Book Review: A Table by the Window

A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

Every cook knows finding the right 

balance between savory and sweet 

is a tricky business.

The youngest heir to a French-Italian restaurant dynasty, food writer Juliette D'Alisa has spent her life negotiating her skill with words and her restaurant aspirations. When her brother Nico offers her a chance to open a restaurant together, she feels torn---does she really have what it takes? Should she risk leaving her journalism career? 

Sorting through her late grandmother's belongings, Juliette discovers an antique photograph of a man who looks strikingly like her brother. As the truth behind the picture reveals romance and startling secrets, Juliette struggles to keep the mystery hidden from her nosy family until she can uncover the whole story. 

Beginning a long-distance relationship with a Memphis-based immunologist just complicates Juliette's life-shifting decisions. How can she possibly choose between a promising culinary career and a doctor whose life is worlds away from her own? Is it possible her grandmother's past can help her move forward?

Let me start off by saying, this is not a book you want to read on an empty stomach! Seriously, unless I'd just eaten before reading it my stomach would growl every time! Which isn't a bad thing. It was a really good book; quick and easy to read. I love food and the culinary world so it was interesting to me. It reminded me a lot of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (which was even mentioned in the book) with more focus on the food and restaurant industry. So if you like food and that movie, you're bound to like this book! Also almost every chapter ended with a scrumptious sounding recipe, so I'll probably have to try some of those out. 

The only let down was that it is not a stand alone book. It ends right in the middle of things so now I have to read the next book in the series (which picks up right where this one left off) to see how it all ends! 

Anyway, and good and worth-while read that I recommend to anyone who likes those things I mentioned above. 

 

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

Book Review: Tidewater Inn

Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble

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.

Because of this books theme, I thought it would be fitting to take it with me to the beach. I started it while we were there and read quite a bit on the trip home, and have been reading it pretty steadily up until just a little bit ago when I finished it! I've read a few books by this author and have liked almost all of them, this one is no exception. It was fairly well written and suspenseful enough to keep you reading on so you can find out what happens next. There were a few things in it that I found kind of corny and nerdy, but other than that a good read!

Book Review: Death in the Clouds

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

Twenty-one people have boarded the Prometheus at France's Le Bourget airport for a routine, one-day flight to London. But what begins as an ordinary excursion over the English Channel turns into a most extraordinary case of murder when a female passenger is shot with the venom-tipped dart of a South African blowpipe. Even more bizarre is that the killing could go completely unnoticed by any other passengers--including Hercule Poirot, the brilliant Belgian detective, sitting not fifteen feet from the victim.

This was another good read from Agatha Christie. I don't think I've read a single book by her that I didn't like. It wasn't my favorite of her books, but still suspenseful and well-written as always. I thought I had it all figured out, but, as happens most of the time with her books, I ended up being wrong in the end!

Book Review: A Broken Kind of Beautiful

A 

Broken Kind

              of Beautiful

 by 

Katie Ganshert

  

SOMETIMES EVERYTHING YOU EVER

LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF IS WRONG.

Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four-year-old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she's learned a sacred truth---appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows---so when it starts to unravel, she'll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother's bridal wear line---an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white. If only her tenuous future didn't rest in the hands of Davis Knight, her mysterious photographer. Not only did he walk away from the kind of success Ivy longs for to work maintenance at a local church, he treats her differently than any man ever has. Somehow, Davis sees through the facade she works so hard to maintain. In fact, it seems that everyone Ivy comes across in Greenbrier challenges what she has come to believe about beauty and worth. Is it possible that God sees her---a woman stained and broken by the world---yet wants her still?

This book is beautifully written. I must admit I'm a little envious of Katie's writing style. She adds just enough detail to give you a feel for the surroundings without being too wordy. I loved the book at first because of this, but after a while I guess I just grew kind of bored with the story. It's a bit cliche and predictable and a little unrealistic. At one part someone drops a snow globe on CARPETED floor and it shatters... and at another part a guy hit a girl in the cheek with a beer bottle and the bottle shattered and cut her face... uh... I'm pretty sure her cheek bone would break before the bottle would! The glass in glass bottles is pretty thick! Stuff like that REALLY bugs me in books... but anyway, other than those things it was an interesting story and Ivy wasn't your typical heroine for these types of books so I guess that was nice. Although her character kind of annoyed me. I suppose it's sort of cut down the middle. It had good stuff and not so good stuff. But I'll give it 4 out of 5 because of the writing style and the story was interesting at some parts.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.

