by Susan Roberts
“I found her.” One phone call and three whispered words is all it takes for Paige Fischer to risk everything - including her own life. (p 3)
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Showing posts with label Steena Holmes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steena Holmes. Show all posts
June 5, 2020
Reading Suspense Novels in a Pandemic
by Susan Roberts
My life has been fairly boring the last couple of months while I have self quarantined with only a few trips to the grocery store. What better time to read something exciting and suspenseful. Here are two of the books that made life more exciting for me.
December 23, 2019
8 Thrillers to Keep You Up Too Late
by Susan Roberts
I love to read a good thriller that keeps me guessing until the end. Here are 8 novels with roller-coaster plots that may keep you up past your bedtime.
I love to read a good thriller that keeps me guessing until the end. Here are 8 novels with roller-coaster plots that may keep you up past your bedtime.
November 30, 2019
Best Reads of November
We are at the end of another month. Can you believe that there are only 25 days until Christmas? The staff of Girl Who Reads has been busy reading and now are attempting the difficult task of naming their favorite read of the month.
April 28, 2018
Susan's Round Up of April Books
by Susan Roberts
Now that spring is here and the days are getting longer, we should all have more time to read. I have been able to read several books that are published in April that I highly recommend adding to your reading lists.
Now that spring is here and the days are getting longer, we should all have more time to read. I have been able to read several books that are published in April that I highly recommend adding to your reading lists.
March 1, 2017
Review: Saving Abby AND Abby's Journey by Steena Holmes
by Susan Roberts
Abby's Journey is the sequel to Saving Abby and since they are so closely linked, I wanted to provide you with my previous review of Saving Abby along with my new review of Abby's Journey. Both are fantastic books and are must reads if you like great women's fiction about families and relationships.
Saving Abby
Claire and Josh Turner have been happily married for six years. He is the author of a successful series of children's book and she is the illustrator. After years of trying, they have finally accepted that they are unable to have children and go on a tour of Europe to help ease the pain of that decision. When they get back from their trip, they find out that Claire has gotten pregnant but the doctor also finds out that she has a life threatening problem that needs treatment but treatment will harm the baby. Claire and Josh are faced with the decision of whether to save her or the baby or try to save both.
The novel is emotional and the author has created such wonderful main characters that the reader identifies with them and feels their joy and their heartache. Along with the two main characters, there are also secondary characters that help the storyline tremendously.
Two things about this novel that I really liked: I am a list maker and I loved all the lists that Claire made for her life. It helped make her more of a real character to me. Second, I am a traveler and I know that Steena is too from reading her Facebook posts. I loved all of her wonderful descriptions of Europe. You could tell that she was writing about places that she had been and loved.
To sum it all up, this is a wonderful book about family and love and heartache. It's one of my top 10 books of the year and I think that everyone should read it!
Buy Saving Abby at Amazon
Abby's Journey
Twenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire—who died shortly after she was born—through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby’s father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia.
But when Abby’s doctor declares her healthy—for now—her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father’s objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.
I am so happy that Steena wrote this book to follow up on the story of Abby from the first book. It answers all of the questions that I had at the end of Saving Abby - how did Josh handle being a single father, what was Abby like and did she know how much her mom loved her? All that and more is addressed in this book. Abby has the journals and letters that Claire left her and her big wish is to travel to some of the places that her mom had traveled to. Her dad is very overprotective due to Abby's health issues but he finally gives in to her desire to go to the Christmas markets in Europe with her grandmother. If you have ever read Steena's facebook page you know that she loves to travel and her love of travel is reflected in this book. I felt like I was in small towns in Germany and Belgium because her writing was so descriptive. This book was fantastic and there are places where you'll probably shed a few tears. It's a beautiful coming of age story about family and love and letting go and most importantly following your dreams.
Buy Abby's Journey at Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.
