Review: Baby, Don't Go

Title: Baby, Don't Go
Author: Stephanie Bond
Pages: 375
Challenges: Contemporary Romance Challenge
Rating: 5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

The hardheaded Armstrong brothers are determined to rebuild their tornado-ravaged hometown in the Georgia mountains. They've got the means, they've got the manpower…what they need are women! So they place an ad in a Northern newspaper and wait for the ladies to arrive.…

Eldest brother Marcus Armstrong considers the estrogen-influx an irritating distraction. He's running a town, not a dating service!

Reporter Alicia Randall thinks the Armstrong brothers are running a scam and she intends to prove it—even if it means seducing oh-so-sexy Marcus in the process. Sizzling sex and a hot story? Win-win!

At least it is, until she falls for the guy. Will love trump betrayal when the truth comes out?

When I first started this trilogy, I didn't realize I'd be so sad to see it go, but I'm going to be missing the Armstrong brothers and their little town over the next few days.

Baby, Don't Go tells the story of Marcus, the oldest, and the most stubborn of the Armstrong brothers.  Personally, I think he's also the most tightly knit to the rebuilding project, and has a good strong head on his shoulders. Despite his gruffiness, he was tender hearted and really loved his town.  He was my second favorite to middle brother Kendall.

Alicia, on the other hand, was my absolute favorite of all the woman!  She's trying so hard to prove to everyone how wrong of a town Sweetness is, and all she ends up doing is proving to herself how good of a fit is for her!  I liked the fact that she was a total city girl, afraid of every bug and snake that crawled on the ground.  It made her character very human and likeable.  It was so much fun to see her change her mind about things and come around to a new way of thinking.

You get a little more follow up with some of the other characters in this one too, but I wish their was an epilogue that told us what happened to everyone.  I felt like that was kind of left hanging and after investing so much time, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get a glimpse into the future.

There are two novellas to this series also, that I might check out if I get a chance.  I'm curious to see if either one will give me any insight!

Review: Baby, Come Home

Title: Baby, Come Home
Author: Stephanie Bond
Pages: 330
Challenges: Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

The hardheaded Armstrong brothers are determined to rebuild their tornado-ravaged hometown in the Georgia mountains. They've got the means, they've got the manpower...what they need are women! So they place an ad in a Northern newspaper and wait for the ladies to arrive....

Sensible yet sexy middle brother Kendall Armstrong penned that ad himself--but there's just one woman he "really" wants to answer the call....

Civil engineer Amy Bradshaw--Kendall's ex-fiancee--fled Sweetness years ago, taking a precious souvenir with her. She's back now...but only on a professional level. "Really."

Little does she know that old flames always burn the hottest....

This is the second book in the Southern Roads trilogy by Stephanie Bond and I loved it even more so than the first!  I think it's because I enjoyed the character of Kendall a lot.  Despite his flaws, he really was a good guy.  I'm really looking forward to hearing Marcus's story in Baby, Don't Go.

Kendall and Amy used to be quite an item in Sweetness, GA.  That is until the day Kendall broke Amy's heart and she vowed never to return to Sweetness again.  Twelve yera later, despite all her efforts, she finds herself back home working on a bridge recovery project.  And trying to avoid Kendall at every turn.  Amy has secrets she's hiding, and she certainly doesn't want Kendall find out.

I loved the relationship between Amy and Kendall.  They had the perfect give and take.  Their chemistry was spot on and I really, really wanted them to have a happily every after.

I also thought that Baby, Come Home was better written than Baby, Drive South.  The conversations seemed more at ease and better composed.  The characters seemed more well rounded and a enjoyed them more.  All in all, this was just a stronger novel.

I already have Baby, Don't Go downloaded and ready to go on my e-reader.  I think I'm going to miss these Armstrong boys when I'm done!

What are you reading??

What a long, long week.  Work seemed never ending, and every night we had something going on that caused us to be away.  Even Friday night we ended up spending the evening at the grocery store because we just weren't sure when else we'd have a chance to get it done!

I spent Sunday cleaning out hubby and I's closet and rehanging clothes and folding pants.  It had gotten completely out of hand this winter, and took me a better part of four hours to get it completely re-organized.  I was exhausted by the time I was done! 

This week, I have my glucose test for gestational diabetes.  I'm not looking forward to it.  For some reason it almost makes me nervous, and that stuff you have to drink is horribly gross.  We also grabbed the dresser from hubby's parent's this weekend for Anthony's new room.  We need to sand it down and repaint it and also paint the headboard so they match.  Once that is completed, we can start moving his clothes and stuff into that room and getting him situated.  Then I just need to start getting all of baby girl's stuff done.  Only 12 weeks to go.  It'll be here before we know it!

