Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt

Three words that I can describe this book with: LOVE LOVE LOVE!! It is such an easy, cute, and romantic book that I just fell in love with! I found myself reading chapter after chapter wanting to see how the plot unfolded.

The past:

Vanessa was a military family and traveled all over. Finally she ended up in Destin, Florida, where she began another year in high school. There she met Logan, one dreamy hunk of a man (well at least how I envisioned him). Before she began college, she and Logan eloped so she could stay with him instead of moving to Colorado with her family. Sadly, the marriage didn't last and they got a divorce.

The present:

Vanessa is engaged to Ted, a doctor, and is planning a wedding, in Destin, Florida. They chose that location since Vanessa wanted a destination wedding, and Ted has a medical conference in that location and at that time. How romantic right?! *note sarcasm* Since Ted was working, it was decided that Vanessa would go to Florida to start planning the wedding. While walking the beach, Vanessa saw someone in need of help and at that point, she ran into Logan. Dismissing him real quick, she didn't think she would run into him again. However, fate had other plans. A powerful hurricane brings them together again. Logan discovers his love for Vanessa and doesn't want to lose her. But how does he go about showing her since she is already married?! Vanessa on the other hand, is trying to keep her head straight. She starts to remember feelings/memories she had with Logan, but she also knows how much of a whirlwind he could be. She has stability with Ted, but is that what she really wants?

This story is very well written. It flows so easy and the transitions from past to present are fluid. This is my first book I have read by Beth and it certainly won't be my last. For anyone looking for a cute little love story, this is it!

If You're Not The One by Jemma Forte

What if you could do it all over again?

Jennifer Wright is pretty sure her husband doesn't love her anymore. She and Max used to be the perfect couple, but the pressures of work and kids have pulled them in opposite directions. Now , Jen is full of "what if" questions about whether her bland, suburban existence is all she was ever destined for.

When a terrible accident sends Jen into a coma, she is able to see what her life could have been if she had run off to Australia with the handsome, dangerous man she met on vacation, or if she had stayed with her workaholic college boyfriend. Would she ever have loved another child as much as she loves her daughters? Could she have become rich? More than anything, Jen wants to do the right thing for her family. But what she discovers may leave her with even more questions about the choices she made, and no easy answers about what to do next.
Just reading that synopsis I was hooked, I could relate to this book in so many ways! I'm always imagining what my life could have been if I chose one path vs another.

With her marriage on the rocks, Jennifer is hurt that her husband, Max, doesn't treat her as he first did at the beginning of their relationship/marriage. She senses that Max is growing close and paying more attention to one of his coworkers. One night after a fight, Jennifer runs off and sadly gets in a car accident which sends her into a coma.

In this coma, she finds 3 different tunnels: each to boys that could have been. These individual relationships were ended on account of reasons, but in the coma she uncovers the outcome of the relationship had she stayed.  The first gentleman, Aidan, being a handsome guy that she finds wildly attractive who she met on vacation. The second, Tim, was a guy in college who ended up inventing this program which led her to live a very wealthy life. Finally, there was Steve who she met when she was having appliance issues at her apartment. Each of these different tunnels led her to experience different things: children, wealth, loneliness, poverty, love, tears, happiness, and everything in between.

This book had me on edge at times, I kept finding myself reading more and more every night just to see where the tunnels would lead her. I thought this was a well written book in which the story flowed nicely. It transitioned from the tunnels to present day life very well and the stories about each guy was very easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read!

Paper Towns by John Green

Hello fellow book lovers!

Sad to say, but I've been on somewhat of a book hiatus for a bit but I'm back!!

One afternoon when I was at the movies, I saw previews for Paper Towns...It looked so captivating where I knew I had to read this book. The next day I happened to be in Target, saw the book on it's shelf, and BAM it somehow ended up in my cart. Funny how that happens!?

The moment I started reading this book I was hooked. The way John brings the characters into the story is amazing! I've never read any other John Green book so I can't compare, but overall I enjoyed it.


