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7/31/2017

Love Letters by Debbie Macomber


What is it about love letters and that some of us keep them for a lifetime while others don´t? One love letter shows a woman what she had and what she wants back but she isn´t sure if she and her husband will be able to repair their marriage let alone their trust in each other. This time the author comes up with some heavy stuff in her story as well as in her characters. A broken marriage, a mother who is in esperate need to control every little part of her daughter´s life. A grown-up daughter, if I may add.


Love Letters
by Debbie Macomber
Rose Harbor Series #3
Publisher Ballantine Books on June 28, 2016
Genre Novel
Pages 352
Format Softcover
Source Library
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶

Summer is a busy season at the inn, so proprietor Jo Marie Rose and handyman Mark Taylor have spent a lot of time together keeping the property running. Despite some folks´ good-natured claims to the contrary, Jo Marie insists that Mark is only a friend. However, she seems to be thinking about this particular friend a great deal lately. Jo Marie knows surprisingly little about Mark´s life, due in no small part to his refusal to discuss it. She´s determined to learn more about his past, but first, she must face her own – and welcome three visitors who, like her, are setting out on new paths. Twenty-three-year-old Ellie Reynolds is taking a leap of faith. She´s come to Cedar Cove to meet Tom, a man she´s been corresponding with for months, and with whom she might even be falling in love. Ellie´s overprotective mother disapproves of her trip, but Ellie is determined to spread her wings. Maggie and Roy Porter are next to arrive at the inn. They are taking their first vacation alone since their children were born. In the wake of past mistakes, they hope to rekindle the spark in their marriage – and to win back each other´s trust. But Maggie must make one last confession that could forever tear them apart. For each of these characters, it will ultimately be a moment when someone wore their heart on their sleeve – and took pen to paper – that makes all the difference.
Story
Jo Marie is curious. It lays in her family and the fact that she doesn´t know a tiny little thing about her friend Mark is almost killing her. She does everything to get to know some things about him, and when she has to learn that he doesn´t like what she is trying to do, things become weird. 

Style
This time it wasn´t as much fun to read as with the other two books. The tone was still sensitive and soft, yes, but I missed something I had seen in the previous books. Maybe it was because of the behavior of Ellie´s mother. That control freak who really believes that she can tell her daughter, who is her mid-twenties, what to do, and when. I almost laughed when I read that for the first time in this novel. Good, Debbie Macomber shows that not every family is a great one, and that some parents are very overprotective and that not all children get well out of it. But for my taste, it was a bit too dark and too blunt.

Characters
The curiosity Jo Marie shows towards Mark is something I will never get used to it. It looks as if she is obsessed with him, but not in a good way. What she does to make him talk and tell her something about him, is really something. At some point, I was asking myself why in the world she was acting like a loony to make him tell her. It needs trust to open to another person and to tell the deepest hidden things that are important to you. And trust needs time to grow. So why in the world is she acting the way she is? That side of Jo Marie I don´t like very much, to be honest.


Conclusion
This book wasn´t as touching and moving as the others have been. Yes, there was love, romance and again, a bit drama in it. And yes, the author wrote it in her usual sensitive and wonderful style. But for some reason, I wasn´t as hooked as I was during reading the first two books. 



Happy reading














Cover of the German edition by Blanvalet published on May 16, 2016 


Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber ©Dan Gregory Meyer



Debbie Macomber is the owner of the Victorian Tea Room and the yarn shop A Good Yarn, which was named after the store in her successful book Blossom Street. She is the author of Sweet Tomorrows, among many other books, and a leading voice in women´s fiction. Ten of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber´s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber´s Cedar Cove books. She has more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. Debbie Macomber, who likes to be a grandmother, lives with her husband Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington, where her novels play and spends the winter in Florida. 

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7/29/2017

Schlaflos In Manhattan by Sarah Morgan


I know the author from one of her Puffin Island books. And since I have enjoyed that one very much, I took my chance when I got this one offered. And what a great ride it was. Holy smokes! If you are looking for deep emotions, a female main figure who loves life, wants to be independent, loves what she does for a living, and is still as female as you can imagine, then this is a book you should definitely read. Good, I would have preferred the UK cover on the German edition way more, but the story it contains is the same. And that story took me in from the very first moment I started reading it.


