Book Review: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

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First Comes Love
Author: Emily Griffin
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: June 28, 2016
Review Source: Netgalley

In this dazzling new novel, Emily Giffin, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed, Where We Belong, and The One & Only introduces a pair of sisters who find themselves at a crossroads.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond.

Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. Josie, a first grade teacher, is single—and this close to swearing off dating for good. What she wants more than the right guy, however, is to become a mother—a feeling that is heightened when her ex-boyfriend’s daughter ends up in her class. Determined to have the future she’s always wanted, Josie decides to take matters into her own hands.

On the outside, Meredith is the model daughter with the perfect life. A successful attorney, she’s married to a wonderful man, and together they’re raising a beautiful four-year-old daughter. Yet lately, Meredith feels dissatisfied and restless, secretly wondering if she chose the life that was expected of her rather than the one she truly desired.

As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

Emotionally honest and utterly enthralling, First Comes Love is a story about family, friendship, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.

The story: "First Comes Love" is about two sisters that are as different as night and day trying to find happiness after tragedy. Their relationship has always been fragile but after a terrible accident rocked their family's world, their relationship became unbearable. Meredith is the responsible, Stepford wife type and Josie is the wild, fun, and carefree type. After 15 years of turmoil, the two sisters decide to take a step back and find happiness in their lives.

Dislikes: Emily did a great job creating the characters, as she always does in my opinion. However, I had a difficult time connecting to either of them. They both aggravated me to no end. I have never read a book that I disliked the main characters so much. Meredith was such a b:@$% in my opinion, the entire story! She had no redeeming qualities. I related slightly more to Josie, simply because I tend to be more of a free spirit myself, but some of her decision making drove me crazy.

Likes: I love Georgia and liked that the story takes place in Atlanta. I love the detail that Emily always puts in the settings of her books. It really makes it feel like you're there. I also like that even though the sisters have different annoying personalities, they are able to find forgiveness and strength. The book is told from both point of views which I loved.

The rating: I give this book 3.5 stars because I enjoyed the book. It wasn't a book that I couldn't put down but I did overall enjoy it. It wasn't my favorite Emily Griffin book but it was good.

Book Review: The Girl From Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux

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The Girl from Summer Hill
The Girl from Summer Hill #1
Author: Jude Deveraux
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: May 3rd 2016
Review Source: Ballantine Books

The first book of a new contemporary romance series set in the mountains of Virginia in a town with full of family legends, romance, and secrets from New York Times bestselling author of the Nantucket Brides trilogy.

Sparks fly as fiery Casey Reddick and brooding Hollywood actor Tate Landers clash in the Virginia summer heat. A chef who puts her career first and her love life second, Casey doesn’t see what every girl in town is swooning over. She made up her mind the moment she met Tate—he’s gorgeous, but stuck-up, nothing like his ex-brother-in-law, Devlin who’s playing the Wickham to Tate’s Darcy in local production of Pride & Prejudice. Casey makes the perfect Elizabeth Bennett—how could she be star-struck when she’s heard Devlin’s damning stories about Tate? As they rehearse together, however, Casey finds herself attracted to Tate—he’s much more down-to-earth than she expected and any physical contact between the two of them literally gives her a tingling, electric shock. As opening night draws near, Casey has some difficult decisions to make. Whom should she believe? The seemingly sincere, slighted Devlin or Tate, whose rough, arrogant exterior may only be skin deep. She’s come to love that jolt she gets when they touch—but will she get burned?

Art Imitating Life, or Life Imitating Art?

In this exciting novel by Jude Deveraux, we are introduced to Casey Reddick, an incredible cook who moved from DC to a small town in Virginia. There, she comes across the hunky Tate Landers - a big Hollywood star, who happens to own the plantation she lives on, and who she just can't stand the sight of. That summer, the town throws a huge production of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. After being thrown in and cast as Elizabeth while Tate plays Mr. Darcy, the spiral of a complicated relationship begins, not only between Casey and Tate, but among many others in town. We are introduced to Devlin Haines, the man who plays Wickham. Casey finds out the hard way that he turns out to be even more repulsive (than the character he plays) in real life and definitely not who he claims to be. When Devlin runs off with a girl he thinks is eighteen, but is fifteen in reality, it is up to her, Tate and the others to come up with a plan to trick him into coming back on his own and bringing the girl back safely.

There are many twists and turns, and juicy parts thrown in, all the while leaving you waiting for more. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the book and how it was written; flowing with such ease and leaving you wondering what happens after the last page is turned.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen's books or even the movie adaptations, you will not be disappointed with this book!

Giveaway: The Girl from Summer Hill by Jude Deveraux

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This is a very charming read and we are happy to share a copy thanks to Ballantine Books!

The Girl from Summer Hill

Summer Hill #1

Author: Jude Deveraux

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Released: May 3rd 2016

Review Source: Ballantine Books

Sparks fly as fiery Casey Reddick and brooding Hollywood actor Tate Landers clash in the Virginia summer heat. A chef who puts her career first and her love life second, Casey doesn’t see what every girl in town is swooning over. She made up her mind the moment she met Tate—he’s gorgeous, but stuck-up, nothing like his ex-brother-in-law, Devlin who’s playing the Wickham to Tate’s Darcy in local production of Pride & Prejudice. Casey makes the perfect Elizabeth Bennett—how could she be star-struck when she’s heard Devlin’s damning stories about Tate? As they rehearse together, however, Casey finds herself attracted to Tate—he’s much more down-to-earth than she expected and any physical contact between the two of them literally gives her a tingling, electric shock. As opening night draws near, Casey has some difficult decisions to make. Whom should she believe? The seemingly sincere, slighted Devlin or Tate, whose rough, arrogant exterior may only be skin deep. She’s come to love that jolt she gets when they touch—but will she get burned?