The Characters/Plot: The main characters: Margot and Q, next door neighbors. One night she brings Q into her own little world and gives him an adventure of a lifetime. Going to people's houses, pranking them, breaking into Sea World, you get the idea :) The next day at school Margot vanishes - what could have happened?! That's when Q finds clues which leads him, with the help of his friends, on a hunt to find her. 



I really liked Q and all his friends, and the idea of Margo Roth Spiegelman and how everyone had their own idea of her, but none of those theories were the real her. She lived to fit into people's expectations of her, but in the end, all she wanted was to be free.
 

Overall:
Overall, I would recommend this to everyone who hasn't read it yet. Don't really expect a lot of romance, this book is more about the adventure.Although I wasn't a fan of the ending, I thought it was a nice light read!

Happy reading!

Dressed to Kill

Dressed to Kill

By: Lynn Cahoon

196 Pages

Summary:

When most of the store owners agree to act in a local play to raise funds for charity, no one thought the murder mystery would become real. However, things change when one of the actors turns up dead when he wasn't supposed to. The list of suspects grows, as does the secrets that come to light. Will Jill clear her boyfriend's ex-wife of murder? 

I love Cahoon's Tourist Trap Mystery series!! Color me ecstatic when I learned Dressed To Kill will open my summer, and Killer Run is going to close it! Lynn Cahoon is going to bookend my summer! Bring on the fun! Bring on the characters! Bring on the mysteries!

Kent was the manager of the local bank. He was also the local playboy who had a string of women left in his wake. Not to mention a few other secrets that come to life when he turns up dead during a play rehearsal. South cove is boiling over with gossip about what's going on. But the spotlight shines on Sherry, Greg's ex-wife, since she was dating him at the time of his death. It's no secret that Sherry has been a thorn in Jill's side for awhile, but could Sherry actually kill someone? 

Determined not to get involved with the case this time, Jill spends most of the book doing her best to do just that. Yet, she can't help herself, and she finds out things. Clues find her, she finds them; it's all the same. 

Dressed to Kill may not be as action packed as other books in the series, but it was still as enjoyable as the rest. I loved reading it. You won't be lacking in the charm the series is known for. Nor will you be lacking in a good plot. Jill, our ever sly detective doesn't disappoint.

The Good, The Grace of God

The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God
By: Jep & Jessica Robertson
220 Pages

Summary:
Within these pages, you will get a closer look into their life- both before, and since their marriage. You will discover the journey both led prior to meeting, and see the journey they've been on ever since. Along the way, they share the lessons they learned and how God changed their lives. 

I have to admit that I have never seen an episode of the immensely popular Duck Dynasty TV show. I've heard of them and seen the clips that made the news, but I probably couldn't name everyone on the show. However, knowing the very little that I do, I was drawn to this book. I love to read about peoples' testimonies, and learn what they learned.

Jep and Jessica had normal childhoods. In fact, they grew up in the same town, but never met while growing up. She was a tomboy; he was the youngest of his brothers. For all intents and purposes, life was somewhat boringly normal for them- until high school. Much like the world around them, life changes awaited in their teen years.

Jep became the star basketball player, only to have his sports dreams crushed when he seriously broke his ankle. Jess was also an athlete, but her athletic life came to a halt when her first love not only devastated her heart, but completely demolished her self- esteem. Both Jep and Jess struggled to make sense of their lives, and to find new identities. Jess tried to bury her pain in an eating disorder. Jep partied his away with booze and drugs.

Through the pages you will learn how a misunderstanding set Jess on a course she felt obligated to follow- all the way to the wedding chapel and a marriage she wasn't ready for. You'll read the dangerous turn Jep's partying took when he awoke in the middle of a road, all alone. They give you a front row seat into how God intervened and changed their direction. After a family intervention stopped Jep from losing any more control than he already had, you'll see how he spent the following 3 months really developing his relationship with Christ.

