About the book:

Inheriting a beautiful old hotel on the Outer Banks could be a dream come true for Libby. The inn cries out for her restorer’s talent and love of history. She’s delighted to learn of the family she never knew she had. And the handsome Coast Guard lieutenant she’s met there on the island could definitely be the man of her dreams.

But Libby soon realizes that the only way she can afford the upkeep on the inn is to sell it to developers who are stalking the island. The father who willed her the inn has died before she could meet him, and her newfound brother and sister are convinced she’s there to steal their birthright. Worst of all, her best friend and business partner has been kidnapped before her eyes, and Libby’s under suspicion for the crime.

Libby’s dream come true is becoming a nightmare. Her only option is to find her friend and prove her innocence, or lose everything on the shores of Hope Island.

My Comments:  First of all, I love the cover!  It portrays such a blistering, outdoorsy feeling, and goes so well with the story.

Libby thought her father died when she was five, but the truth was, he had just died a month or so ago.  What a shock!  Libby found out while checking out old buildings to restore on an island that she had a brother and sister she knew nothing about!  She also found out her mother had been lying to her for years.  She finds out all of this through her business partner and bff, Nicole.  While Nicole set up a video for Libby to see her sister, Nicole was abducted and kidnapped.  The story plays out the search for Nicole and Libby dealing with her newfound family.  We are reintroduced to some of Coble’s characters from former books (The Rock Harbor series).  I love this!  Those were some of my favorite books.  You will have to read this book for yourself to find out if they find Nicole and to meet Libby’s new family.  You may have some surprises in store!  I look forward to more books in this series!

This book is released on July 17, 2012.  I received a review copy from NETGALLEY.  Thanks!

Three sisters with opposing temperaments have a fiery reunion at the family estate in an unexpected journey of the heart in the latest novel from bestselling author Angela Hunt.

About the book:  If these three sisters don’t change direction, they’ll end up where they’re going.

Darlene Caldwell, reigning matriarch of Sycamores, a spacious Southern estate in northern Florida, is having a birthday—her fiftieth. Her younger sister, Nolie, is helping Darlene’s boyfriend, Henry, plan a huge celebration that will involve almost everyone in the small town of Peculiar. But Darlene doesn’t know the party planners have invited her twin sister, Carlene, to come from New York for the festivities—after all, it’s Carlene’s birthday, too, and before Carlene went off to become a famous singer on Broadway she was toasted as Peculiar’s Buttercup Squash Festival Queen.

So Nolie and Henry send off the invitation…and are stunned when Carlene actually shows up, dragging luggage and a load of family baggage in her wake. Can these sisters reach an understanding and learn to live together in peace?

My Comments:  This book so made me want to have sisters or at least a sister.  What a bond these women had and how different each one was.   Wait, maybe the jealousy and trickery between sisters as this story showed, may not be so much fun.  Friends can be bad enough in that regard!  Drama, hurt, jealousy, dishonesty, history, changes, all these adjectives describe this book.  Twins – how fun, sharing the same birthday and womb, how different and yet so much alike!  All in all, I loved this book which is a fun, fun slice of life read.  The story spans over several decades.  It was set in current times yet flashbacked to tell other parts of the story we needed in order to understand the baggage each sister carried.  The twins could be people I actually know, but the third sister was a little quirky.  She was somebody I would like to know, though.  Angela Hunt writes different types of stories.  I haven’t read one of her books I didn’t like.  This one included!

Watch the trailer here.

Inside their picture-perfect homes, the residents of this quiet California suburb are not at all what they seem.

Lance is a former weatherman, now a buff yogi, stay-athome dad, and manager of his daughter’s Girl Scout troop’s cookie distribution. Belle is his precocious and quick-witted daughter. Darlene is a classic Type A work-a-holic, she has little time or patience for the needs of her husband and daughter

And just down the street are Alec and Wren. Alec, a womanizing businessman, is also the financial backer—and sometimes more—behind Darlene’s burgeoning empire. Meanwhile, Wren is a doting mother and talented yogi, ready to lay down the mat for a quick session with Lance.

As looming Santa Ana winds threaten to turn brushfires into catastrophe; Playdate proves that relationships are complicated and the bonds between families, spouses and children are never quite what they seem. What happens next door, beyond the hedges, in the romper room and executive office—it’s all as combustible as a quick brushfire on a windy day.

My Comments: I read this and it’s not my type of book.  It is kind of depressing although it is advertised as funny.  I guess I just don’t think that adultery is funny at all.  The story, however, was written well enough to engage me and cause me to finish the book.

I love the idea of a nurturing stay-at-home dad.  If the mom can’t be that, it’s great that the Dad CAN be! Our main character stays at home with his young daughter.  He cooks, cleans and keeps the home fires burning.  His wife is trying to start a restaurant and is gone long hours.

This book well depicts different areas of CA.  It is not glamorous in all of southern CA, although many times Hollywood would like to make it out to be so.  Some areas are desert and just plain HOT.  There are rich, snooty areas and poor areas.  There are beautiful areas, and just plain awful areas.  This book distinguishes between two such areas, and well I believe.

The cover is pretty accurate.  The characters ring plastic and several are players (kind of Barbie and Kennish).  The fire is crucial in helping the characters realize what is truly important in life – kind of predictable.

I hope you have enough information to make an informed decision of whether or not to read this book.  It’s not for everyone.

A special event in the national bestselling mystery series! Craft away the holiday season with the Seaside Knitters.

With the Seaside Knitters’ help, Mary Pisano converts her charming inherited home into a B&B. Her first week is booked by her very own family, in town to discuss their grandfather’s will. She’s hoping the tranquility of the setting will smooth over ill feelings among family members. But when her cousin Pam-a Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, native-is found murdered, she realizes she was dead wrong…

With the holiday cheer severely disrupted, Mary relies on the Seaside Knitters to set things right. They gladly offer their skill for unraveling crime, but it’ll take all their crafty know-how to unravel this deadly tangle.

My Review: I enjoyed this book, although at times I found it hard to follow and it didn’t have my full attention.  The mystery was engaging, however as far as being a Christmas book it was mild.  I felt that the story  just happened to occur during the holiday season, but it wasn’t a central part of the plot.  Being a grandmother, I enjoy reading about “older” characters.  This book had a mix, and the main character had been married a little longer than I have.  I appreciated the project that the knitters took on – that of knitting squares for orphans with HIV in South Africa.  Information on this project was given at the end of the book for others who might be interested in doing the same thing.  The good news is that this book could be read at any time of the year even though the title and cover are holiday-ish.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you might want to read this book.

Recently I’ve seen these three book covers:

I loooovvvee this cover. And I love the title, Love Starts with Elle (by Rachel Hauck). This book doesn’t come out until August!! How dare they tempt me with this gorgeous cover and most beautiful title and then make me wait so long!

And then there’s this one:

I think this is just one of the most beautiful and enticing covers I’ve seen in awhile. I mean it’s just gorgeous and perfect for spring! Only one more month to wait for this one! (The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter)

And last but certainly not least is this one:

I mean wow!!! What a gorgeous cover!! (A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell) But guess how long we have to wait? Until October!!!

So as you can see, I’m easily swayed by the cover of a book. I love a beautiful cover and truth be told I love to look at the cover while I read a book and also after I finish a book I love.

What about you? What are some of your favorite covers? Have you ever liked a cover more than a book? What are some books you’re looking forward to? Do you like these covers?