From back cover:

1022 Evergreen Place, Unit B

Cedar Cove, Washington

Dear Reader:

Guess what? I’m falling in love! With Mack McAfee.

My baby daughter, Noelle, and I have been living next door to Mack since the spring. I’m still a little wary about our relationship, since I haven’t always made good decisions when it comes to men. My baby’s father, David Rhodes, is testament to that. I’m so worried he might sue for custody.

In the meantime, the World War II letters I found are a wonderful distraction. Both Mack and I are trying to learn what happened to the soldier who wrote them and the woman he loved.

Come by sometime for a glass of iced tea and I’ll show you the letters. Plus I’ll tell you the latest about Grace and Olivia, my brother Linc and his wife, Lori (who tied the knot about 5 minutes after they met!), and all our other mutual friends. Oh, and maybe Mack can join us…

-  Mary Jo Wyse

My Review: As with all books in the Cedar Cove series – I love this book!  I wish I could live in a community like the one depicted in this series of books.  With each book we get a glimpse into the lives of several of the occupants, BUT each book concentrates on one couple above the rest so you get familiar with each family living in Cedar Cove.  This book concentrates on Mary Jo and Mack – a couple we were introduced to in a previous book – in fact he delivered her baby!  They live side-by-side in a duplex at 1022 Evergreen  Place.  Their relationship goes through some ups and downs throughout this book.  Another couple mentioned quite a bit in this book is Rachel and Bruce.  I hope the next book concentrates on their unusual and somewhat difficult relationship.  This series is a GREAT summer read (actually it’s a great read for any time of the year).  The books are fast moving.  The characters are interesting.  The stories keep you engaged and wanting to read more.  Debbie Macomber is one of my favorite authors.  She writes great chick lit about women of all ages, so she reaches a large audience.  This book is better read as part of a series.  I’m not sure it could stand alone as well.  Therefore I suggest you begin with 16 Lighthouse Road and go on from there.

This book is available the beginning of August 2010.

From Inside Cover: Georgia knows what it means to keep secrets.  She knows how to ignore things.  She knows that some things are better left unsaid….Or are they?

When Georgia and her best friend, Riley, travel along with nine other suburban Pennsylvania kids to Anapra, a squatters’ village in the heat-flattened border city of Juarez, Mexico, secrets seem to percolate and threaten both a friendship and a life.  Certainties unravel.  Reality changes.  And Georgia is left to figure out who she is outside the world she’s always known.

My Review: I feel that this book will appeal to women of all ages even though the main characters are teens.  The story is very thought-provoking and sensitive.  The relationship between Georgia and Riley is very indicative of women’s close friendships – a deep knowing of one another along with denial of some of the more touchy areas.  Girls relationships are so complex as is evidenced by the ups and downs Georgia and Riley face on the trip to Mexico. Both girls had their own ideas of what “helping people” involve, which I found interesting.  Parent-child relationship between the girls and their parents are realistic as well as a deep wanting of making the world a better place.  I enjoyed the book. I understood Riley more than the other characters – maybe because I could personally relate to her the best.  The story is realistic, the writing is good, and the cover is beautiful.  I look forward to more books by Beth Kephart.

Widowed and jobless, Lydia King moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys. Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism and has dedicated his life to caring for them. As fall colors the countryside, will anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life and romance, or will another tragedy flood her with infinite despair?

My Review: I always love reading books about the Amish.  I think the simple and hard-working life appeals to me, even though I would never want to live that way myself.  Wanda Brunstetter does a great job writing about the Amish lifestyle, and in each book she seems to hit an issue.  In this book, dwarfism is the issue.  People who are “tall” don’t really consider what little people deal with on a daily basis. We are always curious about people who have different challenges than we do.  Wanda Brunstetter in “Lydia’s Charm” puts this challenge within the context of the Amish. The book also deals with death – the death of a husband, grandfather and child.  In my finite mind I think the characters work through their grief very quickly, but as of yet I have not lost a spouse nor a child, so I don’t have first-hand knowledge.  I read this book in one day.  It kept me totally engaged and my emotions ran all over the place from crying to laughing.  If you love reading about the Amish and/or different lifestyles; if you love reading books about people facing adversity, if you love reading books with happy endings; you will enjoy Wanda Brunstetter’s books.  I enjoyed this book as well as all of her others and I look forward to reading more from her.  I would recommend these books for girls age 13 and up.  Brunstetter’s books contain good, solid, Biblical principles and lessons.