Schlaflos In Manhattan*
by Sarah Morgan
From Manhattan With Love Series #1
Original Title Sleepless In Manhattan
Publisher Mira TB on February 6, 2017
Genre Novel
Pages 442
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶½

Cool, calm and competent, events planner Paige Walker loves a challenge. After a childhood spent in and out of hospitals, she´s now determined to prove herself – and where better to take the world by storm than in the exhilarating bustle of Manhattan? But when Paige is let go from the job she loves, she must face her biggest challenge of all – going it alone. Except launching her own events company is nothing compared to hiding her outrageous crush on Jake Romano – her brother´s best friend, New York´s most in-demand date, and the only man to break her heart. When Jake offers Paige´s fledgling company a big chance, their still-sizzling chemistry starts giving her sleepless nights. But can she convince the man who trusts no one to take a chance on forever?
Story
Paige is a young woman who wants to get the best out of her life as possible. After she had to live her entire childhood as if she were made of glass and was wrapped in cotton balls by her parents and brother because of her heart disease, she is now as a grown-up woman fighting to actually live. Because her parents and her brother still think that she needs to be protected and that she can´t make decisions on her own. Only Jake treats her in a different way. Good, he keeps her at bay, but he is always open and honest with her. In fact, he drives her up the walls whenever possible.

Style
This novel is a fantastic mixture of all the emotions life has to offer. Deep passion, hot sex, the loyalty only true friends, and a caring and loving family can give you and the knowledge that life isn´t self-evident. Combined with a heartwarming story that shows you a woman who takes for the first time in her life the risk to become her own boss and still be able to do what she loves and always wanted: to plan and organize events for others. Sarah Morgan shoes in a soft and sensitive way how confusing, complicated, and threatening life sometimes can be. And how hard it can become to let someone love you. Truly, deeply, and with everything that comes along with that. 

But what I found the most astonishing is the tone the author uses this time. Yes, there is a lot of fun, humor, irony, and hilarious things in this novel, but also a darker tone who gives you a sensational thrill every time you turn a page and keep reading.

Characters
I don´t know how she does it, but Sarah Morgan has a gorgeous way to create her characters. No matter if the female ones or the male ones. All her characters convince you that this could easily be you. There is a depth in them, a profoundness that makes you wish you could step right into the story and be a part of their lives, knowing that this is pure fiction. 

While Paige is always determined to have everything under control, Eva is the one with all the romantic stuff swirling around her head and knowing her two best friends from the insight out. Frankie is as pragmatic and hard-headed as you can imagine. Love doesn´t exist in real life and never ever get yourself a boyfriend – that means only trouble, tears, and whatever life thinks is fun for that matter.

And Jake, oh holy smokes! Sex on two legs – got the picture? He runs his own business, can choose whom he takes in as a new client and he knows exactly what he wants. Anything but love. Sex, yes, but love? God forbids. He carries around with him a lot of emotional stuff and not even his mother Maria is able to take that away from him. But when Paige confronts him with her feelings and how she is seeing things, the worst-case scenario happens. And the world is all of the sudden turned upside down – for both.


Conclusion
This book was GREAT! I didn´t expect such a dark tone when it comes to a Sarah Morgan book, but it fits completely. I enjoyed every second while reading, I had tears running down my cheeks and was a wreck when it came to the worst. This is a beautifully written novel. Thank God, I have the next one already laying here. Need to know how things will go on with those three girls. Absolutely thrilled!



Happy reading







*This book was kindly provided to me by Mira TB in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.







