but three women became three families, reveling in the shared joy of love, friendship, and never losing hope.
My Thoughts - You will love this "Sisterhood of the Traveling Sperm" :) Seriously, it was an amazing book, too good to be true. I was surprised to realize this wasn't fiction!
"Admissions. Admission. Aren't there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides...It's what we let in, but it's also what we let out."
For years, 38-year-old Portia Nathan has avoided the past, hiding behind her busy (and sometimes punishing) career as a Princeton University admissions officer and her dependable domestic life. Her reluctance to confront the truth is suddenly overwhelmed by the resurfacing of a life-altering decision, and Portia is faced with an extraordinary test. Just as thousands of the nation's brightest students await her decision regarding their academic admission, so too must Portia decide whether to make her own ultimate admission.
Admission is at once a fascinating look at the complex college admissions process and an emotional examination of what happens when the secrets of the past return and shake a woman's life to its core.
Listen to an Interview by author Jean Janff Korelitz
My thoughts - There is a lot to say about this book and I strive to keep my reviews short because
most of my readers are busy moms. Let's start with what I wasn't too crazy about. Yes I know this book is about the college admission process but at times I felt it was bogged down with too much information I frankly couldn't care less about. Yes I know you need background information but it almost took away from
the story... almost. The story was good even with this. I loved when she started her romance with John Halsey and ended her long term passionless relationship with the professor. I think it was the shake up that Portia needed in her life. Poor Portia's life revolves around the admissions process, no one really cares about who she is, only what she does. This is a perfect book club book, like I said, so much to discuss!
If you decide to use this for your book club, here is the link to the reader's guide
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Valerie form Hatchett book group is kind enough to allow me to give away 3 copies to Mommy Reads too Much Readers! Just tell me you want it!
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Giveaway will end May 2nd at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. & Canadian residents 18+ only. No Po Boxes
Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion, no other compensation.
A-Tac is an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college. Brilliant, badass, and seemingly bulletproof, the members of A-Tac are assigned to the riskiest missions and the most elusive targets.
TORN BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE
Covert operations expert Nash Brennon has spent the last eight years trying to forget Annie Gallagher, his former field partner and the only woman he ever loved. Annie betrayed him when he needed her most, then vanished without a trace. Now suddenly she's back in the game - this time as a suspected traitor and threat to national security.
Annie's son has been kidnapped by political terrorists. The price for his life? Assassinate a UN ambassador. When Nash and his group find her, the smoldering passion between Annie and the man she swore she'd never contact again blazes out of control. But can Nash trust her? The stakes couldn?t be higher: Their enemy's endgame is personal, and one false move could cost them their lives. You can “Enter A-Tac” HERE where you can get character profiles and listen to excerpts, and hear a mysterious voice that speaks of scary things.
Dee Davis has a BA in Political Science and History, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. During a ten-year career in public relations, she spent three years on the public speaking circuit, edited two newsletters, wrote three award winning public service announcements, did television and radio commercials, starred in the Seven Year Itch, taught college classes, lobbied both the Texas State Legislature and the US Congress, and served as the director of two associations.
Her highly acclaimed first novel, Everything In Its Time, was published in July 2000. Since then, among others, she’s won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt and two RT Reviewers Choice Awards. To date, she has sold eighteen books and three novellas, including Chain Reaction and A Match Made on Madison.
She’s lived in Austria and traveled in Europe extensively. And although she now lives in Manhattan she still calls Texas home.
My Review - You have to wait for that. This is our Book Club pick of the Month! I'll post the very beginning of next month with our Book Club's opinions.
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Win It! Anna from Hatchett Book Group is allowing me to giveaway 1lucky reader of Mommy Reads too Much a copy of Dark Deceptions. Mandatory entry!! Just tell me you want it, it's that easy. Good Luck!
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Giveaway will end on April 18th at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. & Canadian residents 18+ only. No Po Boxes
Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion, no other compensation.
Closed - Winners are - Coupon Mom, Rupynerba, & Jennifer - congrats!!
I will email you & You have 48hrs to send me your address.
This One Is Mine By Maria Semple
Violet Parry is living the quintessential life of luxury in the Hollywood Hills with David, her rock-and-roll manager husband, and her darling toddler, Dot. She has the perfect life--except that she's deeply unhappy. David expects the world of Violet but gives little of himself in return. When she meets Teddy, a roguish small-time bass player, Violet comes alive, and soon she's risking everything for the chance to find herself again. Also in the picture are David's hilariously high-strung sister, Sally, on the prowl for a successful husband, and Jeremy, the ESPN sportscaster savant who falls into her trap.
My thoughts - The book takes place in LA and some of the characters are so shallow that you want to scream at them. There were very endearing moments and the characters seem to redeem themselves. The book also really showed how much people are willing to risk to find what they think will bring them happiness. This is a perfect book for a book club. There is a reading guide available! Here
Maria Semple has written for television shows including Arrested Development, Mad About You, and Ellen. She has escaped from Los Angeles and lives with her family on an island off Seattle. This is her first novel. http://www.mariasemple.com/index.html
Win It Win It - Hachette Book Group is giving 3 lucky readers of Mommy Reads too Much a copy of This One is Mine. Mandatory entry!!Just tell me you want it, it's that easy. Good Luck!
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Giveaway will end on April 4th at 11:59pm. The winners will be chosen by random.org and emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to U.S. & Canadian residents 18+ only. Disclosure - A product was given for review for my honest opinion, no other compensation
