Starlight, Alabama, appears to be a small town full of magic and friends and loving families but there is also a mean and sinister man who wants to owStarlight, Alabama, appears to be a small town full of magic and friends and loving families but there is also a mean and sinister man who wants to own the town and take away the magic for his own benefit. What will win the ultimate contest - love and magic or greed.
Aunt Bean has requested that her two nieces come home to help her at her bakery. Addie comes home from Birmingham and plans to stay for a few weeks. She left home 12 years earlier after her best friend shared a secret with her that would be devastating for some people to find out. She knew that she had a problem keeping secrets so felt that it was best for her to leave the town she loved. Tessa-Jane has had a rough couple of months since her fiancé left her at the altar. She's the granddaughter of the greediest person in town and people hold that against her when she's in town. Even though Addie and Tessa-Jane are half sisters, they've never been close and there is a lot of unrest between them when they came home to help their aunt at the bakery. But there is magic in Starlight, Alabama - magic that helps people make decisions and always look at the positive side of life. Will this magic bring Addie and Tessa-Jane a way to treat each other like the sisters they are? And will they find happiness and contentment and decide to stay in Starlight?
Magical realism is a genre of books that I don't normally read but Heather Webber wrote a book that makes the magic seem real and comforting. It would be great to travel to this town and let the magic help you feel good about your life and decisions. I enjoyed the two main characters and especially like Aunt Bean - she was always optimistic despite health problems and always tried to help everyone she knew. I also enjoyed the ladies who worked at the bakery (and had for years) that refer to themselves as the Sugarbirds. Addie and Tessa-Jane both grow throughout the book and learn that when you fall down in life, you can be stronger than ever when you get up again.
My only complaint about the book is that there are too many characters and too many sub plots. I'd have liked the story to concentrate on Bean, Addie and Tessa-Jane and skip some of the subplots about people in town.
Overall, it was a great book and one that I really enjoyed. It would be a good book to read at the beach. It's an easy read and something that is easy to put down and pick up again. ...more
It's always exciting when there is a new Kerry Lonsdale book to read. I've read every book that she's written and I think that Find me in California iIt's always exciting when there is a new Kerry Lonsdale book to read. I've read every book that she's written and I think that Find me in California is my new favorite. It's got mystery, suspense, family and maybe even a love story between two basic strangers who find themselves working to solve the same mystery. It's also about friendship and family love - loss and forgiveness. And it's definitely a page turner.
There are four main characters in this story with Julia and her grandmother and Matt and his grandmother. This is a dual time line story with the earlier time line about the two grandmothers and the recent time line about Julia and Matt while their grandmothers are in a memory care unit. Both Julia and Matt had been raised by the grandmothers but their attitudes toward their grandmothers is totally different. Julia loved her grandmother and couldn't imagine life without her. She worked long hours to make enough money to pay for her grandmother's care. Matt was raised by his grandmother but she basically ignored him from the day he came into her house at 10 until he left at 18. He basically has no contact with her and is reluctant to help her out with expenses at the home she is in. Matt and Julia meet on the phone and she convinces him to come to California to meet with his grandmother. He basically agrees but runs into a strange situation on the way. Will the two grandmother's lose their home? How will Matt and Julia feel about each other when they finally meet? Be prepared to get so involved in the lives of these four well written characters that you won't want to put the book down until the last page!
All four main characters are well written but I have to admit that my favorite was Julia. She basically gave up her own life and happiness to take care of her grandmother because her grandmother had taken care of her since she was a child. She is the one character that I was really hoping would get her happily ever after ending. You won't get the answer to that until almost the end of the story but it's well worth the read to find out. ...more
I love books set in Michigan but this book wasn't for me. It's a look at the brutality vs the sweetness of rural life. I love books set in Michigan but this book wasn't for me. It's a look at the brutality vs the sweetness of rural life. ...more
Magical Realism is a genre that I've never enjoyed reading. Heather Webber's new book sounded like it would be really good so I decided to try this geMagical Realism is a genre that I've never enjoyed reading. Heather Webber's new book sounded like it would be really good so I decided to try this genre again and I sure am glad that I did. This was a fun book with great characters that I'd like to have a cup of coffee with. The story line is uplifting and it was wonderful to see the main characters change throughout the book. The little town is full of eccentric people but they all work together to help make each other happy.
Ava has led a very sheltered life due to illness as a child. She is comfortable with her boundaries and doesn't want to try anything new. A month after her boyfriend died, she received a letter that she believed had come from him, encouraging her to apply for a job in the small town of Driftwood, Alabama. The job is to be the caretaker of an eccentric man and was posted by his daughter who runs the local coffee shop. Ava decides to get out of her comfort zone and drive to Alabama to apply for the job. One of the first people she meets is Maggie -- the owner of the coffee shop and the person who initially posted the job posting because she was worried about her father and the changes that he was going through. Ava and Maggie are both perplexed about the job posting - Maggie had ripped it off the window and thrown it away but how did a copy get to Ava and was the ghost of her boyfriend responsible? Ava is totally mesmerized by the town and the inhabitants and the ghost that may live in the house that she's moving into. As she and Maggie become friends, they both realize that they have lived their lives with a lot of regret for holding on to the past and refusing to accept new challenges in their lives. Both must learn to let go of the past to move on—because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong. Will they both be able to let go of their past mistakes and begin to explore new situations in their lives and find happiness?
