A beautiful book about trusting love and your feelings
927391
Warning - spoiler.
I just recently read my first Elizabeth Bevarly book and I'm already a fan. I really like her style to write, love her storylines and because she always presents more than one lovestory I'm on the way to get addicted to her books.
So, "Fast & Loose" is mainly about Lulu Flannery and Cole Early. Lulu is renting out her house because of the Kentucky Derby and Cole is the one to rent it from her. But both don't know about that when they first meet. They have something like a "feeling/attraction on first sight" and meet again some days later still with some attraction between them. But because both usually look for partners with different qualities than the other possesses they are a bit unsure about what to do. Especially because Lulu thinks that Cole is a womanizer using his status as a famous Thoroghbred trainer to get what he wants and Cole thinks that Lulu is a bit crazy, somewhat odd but also very charming and interesting. Things get even more complicated when Lulu realizes that Cole is renting her house and Cole discovers that the owner of his house which he imagined as a hot, sexy and vibrant woman is Lulu.
Both have to handle that sometimes what we think we want is not what we need and that often the outer appeareance is just a shell that helps to cover the real person in order to find love and happiness with each other.
Even though it takes half of the book until they realize who each other really is that doesn't mean that the first pages are boring, contrary they are really funny and beautifully written and I really enjoyed this way to get them to know each other.
The second lovestory is between Lulu's friend Bree and Rufus who's working as a bartender. Bree is looking for some rich guy to marry (for example Cole) who can help her taking care of her ill mother but she realizes that it's more important to really love than to marry rich.
Both lovestories are really nice and I enjoyed this book a lot. Especially the relationship between Lulu and Cole is beautiful and warmed my heart.
So grab yourself a copy of "Fast & Loose" and read on!
Enjoy
S.M.
3297587
I got this book in the mail this week and have already read it twice.  This is a beautiful story of unconditional love, especially in challenging times. This book encouraged me to make the most of every minute I have with those I love, and to not take one minute for granted.  I love the way Mrs. Fields writes; it is an open, honest look at the reality of life.  Anyone who has ever experienced love in any way will be blessed by this book.
4869615
What a beautifully written book.  I like all of her books but this one especially spoke to me.  It really helps you to understand all kinds of love and the ability to love in situations that you may not have thought you could love.  It's all about love and kindness in the end.
2754945
Three are two words that immediately come to me as I think about this book: emotional poignancy. Yet even those words don't seem to do justice to the way you will feel as you read Christine Brae's lovely, heartbreaking, heart healing book.

Before she embarks on medical school, Anna heads to Thailand. She's also escaping the discovery of a family secret that nearly crushes her. Anna hopes both to escape and to help villagers still recovering from the tsunami. She encounters so much more.

Anna traveled with Dante, a man who has been her best friend for years. When Anna falls apart, Dante is always there to help her put herself back together. They love each other as best friends do. You get the sense that their relationship could progress into romance - you certainly get the sense that Dante believes this - but Anna likes (she needs) what they have now.

Especially when she meets Jude, a beautiful, spiritual man who takes her breath away. For a little over a week, they get to know each other, and their feelings deepen. Just as Anna receives some devastating news, she and Jude share one glorious night together.

Paradise isn't longterm, though, and Anna has to return to the States earlier than planned. She and Jude make promises to each other, but, five years later, Anna struggles to accept that Jude did not keep his.

She also discovers some secrets that Dante kept from her. Anna has to learn how to put herself back together without Dante or Jude. She has to find her own strength, and she has to understand how she can love two men in this one life.

This book has been commissioned for a film, and it reads like one. Brae writes in a way that lets you see what's happening almost as strongly as you feel it. Anna's adventures, both personal and professional, are visually compelling, enabling you to see the tranquil and the turbulent. Anna is a doctor, and, as such, she needs to see her patients to diagnose them. Brae applies this to the book as well. She wants you to really see Anna. You have to optically connect with her in order to emotionally empathize. The device works, especially considering the feelings Brae will unleash in you with this book. Have a box of tissues handy. Have two. For just when you think that Anna has it all sorted and that she will have her peace and contentment, Brae shows you just how capricious this life - any life - can be.

