Peeking Between the Pages

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2010-100+ Challenge

Book Review: Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell

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Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell is the first book of hers that I’ve read but it certainly won’t be the last. What a great and fun read! This was a really good book to just sweep you away for a while and give you more than a giggle or two although it has its serious moments too.

Cleo lives in the small English town of Channings Hill where she grew up and works as a chauffeur. She’s happy with her lot in life and has finally met the man of her dreams in Will. He’s perfect – good looking, attentive, and seemingly in love with her! What more could a girl want? All I can say is never put all your eggs in one basket – the dream guy may not be quite everything you’re looking for.

Then Cleo’s old nemesis Johnny arrives back in town. He teased and bullied her like crazy when they were in school. The worst thing is, in Cleo’s view, is Johnny managed to make it big as a sculptor so now he’s good looking and rich. To top it off he seems to have everyone in town gravitating towards him because of all that dripping charm he oozes. Not Cleo though – she isn’t going to be sucked in. She knows what Johnny is really like – or does she? Will she too fall under the charms of Johnny Laventure?

Then we’ve got Cleo’s sister Abbie who has her own problems. She thought she was happily married to the love of her life but then she finds a letter that turns her life upside down. Did she ever really know her husband? Just what has he been up to? Abbie is steaming mad and upset – is she upset enough to do something she may regret later? Abbie is in for more drama than she knows what to do with.

Then there’s Ash, Cleo’s best friend, who is a great character. He’s a DJ and a really good one too with plenty of personality – everyone loves him. However, if you put him in front of a woman such as Fia who he has a huge crush on, he becomes this other person who can’t even form a coherent sentence. Yet he’s got the beautiful Georgia chasing after him and he can be himself with her and yet she just doesn’t pull at his heartstrings like Fia. Poor Ash!

Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell is full of fantastic characters and good story lines. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more by Jill Mansell. You can pick up your own copy of Take a Chance on Me here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to pop in and visit Jill Mansell’s website and check out all her other books too!

Disclosure: My copy of Take a Chance on Me by Jill Mansell was provided by Sourcebooks to me for a fair and honest review.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Book Review: The Wishing Trees by John Shors

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I’ve been a fan of John Shors for a while now. He has such a beautiful way with words that never fails to capture my attention from the beginning of one of his novels to the end. The Wishing Trees, his latest, is no different. It is a heart felt story of a father and daughter’s journey through Asia that heals both their spirits and their hearts.

Ian and his ten year old daughter Mattie are struggling to go on after the death of Kate. She was the glue that held the family together while Ian worked endless hours trying to make a better life for his family. It’s a year later and with Kate’s death Ian is at a loss as to how to make his daughter smile and laugh again. He has plenty of money and has given up his job to spend time with Mattie but he is still so deep in the throes of grief that it is difficult for him to see past that.

Then something happens that changes both Ian and Mattie’s lives. Kate has left a letter with her final wishes which are for Ian to take Mattie on a trip across Asia – a trip that they had planned to take on their fifteenth wedding anniversary. There are cannisters for each of them to open in each new country they visit with her thoughts on her feelings for them and in some cases, what she wishes for them to do while there. In each place they visit Mattie, a very talented budding artist, ties a message on A Wishing Tree – whether it be her drawings or notes – to share the experience with Kate to see from the heavens above.

The trip is something Ian is skeptical about. He feels Mattie is too young to be traveling to some of these countries but eager to put a smile on his daughter’s face they embark on the journey that will ultimately change their future. Ian is eager to show his daughter places that he and her mother shared together and also to teach her the importance of helping those less fortunate than they are. Mattie, a youngster already with a heart of gold, is willing and eager to help others. In doing so, she ends up meeting Rupee, a friend she will have for life.

This novel is steeped in emotion. There is no way it couldn’t be. The idea of a mother leaving notes and wishes as Kate did for her family is heart wrenching, yet so beautiful. To share those last thoughts and overwhelming love you had for your child and husband in such a way is a memory they will have with them forever. It was also a way for both Ian and Mattie to heal. Ian had no choice but to try and live again as he was out of his comfort zone of home where he could just curl up and pretend everything was ok. On the trip, both he and Mattie had to face their grief and find a way to get beyond it.

I really don’t think I can do this novel justice. It is beautiful. The love that shines through between Ian, Mattie, and the passed on Kate is just so heart felt. You can literally feel the love through the pages. To share in the father/daughter relationship of Ian and Mattie and the way that they find a way back to each other and learn to go on being only the two of them is something I won’t soon forget. Kate’s mission was to show her little family that it was possible to heal, to love again, and to move on and still live a fulfilling life even without her.