Abby's Journey is the sequel to Saving Abby and since they are so closely linked, I wanted to provide you with my previous review of Saving Abby along with my new review of Abby's Journey. Both are fantastic books and are must reads if you like great women's fiction about families and relationships.
Saving AbbyClaire and Josh Turner have been happily married for six years. He is the author of a successful series of children's book and she is the illustrator. After years of trying, they have finally accepted that they are unable to have children and go on a tour of Europe to help ease the pain of that decision. When they get back from their trip, they find out that Claire has gotten pregnant but the doctor also finds out that she has a life threatening problem that needs treatment but treatment will harm the baby. Claire and Josh are faced with the decision of whether to save her or the baby or try to save both.
The novel is emotional and the author has created such wonderful main characters that the reader identifies with them and feels their joy and their heartache. Along with the two main characters, there are also secondary characters that help the storyline tremendously.
Two things about this novel that I really liked: I am a list maker and I loved all the lists that Claire made for her life. It helped make her more of a real character to me. Second, I am a traveler and I know that Steena is too from reading her Facebook posts. I loved all of her wonderful descriptions of Europe. You could tell that she was writing about places that she had been and loved.
To sum it all up, this is a wonderful book about family and love and heartache. It's one of my top 10 books of the year and I think that everyone should read it!
Buy Saving Abby at Amazon
Abby's JourneyTwenty-year-old Abigail Turner has only known her mother, Claire—who died shortly after she was born—through letters, videos, postcards, and journals. Abby’s father, Josh, has raised his precious daughter himself, but his overprotectiveness has become stifling. Abby longs to forge out on her own and see the world after a childhood trapped indoors: she suffers from bronchopulmonary dysplasia, which means a case of the sniffles can rapidly escalate into life-threatening pneumonia.
But when Abby’s doctor declares her healthy—for now—her grandmother Millie whisks her away to Europe to visit the Christmas markets that her mother cherished and chronicled in her travel journals. Despite her father’s objections, Abby and Millie embark on a journey of discovery in which Abby will learn secrets that force her to reevaluate her image of her mother and come to a more mature understanding of a parent-child bond that transcends death.
I am so happy that Steena wrote this book to follow up on the story of Abby from the first book. It answers all of the questions that I had at the end of Saving Abby - how did Josh handle being a single father, what was Abby like and did she know how much her mom loved her? All that and more is addressed in this book. Abby has the journals and letters that Claire left her and her big wish is to travel to some of the places that her mom had traveled to. Her dad is very overprotective due to Abby's health issues but he finally gives in to her desire to go to the Christmas markets in Europe with her grandmother. If you have ever read Steena's facebook page you know that she loves to travel and her love of travel is reflected in this book. I felt like I was in small towns in Germany and Belgium because her writing was so descriptive. This book was fantastic and there are places where you'll probably shed a few tears. It's a beautiful coming of age story about family and love and letting go and most importantly following your dreams.
Buy Abby's Journey at Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steena Holmes grew up in a small town in Canada and holds a Bachelors degree in Theology. She currently lives in Calgary with her husband and three daughters and loves to wake up to the Rocky Mountains each morning. She also loves travel in Europe and chocolate!
Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their grandson. Susan reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook.
Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.
June 5, 2016
4 Novels Focused on Family Life
by Susan Roberts
Saving Abby by Steena Holmes
There was no dinner cooked at my house yesterday - once I started this wonderful book by Steena Holmes, nothing got done until I was finished with it. I have read all of Steena's books and she just keeps getting better. She is one of the best writer's of family relationship issues of any authors that I read and I thought that this was her best book yet.
Claire and Josh Turner have been happily married for six years. He is the author of a successful series of children's book and she is the illustrator. After years of trying, they have finally accepted that they are unable to have children and go on a tour of Europe to help ease the pain of that decision. When they get back from their trip, they find out that Claire has gotten pregnant but the doctor also finds out that she has a life threatening problem that needs treatment but treatment will harm the baby. Claire and Josh are faced with the decision of whether to save her or the baby or try to save both.
