this was such a nice finish to the series of The Lake
938370
this was such a nice finish to the series of The Lake.  I definitely give my five stars to this story.
3979073
The final and perfect ending to the Mermen of Ea and the love story between Ian and Taren. We learned a lot of things in this book and I was very happy with how we say goodbye to the couple, that made us delve into this series.
2730861
I am glad to have discovered the writing of Lorna Seilstad and have thoroughly enjoyed the Gregory sisters. As Love Blooms concludes the series with the youngest sister's story, Tessa - and can I just say how appealing the cover is! It beautifully captures the essence of Tessa - her mischievousness, charm, wit, inner beauty, and sense of style. Although the characters overlap throughout the series, each book can stand alone.

The series features three engaging sisters who have promised to be there for each other after the death of their parents, helping each other achieve their dreams. They also have strong wills and are desirous of entering professions not usually open to women in the year of 1913 - Hannah, a lawyer; Charlotte, a chef; and Tessa, landscape design. Even their Aunt Samantha, a favorite character of mine, is actively involved in the suffrage movement. As Love Blooms lacked that certain "something" that makes an exciting read, but I still enjoyed it overall.

Lorna brings in a lot of historical detail and anyone familiar with the Saint Paul, Minnesota area will enjoy the mentioning of several local scenes, including the beautiful Como Park where Tessa and Reese work. I enjoyed the garden design theme and especially all the behind-the-scene workings in preparation for the beautiful Como Park Conservatory.

Lorna infuses her writing with a gentle humor and rich characterization. Tessa is so energetic and funny, determined to prove that she is finally serious about her career. She was a dreamer who had "already passed through the journalist, photographer, librarian, and Pinkerton agent phases" and was now series about being a horticulturist. And when it came to relationships, she found playacting easier than fitting in with those around her. With his serious, humble, and protective nature, Reese was easy to like from the beginning. They complimented each other - and together, they made an unbeatable team.

I especially appreciated how Lorna connected the gardening/nature theme with everyday faith - from the importance of being rooted in Christ, to the realization that faith the size of a mustard seed is all it takes for God to work in His incredible ways. Both Tessa and Reese also learned a lesson that many of us can relate to - that faith is misplaced when we try to please or put our trust in a human being rather than God.

As Love Blooms is an enjoyable conclusion to The Gregory Sisters series and I look forward to more from Lorna Seilstad.

Thank you to Revell for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
3294696
Amazing finish to the series, but at the same time, its left open to be added on to...I hope to see more in this series
58465
Fantastic finish to the series.  I listened to it on Audible and strongly recommend it.  The Passage was great.  The Twelve was interesting but a bit confusing, but The City of Mirrors brought it back together in a fantastic way.  Very detailed, great development of the main characters.
731084
I really enjoyed the series and this final book just made you feel good and full of love. I was a bit emotional at the end but it left me with a smile on my face.
4482317
I love this series and the cap on it really does make a lovely end.  I have a love for Mirabelle Harbor and all of it's nosy, loving, and interwoven residents.  I was excited to finally meet Chandler and read his story and also to see the others enjoying their HEA.  There was no disappointment here!  Fun book that puts all of the ends where they should be.  Mirabelle Harbor will remain a favorite.  Marilyn Brant has told a series of stories and created a community of characters that I want to be acquainted with, that's the best praise I can give.
4143121
This final book of the series was fantastic! I couldn't believe how it ended, and I'm quite happy with the ending that was given. There was a lot of struggles to make it to have a happy ending, but I do wish that the series was a little longer.

Rylie really grows through the series. As the series progressed, Rylie had grown to hate her wolf. In this last book, she has reached a deep depression over what she is. From the moment she first became a werewolf, she has not enjoyed it. However, with the help of her boyfriend Seth, it has been liveable till now. In the past, as she struggled to control her werewolf, she had tried running from him, but Seth still cares for her and will always love her. By the end though dispite all that has happen she learns to accept who and what she is.

Seth doesn't think of himself as a hunter in this book, due to his relationship with Rylie. He can't stand the thought of harming werewolves. His dedication for Rylie extends as far as him going with the hunters with the purpose of trying to stop them. However, his mother is along the hunters, it's dangerous for both Rylie and Abel, his brother.

Abel is actually a lot nicer in this book then in the previous books. It made me like him a lot more and wish he had his own book so I can see if he finds someone to love him. He does help Rylie a lot in this book, by keeping her calm when she starts to lose control, and also keeps her safe from the hunters. He's a really great guy and I wish there was more of him.

This book series isn't all flowers and happiness. It's about being a wolf and having a curse, a curse that could cause the wolves to hurt people. Something is calling every werewolf in the world to Gray Mountain. They have all been having strange dreams and they need to get to that place. This book I found better then the others for all the action it has in it as well as guessing what's going to happen to Rylie and Abel as they try to escape from the hunters who are trying to wipe out ever werewolf there. Not to mention a little mistake Abel says about Seth that causes Rylie to doubt her boyfriend.