  



*This book was published Sleepless in Manhattan in the UK by Mira on March 10, 2016 











*This book was published Sleepless in Manhattan in the US by Harlequin on May 31, 2016

Sarah Morgan
Sarah Morgan ©Rosanna Hancock Photography




Sarah Morgan dreamed as a child of being a writer and although she took a few interesting detours along the way, she is now living her dream. She loves being outdoors, preferably on vacation so she can forget the house needs tidying. Sarah Morgan writes hot, happy contemporary romance with humor and sensuality. She has sold over 14 million copies of her books and was nominated four years in succession for the prestigious RITA© Award from the Romance Writers of America which she won twice; in 2012 and 2013. She also won the RT Reviewers´ Choice Award in 2012 and has made numerous appearances in their `Top Pick´ slot. Together with her husband and children, she lives near London, England.

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7/28/2017

Follow Friday #24 – Highlight July 2017


Launched by Sonja of A Bookshelf Full Of Sunshine, continued by FiktiveWelten with a new logo. The blog action is for lively communication between bloggers, a good network, and should be fun. Duration of the question: Friday to Thursday. Rules. No registration required. This week the FF is all about our book highlight for July. I actually have two books this month (couldn´t decide which one, so I took both) that I want to highlight.

My first is Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. My first book by the author and one hell of a great high-fantasy novel. Three you women, three crowns but only one will be the real one. This fantasy novel is about faith, passion, magic, power, and people who do everything that´s within their power and beyond to keep or gain what they desire.

My review here.


 




My other choice is Sleepless in Manhattan by Sarah Morgan. This book had a great impact on me, left me with tears running down my cheeks, and put me into a real emotional turmoil. Never thought the author could write a novel like this.

My review here.


   UK                     US  
 

German 



What was your reading highlight during July?



Happy reading


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7/27/2017

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake


In this case, I cannot decide which of the covers I like more. Each of them looks in its own way stunning and is a real pleasure to the eye. Both show that the novel is about something dark, haunting, and promises a book that could catch you easily for hours without getting bored. And yes, I read this book with growing pleasure, and though this was my very first Kendare Blake book and I am not reading that often a high fantasy novel, this one really took me in. Good, I have to admit that the word dark became a new meaning to me. I wouldn´t say that this novel is too dark, but there are for sure parts in the story which show the brutality and cruelty a human can have buried deep down inside of them. And it seems that some of those human beings do enjoy being very cruel to others.


Three Dark Crowns*
by Kendare Blake
Three Dark Crowns Series #1
Publisher Harper Teen on September 20, 2016
Genre Fantasy
Pages 416
Format Softcover
Source Publisher**
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions. But becoming the Queen Crowned isn´t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it´s not just a game of win or lose … it´s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.
Story
Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine are triplets and born to be queen one day over the island of Fennbirn. But not until their sixteens birthday, when their real coveted magic will hopefully either be already deployed or start to grow. And when it becomes clear to those, who have to raise and educate them; that at least two of the triplets’ don´t have strong coveted magic, things start to get rough. One party wants the reign of the poisoner to be over, another part wants to keep the power, they call their own for a hundred years at all costs. Even when that means that they must work with tricks to get their queen on the throne. 

It was quite fascinating to watch the three queens living and acting in their natural environment. One grew up in the city, another in the wild nature, and the third in a place between both. All three are supposed to have a certain kind of magic. And all three are supposed to show what kind of magic they own by birth at some point during their education. But only one so far seems to be completely developed and trained. Kendare Blake shows in a dark but very entertaining way how the life of those three future queens looks, how they do everything they can to survive their sixteen´s birthday, and to have a future.

Characters
Intrigue, lies, power, and the knowledge that only one will survive come together in strong and very imaginative characters who do their best to keep what they already have or to gain something new. The characters are profound, with incredible depth for fantasy figures, and all show at some point their real nature or face to the outside.

Arsinoe is the one, of the three queens, I like the most. Grown-up with the knowledge that she will never look like a real beauty, although she is a beauty just in a different way, and with the fact in mind, that she hasn´t found her own Familiaris yet. She risks a lot and comes up with strange ideas – all with the knowledge in mind that she might not survive her twentieth birthday. Everything depends on her out coming on Beltane. And how she masters her life until then is really great to watch. She feels like you and me like not everything needs to be perfect to actually be perfect.


