Monday, May 28, 2012

An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi

an-unexpected-guest-193x300 Title: An Unexpected Guest                                         Author: Anne Korkeakivi                                                 ISBN: 978-0-316-19677-2                                    Publisher: Little, Brown and Company                        Format: Hardback                                                       $24.99                                                                           How I Read It: Hardback copy from Publisher             Rating: 5 Cups

Clare Moorhouse is an American in Paris who has been leading a graceful like abroad. There are pleasures to being married to a high-ranking diplomat, but there are also appearances to be upheld and responsibilities to be executed—like tonight’s unexpected dinner part, one crucial to her husband’s career. As Clare navigates the spring-green streets of Paris, shopping for fresh stalks of asparagus, the right chesses, and flowers for the table, she is haunted by a brief period of violence in her past that threatens to resurface and crack the immaculate veneer she’s worked so hard to achieve. At tonight’s dinner, her husband hopes to receive a new posting. But to Clare, the potential move means wrestling with a secret that has been deeply and carefully buried for twenty-five years—or so she thought.

The myriad preparations for dinner are only the beginning of her day’s complications. Clare’s son appears on her doorstep, absent without permission from his boarding school. But much more unsettling is a face in the crowd that she glimpses again and again. A face that belongs to that other, darker era of her life, and one she never expected to see again. (from the jacket flap)

My Thoughts:

An Unexpected Guest offers readers a glimpse in the life of a diplomat’s wife. However, Clare Moorhouse is hiding a terrible secret that could completely ruin her life as well as her husband’s career. Unable to move past the horrible act she committed she is plagued by visions of the man she aided.

When she discovers that she holds information on a suspected terrorist the events of her past come rushing back to her.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like book as this is not normally something that I read. However, once I discovered that the events revolved around the Irish troubles, I was hooked and ended up reading this book in one sitting.

 

Best Wishes & Happy Reading,

Angela Renee

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Book Watch Pride & Pyramids by Amanda Grange & Jacqueline Webb

 

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THE PLEASING AND PROPER DARCY FAMILY VISITS THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS.

Pulled into the craze of Egyptology, the Darcys and their lively children embark on an expedition to find a hidden tomb and uncover its treasure. Not only are immeasurable riches awaiting them in the exotic land of the Sphinx, but also danger and betrayal and the chances to lay an ancient grudge to rest…

Amanda Grange, bestselling author of Mr. Darcy’s Diary and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, teams up with Egyptologist Jacqueline Webb to create a breathtaking historical tale. The Darcys’ adventures at the hands of these talented storytellers open up whole new realms of exploration for lovers of Jane Austen and the Regency World.  (from the back of the arc)

Title: Pride & Prejudice

Author: Amanda Grange & Jacqueline Webb

ISBN: 978-1-4022-6534-1

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Release Date: July 2012

Read an Excerpt 

Fans of Amanda Grange will be pleased to know that Sourcebooks Landmark is releasing Pride & Pyramids July 2012.

Having read and loved the majority of Amanda Grange’s Austen-inspired novels, I was super excited when I received the offer to review Pride & Pyramids. I was even more excited when I came home today and the arc was in my mailbox!

After reading the first two chapters, this is definitely a book to watch for.

Until We Meet Again,

Angela Renee

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Books, Bumblebees, and Baby Birds

 

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I love reading in the garden. There is nothing like curling up in my wooden swing with a good book while the sounds of nature buzz around me.

As I sit in the garden, book in hand, birds are flitting from tree to tree, stopping every once in awhile to pluck a worm from the ground as they make their way back to their chirping nests filled with baby birds. Bumblebees are buzzing around sampling the last bit of nectar from what remains of the lilac bushes while ants invade the peonies that are growing along the fencerow.

My antique roses are growing wild, and they are finally HPIM2820offering  enough blooms to cut. For the first time in three years, I have an abundance of flowers springing up that I can cut for arrangements and I am excited at the thought having fragrant flower-filled vases to spread about the house.

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Just when I settle into the heart of the novel I am reading, which happened to be an arc of Deception by Kris Kennedy, I hear several small but insistent chirps coming from underneath the Bradford Pear tree.

HPIM2785Upon investigation, I discovered this little bird looking around inquisitively. The night before we had a horrible windstorm,  apparently the nest blew over in the strong gusts displacing this poor little bird.

My heart broke for this baby bird. I wanted to scoop it up and care HPIM2786for it, although it is illegal to do so in the county in which I live. I  sat down on the stone bench close to the tree watching the baby bird as it surveyed his surroundings. Finally, after a few minutes of hopping about, the baby bird found the courage to test his wings.

It took him a few tries although he finally made it off the ground. At first, he seemed surprised at his ability to fly then he finally made it to a low hanging tree branch before flying off to the neighbors’ yard.

That baby bird reminded me that there comes a time when we too must try out our wings for the first time. Every journey starts with a single step, and as I put the finishing touches on my first novel and enter into contract negotiations with the publishing company, I have made the first step on my journey to becoming a published author.

I know that there will be hills and valleys along the way but I know that one day all my hard work and determination will have been  worth it.

Books Read This Weekend:

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi

Jesse by C.H. Admirand

Currently Reading:

Deception by Kris Kennedy

I hope to be writing from here next Sunday:

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flower Best Wishes & Happy Reading,

Angela Renee