You will enjoy this last book of the series as much as I have believe me it's well worth it being the last book, making you wish there was more.
3716649
This was a good finish to the series.  I liked the fact that it just wasn't just a wrap up of old story threads hanging around from the first two books like a lot of trilogies are. There is plenty of new plot here. Friedman introduces some freshness into a major character. Not that the character wasn't compelling originally, he was, but to avoid any spoilers I'll just say Friedman used her talent for dark fantasy to come up with a great novel twist to supercharge her antagonist. I also really liked how she incorporated some plot points based on Native American culture, and her concept of "the badlands." While calling some forbidden bad place "the badlands" is by no means an original concept, Friedman's world-building makes it fresh and new. I really liked the way - trying to avoid spoilers again here - she set up how difficult it was to enter the badlands and what happens when you do. Jesse and her crew have to go there in search of what she's been seeing in her dreams.  What she is seeing is detailed in a dark and disturbing, "pure C.S. Friedman" prologue.  If you're wondering whether you should read the book, just download the sample and read that prologue. It will draw you in for sure.

This series wasn't my favorite (she's written a lot of great stuff over her career), and it's not the typical C.S. Friedman since it's a young adult series, although the series seems to have evolved into more toward regular C.S. Friedman's as it went into the last two books. Totally worth a look, though. It's got a really interesting, very close first person point of view, which I don't think is a regular thing for Friedman, and I think she pulled it off very well. Really liked the Isaac character, too, I think he's the best character in the series.  I read somewhere, I think it might have been on C.S. (Celia) Friedman's  facebook page, that her next book is going to be based on the world from her novel "This Alien Shore."  Totally looking forward to that one, because that might have been my favorite C.S. Friedman book, but this one did a pretty good job of giving me my C.S. Friedman fix. Hope she writes the next one fast!
3919507
Now, I finally have the last book of the series I have been reading for what seems like a year. But in reality its was more captivating to have it given out in section. I very much enjoyed watching each of the Cavendish sisters fall in love and find their matches. I have very much enjoyed how each story overlapped in its own way. I loved seeing the little glimpses behind the scenes of each various book when you were in the other. I loved having James to be the last of the stories presented because his was the glue for his sisters.

James had something many of the nobility of the ton did not. He had a very loving, stick-by-your side family. The had the 'Three Musketeer's" mentality. One for all and all for one. The Duchess was getting a hang of it by the time all was said and done. James learned just why his father was willing to give it all up and how he never turned back. James' growth during this series brings him a bit of heartache along the way because the one woman he wants. He can't truly have. He finds that being a duke affords him great privilege and responsibility. He can't always have what he wants. and he wants Meredith more than any thing else.

This for me was a traditional or classic read from Maya Rodale. She makes her stories fun, sweet, entertaining, family strong, and gives you a bit of contemporary times right along with her historical delight. I for one don't listen to tall the crap that one makes about a book because of their stance. I for one loved this entire series. It gave a bit of something that a lot of books miss out on.
3353091
I really enjoyed this last installment, really felt in touch with the characters from the beginning of the series and was happy to see this last installment to what happened with everyone.
1037888
Wow, wow, wow, what an amazing end to 2 series. I have to admit I preferred the Dwellers saga to the country saga so I really enjoyed the return of Adele and Tristan. I loved how this book bought together all the different realms and countries - you definitely needed to have read books 1-3 of each series first, but boy was this a cracker.

I loved hearing about the technology in the New City/Glass City. That was pretty amazing.  The epilogue at the end was a great way to end all the action and see how everyone ended up. I'm really sad I've finished this now.
3643156
I love the way CC closed this series.  The ending was beautiful.  I laughed, and cried, then sighed in relief. Amazing!
4520542
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From the first two books in this series, we know that Lily Bosarge is beautiful and has a strange power over any man she encounters. There's also some question as to how deadly she is. Herbert starts the book showing us Lily's vulnerabilities, which immediately drew me in and made her sympathetic. When I opened the book to take a peek, I didn't mean for it to jump to the top of my TBR pile, but it did, and I would have finished it all in one sitting if I'd been able to.

Seemingly perfect Lily doesn't have a perfect life in spite of being a super rich, attractive mermaid who can have any man she wants. Except one. With Nashoba Bowman, the author moves away from the lawman heroes of the previous books and brings us an oh-so-hot Native American nature photographer. While Jet in book two is still my favorite heroine of the series, Nash is by far my favorite hero. Plus I enjoyed the Native American lore woven into the book.

Of course there are fun underwater scenes and great romantic tension. This was a perfect end to a wonderful series, and I can only hope there are spinoffs in the future because I'm not ready to say goodbye to these fishy ladies and their hunky menfolk quite yet.
3075828
I loved the ending. It was satisfying, and I had little to no questions about what (concerning the Elgen and the solution to the problem) happened to who by the end. Thanks Richard for this amazing conclusion to the series!
1161697
This was a great end to the series.  I was left with a good feeling that all loose ends were tied up and everyone would live happily ever after.  I did shed a few tears (well, more than a few) but in the end I was pleased with how everything turned out.
3904586
Such a great ending to this series!  I love how the character had to face her past and deal with it in order to move on - so true to real life. This book dealt with forgiveness. It really pulled on my heartstrings with the pain she faced and had to work through. I loved the ending, too, and I'm sad the series has ended. It's my family's goal to do something similar - and in north Idaho, no less! The community of acceptance, love, and fun just speaks to my heart. I look forward to the author's new series!