Review: The Lake season by Hannah McKinnon

The lake season by Hannah McKinnon

Release date: June 2, 2015

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler books

buy or borrow: buy

Pre-order here:  Amazon Barnes&Noble

Synopsis:    Set in the weeks leading up to an idyllic New England wedding, this “enticing and refreshing” (Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author) novel sparkles with wry wit, sweet romance, and long-kept family secrets.

Iris Standish has always been the responsible older sibling: the one with the steady marriage, loving family, and sensible job. But all of a sudden, as her carefully-constructed life spins out of her control, a cryptic postcard from her estranged sister Leah arrives at the perfect time: Please Come. Iris seizes her chance to escape to her childhood lakeside home, where Leah is planning her summer wedding to a man their New Hampshire clan has never met.

Against a backdrop of dress fittings, floral arrangements, and rehearsal dinners, Leah hides secrets of her own. And while her sister faces a past that has finally caught up to her, Iris prepares to say good-bye to a future that is suddenly far from certain. As new love beckons and Hampstead Lake shimmers in the background, Iris must decide when to wade in cautiously and when to dive—and, ultimately, how to ferry herself to safe harbors in this enticing novel of second chances and the ties that bind.

My thoughts:  This book was a little slow to me at the beginning, but by the end I was turning the pages at a rapid pace. Iris is a mom of 3 children living in Boston when her husband Paul asks for a separation because he had an affair. She decides to leave Boston and head to her parents house on the lake. Iris first seemed a little weak to me at the beginning. She never stood up for herself. Being at the lake house Iris connects with her high school crush, Cooper. Cooper is restoring her parents barn and smokehouse. While Iris may start out a little meek, by the end of the summer she was the confident woman who believed in herself and believed in her worth. While at her parents house she discoveries that her parents and sister, Leah, have been hiding a secret from her. One that changes her opinion of her sister.
Leah is the popular younger sister. She was the one who never settled down and did what she wanted to whenever the mood struck. Iris has always been envious of the fact that Leah was free and Leah has always been jealous of Iris, thinking Iris had it all.  This books deals with losing yourself and then coming home to yourself. It's about reconnecting with family and realizing that at the end of the day, your family is all you have. It does deal with a few sensitive subjects, but all-in-all I'm really glad I read this book. It's one that everyone should go buy or download with a glass of wine.

Recommendations:  The lake house by Marci Nault

                                   The guest house by Erika Marks

Book review: Under the Lights ( A boys of fall novel) by Shannon Stacey

Under the lights by Shannon Stacey

Release Date: May 26, 2015

Publisher: Jove

Buy or borrow: buy
Buy here:  Amazon 

Synopsis:          They were the golden boys of fall: Stewart Mills High School’s legendary championship winning football team. Fourteen years later, they’re back to relive their glory, save the team—and find themselves again…

Chase Sanders’s life has taken a lot of crazy turns lately. But returning to his hometown to help his old coach keep his high school football team afloat might be the craziest thing to happen to him yet. That is, until he starts falling for the last person he should—Coach’s gorgeous daughter…

Kelly McDonnell learned the hard way that cocky, charming men are nothing but trouble, so she knows Chase is bad news. Still, she can’t resist his smile—or the rest of him. But when his loyalty to her father conflicts with their growing attraction, any hope for a relationship might be blocked before it can even begin…

My Thoughts:   Any book that revolves around football and small towns is a win in my book. Chase was once the star running back for his high school football team and Kelly was the girl who always had a crush on him. The team is in trouble and Kelly rally's all the old players to come and help save the team. Of course Chase and Kelly fall for each other. This book is a sweet, romantic read. I really can't wait for the other book to come out. 

Recommendations:  Rescuing the bad boy by Jessica Lemmon

Book review: Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews

Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews

Release Date: May 19, 2015

Publisher: St. Martins press

Buy or borrow: buy

Synopsis:   Greer Hennessy needs palm trees.