The novel is emotional and the author has created such wonderful main characters that the reader identifies with them and feels their joy and their heartache. Along with the two main characters, there are also secondary characters that help the story line tremendously.
Two things about this novel that I really liked: I am a list maker and I loved all the lists that Claire made for her life. It helped make her more of a real character to me. Second, I am a traveler and I know that Steena is too from reading her Facebook posts. I loved all of her wonderful descriptions of Europe. You could tell that she was writing about places that she had been and loved.
To sum it all up, this is a wonderful book about family and love and heartache. It's one of my top 10 books of the year and I think that everyone should read it!
Remember My Beauties by Lynne Hugo
To say that Jewel has a tough job trying to keep her family functioning is putting it mildly. She takes care of two aging parents and their horses on their horse farm. Her father is blind and her mother is very demanding. Her daughter is hooked on drugs and living with a loser. Her marriage is falling apart and her husband's daughter is living with them and he also wants his son to move in to their house. If all that isn't bad enough, her brother Cal has decided to come back home. Jewel hates Cal (and for good reason) and knows that he will be more of a burden than a help. The only sanity that Jewel has in her life are the horses. Spending time and working with the four horses are the only time that Jewel is really happy. Cal returning back to the farm, throws everything into a turmoil - or more of a turmoil than it had been and Jewel has to make decisions that make her question everything in her life and her family.
This is a wonderful novel of family and love and forgiveness. I plan to go back and read some of the author's older books because I was so impressed with this one.
The Children by Ann Leary
This is my first book by Ann Leary and after reading it, I plan to read her older books. I loved her characters - my favorites were Joan and Charlotte but all of the characters added to the story line. Joan and her two daughters were definitely quirky and that made the novel even more interesting and in parts very funny.
When Whit Whitman died, he left his estate to his two sons but made provisions for his wife Joan to live in the family home until her death. Charlotte, one of her daughters, lives with her and rarely leaves the house. Her other daughter also lives there much of the time. What at first appears to be a loving blended family with the two sons of Whit and the two daughters of Joan, begins to show cracks when Spin brings home his fiancée. Add in a caretaker who is having an affair with Charlotte and a thief in the neighborhood who breaks into houses to clean them and you have all the elements needed for a great read that you don't want to put down until the last page is read. Great story!
The Gravity-Assist Technique by Dalene Flannigan
Ella and Aaron, Kevin and Beth were best friends. Aaron and Keven were cousins and they had been friends with Ella for years and Kevin was just a little jealous when Aaron and Ella became a couple. Kevin marries Beth and she tries to fit into the group. After twenty some years of marriage, Aaron dies in a car accident and the novel begins three years after the accident. The story is told in alternating chapters by Ella and Kevin and we learn about the strong friendship and how much they rely on each other. We learn about their past and as their feeling begin to become more than friendship, what they would like their future to be. Their friendship gets even more confusing when Ella sees Beth with another man and can't decide if she should tell Kevin.
This is a novel about friendship and love and secrets and family. It's a wonderful story and I couldn't put it down once I started because I wanted to see how everyone's lives ended up. I was very tempted to turn to the end while I was reading but I resisted it and let the story play out and I was glad that I did.
This is a novel definitely worth reading. The author has created wonderful characters who aren't perfect people but question their decisions and have flaws just like we all do. I really enjoyed the three main characters in this novel. I look forward to the next book from Ms Flannigan.
Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.
There was no dinner cooked at my house yesterday - once I started this wonderful book by Steena Holmes, nothing got done until I was finished with it. I have read all of Steena's books and she just keeps getting better. She is one of the best writer's of family relationship issues of any authors that I read and I thought that this was her best book yet.