Book will be available September 1, 2010.

This book is a GREAT beach/summer read.  Four women have nothing in common but their addresses – a village of beach cottages on land called Happiness Key in Florida.  Tracy received the land from her ex-husband, who was currently in prison for some shady business dealings.  Tracy, who was used to a wealthy lifestyle, now supported herself with rent from the cottages as well as working and directing in a recreation center.  Wanda is the oldest of the group and married to a policeman.  She bakes amazing pies and as a result of being laid off opens her own pie shop.  She acts as the mom of the group.  Janya a young Indian-American woman is trying to get pregnant, but her husband seems disinterested.  The last of the foursome is Alice who lives with her young granddaughter.  A newcomer joins them with a mysterious past and then Tracy’s husband appears suddenly released from prison in California, which raises many questions.  These five women worked together, supported each other, and considered each other friends – an unlikely group!

I always enjoy stories which include groups of women as friends and support systems.  Throw a few mysteries to be solved into the mix and I’m in heaven!  This book meets those criteria.  It is a little bit long – 560 pages, but on the beach – or your patio/deck with a glass of ice tea or diet coke, the pages will fly by quickly.  There are some surprise twists throughout which make this book a page turner.  The characters are interesting and likeable, and because they are of varying ages everyone can relate to somebody.  Give it a try this summer.

They’ve been best friends since 7th grade. But this summer, teetering on the threshold of thirty, four women are going to need each other more than ever. Cassie has sworn off romance after yet another bad date. Yet deep down, she’s still looking for Mr. Forever. A long-haired biker doesn’t figure into her plans, so where’s the harm intouring the back roads of Sonoma on a Harley with Walt Arneson?

JULIE married her high school sweetheart—who can get her pregnant with a mere glance—too young and now wonders how her life became all about leaky faucets and checkbook balances. Maybe love isn’t enough to sustain the hottest couple in town.

MARTY’S firefighter husband has forgotten all about romance, and an old flame begins to look mighty tempting.

BETH, a busy doctor trapped in a body that’s betrayed her yet again, is becoming a difficult patient and a secretive friend.

This book will not be available until sometime between May and July, 2010.

My Review: This was a fun, quick read.  I love the  premise of four good girlfriends – all different – yet all interesting.  Real life marriage including real life problems was presented – but with marriage and family rated before all else in importance.  Women long for these types of friendships.  Friendships that are loyal and last through the test of time.  Women also long for deep lasting relationships with the men in their lives.  This book satisfies all of those deep desires.  The characters could be someone you know or knew.   I never read anything by Robyn Carr before, and will most likely look for books by her again.  Reading this was a great way to begin my Spring Break from school!

“The perfect cup of coffee is a mystifying thing. To many of my customers, the entire process seems like some sort of alchemy they dare not try at home….” Ten years ago, Clare Cosi left an unhappy marriage along with a job she loved: managing the historic Village Blend coffeehouse in New York’s Greenwich Village. For a decade, she was happy raising her daughter in the quiet suburbs of New Jersey; but now that Joy is grown and gone, life has gotten way too quiet for Clare. With a little cajoling from Madame, the Blend’s flamboyant, elderly owner, Clare agrees to return to her old job, and right from the start she gets one heck of a jolt. On her first morning back as Village Blend manager, Clare unlocks the front door to find her beautiful, young assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere. As Anabelle is rushed to the hospital, police arrive to investigate, but Detective Mike Quinn finds no sign of forced entry or foul play, and he deems it an accident. Clare disagrees; and after Quinn leaves, there are a few questions she just can’t get out of her mind, like why was the trash bin in the wrong place? If this wasn’t an accident, are her other baristas in danger? And are all NYPD detectives this attractive?

My Review: This is my new favorite series.  I love the setting –  a coffeehouse in Greenwich Village, New York City –  I can relate to the main character – Clare Cosi, and the mystery keeps me engaged.  It is difficult to figure out “who did it.”  There is usually a twist in the end, so I THINK I know, but I really don’t – I like that!  In the end it all comes together and makes perfect sense.  Again, this author has added recipes and hints for making great coffee!  I haven’t exactly read these in order but I’m on my fifth story, Murder Most Frothy, I have downloaded two of them to my Nook, and have bought the ones which aren’t available to download on my Nook.  I look forward to reading the rest.  A new one is available for pre-order titled Roast Mortem will be I believe book 9 in the series.  I plan to read them all.