I really enjoyed this book. Yes, there was a bit of magic and talk of ghosts. But for me the best part of the book was getting to know the quirky people in Driftwood and to see the friendship between Ava and Maggie change their lives for the best. I'm going to go back and read the earlier books by this author since I enjoyed this one so much. ...more
Every spring, Nora Roberts publishes a standalone suspense novel plus in the fall, she releases a book in her current trilogy. I don't usually read heEvery spring, Nora Roberts publishes a standalone suspense novel plus in the fall, she releases a book in her current trilogy. I don't usually read her trilogy because for the past years they have been magical realism and/or paranormal. I really enjoyed her stand alone book this year so decided to try one of her trilogies. Inheritance is the first book in her Lost Bride Trilogy. I will admit that I didn't like it as much as I enjoy her spring stand alone book, it was still an interesting book and I'm looking forward to books 2 and 3.
Sonya is a graphic designer and is getting ready to marry her long term boyfriend when she finds her fiancé in bed with her cousin. Since they work together she decided to let people know that the marriage has been cancelled but not why. He starts to give her trouble at work and she reveals the truth of the break up and then decides to start a business on her own - a long time dream. She amazed when she finds out that an unknown uncle has left her a mansion in Maine -- she had no idea that her father had a twin brother. The only requirement is that she has to live in the house for three years. If she leaves before the three years is up, she loses not only the house but all of the money that she inherited. She decides that her life is at a turning point and she might as well check it out. When Trey, the young lawyer handling the inheritance, meets her at the house, he admits that the house in haunted. She soon finds objects moved and hears music playing at night. Overall, the ghost (s) appear to be very friendly - they keep the house clean and make her bed every day. But there is one ghost who is evil and who has put a curse on any women who become bride in the house. As Sonya digs into the history of the house, she finds that several women have been murdered on their wedding day. She and Trey have become romantically involved and they decide to try to end the curse on the brides but put themselves in grave danger. The ending was a real shocker and I can't wait to see how book 2 handles it. My only complaint about the book is that it's a bit slow and, I think, too long but the author needed to get all of the background details for the trilogy into the plot of the first book and I expect that the next two books will move along faster. I can't wait for the next 2 books! ...more
This is a beautifully written story about three women who are part of the Weyword family and their connection over four centuries. The women are all fThis is a beautifully written story about three women who are part of the Weyword family and their connection over four centuries. The women are all fighting against evil in their lives and use their love and nature - and a bit of magic - to survive. The story is told by each woman in alternating chapters.
Altha in 1619. She and her mother are healers and help the people in their small village. Someone dies and she is accused of witchcraft and thrown into a dark, dank cell and then put on trial. Will the jury find here guilty and put her to death for being a witch?
Violet in 1942. She is only 16 and has been kept sequestered in her home and ruled by a cold father, taken care of by servants. Her mother is dead and even though she tries to find out more about her, no one will tell her anything. She loves the outdoors and connects with the bugs and the bees. When her father brings a male cousin to the house on holiday, it eventually causes huge changes in Violet's life.
Kate in 2019. Kate is in an abusive relationship - both physical and psychological. Her husband has forced her to quit her job and give up her friendships and has total power over her. But she has a secret -- her great aunt has left Weyward cottage to her in her will and her husband doesn't know anything about it. When she sneaks away to the cottage to find freedom, she is in great fear that her husband will find her. As she finds out about her ancestors - especially her Aunt Violet - she realizes that there has been power in the women in her family for generations and begins to learn how to harness that personal power to make her stronger and more resilient.
Often in a book with more than one timeline, it's easy to enjoy one story more than the others. In this book, all three story lines were equally compelling and interesting. It's difficult to do this with two time lines but the author does a fantastic job of intermingling all three story lines. I was surprised to read that this is a debut novel for Emilia Hart and can't wait to read whatever she writes in the future.
I will admit that I don't usually like books with any magic in them but this book is a definite exception. The main focus in this book is on the three women and how they gain personal power to defeat the negativity in their lives. I highly recommend it! ...more
This is book two in the Yellow Wood series and Laura Kemp has given her readers another exciting look at the characters from Book 1 as they fight agaiThis is book two in the Yellow Wood series and Laura Kemp has given her readers another exciting look at the characters from Book 1 as they fight against the evil that they thought had been destroyed a year earlier. It's a real page turner and a moody story set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which has an atmosphere of its own.
Justine thought that she had defeated her family's mortal enemy the year before. She wants to have a quiet life in the woods with her boyfriend and live happily ever after. However, things begin to happen that point to another round of problems. Her non verbal brother starts mentally communicating with her and she begins to have visions similar to what happened to her earlier. Her boyfriend tries to keep her safe but she knows that she has to face her enemy to protect her family no matter how dangerous it is for her.
I usually don't read paranormal fiction but Laura Kemp has changed my mind - this is an exciting page turning book that will keep your heart pounding until the end! ...more
I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book - I love Southern fiction but don't like magical realism and ghosts. I took a chance and ended up loving iI wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book - I love Southern fiction but don't like magical realism and ghosts. I took a chance and ended up loving it. The characters (both human and ghost) were well written and fun to read as the main character handled her own life during divorce as well as working on a mystery for the ghost couple who lived in her house. The story of Tipsy's current struggle with her soon to be ex-husband and her relationship with her kids shows one side of her personality but she also sees and talks to ghosts which it totally different than the rational part of her life. The ghost couple -Jane and Henry are humorous as they try to ignore each other - as they have been doing for over 100 years. Neither of them remembers how they died or why they are still stuck in the same house but their love/hate relationship is still apparent for both of them and to Tipsy.
This is a fun novel to read - full of Southern charm, family, love and marriage and ultimately life and death. It's got family friction, best friends, a little romance and a lot of magic. What more does a good book need?...more
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