Don’t mind me, just over here loving yet another Christmas book (or two) by Kathleen Shoop. Cinder Bella and Always Noel are two books that will bring warmth and a renewed hope that Christmas miracles still exist.
Power Struggle By Carolyn Arnold
IN the End By John Mefford
The Kitchen Mistress by Kathleen Shoop
The Kitchen Mistress by Kathleen Shoop is book three in the Letter Series and can be read as a stand alone. However, if you have a chance to read the first two before you pick this one up, I would encourage you to do so. I, myself, haven't read the first two but after reading this third book, I will be grabbing the first two and reading them to get a better understanding of what happened to Katherine and her family. However, as a stand alone, this was a great read!
The Last Suttee by Madu Bazaz Wangu
The Last Suttee by Madu Bazaz Wangu is one of the best books I have ever read! It's definitely now on my shelf of favorite books! This book was so powerful and moving. Even though this was a fiction book, I learned so much about the ancient ritual of India, where a wife joins her husband in death. From the second I started the Forward of the book, I was mesmerized with this story, history and with the culture! Madhu's writing is so intelligent, eloquent and beautiful, I hung on every written word. The character of Kumud was so detailed that I truly felt invested in her journey and in her mission to stop the ritual of suttee!
Halloween is Murder by Carolyn Arnold
IN Control (An Ivy Nash Thriller, Book 5) - 5 Out of 5 Stars
Wow! Wow! Wow! I had not read any of the books in this series, so I was a little worried I would be lost. It was quite the opposite!! I was glued to my Kindle from the first page. I rated this book five out of five stars! This book is definitely a page turner! If you enjoy action packed movies, then you will not want to put this book down!
Lottery in Paradise by Deborah Brown
Crime and Sass, Oh Yes! Madison and Fabiana are two gals that you instantly adore! They are not only sassy and fabulous but are smart cookies who investigate crimes! This is a fun crime novel that keeps you on your toes! This is book 11 in this series but I had not yet read the first 10 (I will be now though)!
My Trip to Adele by R.I. and A.I. Alyaseer
My Trip to Adele by R.I. and A.I. Alyaseer is definitely a different read than what I'm used to . I had read some great reviews on this book and was really excited to read it. My mom is a huge Adele fan and so the title really caught my attention!
This story is about three different people from different cultures whose lives seem to be falling apart. They all have different stories yet all three have this admiration and love for Adele. All three of these characters have their individual flaws but are also very likable and relatable. They each seem to be going through different scenarios in life that many readers can relate to. First you have Elias, who is going through regrets of losing a long-lost love and making the effort to search for her. Next you have Nadia who is a single mother battling issues with the ex. Lastly, there is Yaser, who decides to rebel against his wife and the marriage after his efforts to repair their marriage goes unnoticed and non-reciprocated. All three of their stories are moving, which was what I liked about this book.
It was easy to feel for these characters and to cheer them on along their journeys. Each story is different yet similar in how they all three want to escape from what haunts them. They grow on their journeys and learn the hard truths about themselves. The events in their lives challenge them and push them to question their own beliefs, which is something most people find themselves at some point in their lives going through. I also noticed that the mess in their lives cause them to work hard to keep an appearance of peace and acceptance.
As much as I enjoyed the characters and their individual stories, this book was hard for me to read. I rated this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked the characters and how each character had such different stories yet experienced most of the same emotions and growth. This reminded me that we all go through pain, regret and moments of tremendous growth. However, having three characters with such detailed lives and experiences, made it hard to keep up with. I found myself many times having to go back and reread something so that I could make sure I was on the right track. For me, there just wasn’t a smooth flow in this book. I did however, enjoy the characters and reading about their individual stories.
The characters are interesting and their individual storylines are relatable. If you are an Adele fan, you will probably enjoy this book.