Dark River Road by Virginia Brown

5 STARs
Well I ended up crying a few times during the story. Felt lots of emotions in the book.
Chantry starts as teenager and comes through a lot of trials before he is 16. Chantry lives with his mom and stepfather and little brother Mike.  He has two older stepbrothers too.
His stepfather is on disabilty and spends his checks on beer. Very selfish. One of his quick money schemes he bought a pregnant dog with money he won gambling.  Chantry helped deliver the 8th pup and he hand fed him and worked two jobs for money to feed him and later train him when his stepfather wanted to kill the pup.
Mike has a lot of health problems and his father did not think much of him either. He wore braces on his legs and still had problems walking. He also had to have sergury on heart too.
Chantry was always told that his father died during vetnam war.  Dempsey the black neighbor was more a father figure too him than his stepfather.
Dempsey was a gardner and his daughter Tansey loved music. Tansey and Chantry grew up friends till she started dating real early. Tansey mother was white and she could pass for white but had to deal with a lot of racisms.  Even had a cross burned in their lawn.
Their was one man Quinton who's family had started the town and still controlled what happens too a lot of people. If you crossed him he could hurt the whole family. His grandson was Chris was spoiled. Chris and two of his friends fought a lot and caused trouble for Chantry. His other granddaughter was Cinda and thats who Chantry liked till her mothe broke them up.
The children drank and had sex way to young in this story for my taste.
The last part of the book takes place fourteen years in the future when Chantry goes back to his home town where he is accused of killing Quinton and most of the other characters are still in the town dealing with the same issues of fourteen years ago.
I cried way too much in this book specially over the dog and at other times in the book. I was very vested into this story. I would recommend this book but have tissues on hand.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley
12/01/2011 PUB Bell Bridge Books.

Review: Time Out by Jill Shalvis

4 STARS
I liked the story line a lot.  It is a Harlequin Blaze so their were the love scenes that I skipped over.
Rainey works at a summer rec league in a poor part of town that was made worse by summer fires. Fires destroyed a few of the ball fields and lots of homes too.
Rainey is having a fund raser car wash and most of left when she gets a bucket of water meant for a teen, when a big fancy truck pulls in. Mark Diego NHL head coach and two of his players.
Mark realizes that its Rainey under the had,glasses and he flirts. Rainey had a crush on him when she was 16 and sneeked into his apartment at collage but he was with a girl.
After the Stanley cup final two of Mark's players got into a fight with the other team players in a bar fight.  The two coaches got together and for their punshment they would volunteer and coach youth summer leagues and than have them play each others teams earning more money for the programs of the coaches home towns.
Mark's brother Rick was in charge of the rec program and is Rainey's best friend growing up and now her boss.
Casey Reynolds & James Vasquez are the youngest players on Mark's team and agreed to do anything to stay on the team. So they were doing construction durning the day and coaching rec teams. Mark and his players where in a motel out in the sticks with no extras at all.
Mark was off thinking about Rainey at a planning meeting instead of listening and he volunteered to coach girls softball team. Casey and James got the boys teams.
Mark & Rainey have a lot of heat and Mark chases off the guys she is trying to date. Mark used to always having his way and wants to take things day by day. Rainey wants it to be just when she wants to get physcal doesn't want to expect things from Mark. Mark likes relationships to be day by day.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest reviews from Netgalley.
02/19/2012 Harlequin Blaze