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Giveaway: Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner

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We are so excited to share this giveaway with you all! Katie read Dirtiest Secret and really enjoyed it. She will be sharing her thoughts soon! Thanks to Ballantine Books a division of Random House provided us a final copy of Dirtiest Secret by J. Kenner to giveaway to a lucky reader of this blog! Enter below for a chance to win.

Dirtiest Secret

S.I.N. series #1

Author: J. Kenner

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Released: April 19th 2016

Review Source: Bantam

It was wrong for us to be together, but it was even harder to be apart.

The memory of Dallas Sykes burns inside of me.

Everyone knows him as a notorious playboy, a man for whom women and money are no object. But to me, he’s still the one man I desperately crave—yet the one I can never have.

Dallas knows me better than anyone else. We bear the same scars, the same darkness in our past. I thought I could move on by staying away, but now that we’re drawn together once more, I can’t fight the force of our attraction or the temptation to make him mine.

We’ve tried to maintain control, not letting ourselves give in to desire. And for so long we’ve told ourselves no—but now it’s finally time to say yes.

Dirtiest Secret is intended for mature audiences. You must be 18 or over to enter this giveaway.

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Cover Reveals: Rock Addiction | House of Echoes | The Wicked Will Rise | Captured Love

There have been quite a few cover reveals in the bookish world lately. Here are a few that stand out to us. 

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Rock Addiction

A Rock Kiss Novel #1

Author: Nalini Singh

Release Date: September 9th 2014

Publisher: TKA Distribution 

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh stuns with a sizzling contemporary romance…

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk…

Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be…

Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…

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House of Echoes

Author: Brendan Duffy

Release Date: April 7th 2015

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Book synopsis coming soon

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The Wicked Will Rise

Dorothy Must Die #2

Author: Danielle Paige

Release Date: March 30th 2015

Publisher: HarperCollins

In this dark, high-octane sequel to the New York Times bestsellingDorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm must do everything in her power to kill Dorothy and free Oz.

To make Oz a free land again, Amy Gumm was given a mission: remove the Tin Woodman’s heart, steal the Scarecrow’s brain, take the Lion’s courage, and then Dorothy must die....

But Dorothy still lives. Now the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked has vanished, and mysterious Princess Ozma might be Amy’s only ally. As Amy learns the truth about her mission, she realizes that she’s only just scratched the surface of Oz’s past—and that Kansas, the home she couldn't wait to leave behind, may also be in danger. In a place where the line between good and evil shifts with just a strong gust of wind, who can Amy trust—and who is really Wicked?

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Captured Love

Author: Juliana Haygert

Release Day: November 1st 2014

It’s been four years since twenty-year-old Jessica Hayes has been home, but when she discovers her father is dying, she must return to her hometown in South Carolina and face her past. Jessica thought patching up her relationship with her father would be her biggest challenge, but when she runs into Ryan Dawson—the catalyst of all her problems—she wonders if coming home was a mistake.

Ryan knows he screwed up. Hell, he paid the price…with interest. But when he runs into his best friend’s little sister, Jessica, he’s reminded that his debt will never truly be paid. He may have turned his life around, but he can’t undo the damage. So, he does what he should have done all those years ago. He stays away from Jessica, and all the other personal demons that still haunt him.

Jessica thought she wanted nothing to with Ryan, but something is different about him and she needs to know why. When she discovers the truth behind his change, she puts her troubles aside and tries to help him. But is putting her heart back in the line of fire worth disrupting her stable life back in Ohio, or will the past repeat itself, leaving her brokenhearted once again?

Book Review: Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan

Under the Wide and Starry Sky
Author: Nancy Horan
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Released: January 21st 2014
Review Source: NetGalley

In her masterful new novel, Nancy Horan has recreated a love story that is as unique, passionate, and overwhelmingly powerful as the one between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney depicted so memorably in Loving Frank. Under the Wide and Starry Sky chronicles the unconventional love affair of Scottish literary giant Robert Louis Stevenson, author of classics including Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and American divorcee Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne. They meet in rural France in 1875, when Fanny, having run away from her philandering husband back in California, takes refuge there with her children. Stevenson too is escaping from his life, running from family pressure to become a lawyer. And so begins a turbulent love affair that will last two decades and span the world.

This is a beautiful historical love story. What captured my attention was the cover. Yes, I get attracted by covers too. I just love the cover. But what I like is that I was unaware this book is based on a true story!

Under the Wide and Starry Sky takes us back to 1870s where divorce is not an option. This is the time when marriage is arranged and no matter if you were miserable you needed to stay within the arrangement. Anyone willing to break this was not forgiven.

Under the Wide and Starry Sky is the journey and love story of Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Osbourne. This is a journey of nearly thirty years of struggles and challenges. In which we learn how a married woman follows her heart and how love overcomes all.

My issue with Under the Wide and Starry Sky is that I felt like I was reading a textbook of history instead of a historical novel. Although the story is told in slow paced and slow to progress, yet this is an incredible love story to read. This is one of those great love stories that have inspired many and live among us to teach us the true meaning of love.