Shelley Reads and Writes

Tag: favorite author

  • There is NEVER a Bad Nicholas Sparks Book!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Though Nicholas Sparks is a favorite author of mine, I haven’t been buying his books like I used to. It is not because I don’t love them. There are so many good books for free on my Kindle that I rarely buy books anymore. However, I recently got a gift certificate, and I splurged on a few books by my favorite authors, including Sparks.

    The Wish by Nicholas Sparks brings us to New York City, where Maggie Dawes is a successful photographer with her own gallery. Though she has traveled the world, her illness has kept her close to home for quite a while. As she approaches her last Christmas, she bonds with her new assistant as he discovers the beauty of New York during the holiday season.

    During their nights together, she begins to tell him a story of her favorite Christmas, back in 1996. Though she wasn’t happy to be sent to live with her aunt in the remote village of Ocracoke, it turned out to be the best thing for her.

    There weren’t many teenagers on the island, so she really struggled until she met Bryce Trickett. Bryce was everything she wasn’t. He was smart and had his whole life planned out, while she was pretty lost and struggling. What started as tutoring turned into something better as he introduced her to photography. Then, they fell in love, but Maggie’s age and Bryce’s drive to succeed and go far kept them apart when Maggie had to return home!

    If you love Nicholas Sparks (or you have never read anything of his), you really need to read The Wish. You won’t regret it!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • This Book Stayed with Me for Ages After I Put it Down

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    In Timoney’s novel, The Daughter She Gave Away, we meet two couples in impossible situations. Meg gets a terrible diagnosis and finds out that she only has a few months left to live. She is worried about her husband, Simon, and their beautiful fourteen-year-old daughter, Grace.

    That also means she will have to tell Grace the secret they have been keeping from her for her entire life. That, even though Simon is her father, Meg is not her birth mother. Simon’s first wife was the one who gave birth to Grace.

    However, Cassie was in no shape to take care of a baby at that time. So, Meg and Simon stepped up and have raised Grace as their own. But, with losing her own mother, Meg thinks that Grace deserves to know the truth and meet the mother who gave birth to her.

    However, is Cassie ready to meet the daughter she had to give away? Will she be able to handle it when the truth comes out on her end? Or will it change her entire life?

    This book was really emotional for me. To think of dying and leaving your children behind is absolutely gut-wrenching for me, let alone thinking about hurting your child before you do so! This is a must-read!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Maeve Binchy is ALWAYS a Good Read

    Book Cover off of Amazon

    Maeve Binchy is a great storyteller, especially for those who are obsessed with Ireland. Every book that I have read by her was captivating, and this one is no different.

    The Return Journey is a collection of short stories that are pleasant to read. We meet a secretary who just wants her boss to notice her and wants more. When they go away, she is surprised by her true feelings.

    We meet a man and a woman who decide (at first sight) that they don’t like each other at all. When they do meet and spend some time together while traveling, they realize that their first thoughts were completely wrong.

    When two people grab the wrong bag, they learn more about someone else than they expect.

    There are fourteen stories in this collection, and you will be glad that you picked it up!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Holly’s Story Wasn’t Done

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    Seven years after her husband’s death, Holly Kennedy has moved on with her life. She was working with her sister and has even found love again.

    When her sister asks her to tell her story on her podcast, she has no idea how her life will change. She had no idea that her story would touch so many people. In fact, several terminally ill people decide that they want to leave letters for their own loved ones! And they need her help!

    Holly has to decide if helping them is the right thing (or if it is going to drain her and take her back into the deep depression she felt after Gerry’s passing). But along the way, she learns so much about life, love, and herself!

    If you loved PS I Love You, you will love the rest of Holly’s story in Postscript by Cecilia Ahern. I highly enjoyed his read and hope that you choose it for your next read!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Finding Healing in Unexpected Ways

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    In 1918, as the war is ending, a family finds itself struggling with the loss of one of their own. Eleanor struggles to understand the new normal without her brother. Losing him just a few days before the end of the war doesn’t seem fair as people start to move on.

    To heal, she finds herself spending time in the neglected garden behind their home. To help her feel better, her father hires a man to help restore the garden to its former glory. Jack may come from a totally different world, but he understands her grief more than anyone else in the family. As they spend more time together, Eleanor wonders whether her family will ever accept him into their world.

    Now, Marin finds herself the guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca when her father and Rebecca’s mother are killed in an accident. Though they don’t know each other, they are forced together as they deal with their own grief.

    When Rebecca suggests a fresh start where nobody knows about her loss, Marin impulsively agrees. As they move into the home Eleanor once lived in and discover a secret garden, the two find themselves working together to solve its mystery.

