Review of Midnight Secrets by Ella Grace

Rating - 3
ARC - On sale 4/30/2013

On a hot southern night, a family is shattered. Three daughters—Savannah, Samantha, and Sabrina Wilde—go on with their lives as they bear the memory of the murder-suicide that killed their parents. For years, they have stayed away from Midnight, Alabama. Now, a prosecutor, Savannah is the first one back when a case in Nashville leads her to seek shelter in the once grand Wilde mansion.  While she's home, Savannah decides to start going through the mansion, preparing it for sale. When she finds some old letters left by her father, she begins to realize that her parents' death wasn't what it seemed. As she starts asking questions, she realizes that her life is in danger. Zach Tanner, once the town’s bad boy and her first lover, is now the new police chief. Working together to solve the mystery, Zach and Savannah realize that the chemistry they had as teenagers is still there.

 

This was an entertaining, romantic, suspenseful book. I thorougly enjoyed reading it and I look forward to reading the next books in this series.

Review of The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O'Neal

Rating - 3

After tragedy shatters her small community in Seattle, the Reverend Elsa Montgomery has a crisis of faith. Returning to her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, she seeks work in a local soup kitchen. Preparing nourishing meals for folks in need, she keeps her hands busy while her heart searches for understanding.

Meanwhile, her sister, Tamsin, as pretty and colorful as Elsa is unadorned and steadfast, finds her perfect life shattered when she learns that her financier husband is a criminal. Enduring shock and humiliation as her beautiful house and possessions are seized, the woman who had everything now has nothing but the clothes on her back. But the two sisters are strong and their involvement in the local church's community garden in a very poor part of town allows them to heal and make decisions about moving on with their lives.  (Amazon desc.)
This was a pleasant read and allows the reader an inside look at the life of a Catholic priest. Much of the book explores the power of faith and how it affects people differently. The characters were very likeable and the plot kept me reading until the very end. I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for a "feel good" book and who are comfortable with discussions about faith and religion.

Review of Keepsake by Kristina Riggle

Release Date - July 2012
Rating - 4

Trish considers herself a messy housekeeper. When a pile of items in her home falls on her son and breaks his collarbone, she realizes that she has a much more serious problem. Child Protective Services tells her she must clean up the house so that it is safe or she might lose her children. Her older son, Drew, realizes that it will be difficult for Trish to accomplish this and he contacts Trish's sister, Mary, asking her to come and help them. Mary and Trish have not been in contact for many years, both of them suffering from the consequences of living with their mother who was also a compulsive hoarder. As Mary and Trish work together to clean up Trish's home, they learn more about each other and uncover long-buried secrets about their mother.

Riggle does a great job of exploring the phenomenon of compulsive hoarding and how it affects families. It's a quick read and difficult to put down once started.

Review of Dreaming in English by Laura Fitzgerald

Rating = 5

Tamila Soroush comes to America ostensibly to visit her sister, but hoping to find someone to marry so she can stay in America. Her sister tries to arrange a marriage between Tami and a Persian man, but all efforts fall through. On the last day before she must go back to Iran, Tami opens her hotel door to see Ike, an American man she has come to love. Ike knows about her need to marry and so he marries her right away.  Even though Tami and Ike love each other, many people don't believe it, instead choosing to believe that Tami only married Ike for a green card. His parents are particularly hostile to Tami.  But Ike and Tami continue as a couple, even starting a business together, but the time for Tami's immigration interview is getting closer and she is getting nervous.  Will she get to stay in America or will she lose Ike and her freedom completely?

Dreaming in English is a sequel to Fitzgerald's previous book, Veil of Roses, the story of Tami's sister. Either book can stand alone, but it's nice to read both.  I liked Dreaming in English. The story is told by Tami in first person, present tense. The reader knows what Tami is seeing and thinking at all times. Sometimes funny and sometimes sad, she paints a powerful picture of the reason so many people leave everything and everyone they know to come to this country. Tami is a wonderful character and I didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended.

Review of Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Rating = 3
Young Adult

Everyone in Daisy's family is psychic... except her. She appears to be a "normal" like her father who mysteriously disappeared a year ago. Daisy's mother uses her talent to solve crimes and when teenage girls in the town of Nightshade begin to die mysteriously, Daisy decides to solve the case herself. She is aided in her task by her best friend Ryan. When she and Ryan discover that cheerleaders in their high school seem to be targets and the killer appears to be a particularly vicious form of vampire, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad to get investigate. Daisy soon finds herself in grave danger; Ryan is starting to become more than just a "friend; and most importantly of all, Daisy discovers she has some psychic talent after all!

This is a light, humurous and entertaining read. In general, I'm not a huge fan of the vampire genre, but this one was fun. The romance beween Ryan and Daisy is a realistic teen romance and the focus is more on psychic talent than vampirism. This is the first book in the "Dead Is..." series by Perez. Read by Suzy Jackson.

Review: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Rating - 4
Young Adult Novel

It is Caitlyn O'Koren's 16th birthday when her older sister, Cass, runs away. It is the beginning of her junior year of high school and all people can talk about is Cass. Cass was the "perfect" daughter...involved in everything, accepted at Yale, popular. Caitlyn has always been in her shadow, but she and Cass have always been close. With her parents focused on finding Cass, Caitlyn becomes "invisible". This is her chance to become the person she wants to be, away from the shadow of Cass. She joins the cheerleading squad with her best friend, Rena, something Cass never did. She doesn't really like it, but it's different. Then she meets Rogerson. He is so different from the jocks she and her friends hang out with. He is mesmerizing and maybe a little dangerous. He has a reputation for doing drugs and has been arrested before. Soon Caitlyn and Rogerson are spending all of their time together. Rogerson has easy access to the drugs he sells, and turns Caitlyn on to smoking pot. Then one day, when she turns up late for a date with him, he punches her in the face. It is shocking and painful and Caitlyn isn't sure what to do. She loves him. Afterwards, he is tender and loving toward her and promises it will never happen again. But it does, over and over again. Caitlyn hides it well, but she becomes a different person, hiding her bruises from everyone who cares about her. quitting the cheerleading squad, hanging out with Rogerson's friends, smoking pot. She needs to tell someone; she wants to talk to Cass desperately, but Cass is gone and Caitlyn is sliding away.

This book by Dessen is about 6 years old, but as always, right on the mark. The phenomenon of date abuse (not rape) is not openly discussed, but in fact 1 in 11 high school students report being abused on a date. Teens who read this should have their eyes open to the signs of someone being abused and what to do if you are the one abused. The teen characters are well-drawn and believable, and the story is still very timely.