Review: The Welcome Home Garden Club by Lori Wilde

The Welcome Home Garden Club

March 29th 2011

• HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Mass Market Paperback, Ebook 400pp     
• Series: Twilight, Texas Series
• ISBN-13: 9780061988431
• ISBN: 006198843X
• Review book provided by publisher for this review. 

Synopsis

Traditional meaning of Pink and White Roses: I love you still and always will.

Caitlyn Marsh stopped believing in happily-ever-after when high-school sweetheart, Gideon Garza, left for Iraq. Now she raises her small son while her matchmaking gardening club members drive her crazy. Then Caitlyn's world turns upside-down when Gideon swaggers back to Twilight.

Gideon had left town in the middle of night with threats ringing in his ears. A lot of things have changed since then. This bad boy-turned-Green Beret bears scars from the war, the timid girl he loved is an independent mother, and the father who refused to recognize his son in life has, in death, left him a vast cattle ranch.

He still aches for Caitlyn, and now there's a dark-haired boy who looks exactly like Gideon did at that age. Could the child be his? And can this war-weary soldier overcome the scars of the past to claim the family he so richly deserves? 

Review:

The last person Caitlyn expected to see at J.  Foster Goodnight’s funeral was the one man she thought was dead and gone; Gideon Garza.  Gideon reluctantly returns to Twilight to sort out his past so he can finally move on.  He too had no clue that his old girlfriend would be at the one place he would rather not be at all. 

Neither know the truth about what separated them all those years ago. But fate is one fickle lady and she’ll have the last say as to who belongs with who.  

The heroine, Caitlyn is not the only one with secrets in the town of Twilight. Her world just turned upside literally as she passes out in front a ‘dead’ man.  I love how stubborn Caitlyn is yet is willing to accept that she is no grounds to judge people who have done her wrong.  Well, as the story progresses that is.  

Lori Wilde has returned with another amazing tale of long lost lovers reuniting despite all the years that have passed and the people who thought they were doing the right thing for them. 

In The Welcome Home Garden Club, readers will learn that despite the hell Gideon Garza has gone through because the war, it hasn’t transformed him into a bitter or hateful man. Others try to come between Gideon and Caitlyn yet they are both willing to go the distance not to be separated again. 

The hot romance between Gideon and Caitlyn will keep readers burning up while reading each new romantic scene.

At the end of the day; life may come and go but family and true love are forever. 

I rate The Welcome Home Garden Club a rating of 4 stars. 

Review: If Wishes Were Horses by Robert Barclay

If Wishes Were Horses by Robert Barclay

HarperCollins Publishing

February 15th 2010

ISBN13: 9780061966880

Available formats: Ebook, Hardcover, Audio and Large Print 

Pages: 400

Read Excerpt here

Available Now from Amazon, B&N, Borders

I received this book by the publisher for this review.

Book Description

Wyatt Blaine desperately seeks a reason to continue. Devastated by the senseless deaths of his wife and son at the hands of a drunk driver, he remains unable to forgive, and to love again. Searching for a sense of peace, he decides to revive his late wife's equine therapy program for troubled teens at the Blaine family ranch. By honoring her memory in this way, he hopes to find the sense of closure that has long eluded him. 

But then Wyatt's pastor asks for the impossible—for Wyatt to meet with Gabby Powers, the widow of the man responsible for Wyatt's unbearable sorrow. Wyatt knows Gabby is not to blame for the tragedy, so when she begs him to accept her troubled teenage son, Trevor, into the program, he reluctantly agrees. With some help and guidance from Ram, Wyatt's irascible but lovable father, Wyatt does his best to accept Gabby and Trevor's unsettling presence at the ranch. Even so, Wyatt still feels that he is somehow betraying his late wife's memory rather than honoring it. 

But to his great surprise, Wyatt also finds himself drawn to Gabby's warmth, tenderness, and surprising ability to soothe his troubled soul. Day after day, their mutual attraction becomes more intense, more impossible to ignore. But to heal completely, Wyatt and Gabby must first overcome the common tragedy that separates them and learn the true nature of forgiveness. And only by conquering these seeming impossibilities might their hearts become free to love each other . . . . 

My Thoughts...

Gabby is single mother dealing with young son's not able to cope with the loss of his father at such a young age. Gabby's son, Trevor refuses to accept the truth about his father and the real reason his father died.   She hopes against hope that the one that can help Trevor.  Even if she has to beg to get the help she needs from the one man who's lost his family to her husband's drunk driving. 

Wyatt lost the people that means to him; his wife and son to a drunk driver, Jason Powers. Now some years later Jason Powers' widow, Gabby comes to ask for help and acceptance to his New Beginnings Program.

