Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

You know that Jillian and I love books and that we both have careers working in public libraries!  That's why I was super excited when I found a copy of Pamela Morsi's book Love Overdue quite by accident while wandering the shelves looking for something else at work.

Love Overdue is a romance novel that takes place in a library.  Yes, I know what you're all thinking, Jessica, it sounds like a book full of library stereotypes and fetishes.  It's not.  It's actually really cute.

The novel follows the story of a young librarian who moves to a small town to become a director.  She is hired by the library board in a kind of strange way, and is even given housing... inside the library board member's home.  Okay, this wouldn't happen in one of our city libraries but who's to say it's never happened anywhere?  Apparently, the librarian had a one night stand with the board member's son many years ago, causing her to actively avoid him while his mother actively tries to push them together.  This is the romance.

This book is your perfect cute little romance novel made better by how each chapter starts with corresponding Dewey Decimal Numbers! In fact, I think that's the part I love the most about it.

So if you're looking for a light and fluffy bookish romance, why not give this one a try? I give it 4 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!

~Jessica

Regretting You by Colleen Hoover - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

December has been an absolute whirlwind, but we are back to posting (somewhat regularly)and are excited for all the great reads 2020 will hold!  This year I plan on reading slower and more purposefully, which will hopefully also mean more book reviews coming your way!

I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of Colleen Hoover's latest novel, Regretting You that was published this month.  Usually I finish a Hoover novel in just a few days, so I was really surprised when this book took me almost nine days to finish reading. That's right.  NINE DAYS.

The novel opens with the story of two couples.  Morgan and her sister are dating two boys who are best friends.  They all get along, but we get the feeling that the couples would be more compatible if they switched partners.  Then Morgan finds out she's pregnant.  At 17 she ends up marrying her boyfriend and they have a life together for the next 15 years raising a daughter named Clara.  That is until Morgan's  husband dies in a car accident with her sister.  A car accident that logically shouldn't have happened because her sister was supposed to be at work.

The novel flips between the perspective of Morgan and her daughter Clara who is struggling with grief, first love, and her relationship with her mother.  While I enjoyed the novel, I didn't feel as immersed and invested in the characters lives like I usually do with Hoover's work.  The book turned out to be just okay for me, thus making give the rating 3 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

See you in 2020!

~Jessica 

After We Break by Katy Regnery- Reshelved Books

Hellooooooo!!

Sorry, I've been MIA for a while.  Life sort of has a way of sneaking in on us when we least expect it. Plus most titles I had read of late, didn't do anything for me.  I thought that most of them were blah. 


Have no fear though as I have found books that I liked and those are the ones that I have been reading. 

Case and point: After We Break by Katy Regnery.

It's no secret that I enjoy the books that Regnery writes. 
I snagged a copy of this read in hopes of reviewing it. 

I found this book to be a quick read.  Now, this might be because I read it as an E-book.

This story was a complicated one.  Violet and Zach are now in their late 20s.  They graduated from college, Violet went to Yale and Zach went to Julliard.  
Violet on to write a popular novel and Zach is writing chart topping hits for bands.  
In a bizarre turn of events, Violet and Zach find themselves with each other. 

As the reader, we get to see how Violet and Z (or Vile and Z) heal and move forward. 

There was certainly a fair share of drama in this book.  There was a lot that was going on, not necessarily just between the two.  Zach's life was very involved, we got to see how his career played out (more so than Violet's career as an author). 

What was cool, was that the reader got to see how the two of them worked together to write a few songs. 

This book for me was blah.  Which is hard for me to say given that I really like Katy Regnery's books! 

I found Violet to be a bit difficult and not so easy to forgive Zach.  It wasn't like he cheated on her or anything.  He just didn't handle the situation well and really, you can't fault a 18-19 year old guy for that.  
Even after she learned of his background story, she was still a little hesitant to forgive.

For me, After We Break was a kind of a dud...

I sadly am giving it 3.5 coffee beans out of 5...

~ Jillian

The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros - Reshelved Books

Hi guys.

