What a wonderfully pleasant surprise!!!!
929188
Everyone always leaves me Will you leave me too?

When you read as many books as I do, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the kind of story that does not fit into a popular mould, the kind of story that is thrillingly original and so very different from the rest. And then one day you stumble upon one such story, an act of serendipity if you wish, and you are absolutely hooked from its first flawlessly written page. Who knew I would find my thrill in a book about finding love aboard a crabbing boat?!

Aesa is the daughter of a Norwegian sea captain, a legacy she both loathes as well as fears. Her fathers career had taken him away from her and her mother for most of her childhood, his fishing vessel being his second home, and the sea being the second love of his life. Having lost her mother to suicide and always having blamed her father for her mothers broken heart from loneliness, Aesa has lived the past nine years far away from home and with no contact with her only living parent. When she finally returns to the small fishing town she grew up in, she does so in hopes of fixing the broken relationship with her father. But nine years of estrangement and a lifetime of resentment are not easily erased, especially when the true villain of the story  the frigid, greedy, unpredictable depths of the Bering Sea  remains an untouchable foe.

I not only hated the open water, I feared it ardently.

As Aesa joins her fathers crew on their latest fishing expedition, she stays hopeful that facing her biggest fears would also help them heal their bond and mend her broken heart, never expecting that the setting of all her childhood nightmares would also become the very place where she would find her heart again.

Decker is unlike any man Aesa has ever met  kind, wise, brutally honest in his observations  he gently lowers her defences, makes her question everything she has convinced herself to be true and offers her a fresh perspective on her life, her father, her past and her future. While her natural reflex is to distance herself from the people around her, guard her heart at all costs and blend in with the crowds, Decker refuses to allow her to withdraw into herself, challenging her self-taught predisposition to flee, and showing her the true bravery in selflessly caring for another human being.

You cant live your life through the eyes of the past forever Dont drown yourself in the sorrows of what has been.

While the treacherous and whimsical Bering Sea rages beneath them, Aesa and Decker fall in love, their feelings for one another growing as powerful as the unruly waves crashing against their brave little boat. And when Mother Nature unleashes her cruellest storm, Aesa finally learns the true power of love. But twenty eight years of fiercely shielding her heart from further hurt and finding safety in solitude prove to be a large obstacle to overcome, especially when only one person is fighting for them.

Ill let go, if thats what you want, Aesa. I cant be the only one who wants this.

A genuinely delightful and profoundly emotional tale of heartbreak, loss, forgiveness, bravery and resilience, Aesa and Deckers beautiful romance shows us that unnecessary angst is not always the essential component of a timeless love story. The sincerity with which these characters open their souls to each other is refreshing and truly inspiring. When all odds are against their happy ending, embracing their worst fears and fighting selflessly for one another might prove to be the only way to defeat the demons of the past.

This is a truly stellar book, its unconventional storyline only matched by its perfect prose. If you need a book to warm your soul, look no further.

Ill never let you fall again.
278614
OMG!!!  I can't start this review out any other way.  What an amazingly, delightful surprise this book turned out to be.  First of all I have to mention that although I looked over each of the Italian recipes, in between each chapter, they were not what drew me to this book. Sorry, but I'm not much of a cook but...I may try the one for the "spaghetti pie".  It looked really quick and easy, and good.
What really got my attention was the premise that a "rising-star-chef", for a food channel network, would cause mass food poisoning to the studio audience in the show's premier episode.  Really if that doesn't get your attention, what will???  And I wasn't disappointed that I kept on reading.  This is a very well told mystery with some very endearing characters.  The chemistry between Andy and Jones is great.  The plot moves along at a quick and interesting pace and the ending is nicely done.  Although, I couldn't believe that I had gotten to the last page and there was no more "Andy and Jones" scenes.  I am so looking forward to the next Southern Pasta Shop Mystery...and I hope it's SOON!!!
319058
What a wonderful surprise this book was!  A Box Story sounds like it will be plain and dull but this book is fun, whimsical and entertaining!  The story is enlightening and follows a logical pattern that is complimented by the drawings.  A Box Story is the type of book that appears to be a simple yet fun children's book... but underneath it all there is a message.  There is a deep thought provoking story here that you have to read to get the full feel of.

I don't think a review of A Box Story could be complete without taking a minute to remark on the quality of the illustrations.  Rabble Boy is an extremely talented artist and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on more of his work!
3730266
I wasn't sure what to expect, since I hadn't read anything by this author before, but it was surprising very good. I got this book as a freebie off of BookBub, and most of the time the books leave little to be desired. And one in a blue moon you'll hit the jackpot......like I did with this book. I loved the plot and the flow of this story. And yes there were a few thing a good editor could fix to take this book from just being a good book, to a great one. But the things that needed fixed wasn't enough to stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book to the max!

I loved Daniel and Beth, and the boys stole my heart right from the start. I'm so glad these two took things slowly, by becoming friends and confidences first, before moving into a deeper relationship. It broke my heart when these two were at the hospital holding the twins, but it also made me fall in love with them even more.