Their relationship was a friendship built around God to begin with. That eventually led to more. You will learn how a few men in Jep's Bible Study group tried to break them up, but the couple fought for their love. The road wasn't without many bumps along the way. Revelations of the past, and hidden secrets threatened their future. Baggage from the past took many forms, and often came close to being their undoing. My heart broke for every struggle they faced. I was happy to see them through the darkness.

I loved reading this book. I loved meeting, and getting to know this couple! Their stories were engrossing. What they each had been through on their own, and the struggles they endured as a team was a testament to their love of each other, and their love for God. They truly sought to do God's will above their own. They turned to Him, and had Him at the center of their entire relationship. It was inspiring to read.

I invite you to read this fascinating read. Whether already a fan of the show, or not, their story is one to be read and learned from. You will be inspired and walk away feeling like you've made new friends.

Wish You Were Here

Summer is a great time to dive into a romance! Here's a romance we think you may enjoy!

Wish You Were Here

By: Phillipa Ashley

287 Pages

Summary:

Eight years ago, Jack Thornfield and Beth Allen met. Three weeks was enough time for both to fall in love with the other. However, once their vacation was over, life caused the romance to be over as well. But, they never forgot each other- or truly got over each other. What would happen if they were to meet up again? Could past hurts be healed? Or is the past really in the past?

Phillipa Ashley is a wonderful romance storyteller. You connect with her characters, and find yourself routing for them. She weaves a story you are pulled into, and they are magical. In Wish You Were Here, she does so well what she always has. She makes you fall in love with her characters as they fall in love with each other.

Jack Thornfield runs a company called Big Outdoors. They don't offer your average vacation get away. However, if you want to white water raft on your vacation, they have you covered. Once the domination company in their field, Big Outdoors has taken a hit from their competitors. Jack is looking to recapture the number one spot, but he needs fresh ideas to do it. 

Beth Allen is interviewing for a job. Prepared to suggest new vacation ideas, and marketing methods to bring in more revenue, Beth is ready to give the interview of her lifetime. What she wasn't ready for was to see Jack.  How could she work for a company with her ex in charge? The man who broke her heart by never hearing from him again? But, she has no choice. In order to help her family, she needs to take the job.

Both Jack and Beth never really got over each other. True, they moved on. True, they have had other relationships since their amazing 3 weeks together. But, nothing came close to the love they shared. Working hard to push old feelings aside, they out their focus on the company. But everything changes when both go back to the place they fell in love at. While testing out a possible vacation set up to offer clients, they also test old feelings. 

This book was a great, light, fun read. It would be great company to have on the beach, or at the pool. 

Death By Coffee

Death By Coffee
By:Alex Erickson
300 Pages

Summary:
Best friends, Krissy Hancock and Vicki Peterson have opened a coffee/book shop in the mid-west. However, their first is nothing like what they hoped. When a customer dies after drinking coffee from Krissy's coffee shop, Krissy becomes determined to find the real killer. 

Krissy and Vicki grew up together in California. Life changed when Vicki moves to Pine Hills. A few months later, Vicki asks Krissy to come out there. With no coffee or book store in town, Vicki sees a golden opportunity. 

Life in small town Pine Hills isn't always easy. Gossip travels at light speed. Everyone knows everyone else. You even have your resident spy always looking from her window. Being new to town, a dead customer isn't the way Krissy envisioned meeting her fellow residents. However, that's how it happened. Brendon Lawyer orders a coffee, and is found dead shortly thereafter. Krissy is anxious to prove it wasn't her coffee that caused his death, but wasn't expecting to uncover quite the list of possible murders. In short time, Krissy is ticking off residents trying to get answers. And, in between arrests, she squeezes in a date with the Chief of Police's handsome son, Officer Paul. 

Not only is this book the debut in a series, it's also the debut book for the author. Alex Erickson is new to the genre, but writes a good story. While the plot wasn't the strongest, you do connect with the characters and want to find out what happens. For being a male author, he writes from a woman's perspective very well. I enjoyed reading his characters and all their interaction. Mr. Erickson is the rare male in a woman dominated genre, but I think he has a great series on his hands.