All Summer Long

"Whether the subject of change was partners, possessions, or places, some people had an easy time letting go."

I love capturing the essence of the novel I'm reviewing by its opening sentence and this one launches All Summer Long, the latest novel from best selling author Dorothea Benton Frank. Readers who are looking for something wonderful to read this summer, will definitely want to add this to their beach or lakeside bag as it is sure to provide you with simply all the entertainment and virtual escape you will need.

Olivia Ritchie, an interior designer and owner of her own company, has been living in two worlds. One in New York where she has made a wonderful living working on upscale designs for some of New York's wealthiest clientele. She has a great marriage with her husband Nick Seymour, an English professor and southern gentlemen who has made Olivia promise that one day they will leave the rat race and settle back in his childhood home of Charleston, South Carolina. For Olivia that day has come.

The one thing she has failed to do, is to clue Nick in on their finances. He has retired and while drawing his retirement, small pension and social security, Olivia had always felt confident she could handle all the finances. That is until the market began to dry up and clients could no longer afford those expensive homes that fed her salary requirements to keep the lifestyle she loved afloat. Without telling Nick, she agrees to sell their New York condo in lieu of keeping her promise and downsize to Charleston. It also means that her love of collecting trinkets to decorate their home, will have to go as well. But she vows she will do what is necessary to keep them alive until her next client comes through, which in this case is Bob and Martiza Vasile.

To say they're are rich is a complete understatement and this affords them the luxury of experiencing what it's like to be rich without all the hassle when they are invited on trips to private islands aboard a yacht, last minute trips to Spain for their son's wedding or whenever Maritza need's a good friend to talk to, Olivia is the one to call. But like the saying goes, life isn't always greener on the other side and when Olivia and Nick see what turmoil Maritza and Bob's marriage is, they vow to do all they can to help. I mean if you can't help your very well off friends, who can you help? After all, these trips are all 100% paid for by the Vasile's who don't seem to have a bottom to their bank account.

I received All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank compliments of William Morrow Publishers, a division of Harper Collins Publishers in exchange for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my personal honest unbiased opinion. I absolutely LOVED this novel. From the catty arguments between the rich friends who show up on these excursions, to the far fetched things Bob decides to spend his money on. It's like living vicariously through this novel what it might be like to either have that kind of money or simply be able to enjoy it from those who do. I love the relationship that Nick and Olivia have as well because at the heart of it all, they have what works, and it shows that money can't buy it all. I would rate this one 4 out of 5 based on my rating system as there is some profanity used in this novel that might offend readers. Without that, it would be a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about All Summer Long, Dorothea Benton Frank or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank

You can find Dorothea Benton Frank on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on All Summer Long, please visit William Morrow's website. 

The Ticket

Some people never realize how difficult it can be growing up and dealing with all the stereotypes in school. From those social group "clicks" to just knowing how to process what teens deal with in school to making that transition from home all while dealing with the changing of hormones and brain development. Harder than it looks and one we don't give them enough credit for.

In Debra Coleman Jeter's coming of age novel, The Ticket, we get a long look at how hard that life is for Tray Dunaway who has to deal with all those peer pressures that come from going to school and being seen as less than worthy in the eyes of not only her classmates but also from her own mother. Being raised in a poor family, her grandmother painstakingly makes all of Tray's clothes which are mocked by those she faces whenever she goes to school. This pushes Tray to become the shy social outcast who prefers to stay by herself whenever possible but longs for a life that everyone seems to have who have more than she does. She desperately wants to fit in and be accepted, but finds those opportunities have been shut off from her.

She longs for the day when she might be able to buy something that would make her feel the way she dreams about and in the meantime, spends those wasted moments looking through a catalog hoping one day soon, she might be able to buy something instead of homemade clothes. Her mother struggles with a deep depression, spending her days stuck in bed and dealing with migraines that only seem to increase whenever Tray possess a question about when things might change, like simply being able to buy a new pair of socks that won't slide down when she wears them, but is met with less than worth responses you would expect from a mother. When her father is given a lottery ticket as a way of thanking him for driving a man into town to purchase his, they aren't prepared the amount of problems that they will have to face when they actually win. Is this the life she dreamed she'd have one day or is this simply a way of introducing a set of problems they never dreamed they would have when the man suddenly wants a share of the winnings!