Claire and Josh Turner have been happily married for six years. He is the author of a successful series of children's book and she is the illustrator. After years of trying, they have finally accepted that they are unable to have children and go on a tour of Europe to help ease the pain of that decision. When they get back from their trip, they find out that Claire has gotten pregnant but the doctor also finds out that she has a life threatening problem that needs treatment but treatment will harm the baby. Claire and Josh are faced with the decision of whether to save her or the baby or try to save both.
The novel is emotional and the author has created such wonderful main characters that the reader identifies with them and feels their joy and their heartache. Along with the two main characters, there are also secondary characters that help the story line tremendously.
Two things about this novel that I really liked: I am a list maker and I loved all the lists that Claire made for her life. It helped make her more of a real character to me. Second, I am a traveler and I know that Steena is too from reading her Facebook posts. I loved all of her wonderful descriptions of Europe. You could tell that she was writing about places that she had been and loved.
To sum it all up, this is a wonderful book about family and love and heartache. It's one of my top 10 books of the year and I think that everyone should read it!
Buy Saving Abby at Amazon
(a free Netgalley was provided for this review.)
To say that Jewel has a tough job trying to keep her family functioning is putting it mildly. She takes care of two aging parents and their horses on their horse farm. Her father is blind and her mother is very demanding. Her daughter is hooked on drugs and living with a loser. Her marriage is falling apart and her husband's daughter is living with them and he also wants his son to move in to their house. If all that isn't bad enough, her brother Cal has decided to come back home. Jewel hates Cal (and for good reason) and knows that he will be more of a burden than a help. The only sanity that Jewel has in her life are the horses. Spending time and working with the four horses are the only time that Jewel is really happy. Cal returning back to the farm, throws everything into a turmoil - or more of a turmoil than it had been and Jewel has to make decisions that make her question everything in her life and her family.
This is a wonderful novel of family and love and forgiveness. I plan to go back and read some of the author's older books because I was so impressed with this one.
Buy Remember My Beauties at Amazon
(a free Netgalley was provided for this review)
This is my first book by Ann Leary and after reading it, I plan to read her older books. I loved her characters - my favorites were Joan and Charlotte but all of the characters added to the story line. Joan and her two daughters were definitely quirky and that made the novel even more interesting and in parts very funny.
When Whit Whitman died, he left his estate to his two sons but made provisions for his wife Joan to live in the family home until her death. Charlotte, one of her daughters, lives with her and rarely leaves the house. Her other daughter also lives there much of the time. What at first appears to be a loving blended family with the two sons of Whit and the two daughters of Joan, begins to show cracks when Spin brings home his fiancée. Add in a caretaker who is having an affair with Charlotte and a thief in the neighborhood who breaks into houses to clean them and you have all the elements needed for a great read that you don't want to put down until the last page is read. Great story!
Buy The Children at Amazon
(a free ebook was provided by Book Browse for this review)
Ella and Aaron, Kevin and Beth were best friends. Aaron and Keven were cousins and they had been friends with Ella for years and Kevin was just a little jealous when Aaron and Ella became a couple. Kevin marries Beth and she tries to fit into the group. After twenty some years of marriage, Aaron dies in a car accident and the novel begins three years after the accident. The story is told in alternating chapters by Ella and Kevin and we learn about the strong friendship and how much they rely on each other. We learn about their past and as their feeling begin to become more than friendship, what they would like their future to be. Their friendship gets even more confusing when Ella sees Beth with another man and can't decide if she should tell Kevin.
This is a novel about friendship and love and secrets and family. It's a wonderful story and I couldn't put it down once I started because I wanted to see how everyone's lives ended up. I was very tempted to turn to the end while I was reading but I resisted it and let the story play out and I was glad that I did.
This is a novel definitely worth reading. The author has created wonderful characters who aren't perfect people but question their decisions and have flaws just like we all do. I really enjoyed the three main characters in this novel. I look forward to the next book from Ms Flannigan.