With the help of their pastor, both he and Gabby manage to get Wyatt to accept Trevor in his program.  There is something about Gabby that slowly worms her way into his thoughts.

If Wishes Were Horses was nothing like I expected. It was more than I can imagine and loved reading every single page. This is one heart warming tale of redemption, loyalty , love and forgiveness between family, friendship and the beginnings of a true love romance.  

I definitely wouldn't have picked this one if not for wonderful person who sent me a copy. *thanks Christine* I normally don't read contemporary romances since I am huge urban fantasy and paranormal reading kind of girl. But Mr. Barclay just won me over from the very beginning of fantastic novel.

There really isn't anything like reading a novel that starts off with a hero/heroine's tragedies that slowly overcome said tragedy and transform from friendship into a love story.

If Wishes Were Horses is one remarkable tale of romance and family love that is going to be cherished by many readers for long time to come. I for one hope that this novel hits the big screen sooner rather than later. 

I rate If Wishes Were Horses a rating of 4 Stars

Early Review: In The Dark of Dreams by Marjorie M. Liu #RomanceBites

In the Dark of Dreams: A Dirk & Steele Novel

She was only twelve when she saw the silver boy on the beach, but Jenny has never stopped dreaming about him. Now she is grown, a marine biologist charting her own course in the family business—a corporation that covertly crosses the boundaries of science into realms of the unknown…and the incredible.

And now he has found her again, her silver boy grown into a man: Perrin, powerful and masculine, and so much more than human—leaving Jenny weak with desire and aching for his touch.

But with their reunion comes mortal danger—from malevolent forces who would alter the world to suit their own dark ends. For Perrin and Jenny—and all living creatures— their only hope for preventing the unthinkable lies in a mysterious empire far beneath the sea—and in the power of their dreams.

This book was provided by the publisher for this review.

In The Dark of Dreams (A Dirk & Steele Novel) will be released on


November 30th, 2010.
Published by Avon.
ISBN-13: 9780062020161

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My Review:






In The Dark of Dreams we are introduced to Jenny... A seemingly ordinary human child who is left alone a lot free time to have fun at the beach by her grandparents home.


One one particular day, Jenny finds a wounded boy... One who is not like any human, yet she gets over her fear and tries to help the boy. And the peace between them is soon disrupted by giant male creature. Nothing could prevent the giant male from attacking her new friend.


Jenny can't help but try to defend the boy but soon realizes there's no hope and runs away. Years pass but Jenny returns to the exact place where she encounters her friend, never realizing that a bond developed that day between the boy and Jenny that can't be denied.


Jenny grew up but never forget her mysterious boy from her childhood. She is now working for her family business searching for and discovering realms of the unknown and something out of the ordinarily. As a marine biologist, Jenny is currently on a mission to discover whether or not the claims that a mysterious female specimen that is not human.


Yet a Jenny gets closer to finding out the truth, danger surrounds her from all angles. Her intuition warns her that there are more enemies around. Even people that are friends soon prove themselves untrustworthy. With no one to turn to as the danger to her life escalates, her childhood 'friend' arrives. The boy with the ice blue eyes comes to rescue.


Perrin never forget the human girl. Even after many years pass the only thing that kept each together was dreams connecting them ever more together.




Let me start saying that this is a newbie to the Dirk & Steele series. In my defense as to why I am just now reading Ms. Liu's series wonderful series … well I can't come up a good enough excuse at the moment.


Jenny is one kick ass heroine with a great vulnerability that will appeal to many readers. We learn why Jenny is alone for one and one reason... She is still waiting on for her hero.. Jenny has much to overcome with and I was glad to see her reunion with her ice blue eyed boy/man.




Her hero, Perrin is strangely unique features yet has lots of determination and force to overcome lots of danger. He is willing to whatever it took to protect his Jenny.. Ms. Liu will show just how much Perrin and Jenny are made for one another.


In The Dark of Dreams is going to exceed readers expectations. A truly magical, fun loving and actiion packed tale that should provide readers hours of pure enjoyment.


The characters are what definitely make a novel come alive and one particular character, kra'a. I absolutely love reading this character's thoughts. Most definitely one of my favorite highlights of this novel.




I give In The Dark of Dreams a 4 out 5 star rating.






Reviewed by:


Lady Romance

Now for the bonus part!!!

Thanks to wonderful people at Avon/HarperCollins Publishing, I have (1)  copy to giveaway to one lucky U.S. resident.


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Giveaway will end on December 3rd, 2010. Winner will be announced on December 4th, 2010.