I received The Ticket by Debra Coleman Jeter compliments of Firefly Southern Fiction, a division of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest opinion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. The one thing I truly loved about this novel is how it is written from Tray's perspective. How she views her life before the ticket and even afterwards. How she believes money will change things and doesn't realize how greed can destroy much more than poverty can. She dreams of a day when this might happen, and when it does, the reality is a lot different than what she imagines and it might be just what the family needs to learn how to appreciate the riches they never noticed before. I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and thing this is a great young adult novel for any teen struggling to find their sense of purpose and self worth in the world, when faced with seeing things through a different perspective!

For more information about The Ticket, Debra Coleman Jeter or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Ticket by Debra Coleman Jeter

You can find Debra Coleman Jeter on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on The Ticket, please stop by Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's Book Tour page. 

The Last Original Wife

"Wives are so easily gotten over and so easily replaced. We are an expendable breed."

"Do you really believe that?" To his credit, his expression was briefly ever so slightly incredulous.

"Yes, I do. The evidence is all over the place. Men wear us out, either bury us or divorce us, and then they just go get another woman to be their mother."

"Go on..."

"So I looked around at these second wives with their fake boobs and their Jennifer Aniston flat-ironed hair and their Michelle Obama toned upper arms and I felt more like a chaperone than a peer. They were all wearing skintight bandage dresses with spiky platform high heels and they had their spray tans and big chunky jewelry. I was wearing, well, something age appropriate, pearls, pumps,, and a nice dress. I realized over the course of the night that they had plenty of chitchat for each other, but when they talked to me, they deferred as though they were being respectful of their grandmother. That was when I came to the what I thought was a rather startling realization."

"And that was that?"

"That I didn't want to be there. I really didn't want to be there! Worse? I didn't belong there! All of a sudden I didn't care. Wes's friends were married to girls who are young enough to be their daughters. I didn't want to spend every holiday and weekend for the rest of my life with a bunch of Barbies. These men were Wes's oldest friends, and their former wives were mine. These insipid young women would never be my friends. Moreover, I didn't want them to be my friends."

That is about how Leslie Anne Greene Carter sums of how she feels being what she has labeled herself as the 'last original wife' among the people she finds herself sharing her free time with. Now that all of her husbands friends have married new younger wives, she takes a look back at her own life and realizes that she has spent 30 years living with Wesley Carter and they are no longer in love with one another. She suddenly finds herself the last original wife among their set of friends and finds she has literally nothing in common with their new wives or even anything in common with her husband any longer.

What does Wes think of their marriage at this crucial point?

"I don't beat her. I never ran around...well, not too much. She lives in a nice house. She's never had to work for a living. She drives a nice car. I take her to Vegas once a year. Is she crazy?"

"I don't know. Is she?"

"Look, I married her, didn't I" I stayed with her, didn't I? What they hell does she want from me? Why did she walk out on me? Was it her hormones?"

Now the story takes an interesting twist between the chapters in this novel toggling at first to the counseling session that Les and Wes have at the beginning and then a look back at what brought them to that place during the meat of this amazing novel. This is truly one to savor and spend your time enjoying in a wonderful place this summer. The story is unforgettable and I truly hope this one finds its way to the big screen. Women would LOVE it!

I received The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank compliment of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review on this novel. Hands down I LOVED this one and feel it is truly worthy of a full 5 out of 5 stars. This is such a fun novel to savor the experiences of summer and of finding out where happiness lies for a women who has spent the last 30 years of her life, forgoing everything she has ever wanted and needed to care for an overly needy and ungrateful husband and their two grown children. I think every woman will find something wonderful in this story and I can't wait for more from Dorothea Benton Frank in the very near future. I think by far my favorite characters in this one besides Leslie is her brother Harlan. Oh how I wish I had a Harlan of my very own! You'll have to read this one to find out why!

For more information about The Last Original Wife, Dorothea Benton Frank, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today for your summer reading list, please click on the links below:

The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank

You can find Dorothea Benton Frank on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

ISBN: 9780062132468; ISBN10: 0062132466; Imprint: William Morrow ; On Sale: 6/11/2013; Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 6 x 9; Pages: 368; $26.99; Ages: 18 and Up; BISAC1:FIC044000; BISAC2:FIC045000; BISAC3:FIC016000

Blue Moon Bay

Heather Hampton has felt she has accomplished much in her life since leaving the town of Moses Lake and working as a successful architect in Seattle. Just when she is about to finally get her dream project, her family throws a wrench into her plans to acquire the property from her family surrounding Moses Lake. This will enable many people to finally find work in a small town that hasn't grown much over the years since she has left. Only now on the verge of signing the papers, her mother tells her that they are considering another bidder on the property.