As a movie location scout, picture-perfect is the name of the game. But her last project literally went up in flames, and her career is on the verge of flaming out. Greer has been given one more chance, if she can find the perfect undiscovered beach hideaway for a big-budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town called Cypress Key. There's one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino-which will be perfect for the film's explosive climax.

There's just one problem. Eben Thibadeaux, the town mayor, completely objects to Greer's plan. A lifelong resident of Cypress Key, Eben wants the town to be revitalized, not commercialized. After a toxic paper plant closed, the bay has only recently been reborn, and Eb has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. But Greer has a way of making things happen, regardless of obstacles. And Greer and Eb are way too attracted to each other for either of them to see reason.

Between an ambitious director and his entourage-including a spoiled "It Boy" lead actor-who parachute into town, a conniving local ex-socialite, and a cast of local fangirls and opportunists who catch the movie bug, nothing is going to be the same in Cypress Key. Now Greer is forced to make some hard choices: about the people and the town she's come to care about, and about her own life. True love is only for the movies, right? Can Greer find a way to be the heroine in her own life story? Told with inimitable heart and humor, Mary Kay Andrews' Beach Town is the perfect summer destination.

My Thoughts:  Mary Kay Andrew's books signify the start of summer for me, and I'm sure many of you as well. Beach Town is the essential summer beach read. It's the kind of book you read while enjoying a glass of wine or an ice cold lemonade. In every book there is always the female heroine who gets put in hot water and always comes out stronger. Greer is no exception to this. She has abandonment issues and can never seem to find the right man. This book will take you back to "old Florida" you'll fall in love with that town and you'll be sad when this book ends. Once again Mary Kay Andrews comes out on top with a great summer beach read. 

Recommendations:  Save the date by Mary Kay Andrews

W.I.N. Wednesday

Hey y,all! So I thought I would do something different today instead of the standard review. I know everyone does the whole WOW Wednesday, but I'm doing what I need Wednesday.The books that I'll feature here will be fall releases and some of my all time favorite authors. I also want to thank everyone for visiting my little corner of the blog world. So, today's WIN Wednesday is..............

Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

Release date: October 6, 2015

Pre-order: Amazon Barnes&Noble

Synopsis:  Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family-the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants?

Why I need it:  Diane Chamberlain's book's are always filled with twists and turns and they always have that element of surprise to them. In almost every book I've read of hers there's always that one thing you didn't see coming that just makes you go "Ah now I get it" and just ties all the loose ends together. This book looks like it has all the factors that makes Diane's books amazing. I'll put the links to where you can pre-order them. Here's a few of my favorite Diane Chamberlain books.

Summer's Child and The midwifes confession 

Book review: Things you won't say by Sarah Pekkanen

Things you won't say by Sarah Pekkanen

Release Date: May26, 2015

Publisher:Washington Square Press

Buy or borrow:  buy.

Synopsis:  How far would you go to save your family?

Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There’s been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn’t hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband’s insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting—but this time Mike has pulled the trigger.

But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie’s world. It’s about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike’s flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie’s younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes.

In her characteristic exploration of true-to-life relationships, Sarah Pekkanen has written a complex, compelling, and openhearted novel—her best yet.

My Thoughts:  The story line of this book could have been ripped directly from the headlines. A white police officer shoots a Hispanic/black boy, who the officer said had a gun, but can't be proven. Sound familiar? This book is full of what's happening in the world today. Jamie tries desperately to fix her marriage and save her husband, but at the same time she doesn't fully believe Mike, who is suffering from PTSD.  There is a character that will keep you laughing throughout the book. Christie, Mike's ex who believes he is innocent of all wrong doing. She causes trouble through the whole book, but at the same time keeps things lightened up a bit. I have read all of Sarah Pekkanen's books and this one ranks right up there with the others. If you're a Jodi Picoult fan, you'll love this book.

Recommendations: Nineteen minutes by Jodi Picoult

                               Fly Away by Kristin Hannah