Un-Bridaled

Here's the blurb for Un-Bridaled by Eileen Rendahl:

With half her immediate family having been committed -- mentally speaking -- why can't Chloe Sachs commit? After all, she's always been considered the sane one. But standing at the altar, moments away from becoming Mrs. Mark Hutchinson, Chloe hears a voice telling her in no uncertain terms, Run! So she hikes up her wedding whites, leaves behind her handsome fiancé and a few hundred guests, and tears down California's Interstate 505 in her red Ford Frontier.

Now Chloe has no Plan B, two kooky dogs, one angry ex, and a truckload of wedding gifts to return. Taking refuge at her grandmother's empty rental bungalow, Chloe unearths some surprising family secrets while renovating it -- and meets some very intriguing new people, like the hot veterinarian she can't get off her mind. And with her family and friends' help, Chloe realizes she doesn't have to run anymore -- because she's already home.

This was another quick read. It was one of those books that you don't quite remember that you have other things to do...you just want to read. This book had everything! Gorgeous setting, quirky and funny characters, two very interesting pets and one fixer-upper bungalow.

And this is where Chloe comes to sort through things. This is also where she finds a stack of letters. Love letters between her aunt and her lover. She discovers a big family secret, which makes a lot of sense and gives her a different perspective towards her relationship with her mother, which is stressed to say the least.

I found that the story was about Chloe growing into the person that she's always wanted to be. Without the approval of her mother or the manipulations of her ex-fiance.

Un-Bridaled by Eileen Rendahl (4.5/5) General Fiction: Chick Lit; Published: Downtown Press (2006); New Author; 100 + Reading Challenge (66); Library book;

R.I.P.

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008

Private Arrangements

I've been meaning to read this book for a while now, it's been in my TBR pit since May.

Here's the blurb for Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas:

To all of London society, Lord and Lady Tremaine had the ideal arrangement: a marriage based on civility, courteousness, freedom—and living on separate continents.

But once upon a time, things were quite different for the Tremaines…When Gigi Rowland first laid eyes on Camden Saybrook, Lord Tremaine, the attraction was immediate and overwhelming: she simply had to have him. But what began in a spark of passion ended in betrayal the morning after their wedding—and Gigi wants to be free to marry again. Now Camden has returned from America with an outrageous demand—an heir—in exchange for Gigi’s freedom.

Gigi’s decision will have consequences she never imagined, as secrets are exposed, desire is rekindled—and one of London’s most admired couples must either fall in love all over again…or let each other go forever.

I found this book a quick read. It was fast paced and the characters were great. I loved the way that the author went through the past and present (of the story), although I admit it took a little to get used to. It was different, "their" story wasn't given right at the beginning you had to read more to get it. The characters felt so real, they made mistakes and are willing to correct them. They grow. Even if it took ten years to do so. Trust me you have to read this book!

For a debut book this was an amazing start for Sherry Thomas. I cannot wait to get my hands on the author's next book.

Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas (4.5/5) Historical Romance; Published: Bantam (3/08); New Author; Debut book; 100 + Reading Challenge (65); Keeper shelf;

Sweet Trouble

Jesse Keyes has done some serious growing up. With a steady job and a vibrant four-year-old son, Gabe, she's in a far better place than when she left Seattle five years ago…pregnant and misunderstood by almost everyone in her life.

Now it's time to go home and face her demons. But her sisters, Claire and Nicole, aren't exactly impressed with the new and improved Jesse. And then there's Matt, Gabe's father, who makes it clear that he never wants to see her again despite the lust that still smolders between them.

Jesse doesn't know if she can make up for all the mistakes of her past. But the promise of sweet nights with Matt might just give her the extra incentive she needs to make it worth the trouble.…

Throughout the series, Jesse was made to be the “bad” sister, and everything lead on to that thoughts. But she never had her chance to explain, in my opinion she had plenty of chances she was just hurt. It was all a misunderstanding, one that took almost five years to resolve. In the process the people that were involved moved on, some better than others. Matt didn’t deal very well with “Jesse’s infidelity”, and he’s been taking his anger to the next level.

Of the Bakery Sisters’ series this one is my least favorite. In all honestly I really didn’t care for it. Matt and Jesse got on my nerves, the only good character in this book was Gabe.

I never thought I would say this about a Susan Mallery book, but it was a waste of my time. I should have been reading something else

Sweet Trouble by Susan Mallery (2.5/5) Romance; Published: HQN (08/08); Series: # 3, Bakery Sisters; 100 + Reading Challenge (64); Waste of Time;

Wordless Wednesday: Webkinz World

S and K's addiction to Webkinz is getting a little out of control.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should Be Reading. Here's how you play:

* Grab your current read.
* Let the book fall open to a random page.
* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
* You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
* Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser:

"I regained my couch, but never thought of sleep. Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea, where billows of trouble rolled under surges of joy." - taken from page 133, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

What's On Your Nightstand?