Let me apologize for not posting at ALL in August.  I went away on vacation at the beginning of the month and I have been away on vacation ever since.  Alas, it's September and the reviews need to start up again...

It's not that I haven't been reading.  I have!  I have been reading A LOT.  I just haven't been posting.  I have a lot of started reviews sitting in the queue.  (And we all know how much Jessica loves when this happens)
The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros is why this post exists today.

Cover is courtesy of Amazon.com!

This book, you guys. Soooo incredibly amazing. I cannot. 

It also made you fall in love with Beckett Gentry, call sign Chaos.  Honestly, if I could have a literary boyfriend, I would have pass up Mr. Darcy for Mr. Gentry. (It’s said by fellow characters in The Last Letter, that Beckett looks like Chris Pratt. Who doesn’t love Chris Pratt? I must say that Chris Pratt circa Parks and Rec is my favorite Chris Pratt.)

Beckett Gentry, or Chaos as he’s known in his unit; is serving a tour with Ella’s brother, Ryan.  Early on in the beginning of the book, the reader sees that Ryan or Mac, is persuading Beckett into writing letters to Ella.  Ella has a lot going on, not only is she a single mom who's running her own business while raising twins but one her children is diagnosed with a neuroblastoma. Even though he understands this, Beckett is reluctant to do so- he doesn't want the attachment, he doesn't want the what ifs or the what could bes.  But something happens, as Chaos writes Ella, he starts to fall for Ella.  Ella starts to feel the same way about Chaos.  When Mac becomes a prisoner of war and then loses his life, Chaos just stops writing to Ella.  Which breaks Ella. 

The title "The Last Letter" comes from the last letter that Mac wrote in the event that he died.  It was addressed to Chaos- inside it was asking Chaos to go to Telluride, CO; and take care of Ella and her kids.  

Chaos does just that.  He goes to Telluride and rents a cabin for 7 months at Solitude.  
Only Chaos is now Beckett.  
Chaos doesn't exist- he died with Mac.

The start of each chapter starts with a letter either from Ella to Chaos, or from Chaos to Ella.  Each chapter is told from their respected prescriptive only. 

I cried. I literally had tears streaming down my face. To the point where I couldn’t read the words that were in front of me and I needed to stop and get myself together. 


This book had everything. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made you feel love, it made you feel heartbreak. And lastly, it made you feel hope. 

I give this book 5 coffee beans out of 5!  If you're in the market for a new book- I would strongly recommend this one.

~ Jillian

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey-Reshelved Books

Who's ready for a little romance? 
Raise your hands, if you are. 

This book is *not* a YA book! If you're looking for a YA book - YA is not this book.  I wouldn't even read this review because this is not the book for that genre. (Though, I do have some YA book reviews coming up. Stay tuned for them!) 

The copy of the book cover is from Harper Collins.
There was a small mishap with my copy....

While I found this book to have been the best rom-com type book that I've read, I would like to say that it becomes VERY uh, NSFW.  Don't be fooled by the cover art, this book does quite hot and heavy.

That being said.  Here goes my review!

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey is the first book is her "Hot and Hammered Series" (Did I know this before reading this book? Nope.  I only learned of it when I was searching Amazon for the book to link).  Fun Fact: Her second book Love Her or Lose Her (as per Amazon, this book will follow Dominic and Rosie) for the same series, will be coming out next year. 

Georgie is a 23 year old woman, who also happens to be a clown.  Yes, you read that correctly: she is a clown but a professional clown.  Like any businesswoman, Georgie has aspirations to grow her business and become successful.  Travis Ford, Georgie's longtime childhood crush, is back in town after his retirement from his career in professional baseball.  The story starts off in an interesting way, Georgie goes to visit Travis in his apartment, thanks to her brother Stephen who gave her the key.  There, Georgie and Travis get into some sort of food fight!
  
I was surprised to see the Georgie and Travis both wanted to be taken seriously and move on from what people thought of them.  Georgie wants to be seen as more than just the youngest Castle kid.  Travis wants to be seen as someone who's more than just a pretty boy, who's reputation proceeds him.