Book Review: Dark Justice

DARK JUSTICE

by 

Brandilyn Collins

What did he say? 

                  What does it mean?

While driving along a rural road, Hannah Shire and her aging mother, 

who suffers from dementia, stop to help a man at the scene of a car accident.

The man whispers mysterious words in Hannah's ear. Soon there are people

---perhaps even law enforcement---who want to kill her and her mom 

for what they "know."

The two women must flee for their lives. But how does Hannah hide

her confused parent, who just wants to listen to her favorite pop music,

wear her purple hat, and go home? If they turn to Hannah's daughter for

help, she could fall into danger as well. 

Surrounded by trouble, Hannah must keep all three generations of

women in her family alive. Only then does she learn the threat is not just to

them, but the entire country . . .

This book was quite intriguing, and caught my interest from the very beginning. It's a very suspenseful edge-of-your-seat sort of read, leaving you wondering what will happen next with the turn of every page, thus making it a quick and easy read. Most of the book is written in first person's perspective from Hannah's point of view, but there were some parts written in third person where it switched to her daughter's point of view, and a couple other characters. It was a very clipped and to the point sort of writing style, not focusing too long on any one thing, which helped with the fast flow of the story. Sometimes that was nice and sometimes it kind of annoyed me, but overall it's not a big deal. If you're in the mood for a riveting suspense that will keep you coming back to the book to learn what happens next, I recommend this book! It does have quite a bit of violence and killing in it, as well as break-ins and kidnappings, so if that sort of stuff bothers you it's probably not the book for you. This was the first book I've read by this author, and after reading it (and "Praise" for her other books) I would certainly like to read more by her! I give this book a 4.5.

Book Review: Blades of Valor

Blades of Valor by Sigmund Brouwer (Merlin's Immortals book 4)

Thomas is finally in the Holy Land and reunited with Sir William, but is forced to travel on his own from the coast through Nazareth, and finally to Jerusalem. The road is a dangerous one—especially to a lone traveler. Bandits masquerade as slaves, traitors appear to be allies, and once again, Thomas doesn’t know whom to trust. He must rely on his own resources to discern friend from foe, and to finally discover the final key to the Druids' master plan before returning home to expose them.

Back in England, a final storm is brewing against Thomas, for the Druids are much more powerful than the Orphan King can even imagine.

This book was pretty good, though it seemed to drag on some in the beginning. Throughout the whole book there were both parts that I found quite interesting and parts I found quite boring. Especially some of the conversations, which dragged on and often repeated things that had already been said either in the previous book or to another person. Also I don't feel like the characters were pushed enough to their limits. Quite often they would too easily get out of dangerous situations, so the book never got too suspenseful or filled with much action. It seemed like the exciting scenes started and ended all too quickly and the boring scenes went on far too long. I think perhaps I liked the book before it a little better, but it was a decent end to the series (even though I didn't read book 1 and 2) and all ended well.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Martyr's Fire

Martyr's Fire by Sigmund Brouwer (Book 3 in the Merlin's Immortals series)

Posing as a beggar, Thomas escapes Magnus after fifteen men, who are calling themselves the Priests of the Holy Grail, arrive and take control of the castle through wondrous acts and apparent miracles. With the help of his longtime friend Gervaise, Thomas sets out on a journey that leads him to the ancient Holy Land. Unaware that Katherine and Hawkwood are watching over him, Thomas is tested in his beliefs and comes face to face with the ancient power that the Merlins and Druids have long been searching for.

I chose this for my next read from Blogging For Books because it was pretty much the only thing I had to pick from, and it was short so I knew I could read it in a timely manner. As it is the third installment in a series it was a little confusing in some parts as most of the characters had already been introduced in the previous books and the plot was set, but I didn't find it to be too terribly hard to follow. Toward the beginning I thought it to be kind of boring and it didn't really grasp my interest. Still I read on, and I'm glad I did! It actually turned out to be a fairly entertaining read with likeable characters and it was well-written. Also, it was kind of funny as I'm reading along and all of a sudden Robin Hood is randomly thrown in it! Anyway, the only downside is that the story leaves off in the middle of things so now I must read the next book in the series! Anyway, not a terribly amazing book but entertaining enough to keep my interest.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.