Reading wise, I fnished up four books this week:

 

I'm really enjoying the Stephanie Bond series, and I'm quickly making my way through the Booktown mysteries.  Unfortunately, I wasn't overly impressed with Debbie Macomber's book, but I'm going to give the Cedar Cove series a try and see if I enjoy that better.

Here's what I have going on this week:

This is a leftover from last week.  I have this one started and I'm about half finished and then other books started calling my name and I got distracted.  This is part of the Bridgerton series which I'm really enjoying and I hope to finish this one this week.

The third in the Southern Roads trilogy, I can't wait to finish this one up.  These books have really surprised me by how much I've enjoyed them!

I'm hoping for a great reading week.  What are you reading this week?

Review: Chapter and Hearse

Title: Chapter and Hearse
Author: Lorna Barrett
Listening Time: 9 hours and 20 minutes
Challenge: Cozy Mystery Challenge
Rating: 4/5

Summary from Goodreads:

According to the gossip around Stoneham, New Hampshire, Tricia Miles cannot put down a real murder mystery. After all, the owner of the mystery bookstore, Haven’t Got a Clue, has been spending more time solving whodunits than reading them…

Tricia’s sister, Angelica, considers herself to be the next celebrity chef. To celebrate her first cookbook, Angelica hosts a launch party, but sadly the only guest is an oversized cutout of herself. Worse than the lack of fans is a nearby gas explosion that injures her boyfriend, Bob Kelly, the head of the Chamber of Commerce.

Tricia’s never been a fan of Bob, but when she reads that Bob is being tight-lipped about the “accident” and how it killed the owner of the town’s history bookstore, it’s time to take action. As the incriminating details emerge, Tricia gets wrapped up in a murder that proves to be as spine-tingling as the books that line her shelves…

Chapter and Hearse is book four in the Booktown mystery series.  This has come to be one of my favorite series recently and I love these audiobooks.  As I finish one, I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.  Chapter and Hearse didn't disappoint.  In fact, I think this may just be my favorite one yet.

Tricia and her little group of friends are celebrating the release of Angelica's cookbook, when a horrible explosion rattles the windows of Haven't Got a Clue bookstore.  Unfortunately the explosion ends with the death of Jim Roth, the owner of History Repeats Itself, and the injury of Bob Kelly.  Bob becomes the prime suspect, and Tricia heads out to find the true killer.

This one was full of intrigue and humor.  A few times, I found myself grinning or giggling out loud.  Especially the scene where Tricia attempts to make blueberry muffins and then fed them to her employees.  It was a disaster from the very beginning!

Mystery wise I think was probably one of the best so far.  I never did figure out who the bad guy was and really enjoyed the clues leading up to it, even if I didn't "get it."  Plus I found Tricia to be a little bit less pushy in this one and not as headstrong about going after the bad guy.  It made me like her a lot more, and made her feel less Nancy Drew like, which wasn't a good trait for her.  We also got to see a much more personal side to her which was wonderful!

I have two more mysteries in this series before I'll be completely caught up!  Then I'll be on the look out for a new cozy mystery series!

Review: The Inn at Rose Harbor

Title:  The Inn at Rose Harbor
Author: Debbie Macomber
Listening Time: 9 hours and 34 minutes
Rating: 3/5
Challenges: None

Summary from Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes a heartwarming new series based in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove, where a charming cast of characters finds love, forgiveness, and renewal behind the doors of the cozy Rose Harbor Inn.

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 to 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.

A touching novel of life’s grand possibilities and the heart’s ability to heal, The Inn at Rose Harbor is a welcome introduction to an unforgettable set of friends.

I don't really know how I felt about this one.  I have heard such wonderful, wonderful things about Debbie Macomber, and thought I'd really, really enjoy this one, and I actually left it feeling a little ho-hum.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.  It just wasn't a totally memorable story for me.

I did really enjoy the town of Cedar Cove.  But I didn't like a lot of the main characters in this book.  I just couldn't completely connect with them, and it made getting into the story more difficult.  Plus, sometimes, I just found the story to be...dragging.  It was slow moving and didn't have a lot of action to move it along at a quicker pace.  It did get to be a bit better towards the end, and I found myself quite enjoying the last two and a half hours or so of the story.