Feeling a bit more than frustrated, she flies home in hopes of talking some sense into her mother, and expediting the sale of the property. When she arrives in Moses Lake, she is in for a huge surprise. First she is delayed on her flight into Texas and has to relying on the kindness of a dentist she meets that is rushing home for his anniversary and offers her a ride. Second, she leaves her purse behind on the bus and with it her identification, her Iphone that she can't live without, and all her money and credit cards. Third, a phone call at the airport to her boyfriend Richard, leaves her with the impression that her relationship with him is in jeopardy especially since she leaves just days before his birthday with no idea she was missing it. Last, going back to Moses Lake isn't something she ever wanted to do again since it held so many bad memories for her.

Now that she arrives in Moses Lake, a lot more than just a little needy, she soon learns that her family has other plans for what to do with the property and that will completely upset the life that Heather had hoped for and her plans for a better life.

I received, Blue Moon Bay Lisa Wingate compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and have to say I could find myself transported back to Moses Lake with Heather. That to me is a sign of a great book if I can feel myself in the setting and walking in the characters shoes. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars! The story is definitely believable and one worth a look at!

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book.

Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate

Chosen - Giveaway and Review

Chloe Pinter has what she would consider the "best" job and at times, the "worst" job. She is the director of Portland's Chosen Child domestic adoption program and she is the case worker that helps families find just the perfect child for them to adopt, fitting birth mothers and adoptive parents together. In a sense, she helps build families for parents who can't have children through conventional methods. The downside of this, is that often times, birth mothers wait until the last minute to decide that they want to keep their baby, leaving the adoptive parents with nothing but heart break and the time spent waiting once more to find a birth mother to have a child.

In Chosen by Chandra Hoffman, Chloe is working with three very different sets of parents. One couple who have been childhood sweethearts since college despite twelve miscarriages and a dozen fertility problems are now finally expecting their own baby, praying that this one will carry to term. Another set of parents, are wealthy and can afford the expense that the adoption process carries with it, yet despite their ages, they are finally hoping that they can find a birth mother who will be willing to offer them a child. The final couple are the birth mother and her boyfriend who are having difficulty coming to an agreement over what they want to do. The boyfriend wants to make as much money as possible on the baby and the mother is considering keeping the child.

This is a very compelling look into the different sides of the adoption process from the case worker, to the birth mother to the adoptive parents. Each with a different set of motives, the reader is drawn into each couple's unique set of circumstances and is torn with their emotions over how difficult the entire adoption process can be.

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and really enjoyed this one. Like I stated before, for those who have never realized all the work that goes into a successful adoption, this gives you a fictional account of the ins and outs of the process through three different families. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and it does contain some sexual content and profanity as a caution to some readers. For more information on this book, the author and even where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Chosen by Chandra Hoffman

To read even more reviews on this book tour, click here.

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC Book Tours, they are providing a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky reader of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart.

3. Be a resident of the US or Canada or have a US or Canadian shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The giveaway will end on December 5th and I will be notifying the winner by email at that time.

Georgia Bottoms

She needed to change her last name. It's hard to be taken serious in a town when you last name is really Butts. So way before she was born her family had the name changed. Being a devoutly Baptist Southern belle, Georgia Bottoms is well-known in Six Points, Alabama.

The women in the sweet, small town know her for her annual women's luncheon is which is the occassion for celebration in the small town. She is known for her elaborate menu from Lobster Scallion Shooters to Pizzetta Bruschetta, to her well dressed home and finely decorated table with all the touches that Martha Stewart herself would be jealous of.

Even Georgia Bottoms herself, dressed to the high nines in Ann Lauren and wearing Chanel No. 5 is not about to be upstaged by anyone. Every lady in Six Points awaits Georgia's luncheon like a child waiting for Christmas.

But that isn't all Georgia Bottoms is well-known for, just ask the Judge, the local sheriff, the CEO at the bank, the town doctor and even the church minister. Georgia has a day dedicated to every single one of them and none knows about it but Georgia.