Conclusion
I had a really good time reading this first book of Kendare Blake´s new series. It was a real adventure to explore her writing-style, to dive into her kind of fantasy, her way of creating not only scenes and the plot but also her characters. And the psychological finesse you´ll find in this great written high fantasy novel is totally stunning. I am thrilled in a very special way and know for sure that I want to read the next book. Highly recommended.



Happy reading













*I read the German edition new release by Penhaligon** on May 9, 2017 


Kendare Blake
Kendare Blake ©Shawn H. Nichols Photography




Kendare Blake holds an MA in creative writing from Middlesex University in northern London. She is the author of Anna Dressed in Blood, a Cybils Awards finalist. Her books have been translated into eighteen languages, have been featured in multiple best-of-year lists, and have received many regional and librarian awards. Kendare Blake loves animals of all kinds and is also fascinated by Greek mythology. She lives and writes in Kent, Washington.

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7/26/2017

The Last Ever After by Soman Chainani


You wouldn´t believe it, but this beautiful cover is the nicest part of this book. Its content is brutal and cruel, about love, war, and that not always a happy ending means that everyone is happy or that everything is all sunshine and butterflies. You don´t believe me? Read this book, and you know what I am talking about. Maybe I am grown out of this kind of book or this series in general, I don´t know. All I know is that I didn´t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first book. Good, after the ending of book two I hoped that it would go back to the old charm and wit and that there would be again all those kinds of scenes, the author showed with such great humor and irony in the first book. Well, think again.


The Last Ever After*
by Soman Chainani
The School For Good And Evil #3
Publisher Harper Collins on July 21, 2015
Genre Children 12+
Pages 672
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*
Goodreads
✶✶✶

Former best friends Sophie and Agatha thought their ending was sealed when they went their separate ways, but their story book is about to be rewritten – and this time theirs isn´t the only one. With the girls apart, Evil has taken over and the forces of Good are in deathly peril. Will Agatha and Sophie be able to work together to save them? Will they find their way to being friends again? And will their new ending be the last Ever After they´ve been searching for?
Story
Agatha can´t believe it, but since she and Tedros are back home at Gavaldon, her world is upside down. They have to hide in her mother´s place and Tedros becomes day by day more obnoxious and complains about everything. Is this the prince she fell in love with? No, for sure not! And her happy ending isn´t at all the way she´d expected it to be. But when she and Tedros are back in the forest, Agatha has to learn that things got worse here as well. 

Style
I missed the humor, the great scenes where the author had burned a firework of irony, fantastic ideas, and a brilliant Agatha who fought with Sophie over the prince of her dreams. This third book contains not even a quarter of all that. Yes, there is some humor and wit dialogues to find in here, but mostly towards the end of the novel. The language is soft, the action bloody, cruel and very dark. Forget that Cinderella was a lovely beauty with great charm. This one here is an old hag who has nothing else on her mind but to eat everything she can get into her dirty and greedy fingers. And this is only the beginning of it.

Yes, all those old fairy tale figures are nothing but empoisoned characters who´ve seen far better days and who aren´t really willing to help Agatha and Tedros to bring back the balance between Good and Evil. Oh no.

Characters
Did I mention that Tedros is far from being the prince of your dreams? If you´re looking for a strong and brave prince who´s willing to fight and defend his princes, love, and dreams, then think again. Tedros is a week coward, an idiot who rather eats everything he can get a grip on instead of training or trying to get to know Agatha better. And don´t put him into a tiny room with no chance to step outside. 

And Sophie? She is as envy and bad as ever. One moment she wants to do everything to get her best friend Agatha back, the next she uses her knife and thinks of something to get Tedros back into her life. What a friend. 


Conclusion
This was indeed a long read for me. Many pages had to be turned, even more, words to be read. In the end, I was disappointed and am not sure if I will read the fourth book as well. Oh yes, there is another one. Hard to believe, but the truth …



Happy reading













*I read the German edition new release by Ravensburger on February 14, 2017  


Soman Chainani
Soman Chainani ©private




Soman Chainani´s first novel, The School for Good and Evil, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list, as did each of its two sequels, A World Without Princes and The Last Ever After. The series has been translated into over twenty languages across six continents and will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures. As a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University´s MFA Film Program, Soman has made films that have played at over 150 festivals around the world, and his writing awards include the Sun Valley Writer´s Fellowship. When he´s not telling stories’, or teaching in New York City, Soman is a die-hard tennis player who never lost a first-round match for ten years … until he started writing The School for Good and Evil. Now he loses all the time.