There was also an element of this story that I just found to be a bit...odd.  It struck me as out of place, and I look for it to continue to play a part in this series as it continues.  It might have just been me, and other readers may not have thought it to be out of place, but I did.  I don't want to give away what it is though, because I don't want to spoil it for others who want to read this one.

I'm not going to give up on Debbie Macomber just yet though.  While this story may not have been my total cup of tea, I already borrowed 16 Lighthouse Road from the library.  This story takes place in Cedar Cove, and I'm hoping that I'll enjoy the characters more.  I also have The Shop on Blossom Street somewhere on my own personal bookcases, and I'm going to give that one a try also.  I don't think it was the author, but the book that didn't fit.

Review: Baby, Drive South

Title: Baby, Drive South
Author: Stephanie Bond
Pages: 336
Challenges: Contemporary Romance Challenge
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Southern town seeks single women. Lots of them

The hardheaded Armstrong brothers are determined to rebuild their tornado-ravaged hometown in the Georgia mountains. They've got the means, they've got the manpower...what they need are women So they place an ad in a northern newspaper and wait for the ladies to answer their call....

Porter, the youngest Armstrong, is all for importing women. Still, he's so blown away by the sheer numbers, he falls off the water tower. Luckily there's a doctor among the newcomers--sweet and sexy Dr. Nikki Salinger.

And Porter has every intention of checking out her bedside manner....

I downloaded the audio of Baby, Drive South from the library on a whim.  I've been more interested in contemporary romance this year, and found the cover and description to be intriguing.  However, upon starting the audio, I realized that I wasn't going to enjoy it.  Not because of the book, but because of the narrator.  She's a wonderful reader, and I normally enjoy her audiobooks, but I couldn't stand her reading this book.  I ended up getting the actual book from the library and flew through it rather quickly.  This is the first Stephanie Bond book that I've read, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.  Bond has another series out that I might check out also.  Has anyone read any of these?

Baby, Drive South tells the story of the youngest Armstrong brother, Porter.  Porter is reckless and wild and stubborn.  He and his brother Kendall thought up an ad to get some single woman to their struggling new town.  However, Porter wasn't expecting the tiny Nikki Salinger to create chaos in his whole world.

I really enjoyed Porter and Nikki's story.  No matter how hard these two tried, they just couldn't get it right.  it always seemed like something or someone was getting in the way.  As a reader, that sometimes got to be a bit frustrating.  I wanted to shake one or both of them!  And Porter was such an ass, for lack of a better term, at the beginning of the story that for a while I really didn't like him.  And then I realized that he was just an ignorant man.  After that realization it was much easier to but his stupidness aside and grow to like him.  As for Nikki, I liked her from the very beginning and was rooting for her to fall in love the whole time.

All in all, Baby, Drive South was a pretty solid contemporary.

What are you reading??

What a beautiful evening!  I'm sitting here writing this, with my window open, enjoying a cool spring breeze.  I'm also ignoring the fact that it's supposed to be 30 degrees and snowing by Wednesday. 

We had a wonderful weekend.  The weather was perfect, reaching almost 65 degrees today.  Hubby cleaned up the back yard, and put down some wood chips to help with the mud until we can weed and mulch and clean out the flower beds closer to summer.  After his nap this afternoon, we took Anthony outside to play.  We played with sidewalk chalk, swung on the swing set, practiced our golf swing, and slide down the slide.  We also ran after balls in the yard.  Well him and hubby ran, I more so waddled after them at nearly 7 months pregnant.  But we had a wonderful wonderful time!

Because of the weather, I spent more time outside running around than reading, but I still had a rather productive week.  I finished and reviewed the following:

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed all four books, and I'm looking forward to continuing both series in the coming week.  I'm also looking for some more good cozy mystery series to read since I'm only a few books away from being completely caught up on the Booktown Mysteries.

 

This week I have a few more good ones on my reading plate.  These first few I've already sunk my teeth into :)

 

This is my first book by Stephanie Bond.  I had originally started it on audio, but decided that after about 20 minutes, the print version would probably be a better fit.  Thankfully my library had the e book available for download and I'm about a quarter of the way through it.  I started out really disliking the male protagonist, but he's starting to grow on me.  I'm curious to see how this one develops.

I'm already half way through Benedict Bridgerton's story.  It shouldn't take me long to finish this one up as I seem to devour these books!

Also on the list this week

 

 

 This will be my first Debbie Macomber book, and I'm really looking forward to it.  I've heard such wonderful things about her!

Well, here's to a happy reading week!