I had an idea of how the book was going to end.  I just surprised that it panned out in the way that it did. 

I really liked this book, I thought it was super cute and really funny.  Georgie's character was written in such a way that really kept you laughing.  Travis's character though (oh my word!) I didn't realize that he would be so... aggressive! 

Because of Travis's character and the things he partakes in, this book is not for someone who has some conservative views about adult relations? (That was worded really awkwardly.  I don't know how else to write that out). 

I found that Tessa Bailey was a lot like Meg Cabot with the humor behind Georgie's character.  She was funny, I often found myself giggling at something she said or did. 

Will Georgie succeed with expanding her business? Will Travis get his commentator job? Will Georgie and Travis be able to weather this storm and stay together? 

You'll just have to read the book to find out!

I am happily giving this book 5 coffee beans out of 5!

- Jillian

Under the Scrubs by Katerina Baker - Reshelved Books (ARCs)

When Katerina Baker reached out to us asking if we would review Under the Scrubs, I was super excited!  While I love working in the library and reading; my heart is still with healthcare.  Spending so many years with patients and working in the hospital is something that I miss.  Last month we were lucky because not one but two authors reached out to us for reviews of their new books via ARCs. 

This book falls under the romance umbrella, but it’s packed to the brim with  a lot of action and adventure (and even mystery) mixed in! Emilia Hughes is an OBGYN who is *finally* able to deliver babies on her own.  With her new found freedom within the confines of her job, she comes into a startling sequence of events. 

On her way to teach classes at the YMCA, Emilia finds herself trying to protect a woman and her baby from a very dangerous man.  In standing up to the man, Emilia finds herself in the sight of Kai.  Kai becomes Emilia's knight in shining armor! He protects her from the assailant. 

(I knew when I started reading this book I knew that there would an love affair with law enforcement.  When I started reading the book I didn't realize who the bad guy would be and who the good guy was).  

On her way into work, Emilia is met with the daughter, Melissa, of a gold tycoon.  Melissa is on her to deliver her baby - a baby that is not prepared to have.  Something very strange happens after the baby is born- Melissa and her newborn son elope from the hospital.  What's even crazier is that Emilia is kidnapped and thrust into the role of taking care of newborn Jayden.  

More than once, Emilia has her life put on the line by Melissa. But throughout it all, Kai and Taylor are there to keep Emilia safe.

Looking back on the book to write this review, I feel a little confused about everything that was going on and here's why.  If you do have an interest in reading Under the Scrubs, please stop reading this review! Spoilers are coming up and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. 
   
 *-----Spoilers are coming!!-----*

There was something about this book in the beginning that made me feel like I was spinning in a powerful vortex asking myself what was going on.  NOW this isn't the first time that I've felt this way when reading a book.  Because of that, it's not going to have a negative on my review of Under the Scrubs!!

The beginning made sense until Emilia first encounters Melissa. Then the kidnapping happens after the elopement. Okay, I guess I could see how one could take a newborn out the hospital? (eh... not really...) Kai’s behavior started to confuse me. He was very aloof but then he was always there? 

When Melissa sent Emilia to the prison to meet Taylor, I was like “eh okay...?”  But I could t figure out where Taylor spend so many years in jail IF he actually didn’t do anything wrong. Why would the FBI pick him back up if they let him sit in jail for 3 years for a crime that he didn’t commit?

Around this time, Taylor and Emilia start to have more interactions between each other and I thought that they were longer and more meaningful. What I’m trying to say is this....

I started off thinking that maybe Kai was the bad guy because of the chemistry that was going on between Emilia and Taylor.  I thought that they would have been a better couple.  (I was not feeling Kai's behavior either!) To me, I thought that chemistry between Emilia and Taylor was better. 

Then poor Emilia gets herself in a very bizarre situation with Taylor as a bodyguard and also as a spy and it results in someone being shot and killed. 

(When I said before that this book was adventurous and action packed, I wasn’t lying!)