I loved Daniels parents, and his siblings. And let me tell you....Jaxi made me laugh more times than not. She sure knows how to put those men in their place, for sure. I think she's starting to rub off on Beth quite a bit, too....which is a good thing, if you ask me.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I plan to check out more of this series, too.
3857554
WHAT A NICE SURPRISE !!!! For the very reasonable money I paid, I was expecting a basic shawl, maybe light weight material with a little silver here and there. NO WAY, this shawl was absolutely gorgeous !!! I purchased it for my granddaughter to go with a formal dress but  it could very easily be paired with just a plain black dress and you'd still look like a million $.  This was a bargain and it comes in a wide variety of color blends. Trust me, you'll be pleased.
3904071
What a pleasant surprize! Having never read warewolves, or vampires, etc. I didn't expect much, but this book has opened my eyes to the richness of this  whole genre. The setting is so well described that I feel as if I can smell the redwoods and feel the fog. The main character, Sitawan, is a (somewhat) regular human being who associates with a lot of warewolves and understands their private culture. The plot is very well developed and I can't wait to read Mitchell's next book.
2920902
To be honest I didn't know what to expect,  but I was wonderfully surprised!  This is a very good read.  A good plot and well written (except for the use of "anyways" instead of "anyway"-leave off the s, Mr Muse, please). Thank you, Ben
Muse, for a southern novel that brings a lovely part of the country and it's people to life.
1225248
What a wonderful surprise!! I had been in a reading slump and this book was just what I needed.  The way this book was written made me feel as if I was a part of what was happening.  I was on a fast rollercoaster of emotions - from laughing, to crying, to aroused!

Joseph and Storee were such lovable characters from the start. Usually I have to warm up to most male characters but Joseph was such a real person that I loved him from the start. And there isn't a woman in the world that have not felt some of the insecurities that Storee had, which made me relate to her plight, remembering some of my own insecurities. But the love of a good man will help alleviate those insecurities.

But one of the best parts of this book were Storee's grandparents. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but you will ABSOLUTELY love them!  Can't wait for the next installment to drop.  Hurry up Ashley!!
2957535
Wow, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this was not at all what I was expecting!

I was surprised at just how good this book was as I was not expecting such a complex and in depth story with an equally complex and in depth cast of characters.

The book covers several emotive subjects at the same time...some quite disturbing...yet it never gets lost or bogged down in the way it is able to blend these events into the overall story.
The author does this by skillfully ascribing and blending emotional backstories to each of the key characters, so that the reader becomes invested in the outcome of each individual as well as the overall story...thus making this a fascinating as well as compelling read.

It is a hard book to review without alluding to facts which would be considered spoilers, so rather than risk that, my advice would be to read the blurb and then dive right in as I did.
*Be aware though that the book does involve some quite confronting issues, having said that, I think it covers them in a most realistic light.

If I have one issue with this book it is the cover, I don't believe it does anything to sell this book for what it is, and possibly gives a misleading first impression.

"Confronting, amusing and compelling, this is a story about choices and how they shape who we become."

5s
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.
2805759
I had downloaded this book sometime ago, and don't even know how it got moved up in my books. I keep thinking I have the recipe for finding a good read (ha!!)...the reviews....the cover......the amount of stars...the combination of all of these....not at the least, the first few pages of read...which is what it was with this book. I hear that said so often, "it grabbed me on the first page", well their page must be a heck of a lot bigger than mine, because there are very few which grab me on the first page.  This was a kind of simple beginning...something I might have done, "stopping to buy some carrots" and the book took off from there....in the first 2 or 3 pages, that's fine!!!! I can wait that long...... Wow!! Coleen doesn't beat around the bush getting into this story, how refreshing!!! I definitely recommend this for good clean page turning adventure and enjoyable read.
3249295
WOW!... I so nearly overlooked this one but decided to take a chance on it. This was the first book in a long time that I just couldn't put down. Superb plot, wonderful characters and fantastically well written. I loved this book and have just shopped the next two in the series. Strongly Recommended!!!!!
2170861
This is the first book that I have had the pleasure to read by this author and I was hooked from the get-go!!! It ran me through the gamut of emotions: laughter, tears, happiness, and surprise!!! I sooooo cannot wait for the next book in this series to come out so I can devour it too!!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of a well-written novel, no matter the genre!!!

Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
4936887
I didn't expect much from this book and boy was I completely blown away.  The book ran the gauntlet of plot and I was thrown into the mix.  Who knew so much went on...on one tiny street.  I loved the characters and especially how they easily accepted everything that came along.  The love between the two seniors was so sweet and they waited so long.  The daughter made me laugh out loud...what a character.

You will enjoy this fast paced mystery novel that will keep you turning the pages and wondering what will happen next.  This is not your typical mystery...it has a bit of added something!  Give this book a try and you will be pleasantly surprised.
2576785
As a lover of St. Germain and West African music, this album is pure bliss to me.... What a great surprise!
416443
I had the honor of being asked to review an advanced copy of this book(Beta- reader). Being someone who is 52 and has read hundreds of books, I was skeptical, yet open-minded. What a pleasant surprise to find that the book was not only an easy read, but a compelling story that found me wanting to turn the page and not wanting the book to end! The characters are believable because they are nowhere near perfect, they have flaws, but don't we all? The turns in the plot make you wonder what is next. Plus, living in Iowa, I could relate to a lot of it! I am looking forward to the next chapter in this saga, please say there is another book on the way!! Bravo Jade, Bravo!
4086343
I was SO pleasantly surprised over how this book ended!  Never would I have been able to figure out a way to have all these characters end up being exactly where they should be, and yet somehow Lisa has very cleverly done exactly that!!!  In my heart of hearts, I had secret hopes for two of the main characters, yet I always thought that things would just never work out for them, fate being the fickle thing that it is!  So imagine my joy when Lisa wrote the most lovely ending I ever could have imagined for this 4-book series!  It was extremely satisfying and heartwarming experience for me.

Some of this book was about the battle, and I'll admit - I am not into battles at all.  I abhor War.  And yet I know that there is always a never-ending war being waged between the good and evil in our world, so I guess it is truly necessary for us to stay aware of this.

Lisa, thank you so much for writing this series.  I have enjoyed it so very much!  It would be awesome to one day see this being made into 4 movies!!!  I can TOTALLY see that happening!!!!!!!!!!!!
2286026
One of the most delightful and entertaining books I have read!!!