The Cowboy Father by Linda Ford

 4 STARS
The Cowboy Father follows after The Cowboy Tutor also by Linda Ford.
Each book stands alone but I like seeing the characters from one story in a nother. Each book tells the story of one of the sisters.
In the town of Golden Prairie, Alberta  in 1933 they are in the depression and drought times are hard.  Louisa Morgan's family is struggling finacelly after the death of her father 4 years ago.  Louisa feels  bad because a lot of medical bills are from her. Louisa wants to work to help pay them but their is a lot of people out of work. Louisa finds a job for two months tutoring a little girl who broke her leg and is in full body cast.
Emmet Hamilton has moved back home with his aunt when his daughter broke her leg. He is a widower and had hired someone at his ranch to watch
Ellie but she left her alone.  Emmet found his daughter with a broken leg after she fell out of a tree. Emmet feels guilty that he could not prevent his
Ellie from being hurt.
Ellie is a 7 year old tomboy and hates being trapped in bed and does not want to do homework. Ellie is spoiled by her father andd knows how to get what she wants most of the time. She does not want to have Louisa tutor  her.
Auntie May never had children but  when Emmet's parents were killed in an accident she took him and raised him. She has a lot of cats. She is glad that Emmet and Ellie are staying with her while Ellie heals.
Madge is Louisa's younger sister and her story is told in Tutor Cowboy. She is a new bride.
Judd is married to Madge and has bought a farm near his in-laws.
Louisa feels she will never marry because of all her illness she can never have children. She is heart broken over the fact for her dream of having children is strong.
Emmet has problems that he could not protect his parents , his wife from dying. Now he did not prevent Ellie's accident so he does not want to care for anyone else he might fail to protect.
I enjoyed this story. It has some heartbreaks but they learn to trust in God.
This book does have some scriptures and no sex, foul langage and leaves you feeling good and wanting to see is Louisa's youngest sister gets her own story to.
I was lent this book to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.
02/07/2012 Pub. Harlequin Love Inspired Historical

The Guardian Duke by Jamie Carie

4 STARS
The closer I got to the end I could not see how it could be over and I was right can not wait for the next book. This one was grabbing my attention and did not let go of it.
Gabriel Ravenwood has found out that he has been made a guardian of a girl Lady Alexandria Featherstone he has never met. Then something happened to him to make him go deaf.
Gabriel is a Duke and a very rich one at that. He sends his secratary Meade to the Holy Island  to see what she needs. 
Alex has lived her whole life in an old castle on Holy Island mainly with servants because her parents are always off looking for treasure that they have been hired to do so.  Alex is 20 years old and wants to be loved.
While everyone thinks her parents are dead she does not.  Alex thinks she would know if her parents had died.  Finding out that she has inheired a fortune that the Duke nows oversees.  She starts writing to him asking for money and the right just to stay in her home. Alex keeps saying she needs more money.  With the money she has gotten plans to find her parents and rescues them by herself, scince everyone believes they are dead.
The Duke's doctors have no idea why he has gone deaf. Duke is very well taught in many things, but he loves music. For awhile he gets his hearing back.
The Duke having been ordered to protect Alex by the King sends some of his armies with the Duke to escort them back to London.  He finds out that the King is actually the one to have the Featherstones hired. Has put out that they are dead and wants the Duke to protect her. The Kings of Spain and France also want the manuscript and he is afraid someone might use Alex to
make her parents give the item if they are still alive and find it.
Alex traveling by herself runs into a soldier who plans to teach her a lesson but is rescued by a older Gentleman, who offers to travel with her and help.
Alex has a way that people are willing to help her to find her parents trail. Their are followed by a spaniard, robbed and other road blocks she faces but she won't be stopped for long.
The Duke chases after her trying to follow the Kings orders and is falling in love with her letters as they travel around England and Ireland.
I hate having to wait so long as the next book does not come out till spring.
Its a good adventure and I want the Duke to get his hearing and Alex back.
Want Alex to find her parents alive and the the treasure everyone is seeking.
I was lent this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley
02/01/2012 PUB B&H Publishing Group