I give this ARC 3.5 coffee beans out of 5 and it really upsets me to say that.  While this book may not have been for me, that doesn’t mean that it’s not for anyone else out there. 


I want to thank Katerina for reaching out to us and giving up the opportunity to read and review her book!

Have a great weekend everyone!

- Jillian

Maid for Love by Marie Force - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers! 

At last year's Book Con, Jillian and I received signed copies of Marie Force's novel Maid for Love.  Because this novel is a mass-market paperback, I brought it with me on my recent romantic vacation to Cape Cod.  I didn't read much of on vacation...actually this book took me about 2 weeks to finish, which is not my usual reading pace. 

While I love a good love story, I'm not usually into the heavy romance genre.  Judging by the cover of this book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.  This book is not raunchy or overly sexy.  But it IS light and fluffy.  It's a meet-cute, rich boy saves poor and innocent misunderstood girl story that's definitely kept PG-13.  Basically, it's a great book to throw in your beach bag.  

So if you're looking for a book to read pool side, give this one a try, I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 Coffee Beans. (The last line sort of irked me.) I guess we can't always judge a book by it's cover.

Until the next read! 
~Jessica 

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

Jillian lent me her copy of Rachael Lippincott's novel Five Feet Apart, which is to be a movie this month...Actually I think it's a movie in theaters now.

This novel is about a girl named Stella who suffers from CF (cystic fibrosis), and posts about her journey with the disease on YouTube.  This is reminiscent of Claire Wineland, who also posted about her battle with CF on YouTube.  Claire passed away not too long ago, and you can read more about her here. Actually, the girl in the trailer of the movie looks sort of like Claire, which I think makes the reader connect to the novel on a more real-life level.  

So Dewey Readers, this novel is a love story and like many y.a. novels (The Fault in Our Stars, Everything, Everything, etc.) follows the trend of love & illness.  It has twists that I feared were going to be cliche, but ended up keeping me on the edge of my seat (or rather page) wanting more. I devoured this novel.  And even though Jillian didn't write a review, she read it within a day. 

So Dewey Readers, we leave you with a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  

Check out the movie trailer below!

~Jessica

 

One Day in December by Josie Silver- Reshelved Books

Back before I requested an INSANE amount of galleys from Netgalley and making myself so incredibly sick of reading and stripping away all of the enjoyment I found in reading- because I was BURIED under book after book after book; I found this book as an arc.  I thought of how cute it sounded and how I would very much like to review it.

Fast forward to the end of 2018.  That was months ago.  The book made Reese Witherspoon's Book Club.  I purchased One Day in December by Josie Silver to read it. 

Here we are in the beginnings of 2019 and I'm giving you the review!

Yes, my picture has tiny ornaments. Yes, the title says "December".  In my defense, the book does span 10 years and in that time, Laurie is always opening that new year with a list of her New Year's Resolutions.  Fact.

As noted by the red double Decker bus on the cover of this bus, we are yet again jumping across the pond! (If you can't tell, I would loooove to visit England.  Especially at Christmas time.  I think that it would be truly spectacular and beautiful)


I really really liked this book! It was a pleasure to read.  I didn't fit it to be dull or lukewarm (unlike my review from New Year's Day)

Laurie is riding the bus home from work, miserable.  When she finds that she has caught her eye on a mysterious man.  It was an instant connection! But like any good love story, the bus pulls away and Laurie spends the next year looking for this fellow. 

Again, like any other good love story, Sarah who is Laurie's best friend happens to be dating the guy from the bus- who has a name now.  He is Jack!

Obviously Laurie can't tell Sarah that Jack is the guy from the bus - that wouldn't be cool. Especially because of how happy Sarah and Jack make each other. 

There are a few moments that Jack and Laurie share; there are some major life events that Laurie goes through.  Jack even has a life altering experience himself but they're there for each other as friends. 

Over the course of the book, the reader does get to see how the dynamics of these relationships change.  I found that the book was realistic and relatable. (It was a love story that wasn't far fetched)

Silver wrote a story that left you rooting for Laurie and Jack, whatever their paths may have been.