It's the fourth Tuesday of the month, so it's time for What's On Your Nightstand? This month, I think I've bitten more than I can chew...



I'm hoping to read all these books. I may not, but I definitely will try.

8 Sandpiper Way

Debbie Macomber has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. When I read her books I feel comforted and relaxed. And I know I will enjoy what I read.

Here’s the blurb for the latest instalment of the Cedar Cover series, 8 Sandpiper Way:

Dear Reader,

I have something to confide in you. I think my husband, Dave, might be having an affair. I found an earring in his pocket, and it's not mine. I'm also worried because some jewellery was recently stolen from an old woman—and Dave used to visit her a lot.

You see, he's a pastor. And a good man. I can't believe he's guilty of anything, but why won't he tell me where he's been when he comes home so late?

Reader, I'd love to hear what you think. I also want to tell you what's going on with your other friends in Cedar Cove. Like Sheriff Troy Davis, to mention one. His long-ago love, Faith Beckwith, just moved here!

So come on in and join me for a cup of tea.

Emily Flemming

My first reaction when I finished this book was “That’s it?!”. Not necessarily because I wanted more, I just felt that nothing much happened in this book in comparison to the others. I got a chance to visit with some of my favorite characters, and there were new characters introduced to the mix. I just felt that overall the book was filler space, then I found out that there’s another one coming out soon, Cedar Cove Christmas. And guess what….It’s a hardcover. Lovely.

Well, I’m hoping that the next one will be more entertaining.

8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber (3.5/5) Romance; Published: Mira (2008); Series: # 8, Cedar Cove; 100 + Reading Challenge (63);

Fall Into Reading 2008

It's that time of year again!

Once again Katrina over at Callapidder Days is hosting the Fall Into Reading Challenge. You can get info on the challenge or join here. I participated last year, but didn't complete the challenge. So I'm hoping that this year will be better.

Here are my choices:

Non-fiction:

1. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
2. God's Gold: The Quest For The Lost Temple Treasure of Jerusalem by Sean Kingsley ** Completed on October 5th 2008
3. Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman

Fiction:

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert ** Completed September 29th 2008
6. Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain
7. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald
8. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
9. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
10. Rockbound by Frank Parker Day
11. The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas
12. Blindness by Jose Saramago
13. The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
14. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Houseini
15. The Flower Net by Lisa See
16. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Sweet Spot

"Responsibility" should be Nicole Keyes's middle name. After all, not many people would sacrifice their lives to run the family bakery and raise a younger sibling. But with Nicole's twin sister now blissfully married and her younger sis turning out more femme fatale than girl-next-door, super reliable Nicole is getting sick of putting everyone else's needs first!

Enter Hawk. The deliciously sexy former NFL player offers Nicole a taste of the freedom she craves. Hawk may know the way, blindfolded, to her sweet spot, but Nicole's not about to let him get close enough to break her heart. Of course, she might not have a choice in the matter if Hawk's past keeps getting in the way of their present.…

This is the second book of the Bakery Sisters series. The first book was Sweet Talk, which i read and enjoyed, you can find it here. In that book I found Nicole a tad bitchy, but I understood where the anger and resentment had come from.

I was a little concerned about my feeling for Nicole in this one, I was expecting the bitchiness, but I was pleasantly surprised. I found Nicole to be quirky and full of sass. Loved her. I enjoyed Hawk, but found him a little conceited. I didn't like his daughter, found her spoiled and immature. But the scene stealer for me was Raoul, he was such a great character. I'm hoping that Raoul will have his own book in the future.

Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery (4/5) Romance; Published: HQN (8/08); Series: # 2, Bakery Sisters; 100 + Reading Challenge (62);

Wordless Wednesday - Chili time

Kids' Picks

This Tuesday marks the first of the Kids' Picks carnival over at 5 Minutes for Books. Come and join in the fun every third Tuesday of each month.

Here at the Wandeca household, we're huge fans of Robert Munsch. And this month both kids have been reading and re-reading his books. But the official favorite is Smelly Socks. They love the humor in the story but they also love spending time looking at the pictures - you never know what you missed the first time (their words, not mine).

Tina's new socks are so wonderful she vows to wear them every day.

Tina loves her brand new socks so much, she's never, ever going to take them off! But when her wonderful socks start to get smelly and she still refuses to take them off, her friends have to take action.

~ taken from Scholastic Canada