One particularly powerful thread running through the book is that of faith and commitment, whether corporal or spiritual. Sometimes the faith is in a friendship, sometimes it's in a parent, and sometimes it's in God. You have to commit to that faith, though. Faith cannot be equivocated, which is a lesson Anna, Dante, Jude, and other characters must discover.

For all of the vagaries life presents, though, one thing remains consistent: love, in all of its forms. Romantic love, filial love, paternal love, friendly love. Passionate love, the sort of love that you're lucky to ever feel. Grateful love. Comfortable love. And with all of these loves, your heart expands to keep adding them.

Can you love more than one person? Christine Brae believes they can, and you will, too. You'll believe anything she tells you because she does it with such lovely emotional poignancy.

_______________________________
Published on VoxLibris.net
@VoxLibris
2699774
"Breathe" shares an endearing and lovely portrait of Chara's heartfelt thoughts.  The book is an honest and emotional glimpse into all of "us earthly souls" creating amazing visions for our self worth and confidence.  One feels a close connection with the author as well as the vast and wise universe while reading this book.
The photographs tell a well choreographed story of each poem and emphasize just how creative and beautiful this book truly is.
"Breathe" is a gift; powerful, compassionate, inspiring...all senses at their loving best!
Thank you, Chara
3101935
Maggie has written a beautiful book about taking care of our fellow man.  Her words flow like a calming river, bathing our souls in caring  consciousness.  This book will teach you deeply and remind you we are all  human.  Maggie helps us hear the thoughts of the ill and dying.  She takes  us by the hand and leads us into their world.  How do you handle a parents  death, a friends illness, the loss of a pet?  What do you say to a friend  experiencing a loss?  How do you feel about your own aging?  These are  issues we will all have to face in our life.

Her words inspire us to  move beyond courtesy and kindness and realize empathy.  She evokes this  feeling through a montage of anecdotes, meditations, stories from her own  life, collected quotes, eternal wisdom and rivers of thoughts which run  deeply over the rocky river beds of life.

The philosophy is to see the  beauty and interconnectedness of all life.  The goal is to strive to think,  speak and act from what we see.  Maggie has been listening to her own heart  and the concerns of others for years.  She has absorbed this knowledge and  wants to pass it on to us in a way that affirms the best a human can be.  She reminds us:  "...any life we care for well can remind us of all we  are capable of giving."

I highly recommend this "drink for the  soul" to nurses, doctors, hospice volunteers, families caring for  their loved ones, and everyone who feels disconnected and wants to start  learning how to care for others.  How beautiful the world would be if we  could all know what Maggie knows in her heart.  How caring of her to share  her knowledge with us.

By reading this book you will realize how the  smallest deed can have a positive effect in your own neighborhood.  If you  nourish yourself with the attitude of compassion, at the same time you will  leave attitudes of worry, self-doubt, blame, fear, resentment and pettiness  to die without your care.  Maggie started Neighborcare to provide  hands-on-care, plant care, pet care, help with errands, meal preparation,  housekeeping, help with outside chores and help with transportation to  medical appointments.

Her vision for the future is to encourage others  to serve the ill, dying, injured and heartsick.  She applauds volunteer  efforts and I believe she is going to succeed in bringing awareness to  caring with this thoughtful book from her heart.

The lessons presented  in "Caring in Remembered Ways" are your guides to compassion.  Along the journey of collected thoughts you may not see the words through  you own tears.  This is when you will most clearly see the needs of your  own soul and the needs of fellow souls traveling with you in life.  If you  plant the thoughts from this inspiring book in your soul, caring will grow.