    This series, continuing with The Daughter’s Garden, is sure to delight readers as they read more and more, finding out how two women in the same home can be quite similar.

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Who Knew the Past Could Help Someone Heal?

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    In 1766, Abigail is happily married to James, a tobacco trader turned sea captain. They are happy in Whitehaven, though they do struggle early in their marriage.

    Then, James decides to captain his own ship all the way to Africa and then to America. This journey will take a year and both are terrified of being apart for that long, but their future depends on it.

    As James leaves Abigail, he gets her a present, a little black child to use as another servant. However, the two bond in ways that nobody expected, not even Abigail.

    Now, Rachel is sent to Whitehaven to investigate a boat wreck that happened in the 1700s. She thinks that she may have found a slave boat that may have belonged to James, yet it didn’t sink where it was thought to. The mystery is one that she is just going to have to solve.

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

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    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • What Happens When Two Ranchers Fall in Like?

    Nora Roberts is a favorite of mine, though I say that about a lot of authors! However, whenever I see one of her books for sale, I always have to pick it up (or download it)!

    In Nora Roberts’ Boundary Lines, we meet two ranchers, that share a property line. However, they also have a feud that goes back many, many years.

    Jillian Baron is excited to have inherited her grandfather’s ranch, though she knows it is going to take a lot of hard work and grit, especially since she is female.

    Aaron Murdock is back to take over his ranch as his father’s health declines. He is ready to bring the ranch up to date and is willing to do whatever it takes.

    When the two meet, their long-running feud pushes them apart, even as their attraction grows. They share a kiss, which blows both of their minds as they struggle with their dislike and attraction to each other.

    You won’t want to put this book down, as you try to figure out if they are going to get together and bring their ranches together or push each other apart even farther!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time! 

  • Elizabeth Berg Has A Way of Writing About Friendship

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Your best friends will be by your side, no matter what. When Ruth becomes ill (and then terminal), her friends rally around her, determined to be there for her until the end.

    Ann, her closest friend, drops everything to ensure that Ruth is well taken care of. She spends her days and nights with her, without worrying about anything else. She wants to make sure that Ruth has everything that she needs (and then some) to enjoy her last days.

    As Ruth’s other friends rally, the women do what they always do, go out to eat, watch movies, and gossip. However, it is hard to think that it might be the last time that they do these things.

    I love a good Elizabeth Berg novel. She is a great storyteller, and really understands what it means to have a good group of friends, ones that you can tell anything to and they will still love you!

    If you are looking for a good read about friendship (especially between women), you need to pick up Talk Before Sleep by Elizabeth Berg.

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Jane Green Does It Again: Short and Sweet (and Just Great)!

    Book Cover off of Amazon Website

    Jane Green is a favorite of mine, so any time I see one of her books on sale, I just have to download it.

    Her short story, When We Were Friends, is meant to please. We meet Lucy, who is a divorced single mom trying to figure out where she fits in. She meets a bunch of other single divorcees out for a night out, and finds herself feeling way left out. She isn’t looking for another husband (or even someone to occupy her time). She is looking for a friend.

    When she meets Elle in the bathroom, the two find a friendship that Lucy never realized she needed. They talked and texted regularly, spending plenty of time with each other, until one party changed everything.

    Lucy invites Elle to a party with her friends (pre-divorce) and can’t believe what Elle has to say about them and their lifestyle. And it changes their friendship forever!

    I finished this short story in one sitting (without interruptions) and was ready for more. I think my next story will be a Jane Green read, and I can’t wait!

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.

  • Is Heather Finally Going to Get Her Happily Ever After? 

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    With only a month to go until her special day, Heather is super stressed about the wedding and move-in day at the residential hall where she works. When a junior RA turns up dead a few days before everyone moves in, life becomes even more complicated. And then, Heather’s long-lost mother decides to show up, and she just can’t even handle everything that is being thrown her way. 

    So, what is a girl to do? Basically, she has to figure out what has happened to the girl who has died, of course! Instead of worrying about wedding bells, she is worrying about bullets. She is determined to get to the bottom of it, before anyone else gets hurt.

    Will solving the mystery get in the way of her happily ever after? Readers will love the ending to Heather’s stories in The Bride Wore 12 by Meg Cabot. Another great Cabot novel! 

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    If you are interested in this book, you can grab it from Amazon right here!

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    Please note, this is an affiliate link, where I will receive compensation if you buy the product, without any extra cost to you.

    ***

    Stay tuned for my next book review.

    Til next time.