Tag: Loss

Unfinished

Published on by macjam4719 Comments

By Julieann Dove

Book Blurb

Brian and Marcie were supposed to live happily ever after–they repeated vows that stated that very sentence. So, no one, especially Brian, could have predicted that Marcie would file for divorce. It was difficult to fight the situation, finding that all his possessions were packed and waiting by the door when he came home from work that Thursday evening.

Kate Moore sat in a stupor for a month. Unlike any other breakup she had experienced, this felt more like a drive by shooting, with her ex holding the smoking gun as he sped away. What happened, she asked herself, knee-deep in peanut butter cups and bags of cheese doodles. Oliver was the man she was going to marry…she’d already pinned a secret board of wedding dresses and honeymoon destinations.

1247 Sycamore Street, Apartment A and B respectively, is where Kate and Brian find themselves after their tumultuous breakups. An unlikely relationship would soon ensue between these shattered souls, and ‘what ifs’ would slowly rise to the surface of their attraction for one another. But what would happen to their budding relationship when their ex’s want a second chance?

Blurb taken from Amazon

My Review

This book took me longer to read than I thought it would, as I had to put it down and walk away from time to time.  Brian and Marcie lost a child and that loss had, as you can imagine, a profound effect on their lives, and finally on their marriage. Instead of bringing the two closer together (as it did in the case of my husband and me), they grew further apart until Marcie told Brian to find another place to live. This book was so beautifully written, I could feel their pain, a pain that never truly goes away, and remember, as though I could ever forget, how it felt to be caught in the clutches of such sorrow.

Kate Moore thought she and Oliver would get married and live happily ever after, that is, until Oliver ran from her. Kate left the city and moved to an apartment in the suburbs where she hoped to get over Oliver. The same building where Brian moved so he could be near his young daughter.

What I loved about the book was that Brian and Kate both had monumental issues to overcome which became complicated when their ex’s decided they wanted to reconcile.  I will leave it to you to discover the outcome.  To me, the choices they made were the right ones and the ending left me satisfied with the outcome.

The story was well crafted and the characters were believable.  I would definitely recommend UNFINISHED.

My thanks to the author for the ARC. I have received no compensation for my honest review.

About the Author

Julieann Dove began her writing career not long ago. Taking a break from her job as a bookkeeper was just what the doctor ordered, to tap into her creative side. When she’s not writing, she loves playing with fabric at her sewing machine, baking new recipes, and playing in the dirt, trying to get things to grow. Julieann loves old movies, and never tires of listening to music–it’s where she finds most of her inspiration for her books.

Who am I? It’s more difficult to put into words than one can imagine. There’s so much, yet very little. Well…I’m a girl who during their entire childhood wanted to be an English teacher. Who instead became a bookkeeper. When September rolls around and the stores are stocked with back-to-school supplies, I still get a pang of “something’s missing.” But still I continue counting money and storing the data.

I’m not a morning person–never have been. It stems from my mother, as she cannot function at the break of daylight, either. I recall many mornings dragging into school barely before the first bell, Mom still in her robe, watching me walk in from behind the steering wheel of her car. Instead, I come alive around 7 p.m. That’s when you’ll find me scouring tubs or rearranging kitchen cabinets.

Before going to sleep, I love reading recipes. It gives me hope I’ll make something good to eat the next day. I don’t always get around to fulfilling that dream, but I surprise myself and sometimes do go to the store in search of the ingredients. Cooking good food makes me happy—eating it makes me happier!

Not until four years ago did I discover writing books. I’ve always kept my stories and characters locked away in my mind. One day I took a hiatus from numbers and began typing words into my computer. That was my first book. My fingers couldn’t catch up to my thoughts. I couldn’t stop. And I haven’t since. This is my joy. Writing about messy people encountering love is what makes me happy!

Bio taken from Author’s website About Me Page

 

Author’s Website

Buy the Book on Amazon

Butterfly Barn

Published on by macjam4721 Comments

By Karen Power

Butterfly Barn by Karen Power - Front Book Cover - (2014)Book Blurb

Three women, two continents, one dream

Grace Fitzgerald is about to sign a contract with an American cruise corporation to bring cruise liners into the idyllic coastal town of Bayrush, in Ireland. But her fiancé, Dirk, doesn’t seem to grasp just how important the business is to her. On her way through Dublin Airport, Grace catches a glimpse of Jack Leslie, her first love. He’s married now but he still has the power to turn her knees to jelly. Grace is about to make the biggest decision of her life. Will it be the right one?

Jessie McGrath is happily married to Geoff, and together they run a small equestrian centre on the outskirts of Bayrush. Jessie is finally pregnant with her second child, and life couldn’t be better. Will their dreams come true or will they fall to pieces?

Sophia Wynthrope can’t escape the emptiness of widowhood. After thirty-five years of marriage, New York holds too many memories of her treasured husband. Is she chasing foolish dreams by travelling to Ireland, or can she possibly find the peace she craves in a place called Bayrush.

An unexpected encounter will spark a chain of events that will entwine their lives forever…

  • Contemporary Women’s Fiction
  • Self-published – Comeragh Publishing
  • Book One of the series

 

My Review

Karen Power’s debut novel is a heartwarming story about friendships, family ties, love, loss, and forgiveness. Most of the story takes place in a small coastal town of Bayrush in County Waterford, Ireland.

Grace Fitzgerald has been dating Dirk for three years and he desperately wants to set a date for their wedding.  Grace is holding back, and finally gives in. She can’t seem to be excited about her forthcoming wedding, and wonders if Dirk is truly the one.  She still feels a connection with Jack Leslie, the guy she met twenty years ago.