Buy The Gravity-Assist Technique at Amazon
(A free ebook was provided by the author for this review)
Susan Roberts, reviewer. Susan grew up in the Detroit area but after deciding that city life wasn't for her she moved to North Carolina after college. She and her husband have several acres of land and they enjoy gardening and canning vegetables in the summer. They travel extensively. Susan reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook or Twitter.
Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.
April 22, 2016
S is for Short Fiction #AtoZChallenge
Stories come all shapes and sizes. We are all familiar with epic tomes like War and Peace, Crime and Punishment. But there are also stories on the other end of the scale: micro stories (I've seen a Facebook thread for 6 word stories!), flash fiction (usually 100 to 1,000 words), short stories, and novellas. While short stories have long been part of the literature landscape, I wonder if the rise in flash fiction and novellas is a result of the indie publishing movement. Serials is another form of short fiction that was popular when publishing was expensive and few had access to books and instead these stories were published in installments in magazines and newspapers. Serials have seen a resurgent, again I think it may be a combined result of the indie publishing movement and ebooks.
Do you like reading short fiction? It can be a great way to get your reading fix when you have a busy schedule. Susan is recommending a novella and I have a short story for you today. I would love to hear your recommendations. ~ Donna
review by Susan Roberts
Steena Holmes takes her readers back to Stillwater in book 2 of this series, where a terrible school shooting killed several children and teachers in a small tight knit community. Instead of focusing on the people directly affected by the shooting in this book, she writes about several people in the town who were suffering from the aftermath of the shooting even though they didn't lose family members. It shows so well that its an entire community that suffers in an event as horrific as a shooting - maybe to a different degree than the people directly related but its still painful.
The book is about two different families. Grace is suffering because she called in sick on the day of the shooting and asked her best friend to substitute for her - she is filled with survivor's guilt because her friend is dead and she is alive. Paige is having problems living her life because she is grieving for her 'almost' boyfriend and what could have been. Her sister doesn't understand her grief and they are having problems in the flower business that they share.
This is a fantastic book. Steena writes her characters so well the reader feels like they are people that they know in their every day lives. She is now writing Stillwater Deep and I am really looking forward to reading more about the people of this town as they heal.
Buy The Dreams of Stillwater at Amazon
review by Donna Huber
As far as short stories go, Two Doors Down was really well done. However, I have to wonder if it isn't more of a serial. If you think of a book in three acts, then Two Doors Down would definitely be act one.
Kate and Rick have been neighbors and friends for a while. There is definitely some chemistry between these two right from the start. But it is clearly a case of not seeing what is right in front of you, particularly on Rick's part.
The story is tight with its focus on the potential romance between Kate and Rick, though there is room for a lovely elderly neighbor. The conversation the three of them had in the hall had me giggling.
"Yeah?" Rick asks with a small grin.Though the story was short, I quickly became attached to Rick and Kate and want to know how their date went, if they will make it as a couple. At Goodreads I see that there is a second book, Two Doors Down: Blurred Line. The addition of the the subtitle on the book I read, Secret Admirer, and the title of the second gives more credence that this is indeed a serial and not just a short story. Unfortunately, I am unable to find either of the books on Amazon. I do hope they reappear.
"Try to keep it down, dear. I'm an old lady now; I need my sleep and your...lady friends are not helping."
Kate barks out a laugh as Rick's face turns beet red. "S-s-sorry, ma'am," He stutters. "I'll try to be a little quieter."
"Oh, it's not so much you, dear," Mrs. Waterman insists. "It's your lady friends; they're quite vocal in the throes of passion. I just need them to scream a little less. Perhaps try a gag. It always worked for me." Rick's face is nearly violet red with embarrassment now and Kate is using the wall for support as her body shakes with laughter. Mrs Waterman doesn't look embarrassed by her own frank attitude towards sex, though, and just gives them a decisive nod as she enters her apartment and closes the door.
See other books by J. Jennings at Amazon
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