My rating?  This book is an easy 4 coffee beans out of 5!

~ Jillian

Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle- Reshelved Book

'Tis the Holiday Season!

For December, I thought I would be basic and choose a holiday theme for the books I read. 

Kicking the theme off (for me) is Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle.  (This book would actually be a nice transition, IF I had watched the Hallmark Channel's movie.  Which I did not.  If anyone happened to be around Tuesday, December 4th, Hallmark did show the movie! Totally not a sponsored shoutout. The Hallmark Channel doesn’t know this blog exists. Haha)

I found out about this book when I was looking up holiday books.  Never heard of it until then.  I've never read anything by Nancy Naigle either before this book. 

This book did skew my schedule for December.  Mainly because it took forever and a day to read. 

I found this book to be one that was painfully boring.  There was nothing that grabbed at my attention and held it. Once I was done reading it, it promptly was donated to the book nook at work.

Christmas Joy is about a woman (who is around my age?) named Joy (shocker).  Joy is go-getter, hard working marketing research analyst.  She's always putting her job first before her family.  Joy's only surviving relative, her aunt Ruby falls and break her ankle.  An injury that requires surgery!  Due to the extent of Ruby's injury, Joy goes down to North Carolina to be with her. 

Like any good Christmas story, there is turmoil!  Ruby's injury happens weeks before the annual Cookie Crawl!! (Oh nooooo!) But it's a good thing that Joy will be coming down.  Ideally, she'll be able to help decorate Ruby's house and work with the handyman Ben.  

I think that this is the point in the book where I became TRULY annoyed with Joy and the entire scenario. 

Instead of accepting the help from someone who is aware of the efforts and the demands that are associated with decorating and prepping for the cookie crawl; Joy decides that she's able to do everything all on her own and that she doesn't any help from Ben. 

Of course, while she's struggling to deal with her past and what's going on in the now- she has several epiphanies! All of which Joy basically fights- she accepts them but then she fights Ben still.

The book was just boring (Ugh. It wasn't even boring because Ben was an accountant.)  There wasn't a spark between them.  There wasn't any development between Ben and Joy as characters.  Then out of nowhere, Joy's ex-boyfriend, Todd shows up!  The book also just abruptly ended. 

I am confidently going to give this book 2.5 coffee beans out of 5.  I feel like that rating is rather unfair but I just could NOT stand it.  I could not stand Joy.  She was self described as being stubborn.  I just don't feel like that was the best way to describe her?  That really would not be the adjective that I would choose to use. 


Joy's attitude really ruined the book for me.  As silly as that may sound. 

I wish everyone a Happy Holidays!

~ Jillian
 

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!  

At least the book is kind of pretty.

I usually adore Nicholas Sparks novels.  Who doesn't like a romance novel every now and then that could make even the coldest of hearts believe in love?  So I was super excited to get my hands on Sparks' latest novel Every Breath.

What a disappointment it was.  

This novel follows the story of two people who fell in love over the course of a couple days.  Hope, from North Carolina, is having relationship troubles with this man the she's been with for 6 years.  She wants to get married and have kids, while Tru is from Zimbabwe.  He has a son and is now sterile due to a complication from an illness.  They live in different countries, and Hope wants kids so their romance ends.  

Or does it?

Eh.  You can probably can guess what happened and how the story ends.   

I used to feel like I was immersed inside the the text of Sparks' novels.  I DEVOURED At First Sight, The Best of Me, The Choice, etc.  With those novels I felt like I was with the characters.  The writing style of Every Breath lacked this quality and I became bored with it. 

So Dewey Readers, I leave you with  a rating of 1.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.

Until the next read!
~Jessica 

P.S.  The epilogue left me with weird stalker vibes from the narrator (who may be Sparks? I skimmed through it.)  Did anyone else feel this way?

A Million Little Things by Susan Mallery - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

It's snowing here is Jersey and not just a little dusting this time either.  It is snowing HARD.  So what better way is there to spend a day snowed in, than with a book review that takes place near, but not exactly on, the beach?  That's right there is no better way!  It just isn't possible.  

