End of July #Reads- #BookReview @KateBateman @sgc58 Jennifer Crusie @katherinecenter

Can you believe we’re halfway through summer already?

It’s been six weeks without rain on Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and everything is tinder dry. The creeks and rivers are running dry, which means the salmon aren’t going to have a way to spawn and resident Orcas won’t have a food source.

In other words, we need Rain!

This week, I finished a historical romance between warring families, a insightful book of poetry from Sally Cronin, a fun rom-com re-read, and an inspiring women’s fiction.

Tap the covers to learn more.

Meet the Davies and Montgomery families – two households locked in an ancient feud, destined to be on opposing sides forever. Until now…

Once a year a member from the Montgomery and the Davies families meet on a bridge to secure the land adjoining their holdings by the king’s decree. Neither are willing to give an inch, and the feud lives on through the generations.

Madeline Montgomery is programmed to hate the Davies, if only the new Earl, Gryff Davies, wasn’t so handsome and irresistible. Fated to marry a irascible old judge to save her family home, Maddie dreams of finding treasure on the land the Montgomery’s share with the Davies, so she can pay her father’s debt. When she and Gryff stumble on a hidden cove filled with a smuggler’s stash in contraband, they team up to find the culprits.

The action is quick-paced in this enemies-to-lovers romance, which made it hard to set the book aside. I liked Maddie’s feisty personality and her loyalty to family. It took longer for me to gain empathy for Gryff. He is a womanizer and can’t wait to get back to London to pursue carnal pleasures, even though he professes to care about Maddie.

The setting comes alive under the writer’s talented fingers and the characters are well-rounded with an interesting plot.

Fun start to a new series!

In this collection, images and syllabic poetry are brought together to tell a story based on the author’s perspective. 

Filled with beautiful imagery and lilting lines, Life is Like a mosaic leads the reader on a journey through life, love, loss, and joy.

The author has a unique way of looking upon the world with positivity and grace and it shines within her poetry.

A couple of my favorites are:

The Wise Woman’s Apprentice

This

tiny

and fluffy

bundle of love

has a destiny

about to be fulfilled

in the most glorious way

as she is inducted into

the magical world of enchantment

of being a wise woman’s apprentice

Cronin, Sally. Life is like a Mosaic: Random fragments in harmony . Moyhill Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Friendship

Friendship

within our world

belies the divisions

aired by those who think they are strong.

In truth,

Those that hold on to their power

by creating distrust,

fear and hatred,

are weak.

Cronin, Sally. Life is like a Mosaic: Random fragments in harmony . Moyhill Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Some will make you smile, while others bring quiet reflection. All are guaranteed to leave a warm glow in your heart.

Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.

But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .

When Minerva is dumped by her loser boyfriend, she decides men aren’t worth the hassle but agrees to ask a handsome man out for dinner at the urging of her friends. Then she overhears her ex making a bet with the prospective date that he couldn’t get her into bed within a month. Angry, Min decides then and there to play the odds by tricking handsome guy into being her date to her sister’s wedding- no horizontal hanky-panky included- and let him learn a lesson by losing his ten-dollar bet.

Calvin has just broken it off with his clingy psychologist girlfriend and isn’t looking for any womanly complications, so when a business associate dares him to take his ill-tempered ex-girlfriend out for dinner he refuses. The idiot then ups the stakes to ten thousand to sleep with the woman. Realizing the man won’t let it go, Cal agrees to the dinner, figuring how bad can it be?

Opposites attract, misconceptions, humor, an adorable nephew and feral cat create a memorable story by the remarkable Jennifer Crusie. I’ve read this book several times over the years and still get a kick out of these characters.

A fun read!

Dear Libby, It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for—Dear Lord!—two whole years, and I’m writing to see if you’d like to be rescued.

A letter from a long-lost aunt provides widow Libby with the escape from her oppressive mother she and her two young children need.

But, a goat farm?

Something about the houses and fences and buildings in the city must kill off the wind. Because that was the thing I noticed most about being out in the country—the constant sweep of wind against your skin. It rustled tree leaves and clanked windmills. It swept over the long grass. It was a force, something alive, something more than just air.

The Lost Husband- Katherine Center

Life on the farm is so far removed from anything Libby knows that it could be a different planet. No internet or television, an eclectic home, and a farmhand who looks like a wookie are just some of the changes that make her second guess her impulsive decision, but Aunt Jean is a calming sea in the storm of her mind and soon she begins to enjoy her time in the country.

Even people who love you will knock the hell out of you sometimes. That’s just life. And the more we practice, the better we get at shaking it off.”

The Lost Husband- Katherine Center

As Libby and the children face new challenges, they learn time can bring peace-of-mind and an inner strength none of them expected.

This is a wonderful story of facing life’s challenges head-on, living our best lives, and opening our hearts to possibilities.

Katherine Center is becoming one of my top go-to authors!

Have a great weekend!