I enjoyed every minute of this novel even the ones that made me reach for my box of kleenex. The journey I was taken on through many different countries: Japan, Nepal, Thailand, India, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Egypt was incredible. John makes you feel like you are right there experiencing all the sights, sounds, food and people right along with the characters in the novel. Even more amazing was the journey John Shors takes you through with your very own emotions. You can’t help but be deeply touched by this novel.

I’d like to thank you John for another wonderful novel in The Wishing Trees and the opportunity to read it. You can pick up your own copy of The Wishing Trees by John Shors here in the US and here in Canada. You can visit John Shors’ website as well and check out all his other novels. Be sure to pop into Peeking Between the Pages tomorrow as I have a great guest post from author John Shors to share with you.

Disclosure: My copy of The Wishing Trees by John Shors was received for review from the author.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Book Review: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

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Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning is yet another outstanding installment in the MacKayla Lane Novels! I really enjoyed the first one, Darkfever, and Bloodfever was just as good to me. I can really get into these novels and lose myself for a few hours. I love the characters and the whole Fae world that comes with reading these novels – I am definitely addicted to this series.

Bloodfever finds Mac still on the search for the infamous book – the Sinsar Dub. She now knows who murdered her sister and is out for revenge but that has to be carefully thought out and planned. In the meantime she is still keeping company with Jericho Barrons and still managing to get herself in trouble. The only difference now is that she is aware of all the dangers around her or is she? It is possible that even Mac can be surprised by where life leads her in this installment.

Mac also learns that there is a whole sect of women just like her – sidhe seers. They want her to join them but Mac is still keeping her options open. She wants to get all the players lined up and know exactly who and what they are and what they can do in regards to her. Can they kill her with one slip of the hand? Can they put her in a trance where even she doesn’t know what’s real? Mac lives in a really scary world right now that keeps coming up with more to keep her on her toes and just hoping to stay alive.

I really liked how Mac grew in this novel from a spoiled, living on easy street girl to the darker, much more interesting Mac. Don’t get me wrong – I liked Mac from the beginning but it’s interesting to see her changing into this other person. She goes from an experience of pure heaven in this book to one of pure hell and comes out alive. She has a very dark side that she is just starting to explore and I look forward to reading more and seeing what she does with it. I also loved that she took a stand against Barrons this time around. I’m hoping in the next book they begin to get even more of a working relationship with each other as I’m actually rooting for the two of them to end up together.

I’m also looking forward to learning more about Barrons. In this book we find out more about him and there just seems to be so many secrets revolving around who he really is and just what he’s after. He is definitely after the Sinsar Dubh like everyone else but there seems to be something in his past that is very intriguing and that also keeps me turning the pages and looking forward to the next book.

As with the first book, Bloodfever also ends on a cliffhanger leaving me desperate to keep reading. The next book is Faefever and I can’t wait to get started on it and see where it will take Mac on her journey to find out who she really is as well as seeing how she learns to control the power she obviously has. Check back at the end of the month for my review of Faefever. This is a great series and one that I would absolutely recommend for those who love this kind of fantasy read. Beware though – it is totally addictive reading!

I read Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can check out other reviews of the book here. You can purchase Bloodfever for yourself here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to pop in and visit Karen Marie Moning’s website as well!


Disclosure: My copy of Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning was provided for review purposes by TLC Book Tours and the publisher.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Book Review: Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell

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Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell was for me the perfect read. Not only was the book terrific but it takes place in a part of the world I could totally relate to – Canada and even more precisely the prairie provinces where I reside. It makes a book so much more meaningful when you recognize places and when something is being described you can clearly see it since you’ve likely been there yourself. It is also about Ukrainian immigrants – another thing I could clearly relate to as my grandparents immigrated to Canada in the 1920’s.

I was hooked on this story from the beginning. It takes place in the 1930’s and it is about two families who immigrate to Canada from the Ukraine. Teodor Mykolayenko, a man who has spent 2 years in prison for stealing his own grain, is one of the men – a father of five children and husband to Maria – and finally free and coming home to the Canadian prairies. The other family is Teodor’s sister Anna, her husband and their two children.

While Teodor had been in prison Maria and Anna struggled to survive on the prairies as Anna’s husband is pretty much a deadbeat and not around. Now though Teodor is home. He has survived the harshest of conditions both in prison and out and is going to make a better life for his family. As soon as he gets on his feet Teodor and his oldest son are out in the fields getting them ready for planting. It is backbreaking work of the hardest kind and the author describes it in such a way that you can feel the pain and sweat going into the work.