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7/25/2017

Rosen, Tee Und Kandiszucker by Caroline Roberts


The original book is called The Cosy Teashop in the Castle and its nice cover you can see at the end of this review. Sometimes I am really wondering why a beautiful original cover can´t be used for its translated version as well. But okay, not me to make that decision.


Rosen, Tee Und Kandiszucker*
by Caroline Roberts
The Cosy Teashop #1
Original Title The Cosy Teashop In The Castle
Publisher Mira TB on February 25, 2017
Genre Novel
Pages 366
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶

When Ellie Hall lands her dream job running the little teashop in the beautiful but crumbling Claverham Castle, it´s the perfect escape from her humdrum job in the city. Life is definitely on the rise as Ellie replaces spreadsheets for scones, and continues her Nanna´s brilliant baking legacy. When Lord Henry, the stick-in-the-mud owner, threatens to burst her baking bubble with his old-fashioned ways, Ellie wonders if she might have bitten off more than she can chew. But cupcake by cupcake she wins the locals over, including teashop stalwart, Doris, and Ellie´s showstopping bakes look set to go down in castle history. Now all that´s missing in Ellie´s life is a slice of romance. Can Joe, the brooding estate manager, be the one to put the cherry on the top of Ellie´s dream?
Story
Ellie wants to make her dream of running a nice little tea shop become a reality. That she has no experience with planning and how to actually run a bakery business, doesn´t matter to her. She knows for sure how to bake all the delicious little cakes, cupcakes, and muffins and with the help of the old recipe book her grandmother once used, she is absolutely confident, that she will make it. If only her feelings wouldn´t be that confusing. The manager of the estate is giving her weak knees and the old owner of Claverham Castle, Lord Henry, doesn´t make things easier as well.

Style
The author´s style is very soft. Caroline Roberts has a beautiful way to describe the landscape this novel is set in and with her words, she makes your mouth water when it comes to all the fantastic pastries Ellie is creating. And the little romance that starts between Ellie and Joe is somehow nice to watch. But what I didn´t like that much was the length everything had. It took ages for Ellie and Joe to come together – at least that was what I felt during reading. The book started great and I thought oh that is one of those you can read and enjoy at the same time within no time. Well …

The novel itself is brought to the reader from Ellies and Joe´s view through an invisible narrator. You can´t miss whose´ turn it is because every part is named. There are many things happening in this novel, and at some point, I thought that less would have been way more for this book. No doubt, the author can create interesting characters and she has a lovely way to bring friends and the love of a family together. And as lovely as all that was, the kitschy part of this book wasn´t the ideal frame for it.

Characters
Ellie is a young woman who is great at making big plans only to almost destroy them seconds later with all her doubts and worries. She wants to break free from her family on one hand, but on the other, she is very afraid to start new. She runs into things without having a real plan. Some of her thoughts made me think if she is one of those young women who want a lot in life but are too afraid and naïve to actually live and do it in the end.

Joe is a man who knows how to handle the old Lord Henry very well. He grew up in a way that made him a very careful man and gave him a bond that thought him that he can achieve anything if he really wants it and is only working hard enough. The moment he realizes that Ellie isn´t as experienced as she made him believe during their interviews, he doesn´t hesitate to do everything he can to help her.


Conclusion
Sad, but this novel was not really mine. Yes, it was filled with romance and contained some lovely characters. But during some pages, I missed the special something. And the sex scenes didn´t really fit into the style the rest of the book had. Sad, but can´t really recommend it.



Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Mira Taschenbuch in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.