~The Rebecca Review
3292036
A beautiful story that makes you think about love and what is most important in life and how you live it.
2897826
This a heartfelt book filled with sweet poetry and writing about love and commitment, and it does this without feeling sappy or unrealistic.  The authors/editors have interesting insights of their own, and the book maintained a real sense of joy throughout.  I used this to select readings for my upcoming wedding, and I think it contains numerous selections for anyone looking for thoughts about marriage that resonate with real people; it successfully represents modern love for me, straddling the line between practicality and magic.
343226
Beautiful read about life and love. M.L. Stedman does an incredible job of pointing out our emotional weaknesses and the choices we make when driven by it.  This is a must read!
1891200
This is a beautiful story about how the power of love helped Lucy her overcome her fear and anxiety.  Michelle Dare  has such a way with words that you get a true feeling of what dealing with these issues feels like. The relationship between the characters was well developed, and the story line was honest and refreshing I really enjoyed reading it.
2228165
I just finished reading this book and it is hands-down one of the best books I have read in a long time. The way this book made me feel and think, is remarkable. In a world full of people who don't believe in love and in its worth; this books makes you understand that even though you can't see it, or don't believe in it, it doesn't mean it isn't there!
1039765
If you're feeling down after a day of dealing with your boss's boorish remarks, if you're sick after reading yet another news on corporate greediness, if you're saddened by a relationship breakup, then pick up "This I Believe On Love."  This little book is comprised of a selection of 60 essays out of the many that have been submitted to the radio program This I Believe.

The book is an inspirational and moving compilation of personal experiences that shows love's influence in our lives. The book teaches us to see beyond the romantic love stereotyped or glamorized by the media and appreciate love's many facets instead.  The essays are not about love found in loud, extravagant and expensive gestures, but rather they are about how love finds its way to our hearts and from our hearts in ordinary moments and through unexpected means.

Love can speak though everyday actions like cooking and knitting.  A nudge from a cat is love bestowed on us or love may fill us as we walked into a place.  Love can surprise us in a supermarket aisle or at the bedside of the sick.  It may be expressed in words, written and spoken. But also in silence.  Love is in the here and now or it can reach us from the beyond.

"This I Believe on Love" is a testimony of the many relationships we formed with parents, grandparents, siblings, mentors, role models, friends, spouses, partners, pets, enemies and strangers. From them all come lessons of love that enrich life and enhance acceptance of the self.

All the essays are short. Each contains no more than 500 words but the writing is both effective and beautiful.  Powerful and comforting, "This I Believe on Love" will renew your faith in love, yourself and the human race.
2656250
I liked this book from the moment I read the title until the last page. Dr. Selhub shares facts, her experience and her approaches to support us in our shift from fear into love. Her visualizations give us vivid tools to live into more love. Generous, wise and very loving, this book is a gift I am deeply grateful for.
2433817
I found myself puting this book down to savor its beauty...though perhaps the writing is a bit "hit you over the head" I enjoyed its clarity AND obscurity. That we never understand what love is, and that  everyone can be afraid to beileve they are capable of love. I especially  liked that Stefano never forced Gabriella--he wanted to make himself happy,  and by doing so perhaps allowed her to be happy to.  Happiness is a gift we  give ourselves. Allowing ourselves to be happy is a key factor in this  book, and one that inspires the thoughtful reader to turn inside and find  out how to make their own happines..  I truly enjoyed this book.
4728005
Ive followed Ruths Instagram for a while now and always appreciate her beautiful watercolors and vulnerable truth-telling. When I heard she was coming out with a book, I knew I wanted to read it. I have not been disappointed in the slightest. This is one of the most beautiful books Ive read in ages, but the wisdom and space to reflect in the pages have fed my soul in some deep ways. Im savoring this book in my time with Lord and found myself sharing the things I was learning after only being a few pages in. This is a treasure of a book.

*Harvest House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255
1968861
A lovely and heartfelt story about love, betrayal and rediscovering oneself!
The strength of good friends and learning to believe in yourself once more
2644060
I have long been convinced that if Annie F. Downs and I met, we would be friends. After reading her new book, Looking for Lovely, I'm sure of it. If you read the book, you'll probably feel the same way. Annie has this way of writing that makes you feel like she's sharing her heart with you over a cup of coffee.

I absolutely love the message of Looking for Lovely, which is outlined in the subtitle: Collecting the Moments that Matter. Annie challenges readers to look for the beautiful, the moving, the spectacular in the simple, in the mundane, in the hard. To look for lovely when things are going great and when your world feels like it's falling apart. These lovelies can be anythinga beautiful sunrise, a song that moves you, a roll of sushi (though for me, I'd have a hard time calling sushi "lovely!"). These are signs of God's presence.

I've become hooked on looking for lovely! Though I admit some days are harder to find lovely in than others, I think it's in the hard times that it's so important to look for these glimpses of God. Won't you join me in looking for lovely?

Disclosure of material connection: I received a free copy of this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.