FRAGILE by Chris Katsaropoulos

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FRAGILE
Author: Chris Katsaropoulos
Source: Smith Publicity
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Paperback: 212 pages
  • Publisher: Luminis Books (October 15, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 193546227X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1935462279
SYNOPSIS:

Amelia Geist, Holly Schenck, and Tris Holloway are all broken–in one way or another.

In a lifelong act of penitence and defiance, Amelia Geist has remained a virgin and saved herself for Tris, her first love, who abandoned her more than fifty years ago.
A few weeks from retirement, Tris Holloway has led a separate life of his own in the hills above Silicon Valley, sealed by inertia within the confines of a loveless marriage and shattered by his decision to leave Amelia.
The only person who can repair the rift between Tris and Amelia is Holly, a single mother without means, who is trying somehow to mend her life while laid out in a hospital bed, a victim of her own suicide attempt.
The stories of Tris, Holly, and Amelia are presented in Fragile as broken fragments, woven together by profound truth and an astonishing connection that transcends the boundaries between this world and the next. 
MY THOUGHTS:
I loved the blurb about this book.  The way the author could combine 3 stories and turn them into one entire story that intertwines had me curious to see how he would accomplish this task.  
I will say that I liked the book.  The characters were interesting and seemed real.  The part I didn’t like was how it jumped around so much that it left me with a lot of confusion.  One minute we are reading about one character, and then the next sentence we are off to another character.  It is not an easy book to read unless you have the time to read it straight through until the end without interruptions.  If you set it down,  you can easily get confused to what was happening when you left the story.  
It is a great plot concept, and the characters can be interesting, but the format just threw me off too much. Like I said though, not a bad book, just be prepared to be able to devote yourself to reading it all at once.
MY RATING:


 
  A Decent Read.
Has Some Drawbacks Though.

POWDER AND PATCH by Georgette Heyer

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POWDER AND PATCH
Author: Georgette Heyer
Source: Publisher
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (January 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402219490
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402219498
SYNOPSIS:
For her, he would do anything…
Plainspoken country gentleman Philip Jettan won’t bother with a powdered wig, high heels, and fashionable lace cuffs, until he discovers that his lovely neighbor is enamored with a sophisticated man-about-town…
But what is it that she really wants?
Cleone Charteris sends her suitor Philip away to get some town polish, and he comes back with powder, patches, and all the manners of a seasoned rake. Does Cleone now have exactly the kind of man she’s always wanted, or was her insistence on Philip’s remarkable transformation a terrible mistake?
MY THOUGHTS:
This was my second read by this author and I really didn’t like it that much.  The characters fell flat and they just didn’t jump out at me as a wonderful read.  I loved the blurb on the back of the book,  but the actual story held no interest to me.  While a lot of people enjoy this authors work, I have found myself not too interested in her other works.  While the book did have charm, it just didn’t flow easily and was missing some chances at wit and romance that could have been developed better.  I understand that this is one of the authors earlier works, written at age 21, so her other books I am sure improved as she wrote more.  If you like this type of genre and have read from this author before,  I still say give it a go and form your own opinion on the book.
MY RATING:


 
  A Decent Read.
Has Some Drawbacks Though.

THE LIGHTKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Colleen Coble

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THE LIGHTKEEPER’S DAUGHTER
Author: Colleen Coble
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 12, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1595542671
  • ISBN-13: 978-1595542670
SYNOPSIS:
At a lavish estate in Mercy Falls, California, Addie Sullivan finds danger—and quite possibly the love of her life.
Growing up as the lightkeeper’s daughter on a remote island at the turn of the century, Addie Sullivan has lived a hardscrabble life. When a long-lost and wealthy relative finds her and enlists her to work as a governess at a lavish estate, she hopes to discover the truth of her heritage. But at Eaton Hall, nothing is as it seems. Not the idyllic family she hoped for, not the child she was hired to help, not even the aloof man she’s immediately attracted to. Soon she must turn for help to Lieutenant John North, a man who views her with suspicion.
As Addie edges closer to the truth, danger threatens even as her romance with John blossoms and together they unravel a decades-old mystery. As Addie faces down her enemy, she discovers that faith in her one true Father is all she needs.
MY THOUGHTS:
I have never read any book by this author before.  The synopsis though captured my attention and I decided to give it a chance. 
I was disappointed in it.  The romance is predictable and kind of childish.  The plot was not interesting at all to me.  I just found myself not caring what happened to any of the characters in the book.  
The suspense on the other hand was well written.  The mystery kept me reading it until the end.  To me, the mystery is what saved this book from ending up in my Did Not Finish pile.  I liked how the writer kept you guessing on the suspense, so it made it to where you had to keep reading if you wanted to find out.  
Not a book I would re read or keep on my bookshelves, but okay if you like historical romance with suspense.  I am still on the fence on whether I would read another book by this author though.
MY RATING:


 
  A Decent Read.
Has Some Drawbacks Though.

ETERNAL ON THE WATER by Joseph Monninger

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ETERNAL ON THE WATER
Author: Joseph Monninger
Source: Received from B&N First Look
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket; Original edition (February 16, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1439168334
  • ISBN-13: 978-1439168332
SYNOPSIS:

From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine’s Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river’s treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily…and neither does their love. So when Mary’s life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey.

Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting — a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love’s power. 
MY THOUGHTS:
I want to start by saying that the author has a remarkable way of writing details that make the scene so alive and visual in your mind.  You can actually see yourself there with the characters of the story.  That being said, it was about the only thing I liked about the book.  The characters just didn’t grab my attention and the plot of the story didn’t hold my interest.  The book starts out with Mary’s death, do you already know how it will end.  You get to see their journey, but like I said, you know how the journey ends beforehand.  I am still not quite sure about this book.  This is one of those books that you would have to read and form your own opinion of. 
MY RATING:


 
  A Decent Read.
Has Some Drawbacks Though.

RED HOT REUNION by Bella Andre

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RED HOT REUNION
Author: Bella Andre

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket (March 20, 2007)
  • ISBN-10: 1416524185
  • ASIN: B001PTGKRW

SYNOPSIS:

They never forgot what they learned in college—and now they’re hotter than ever. . . .The last time Jason Roberts saw Emma Holden, she was crushing his heart. They were college students, opposites in every way except for their thrilling, unpredictable passion. But Emma was always a proper girl deep down, and in their senior year she blindsided Jason by dumping him for a wealthy jock who would give her a dull, safe life.

Now it’s ten years later, and if living well is the best revenge, Jason has done so in spades—he’s a gorgeous celebrity chef with a hit TV show and women at every turn. But at their college reunion, payback for Emma’s betrayal is all Jason is cooking up, and he plans to tease her with desperate desire, taunt her with the best sex of her life—and then watch her fall.

But Emma has an agenda of her own—where teasing and temptation are just what she’s hungry for. . . . The good girl Jason once knew is now a daring, sensual woman willing to raise the sexual stakes beyond anything they shared in the past, and she’s hot for the most wildly erotic adventures he can dish out. Now who’s turning the tables on whom?
MY THOUGHTS:

I was really disappointed with this book. The author has not let me down with a great story until this book. Emma is a weak heroine with hardly any backbone, and Jason is a stuck up hero who is just full of revenge. I can understand the hero’s personality but Emma was annoying. This book had plenty of smokin hot lovin, but not much story to back it up. It was an okay read, but not one of the author’s best. Again, she leaves you hanging with secondary characters with half a story, which makes me believe that she is wanting to write those characters a book of their own. Hopefully this author can redeem her great writing skills in a follow up book to this.
MY RATING:


A Decent Read.
Has Some Drawbacks Though.