Cover of the original edition by HarperImpulse


Caroline Roberts
Caroline Roberts ©Richard Kenworthy




Family, friends, food, a glass of bubbly and, of course, a good book make her smile. Caroline Roberts loves to write emotional stories about love, loss, betrayal, and family that explore how complex and yet beautiful love can be. Caroline also likes to write romantic comedy, letting the characters have a bit of fun too! She believes in following your dreams, which led her to Harper Impulse and a publishing deal after many years of writing. She is home in stunning Northumberland or better said Chatton near Alnwick. The sandy beaches, castles, and gorgeous countryside have inspired her writing.

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7/24/2017

Rose Harbor In Bloom by Debbie Macomber


If you are looking for a novel filled with emotions, happy ends, and a bit tension, then this is definitely your book. I never thought that the author could come up with such an intense and at the same time soft novel and that without being kitschy at all. For every fan of Debbie Macomber. Again, a sweet to read a novel about the people of Cedar Cove. Jo Marie goes into another round with her bed & breakfast and some turmoil and drama, as well as romance,  is brought to the reader´s eye. And what drama and romance that was. Phew. Cancer is never good, but here in combination with lost love and a child that wasn´t supposed to be born, this plot is strong stuff – so to speak.


Rose Harbor In Bloom
by Debbie Macomber
Rose Harbor Series #2
Publisher Ballantine Books on June 23, 2015
Genre Novel
Pages 384
Format Paperback
Source Library
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶½

Since moving to Cedar Cove, Jo Marie Rose has truly started to feel at home, and her neighbors have become her closest friends. Now it´s springtime, and Jo Marie is eager to finish the most recent addition to her inn. In memory of her late husband, Paul, she has designed a beautiful rose garden for the property and enlisted handyman Mark Taylor to help realize it. She and Mark don´t always see eye-to-eye – and at times he seems far removed – yet deep down, Jo Marie finds great comfort in his company. And while she still seeks a sense of closure, she welcomes her latest guests, who are on their own healing journeys. Annie Newton arrives in town to orchestrate the anniversary celebration. While Annie is excited for the festivities, she´s struggling to move on from her broken engagement, and her grandparents themselves seem to be having trouble getting along. Worse, Annie is forced to see Oliver Sutton, with whom she grew up and who has always mercilessly teased her. But the best parties end with a surprise, and Annie is in for the biggest one of all. High-powered businessman Mary Smith, another Rose Harbor Inn guest, has achieved incredible success in her field, yet serious illness has led her to face her sole, lingering regret. Almost nineteen years ago, she ended her relationship with her true love, George Hudson, and now she´s returned to Cedar Cove to make amends. 
Story
Jo Marie runs her bed & breakfast with all her heart. But she still misses her late husband dearly and the fact that there is no coffin yet for her that she can bury, she still struggles with his death. A little piece of hope is still inside her and with that hope, she goes through her days. Mary is forced to change her life completely. Her cancer is the only thing that can force her to actually stop, take a breath, and start to rethink and reconsider all the decisions she´s made throughout her entire life. In Cedar Cove, she hopes to see one person she only met as a baby and to come to terms with everything. 

Style
In a soft written tone and with a sensitive feeling for the drama Debbie Macomber brings another story to Cedar Cove and the Rose Harbor Inn. This time the novel is during some pages very moving and the little tension you can feel between some lines is absolutely touching and brings you close to tears.

Characters
A career woman who left her one true love to get what she wants from her job, a young woman who believes that the marriage of her grandparents is the one thing she wants, too and a widow how struggles with the sudden death of her husband. And of course, the handyman who turns out to be a complete idiot. 

Yes, Mark is a special man. His behavior sometimes is really something and I could have easily kicked his ass because of his rude behavior towards Jo Marie. What kind of guy do such things? And his working morale is quite astonishing. He comes and goes as he pleases and does everything as fast as a slug. 


