River Readers

This was a nice pair of short stories with Christmas settings. Both stories were about a couple who made a mistake in high school and now. 6-10 years down the road, want a second chance. Both need a lot of persuading and a lot of forgiveness, but result in happy couples willing to take that new chance at a forever relationship.

I like this story a lot. It was light and fun. Also it seemed to be realistic in how a person must try to rectify family expectations and personal desires. I guess this normal coming of age would be even more stressful for teens of Indian heritage who want to try to stay true to both.

This was another nice romance involving the group of people who live and work around the fountain of romance. This one was fun because the mystery involved Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Not sure I like thinking about them being "bad" guys, but it was a fun Christmas story.

This story answered a couple of questions that I had from hints in past stories. It is nice to continue learning about the cast of characters who inhabit Happily Inc. Another fun romance that will continue in future books.

Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fool’s Gold romances, proves there’s nowhere better than Happily Inc to rekindle first love.

This was a nice story about how Hannah started her cookie shop and solved her first case. It was a nice background for many of the characters that appear in this series.

This first in a new series was light but intriguing. I will enjoy learning more about the three main characters. Plus the story takes place in one of my favorite areas of Florida.

This addition of the Library Lover's Mystery had some interesting twists and turns. I like learning more about the cast of characters at the Briar Creek library and the surrounding town.

This was another nice romance in the Happily Inc series. I enjoy learning more about the Mitchell men and this one expanded on the shocking twist of Ronan's true mother. The artists in this series are amazing to read about and I often wish they were real people so I could actually see their creations.

This was quick story, but it was a nice addition to the Magnus Chase series. I liked learning more about the supporting characters and more about the Norse legends.

This was an intriguing "locked room" murder mystery. A snowstorm strands a group of very unlikely people in a Catskills resort. There ends up being three murders and somehow different people figure things out. This requires some new partnerships and the end of some older relationships. In the end, you may or may not figure out the plot. Good luck.

This was a quick read. I knew the general plan, having seen tons of movie previews, but enjoyed it the same. I want to see the movie since the beasts are always worth viewing. I'm looking forward to see how Rowling is going to continue this story and reconcile it with what we know from the Harry Potter series.

L.A. is no place for widows. This is what forty-four-year-old Hannah Bernal quickly discovers after the tragic death of her handsome and loving husband, John. Misery and red-rimmed eyes are little tolerated in the land of the beautiful. But life stumbles on: Hannah’s sweet three-year-old daughter, Ellie, needs to be dropped off at her overpriced preschool, while Hannah herself must get back to work in order to pay the bills on “Casa Sugar,” the charming Spanish-styled bungalow they call home.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew he wanted to be a preacher from a young age. He spent his life in pursuit of his faith. His faith was tested when Hitler came to power in Bonhoeffer's beloved Germany. Bonhoeffer watched his people fall under the spell of such evil power and had to reconcile his faith with what was happening around him. His faith led him to become a spy and work towards plots that would end the Nazi regime. While these plots were ultimately unsuccessful, Bonhoeffer never faltered in his faith and his desire for a better Germany. 

This is a good primer on living tiny, but I wanted more details on how to actually do it. I felt like they were trying to sell me on their services on on the products they loved a little too much. I could have also used more pictures of their house. They talked about each component in the text but didn't have pictures for all the areas. There were some good practical tips in here, but it was only partially helpful.

Iko tracks down rogue wolf-human hybrids intent on disrupting peace between Earth and Luna.