On the anniversary of his beloved wife’s death, Dr. Michael Everett receives a letter Hannah had written him. In it she reminds him of her love and makes one final request. An impossible request. I want you to marry again. She tells him he shouldn’t spend the years he has left grieving her. And to that end she’s chosen three women she asks him to consider. During the months that follow, he spends time with Winter, Leanne, and Macy, learning more about each of them…and about himself. Learning what Hannah already knew. He’s a man who needs the completeness only love can offer. And Hannah’s list leads him to the woman who can help him find it.

Macomber2010Bookmark

This book is slated to be published in May of 2010 – be watching for it!

My Review: This was a great read!  I cried and I laughed.  If you have read any of the Blossom Street books, you will recognize many of the characters.  What a different concept.  A husband receives a letter from his dead wife which listed  three women she wanted him to consider for remarriage. He thought it impossible because he was still deeply grieving her death.  The characters are colorful and probably resemble some of your friends.  I know they reminded me of people I know.   Three couples are highlighted so I would call this book a romance and slice of life read.  The link above will take you to a Debbie Maccomber bookmark that lists all of her books being published in 2010.  I’m also looking forward to the new Cedar Cove book.  If you enjoy easy, enjoyable reading with happy endings you will love this book!

Product Description
When Rebecca Kauffman’s older sister, who left the Amish community when she was a teenager, dies in an automobile accident, Rebecca is left custody of her two modern non-Amish teenage nieces, Jessica and Lindsay. Will she be able to reconcile the two worlds in her home—or will the clash of cultures tear her world, including her marriage, apart?

From the Back Cover
Rebecca Kauffman’s tranquil Old Order Amish life is transformed when she suddenly has custody of her two teenage nieces after her “English” sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile accident. Instant motherhood, after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child of her own, is both a joy and a heartache. Rebecca struggles to give the teenage girls the guidance they need as well as fulfill her duties to Daniel as an Amish wife.

Rebellious Jessica is resistant to Amish ways and constantly in trouble with the community. Younger sister Lindsay is caught in the middle, and the strain between Rebecca and Daniel mounts as Jessica’s rebellion escalates. Instead of the beautiful family life she dreamed of creating for her nieces, Rebecca feels as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.

My Review:  Books about Amish life are so fascinating to me; including this new one by Amy Clipston.  Imagine two teenage girls being transported from normal American life with all the advantages and perks we have to a simple, basic life in an Amish community.  Imagine a young married Amish woman unable to have children of her own inheriting these two girls. Imagine her husband getting pressure from the Amish community to control those girls.  Sounds like disaster ready to happen, right?  First of all, the girls lose both of their parents in an automobile accident.  This seems like quite a bit to deal with, would you agree?  The result is an interesting, quick read that pulls at your emotions.  I look forward to more books by this author!

Piper Mills has just lost her grandfather when the family lawyer passes on a small gift from her grandmother. The gift is nothing more than a small charm and Piper is puzzled about why it’s important. Unfortunately, she can’t ask her grandmother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. However, when Piper’s grandmother dies, she attempts to find some information about her grandmother’s mysterious past. When an old friend of her grandmother refuses to speak with her, Piper goes undercover as a renter on her property to pursue the truth.

I really enjoyed this story by Karen White as it embodied many of the things I’ve come to expect from White’s books. Interesting characters who are deeply hurt and looking for peace and redemption, a slow but satisfying pace, and a rich setting. Karen White also seems to write about mysterious family history well.

I enjoyed the way the story was told and the characters though a few pieces of the premise stretched believability a little bit for me. I have a hard time thinking of girls sharing a scrapbook based on when they get to wear a charm. Even so, I just threw my disbelief to the wind and savored the story.

I also love love love White’s prose, for example, how beautiful is this?
“But guilt, she’s also learned, was a lot like tree sap: it stuck to everything and after a long time it hardened to stone, trapping unsuspecting creatures inside of it.”

Little nuggets of wisdom like that are throughout the book! I’ve also noticed that White does not follow conventional point of view in her book…this book is told through Piper’s first point of view and Lillian and Helen’s third person point of view.

Ultimately, this is a satisfying character piece with an interesting mystery to keep you engaged to the end.