Conclusion
In the end, I shed some tears and was totally emotional. Again, the author managed to get me with her wonderful story about love, remorse, and forgiveness. And again this was an over-night-read when I actually was supposed to get some sleep *smile*



Happy reading












Cover of the German edition by Blanvalet published on February 15, 2016 


Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber ©Dan Gregory Meyer



Debbie Macomber is the owner of the Victorian Tea Room and the yarn shop A Good Yarn, which was named after the store in her successful book Blossom Street. She is the author of Sweet Tomorrows, among many other books, and a leading voice in women´s fiction. Ten of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber´s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber´s Cedar Cove books. She has more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. Debbie Macomber, who likes to be a grandmother, lives with her husband Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington, where her novels play and spends the winter in Florida. 

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7/19/2017

Kingdom Of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas


The cover isn´t as beautiful as the other one, though it looks quite nice. It looks more grown-up, more severe and though the German edition has the same cover motive than the original edition, the picture shown is a bit different. And it fits the design of book one of this dilogy very well. Of course, I had to read and see how the story between Aurora and Finnegan would continue and how everything would unfold. And it was a bit different how things became and at the beginning, I thought this could be a higher star rating. But in the end, it turned out to be something else.


Kingdom Of Ashes*
by Rhiannon Thomas
A Wicked Thing #2
Publisher Harper Teen on February 23, 2016
Genre Children 14+
Pages 368
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶

Aurora was supposed to be her kingdom´s savior. But when she was forced to decide between being loyal to the crown and loyal to her country, she set events in motion that branded her a traitor. Now, hunted by the king´s soldiers, Aurora´s only chance of freeing her kingdom from the king´s tyrannical rules is by learning to control her magic. But Aurora´s powers come at a price – one that forces her to leave the only home she´s ever known, one that demands she choose between the man she loves and the people she seeks to protect, and one that will cause her to unravel the mysteries surrounding the curse that was placed on her over a century before … and uncover the truth about her destiny.
Story
Aurora isn´t used hiding and seeking shelter in the open. She doesn´t know how to make a fire, how to find food without stealing it, or where to go to be safe. And when she follows her instincts, she discovers the fatal truth that her ability is far more dangerous than she ever thought. And for an untrained person quite deadly. She has no choice but to take the help that is offered to her and find her own way to save her kingdom and her people.

Style
To be honest, during reading this book I sometimes thought, nice idea but it wasn´t necessary at all or needed. This is a story that has nothing to do anymore with the fairytale about Sleeping Beauty. Yes, the basics are still there, but mostly this book is about war, blood, intrigue, and a young woman who has no clue how to survive in the world. Stripped from everything she knows, she is forced to trust people she barely knows, and to do things she never imagined she would. The author describes all that in a soft, but simple tone and language with some very brutal and bloody scenes. And there are plenty of them. Sure, there is some romance shining through the pages and it becomes very clear that there will be somehow a Happy Ending. But the how and why is anything but.

Characters
Don´t expect great depth or very profound characters. Or that they will reveal a deeper meaning to everything that happens. No, this is a show of two figures who do everything they believe is right and will help their cause. Nothing bad, no, not very haunting or fascinating either.

Aurora is born to be a princess and to become a queen. But not during the century she was born. It takes her quite some time to learn that she was raised with many lies, that not every story she heard or read was true or written down the way everything really happened. She is strong-willed, yes, and she knows how to handle people and to play her natural authority if she has to, but not in an elegant or very diplomatic way.


Conclusion
Okay, I gave it a half star more, but that means still, that I see this novel as an average story. There is nothing outstanding here, and although it was a nice read with some very good scenes, I can´t give it more stars than I do. A nice to look at cover doesn´t make the novel itself better. Sorry, but that is how I feel about it.



Happy reading













*I read the German edition new release by Fischer Sauerländer June 22, 2017 


Rhiannon Thomas
Rhiannon Thomas ©Sodium Ltd





Rhiannon Thomas is an English Lit grad from Princeton University. She currently lives in York, England, in the shadow of a thirteenth-century Gothic cathedral. When she isn´t lost in YA fantasy, she writes about feminism and the media on her blog.