Jessie is Grace’s best friend and is happily married to Geoff McGrath. Together they run a small equestrian center near Bayrush.  They have a young son Sam, but want more children.  Jessie is pregnant and after a scan Jessie and Geoff learn there is not one baby, but twin boys.  A reason for joy, which is soon dashed as the doctor explains Jessie’s pregnancy is a hydropic pregnancy, and there is a chance she won’t be able to carry the boys to term.

Sophia Wynthrope, a wealthy magazine publisher has recently lost her husband of thirty-five years.  She is struggling with the emptiness she feels since his death, and on a chance meeting with Grace on a plane to New York, decides to return to Ireland to the town of Bayrush, and her newfound friend.

The three characters Grace, Jessie, and Sophia have different problems to work through, but they find their support and friendship with each other provides the impetus to endure.  There is a huge supporting cast of characters, including Dirk, Jack, Geoff, Grace’s sister Kate, and many others, all very likeable and true to life.

The weaving of this many characters into a coherent story is a challenge for any author, but especially so for a debut author.  The author carried it off without faltering and developed a storyline that entwines fact with fiction to create a book you won’t want to end.  Butterfly Barn touched me deeply, especially Jessie’s story.

I won’t go into any more detail about the plot and characters for fear of giving too much of the story away.  It is a beautiful and heartwarming story that is bound to keep your interest throughout.  I hope you will choose to read it. I heartily recommend Butterfly Barn to all readers of contemporary women’s fiction.

I give Butterfly Barn 5 stars.

Butterfly Barn was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.

About the AuthorKaren Power (Butterfly Barn) - (2014)

Just to tell you a little about me. I live on a farm in County Waterford, with my husband, two children and our nutty Springer Spaniel called Sam.

I spent many years working in the travel industry where I had many fantastic experiences. For example, little did I know that I would use my boss’s idea to bring cruise liners into Ireland to be the career choice of my lead character, Grace Fitzgerald. That’s the beauty of fiction. People can do and be whoever they want.

Currently, I tutor in adult education delivering a range of modules such as communications, tourism, and personal effectiveness.  My big passion is my work as a voluntary literacy tutor. I truly believe that every person should have the opportunity to read. As a teenager, I travelled the world from the sofa in my living room, immersed in the world of books.

Now I’m embarking on a new adventure into the world of writing by releasing the first novel from the Butterfly Barn Series.

Karen Power can be found at the following links.

Webpage – http://www.karenpowerauthor.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/kpowerauthor

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/irishbutterflybarn?fref=ts

Google+ – https://plus.google.com/106353349118481109015/posts

To buy Butterfly Barn

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison

Published on by macjam475 Comments

The Banks of Certain Rivers

THE BANKS OF CERTAIN RIVERS will draw you in immediately with its backstory where we meet Neil Kazenzakis (Mr. K), husband, father, friend, teacher, coach. It is here that we learn first of his wife Wendy and son Chris, and the terrible accident that Wendy has in a swimming pool that left her in a permanent comatose state. Their son Chris, an eighth grader, witnessed the accident.

We move forward a few years and find that Neil has more to deal with than seems humanly possible.  His wife Wendy remains in a nursing home, he and Chris both are still struggling to move on, and he is caring for his mother-in-law Carol, while at the same time, maintaining her home.  On top of everything else, Neil has fallen in love with Lauren, the nurse taking care of Carol.  Neil must tell Chris, but fears it is more than a young person can handle given the state of his mother’s health.  Add to all this is a video that went viral showing Mr. K knocking a student to the ground. Can he prove his innocence and that the video is a fake?  With his job and reputation on the line and Chris’ loss of respect for him after Neil tells him he has been in a relationship for two years, Neil feels his life is spiraling out of control. With the determination and help of understanding and caring friends, Neil is able to move forward.

I don’t like spoilers, and this book is difficult to talk about without revealing too much. It is well written with a plot that will keep you turning the pages. It is about love and redemption, loyalty and trust.  It is about putting what life throws at you into the proper perspective and getting on with one’s life.

The characters were so well developed that I felt an immediate bond with each one.  I wanted Wendy to recover, and at first didn’t like Lauren because I felt she stood in the way of that recovery. I wanted to hug Chris and help him through the murky waters of grief, sadness, distrust, and disappointment.  It was so much to put upon a teenager.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a five star book.  Once I started reading, I was unable to put it down.  With so many layers to the story and personalities elaborated so beautifully, this is one book I wholeheartedly recommend.

 

About the Author

Born in Michigan, Jon Harrison studied English literature and geological sciences at Ohio University. A lover of the outdoors, he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1994 and has lived there ever since. When not writing, he enjoys skiing, running, and climbing.

The Banks of Certain Rivers is his first novel.Jon-Harrison_9659-1200px

Follow Jon Harrison on:

Webpage – Harrison Pages

Twitter – @HarrisonPages

Goodreads – Jon Harrison Author Page

FaceBook – The Banks of Certain Rivers

 

Buy The Banks of Certain Rivers

 

IMG_1110 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Jon Harrison at Books by the Banks. Shown here on the right with author Catherine McKenzie on the left.

A Pug With A Plan by Janeen Coyle

Published on by macjam477 Comments

A Pug With A Plan by Janeen CoyleJaneen Coyle’s A PUG WITH A PLAN is a delightful children’s book about a pug puppy and a boy named Dylan. When Dylan and his mother make a trip to the pet store, Dylan falls in love with a pug puppy and names him Frank. They take him home, and Frank is Dylan’s best friend until one day Frank goes to puppy heaven.  Dylan parents are worried about getting another pet too soon.

The story behind A PUG WITH A PLAN is a true story. It helps adults to realize there is another pet out there for their family and gives children the chance to learn about life and death of a pet, and about finding another pet to love.

I loved this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially families with children and pets.

(I probably said this before, but besides reading novels, I love children’s books! I will occasionally post reviews of them on this site.)