The Things We Knew ~ Review

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Things We Knew (Thomas Nelson, July 2016)

A tragedy from the past resurfaces in this tale of family secrets and reignited love.

After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to harbor animosity toward their father, silently blaming him for their mother’s death. Nobody will talk about that dreadful day, and Lynette can’t remember a bit of it.

But when next-door neighbor Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, he brings the past with him. Once her brother’s best friend and Lynette’s first crush, Nick seems to hiding things from her. Lynette wonders what he knows about the day her mother died and hopes he might help her remember the things she can’t.

But Nick has no intention of telling Lynette the truth. Besides the damage it might cause his own family, he doesn’t want to risk harming the fragile friendship between him and the woman he once thought of as a kid sister.

As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets begin to surface—secrets that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question all they ever believed in.

MY THOUGHTS:

Wow.... What a story! The Things We Knew had me turning pages late into the night because I JUST HAD to see how this book would end! Lynette is the youngest of 5, and she cares for their father who is suffering from dementia and is also having financial issues. Like most people in this situation, you call in the family, right? Well Lynette did just that, and my oh my, she got way more than she bargained for! On top of that, an old crush of Lynette's also comes back in town and he seems to know more than he's letting on!!

To say this family is "dysfunctional" would be putting it mildly! The secrets, betrayals, and promises broken are enough for you to think the siblings may never find their way back to a healthy and loving relationship!! But Catherine West wrote this story beautifully and watching this family walk out their issues was just incredible! I love it when you see truth setting people free, and in The Things We Knew, that is exactly what happens!

I give this book 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s! Thank you Litfuse for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review!!

Fetching Sweetness ~ Review

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Standing Between Stephanie and Her Dream
Is One Hundred Pounds of Lovable Trouble

It should have been so simple for Stephanie Pink: Meet up with Agnes Wharton in a small town in California, retrieve the reclusive author's valuable new manuscript, and be promoted to a full-fledged literary agent.

But Agnes's canine companion, Sweetness, decides to make a break for it before Stephanie can claim her prize. Until Agnes has Sweetness safely back at home in Eagle Cliff, Washington, Stephanie will never set eyes on the manuscript she needs to make her dreams come true.

When Stephanie tracks the runaway mutt to a campground, she meets Rhett Hastings—a man also on the run from a different life and a costly mistake. Rhett agrees to help Stephanie search for the missing dog...thus launching a surprising string of adventures and misadventures.

Once Sweetness gets added to the mix, it's a recipe for love and loss, merriment and mayhem, fun and faith in the backwoods of the Pacific Northwest.

MY THOUGHTS:


Fetching Sweetness, book 2 in Love Unleashed series, by Dana Mentink is just the best and sweetest book ever!! Nothing like a dog who brings people together is there!! Stephanie and Rhett are such great characters!! Stephanie is a book addict (among so many other things) so of course I had to love her, right! (I mean really, I am a total book addict! LOL)

Rhett is wonderful! He can be strong in one place and then completely vulnerable in another! Seeing a man share his vulnerability is so rare anymore and it just makes you swoon over him!

Together these two have such an amazing journey and i just love how the author wrote it in such a way that made me truly laugh out loud and even tear up too! All of us make our own agenda, plan what we "want" to happen, yet God in HIS infinite wisdom steps in and proves HIS way is best! 

Thank you Dana Metink for sharing your gift of writing with us! Thank you LifFuse for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review !! This is a DEFINITE 5♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s Fetching Sweetness is a MUST READ!!

When Death Draws Near ~ Review

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Gwen Marcey takes death in stride. Until she’s faced with her own mortality.

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky—a small town facing big-city crime. But before Gwen can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others.

Gwen suspects a connection between the rapist and the “accidental” deaths that are happening around town, but the local sheriff has little interest in her theories. When her digitally-obsessed teenage daughter joins her, Gwen turns her attention to a second assignment: going undercover in a serpent-handling church. She could get a handsome reward for uncovering illegal activity—a reward she desperately needs, as it seems her breast cancer has returned. But snakes aren’t the only ones ready to kill. Can Gwen uncover the truth—and convince anyone to believe her—before she becomes a victim herself?

In a thrilling race against time, When Death Draws Near plunges us into cold-case murders, shady politics, and a den of venomous suspects.

MY THOUGHTS:

"When Death Draws Near" is the 3rd book in Carrie Parks,  A Gwen Marcey Novel series. Having said that, when reading I didn't feel lost at any point because I haven't read the previous 2 books.  If anything, I'm dying to read them and will definitely be downloading them ASAP!! 

Gwen is a hoot! Her life is crazy and chaotic and despite kicking cancers bootie once, only to have it return, she doesn't let that stop her...NOT. AT. ALL. She is a forensic artist and while in between jobs she takes a temporary job that brings out some of the craziest things I think I've ever read about in a church and in this town!  But like I said, Gwen doesn't let much stop her no matter what the situation, even if the Sherriff doesn't really even want her there, let alone handling the case!! To add to everything, her daughter comes to live with her, and Gwen's determined to close this case, all the while keeping her daughter safe!!

I think this book a AWESOME! I will most definitely be reading the first 2 books in this series and I think I just might have found a new author that I LOVE!! You will NOT be able to put this book down and as far as thinking you have it figured out, she just might surprise you!! She sure did me :)

Thank you Litfuse for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest opinion! It is a DEFINITE ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s FOR SURE!!