In the meantime we learn about how Canadian women planted rows upon rows of food for the family and the work that went into preserving it for the winter. We are given great insight into a truly poor family who had to struggle for everything. There is never enough money for the things they truly need let alone want. It only takes one devastating drought or fire to completely destroy a farmer’s life and leave his family facing a winter of starvation. It is definitely enough to put any man under.

Along with the harsh conditions it seems Teodor’s sister Anna is losing her mind bit by bit rather quickly. Since Anna’s husband is gone it falls on Teodor to take care of her and her family as well. However nothing stays the same and Anna’s husband stumbles home one day and everything really heads downhill after that – Stefan is not a nice man. He cares nothing for his family and his only concern is how to get a hold of the money from the crops even though he did nothing to bring them about. With his arrival also comes a downward spiral of events with devastating consequences.

This novel is beautifully written. For me it held a personal touch as my own parents grew up in the 1940’s as children on the prairies. Their parents immigrated to Canada and struggled farming much like Teodor’s family did. I enjoyed the Ukrainian slang throughout the novel as well as reading about a lot of food that I hold dear to my heart like perogy and borshch.

This is a heartbreaking story yet beyond that is the realization that this novel is very true to life as it was lived in the prairies in the 1930’s/1940’s. It makes you sit back and realize how truly lucky we are now to have what we do. It is interesting to read how life was back then for families who immigrated to Canada and tried to make a life for themselves and their families. You can feel the hope they carried in the words of this novel; the determination they had to make things better for themselves.

I really would recommend this novel to anyone interested in learning how life was back on the Canadian prairies in the 1930’s as well as those interested in a good story that will grab your heart and not let go until well after you’ve read the last page and passed on the novel to your mom to read!

I read Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can see what other bloggers on the tour thought of the book here. You can order your very own copy of Shandi’s novel here in the US and here in Canada. Be sure to pop in and visit Shandi Mitchell’s website too!


Disclosure: My copy of Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell was provided to me for review by TLC Book Tours and the publisher.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Book Review: Come Sunday by Isla Morley

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Come Sunday by Isla Morley is a very moving novel. It is the story of one mother’s grief over the loss of a child, the loss of herself, the past, and the journey towards rediscovering life even when you feel sure it’s over. Come Sunday I am quite sure will be one of my favorites of this year. This story broke my heart yet there was no way I could put it down until I came to that last page. It is one of those stories you just don’t forget and it is undoubtedly one that will have you reaching for the box of tissues.

Abbe, born and raised in South Africa, is now living in Honolulu with her husband Greg, a pastor, and their three year old daughter Cleo. Abbe is at the point in her life where she’s feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Cleo is a handful and she feels her husband just doesn’t see her anymore. In an attempt to spend time together they head out to a movie and take Cleo to the babysitters. In an instant, whether you’re there or not, tragedy strikes. Cleo is hit by a car and killed. Life quite literally stops for Abbe – she doesn’t know how to go on and live a life that doesn’t include being Cleo’s mother.

Abbe is understandably angry. She is lashing out at everyone and everything. Someone has to be to blame for Cleo’s dying yet the accident was just that- an accident. She doesn’t want to eat and spends most of her time in a drug induced sleep while the rest of her time is spent wishing she were dead as well. While her husband Greg turns to God for comfort, Abbe refuses to go to church having her faith in God completely rocked by Cleo’s death. With Abbe not stopping to realize that Greg has lost his daughter as well and pushing both him and God away, her marriage completely falls apart.

The one thing Abbe doesn’t want to do is lose her house in Honolulu yet she doesn’t have the money to keep it. What she and her brother do have though is a farm in South Africa that she has in the past been unwilling to sell – that has changed now. She takes a trip out to South Africa to see about signing the papers and while there confronts her past – her abusive father, her mother who just couldn’t stand up to him, her grandmother, and a witch doctor named Beauty.

The secrets she unearths while there bring her so much closer to understanding her mother – to knowing that her mother loved her and would do anything for her as any mother should. In coming to learn who the woman her mother really was Abbe finds a way to begin to heal her own broken self and she finds that she can forgive – others and herself.

I liked the character of Abbe; maybe because like Abbe I deal with things that really upset me with anger as well. No it’s not at all productive and it doesn’t really make you feel any better but it’s who I am. I felt her pain and I felt her anger. I cried tears with her and I rejoiced with her when she began to find her own way again.