Review:Witches Under Way by Debora Geary

5 STARS
It seamed liked I had to wait along time for this second book in the Witch Light Trilogy. It was worth the wait. If you have not picked up any of the series you need to check them out.  They are a community of characters working and helping each other in the witching world.
Its fun to read and I get lost in thier stories.
This second story starts a few days after end of first book.  Lizard is making soup for all the sick witches with Gina hadding herbs and Aervyn age 4 is delivering it by teleporting right in the kitchens of those sick. The young witchlings heal faster than the older ones.
Lizard is still working for Lauren and is getting ready to start collage, sell her first house by herself and lots of growing opportunities that she faces and yet to come.
Elsie starts out still at yoga but soon leaves. She is getting voice lessons from a opera singer. Elsie is willing to try new things from slowly to faster she grows in her playful side. Elise needs help to being silly and people wrote ideas or challanges that are put in a jar for her to do. Her first one is to ride an wild decorated bike out in public.
Lizard and Elsie have become good friends who are for each other. Having met at beginning of their WitchLight sentence and made to share living quarters. You want to root them on some of thier journeys. Also want to see where they go next.
Thier is more of the knitting circle ladies, water fights that make you want to join and laughter and tears. Dressing up fashion shows and new babies to love. I had a smile on most of the book and still smile as I think of different events in the book. I was given this book for free in exchange of past reviews.
1/28/2012 PUB Fireweed Publishing

Getting Lucky by DC Brod

4 STARS
This book was about finding what killed a reporter. Was it just a drunk who ran her down? Or was it because of a story she was working on? What was she working on.
Robyn is having coffee with her mom at their favorite place, when Robyn gets the news of Clair death. Robyn takes her mom back to her assited living apartment.
Robyn is a freelance writer for the paper.  She takes over the one article that clair was assigned and also follow through on the hit and run of Clair.
Clair was writing on a new green housing development. Robyn tried to learn
and follow Clair's trail.  Robyn finds some pictures on her camera of a meeting being of two guys.
Robyn sees her boyfriend Mick at a restraunt with a younger woman. Robyn at 40 does not want kids. Mick is not sure he wants kids or not. He is not ready to make sure of that decision right now. So they are cooling off.
Mick is still a big help to Robyn and they are not yet ready to lose their friendship.
Robyn's mom wants to buy a house and live in it with Robyn. Her mom is starting to have problems with her memory.
Robyn & Mick get called by his new secratary to help because a john died in her sister's apartment. She is trying to get out of that life, but if her sister finds out he was at their apartment she would be homeless. Robyn had just
had dinner with him about the housing development and lunch with his wife Kat an old high school  rival.  So they ended up moving the body and putting it in his car in a parking lot.
Their is laughter and serious mystery.  It is a nice story and I would like to see more of the characters Robyn and Mick.  I was lent this ebook in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
Dec.11,2011 PUB Tyrus Books

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother Where's My Prince by Melissa kantor

5 STARS
Well if the purpose of this book is to make me feel for Lucy it was successful.
My  emotions where all over the place even shed a bunch of tears.
Lucy's father got remarried and they moved from San Francisco to New York to live in her stepmother's house.  Then her father kept working in San Francisco on a big case for work and flew into New york for weekends.
Lucy's stepmother is busy shopping and cares about redecorating the whole house but not her room.  Lucy lives in the basement by herself. Sleeps on a air mattress has no place to put her clothes, because she was not allowed to move with her furniture just being told we will buy more.
six months later she finally gets a bed and then told her friend was comming for a week and will have her bedroom. Lucy gets the couch.
Lucy calls her two spoiled 12 old twins Princess 1 & Princess 2.  Lucy feels like she does all the cleaning but they don't have too.
Lucy has no friends at the new school. She did try to talk to a boy Sam in art class but he was rude.  One day she heard these boys talking about a NBA basketball game who was going to win.  Lucy made a remark about they being so wrong.  Next time she saw them they told her good call on the game. Then Connor Pearson started to ask her out. Connor was popular and on the basketball team. Lucy than became popular and had friends and lots of others waved or talked to her in the halls.
The only problems I had with the book was all the drinks they had and was no big deal. champaign, wiskey.beer seemed like the adults did not care either. The skimpy clothes too without comments.
I was lent this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.
03/27/2010 PUB Disney-Hyperion  320 pages