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7/17/2017

The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber


Since I´ve seen the Cedar Cove series, based on the author´s Cedar Cove books, I am a huge fan of her. And when I discovered this book I couldn´t resist. Sometimes you just need a little something that isn´t the usual stuff to get another perspective. And how perfect this novel was for me. A nice and sweet read without being kitschy and with a setting I could literally see before my own eyes. If you´re in for a wonderful, sensitive novel with a little spiritual touch brought into it in a very lovely way, I suggest you start reading this.


The Inn At Rose Harbor*
by Debbie Macomber
Rose Harbor Series #1
Publisher Ballantine Books on March 25, 2014
Genre Novel
Pages 384
Format Paperback
Source Library
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶½

Jo Marie Rose first arrives in Cedar Cove seeking a sense of peace and a fresh start. Coping with the death of her husband, she purchases a local bed-and-breakfast - the newly christened Rose Harbor Inn – ready to begin her life anew. Yet the inn holds more surprises than Jo Marie can imagine. Her first guest is Joshua Weaver, who has come home to care for his ailing stepfather. The two have never seen eye to eye, and Joshua has little hope that they can reconcile their differences. But a long-lost acquaintance from Joshua´s high school days proves him that forgiveness is never out of reach and love can bloom even where it´s least expected. The other guest is Abby Kincaid, who has returned to Cedar Cove to attend her brother´s wedding. Back for the first time in twenty years, she almost wishes she hadn´t come, the picturesque town harboring painful memories from her past. And while Abby reconnects with family and old friends, she realizes she can only move on if she truly allows herself to let go.
Story
Jo Marie has lost her husband very early after they got married. Now she wants to start over again and uses his legacy to purchase a bed and breakfast in Cedar Cove. And there it is where she feels that she is not only healing but also at home. And closer to Paul than ever before. Her guests have their own things to deal with and when Rover, a dog from the street, comes into her life, she knows that she will never be alone.

Style
Debbie Macomber uses a soft, sensitive, and very simple writing style and tone in her novels. And if you are familiar with her Cedar Cove series, with Olivia and Grace, you will probably be more than happy to see them again in this novel. The author has a very lovely way to bring you in touch and closer to her figures. The sorrows and worries they have, their life in general that some of us have a heavier burden to carry than others. All that is brought to the reader in the great landscape and setting of a beautiful little town in Washington, where people care about each other and help each other in every way possible. And for Jo, that means that she is offered every help she needs to start and run her business in a successful way with the help of the people of the town.

No matter what happens in this book, the author writes about it with dignity. Whether it is the dying of an old grumpy man full of hate for the rest of the world, or the quiet suffering of a young woman who believes that she is the reason why her best friend had to die over twenty years ago. She gives all of them their own voice and lets them speak in their own way. So, yes you will hear some rude tones, but always with style and great to read.

Characters
Her figures are normal people like you and me, who have suffered a lot or still do. There is a strength in the characters, a lovely side that comes out after a while, that you will start to love. Jo was married only a couple of months when she got the devastating news of the death of her husband. She decides to move and leave her old life behind her, feeling that this would be the only way for her to survive this horrible tragedy and to get on with her life as best as possible. In Cedar Cove, she feels from the first moment that there is a special connection between her and the bed and breakfast she is walking through. Her discreet personality, her way to see things, to act and to speak with her guests and the people in town is wonderful to watch and so beautiful, I kind of fell in love with her.


Conclusion
After reading this novel, I had tears in my eyes. This was heartbreaking, heartwarming, sensitive, and very touching. And the style the author has, with heart, emotions, and such great tactfulness is just something you sometimes need. I recommend this to anyone who needs and wants a bit of romance, troubled past, and a happy ending in his daily life.



Happy reading










Cover of the German edition by Blanvalet published on October 19, 2015


Debbie Macomber
Debbie Macomber ©Dan Gregory Meyer


Debbie Macomber is the owner of the Victorian Tea Room and the yarn shop A Good Yarn, which was named after the store in her successful book Blossom Street. She is the author of Sweet Tomorrows, among many other books, and a leading voice in women´s fiction. Ten of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber´s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber´s Cedar Cove books. She has more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. Debbie Macomber, who likes to be a grandmother, lives with her husband Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington, where her novels play and spends the winter in Florida.

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