Come Sunday is beautifully written. There were many parts that I just had to reread so I could get even more of a picture in my mind. She writes such vivid descriptions of both Honolulu and South Africa that I felt I was there feeling the heat or seeing the landscapes. This isn’t necessarily an easy book to read – there is real grief here that you will feel in the pages but I have to say that this shouldn’t stop you from reading this beautiful book. Ultimately through forgiveness this novel offers hope and promise.

Come Sunday is available to purchase here in the US and here in Canada. You can also find Isla Morley on Facebook and on her website – be sure to check out both! Please pop by tomorrow as Isla will be joining us here at Peeking Between the Pages with a guest post!

Disclosure: My review copy of Come Sunday by Isla Morley was provided by Diane Saarinen and Picador.

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Book Review: What we Have by Amy Boesky & GIVEAWAY

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I think we all live on borrowed time in this life but for some it’s even more borrowed. Such is the case for Amy Boesky, author of What We Have: One Family’s Inspiring Story About Love, Loss, and Survival. For as long as Amy can remember her family has always lived with the threat of the big C word – cancer – hanging over their heads and hearts. What we Have is Amy Boesky’s memoir – a haunting look at what cancer can take from you yet keeping the faith that you will move on and survive.

At thirty-two, Amy feels that she has everything to live for – she’s finally met the man of her dreams, married him and made a home. She’s also landed her dream job yet always on the sidelines is the knowledge that she must have children soon if she’s going to have them or it will be too late. You see for Amy and all the women in their family, it is important that they have surgery to remove their ovaries by thirty-five years old to prevent the ovarian cancer that runs rampant in their family and kills all of the women (yes, all of them). One quote that struck me from Amy was…

‘That’s how it is for me, thinking about the future. Two different shapes. One holding time; the other escaping it. One suggesting fragility, confinement; the other, something transcendent. Turn it one way, you see an hourglass. Turn it the other way, and you see wings.’ (pg 3)

The women in Amy’s family have died young – most before the age of forty-five from cancer. This overshadows every decision and thought she has. She has planned from a girl just how her life would go – meet someone, have kids as soon as possible and have the surgery recommended by her doctor just as her sisters have done as well. All of this in the hopes of changing the course of tragedy that has gone before in their family.

Amy goes on though and has two girls, makes a home and continues to move on the best way she can but this fear of death has Amy cringing at everything. Is that a lump – what is that pain? Will I be there for my girls as they grow up? She and her sisters talk back and forth -their oldest sister Sara, already having had her ovaries out but Amy and Julie haven’t. This has always been a constant in their lives – this knowledge that surgery is the only way to prevent death. Then the hammer falls – their mother gets breast cancer – now what? Now they learn that breast and ovarian cancer are often related and that they don’t just carry the gene for one, but for both.

As times goes on the family learns that they are carriers of a breast/ovarian cancer gene. This changes things quite a bit for the girls. What will they decide now – how far will you go to prevent cancer? Where do you draw the line and just live your life? These are all issues that Amy has had to face and make decisions on. She handles her life with a grace and determination – she’s going to see her girls grow up, she’s going to be happy, and most of all she’s going to enjoy her life.

This memoir reads like a novel and definitely kept my interest although some parts did drag a bit for me. I didn’t really connect with anyone in the novel although my heart went out to all of them. My connection is more to this story as my family carries this gene as well. Some of the women in my family have gone forward with the surgeries they feel will keep them alive longer and others of us haven’t but it is always something that is never far from your thoughts.

At times this memoir is very difficult to read and more than once I was reaching for my tissue box but at the same time there are many hopeful moments like in the birth of new children and the hope of another tomorrow. What we Have is beautifully written in a very real way that takes you right into Amy’s life and has you feeling as though you are right there helping them deal with all that is happening to them. I think this book is well suited for those who may deal with having this gene run in their family and live with this fear as well as for anyone who just enjoys a heartfelt memoir that will tug at their heartstrings. This novel makes us sit back, realize what all our blessings are and to remember to live each and every day to the fullest.

I read What we Have by Amy Boesky for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure to check out all the other tour stops listed here for more thoughts on this wonderful memoir. You can also check out Amy Boesky’s website for more info on the book and Amy. What we Have can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.


Disclosure: My copy of What we Have by Amy Boesky provided to me for review by TLC Book Tours and the publisher.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

If you just can’t wait though I have 1 copy of What we Have by Amy Boesky up for grabs courtesy of the publisher. To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
  • For 2 entries follow my blog. If you already do just let me know and I’ll pass the extra entry on to you.
  • For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Sunday, September 26/10. Good luck everyone!

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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