However, even the best laid plans can come unglued at the proverbial seams and no amount of planning could prepare Georgia for what's about to happen.

I received the novel, Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress compliments of Hachette Book Groups and Little, Brown and Company and besides all of Georgia's antics and even living with her mother and brother, the book still rates a 4 out of 5. This book does contain some sexual content but the story is wonderful and easy to relate to the character of Georgia who thinks she has everything and everyone planned out perfectly. This book is available in eBook and Hardcover formats.

For more information on this book, the author and where to can get a sneak peek at this latest novel to hit bookshelves, please click on the link below:

Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress

The Secret Lives Of Dresses

Mimi was an lady who believed that everything had a purpose and that few things should be thrown away. She manages a vintage clothing store selling old clothes from the 20's and up. Nothing is ever considered out of date or out of style. Each piece of clothing is uniquely designed to fit the wearer and transform them like nothing else could.

Mimi met each customer's needs unlike your typical sales person. She believed that her store was not a thrift store. She believed that customers should not feel that they are being sold something less expensive, but selling them something more special. "We have to tell them the story of what we're showing them. And then we have to show them how they can be the new heroine in the story" she would explain to her granddaughter Dora, who spent hours working in the store while doing her homework.

As Dora grew and made plans for college, Mimi made sure she had plans for the future. Dora never felt compelled to wear any of the pieces Mimi felt would compliment her. However, when Dora is called home from college to hear that Mimi has suffered a stroke, she believes she has missed out on something special.

All these years Mimi has a collection of pieces of clothing she felt were meant to be Dora's and since arriving with no bags packed, she begins to explore every piece that Mimi has so meticulously selected with her in mind. She wishes that Mimi could see her just this once in something more than sweatshirts and jeans.

When Dora decides to take over the store til Mimi recovers and in that time discovers a secret that Mimi has created in each dress that she sells. Each one comes with a timeless story that upon reading will transform the lady wearing it and show her that she truly is something special.

I received the beautiful classic novel, The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean, for my honest review from Hachette Book Groups, and fell in love in a completely different way. This novel is a must read and will change the way you see ordinary things in your daily life. This one is a 5 out of 5 stars hands down! No longer when I dress will I be wearing clothes but each piece tells the story of the life they have witnessed being worn by someone special. Each has a story to tell. What does yours say?

For more information about the book including an excerpt, the author and where to purchase a copy of this amazing novel, please click on the link below:

The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean

When We Were Strangers - Giveaway and Review

We know that at some points in our lives our families have migrated to different areas of the country in search of a better life. Too often we fail to see just how wonderful those difficult decisions were to make and the consequences that resulted along the way. Until now!

When We Were Strangers is the newest novel by Pamela Schoenewaldt, that takes the reader on the journey in the life of one such remarkable lady, Irma Vitale, who we find living in Italy in a small part of town called Opi. It doesn't have the best reputation and the only hope Irma has of making her life better is marriage to a man who doesn't drink and works hard. Unfortunately the prospects for this are worse at best. There are only 5 men in the village and two of them are promised to the baker's family leaving the worst available.

Yet time and time again Irma has been living in the lies of low self esteem, when people call her ugly and spread rumors about the girls from Opi being street whores, not of which is true but growing up in the sheltered mountain town makes them more believable. Only when her cousin Carlo leaves for America and the promise of something better, is Irma willing to look outside her small town and hope for something more.

This is Irma's story of making her way in a world alone, the difficulties and challenges she must face along the way. Her mother's death, her father's drunkenness and the prospects of making a family of her own someday. We get to journey with her and see the light behind an immigrants struggle to survive and in the process we can see hope at the end of the road.

I received this wonderful book compliments of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review and marveled at how eloquently the author takes us into each new part of Irma's quest for a better life, from the small town of Opi where it began to the new life offered to each immigrant in the land of the free. This one rates 5 out of 5 stars and offers a new belief that there are no such thing as strangers when you are willing to make friends and believe in something more!

For more information about this book, the author and where to get a copy of this book, please click on the link below:

When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC Book Tours, they are offering a copy to one lucky reader of this blog. Simply leave a comment telling me why you'd love to win a copy. The giveaway will end on February 11th. I will notify the winner by email at that time, so please include it with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols. You must be a follower of this blog to enter and have a US shipping address. Please NO P.O. Boxes.