So I picked up a copy of Susan Mallery's A Million Little Things a couple weeks ago at used book store called Footnotes, that specializes in romance novels.  It looked adorable, and as you all know, I absolutely adore the shore.  Perhaps maybe even more than books.... okay maybe not.   I guess what I'm trying to say is that I judged this book based off of the cover, bought it, and brought it home.   

Jillian hasn't read this novel.  In fact, I don't think I even talked to her about it yet, but I think that the two main characters in it our our soul sisters.  The two of us are defiantly equally both of the two characters.  We're semi-insane and definitely quirky.  (Jillian, you can have it after I give it to my Grandma.  Promise.) 

So in this novel, we meet Zoe.  Zoe recently broke up with her boyfriend after she purchased a house thinking that he and his children would move in with her, they'd marry, and have a happily ever after life.  Zoe even quit her job as a teacher, taking a different job that allowed her to work from home so that she could stay home and  theoretically raise her boyfriend's children.  But then, they break up!  And big surprise, the little fantasy that she planned her life around just didn't happen.  The back of the novel says that Zoe "is more than just single - she's alone."  But she's not really alone.  I mean, she does have her cat.  And when Zoe gets stuck inside her windowless attic early on in the novel (the door with the drop down steps got stuck) her cat was stuck with her.....

Now, the other main character we meet in this novel is Zoe's best friend Jen.  Jen has high anxiety.  Her husband is a cop who recently took a promotion as a detective, and her son (I think he's 22 months old?) will not speak.  Jen is constantly worried that something bad will happen to her husband, and is equally, if not more so, worried that there's something wrong with her son.  Everyone tells Jen that there's nothing wrong with her son, but she's so anxious and hypocondriatic that it just makes her even more anxious that no one seems to take her seriously.  Jen needs to come to the crystal shop with us and buy some lavender oil.     

Unlike a lot of romance novels, which can be sappy, cliche, and really sort of dull, Mallery draws the readers into her characters and their actual lives.  Lives that don't primarily revolve around finding and keeping a man, but I guess as one always secretly hopes, does play a role.  So Dewey Readers, I leave you with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 Coffee Beans!

Happy Reading! 

~Jessica  

The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson- Reshelved Books

Hello everyone!

Happy New Year!

I wanted to get this post up before Christmas was here. But that didn’t happen... Even though, I was a speed reading demon for a few days here, lol. Given that the title of this novel involves the word "Christmas" the majority of the book did not take place around Christmas. 

So it is totally okay for me to post this now... three weeks after Christmas. This a no judgement zone, folks! 

The good thing about this book is that it really doesn't take place during the holiday/Christmas season.  It takes place months *before* the holiday season and it ends on Christmas.

As some of you may or may not know, Jess and I both work in libraries.  Which means that we are *constantly* fighting temptation to check out every book that we come across.

I remember seeing the cover of The Christmas Room before it went out into circulation last month and I thought about how adorable the cover art was. Between the AirStream trailer decorated with holiday lights, the Adirondack chairs and the snow mountains that are the backdrop; I was instantly lured to the book. (I'm not ashamed to say that we do judge a book by it's cover! Sometimes, it's just about aesthetics, whether you want it to be or not!)

Since, it's best to hear from the author what their inspiration was behind a story... Harlequin Junkie conducted an interview with Catherine Anderson. You can find the interview in it's entirety here.  When approached by her publishing company to write a Christmas themed novel, Anderson took her own real life experiences (!!) to create a this story.

This is only book that I've read by Anderson... So my next comment might be jumping the gun a little here... But I felt like I was instantly transported to Bitterroot Valley.  I felt like Anderson was able to create such strong imagery using words. 

The Christmas Room tells the story of Maddie and Sam, two individuals in their 60s who have lost their spouses.  Maddie moves to Montana with her son and grandson, Cam and Caleb (respectively).  Cam buys a piece of land next to Sam Conacher and his daughter, Kirstin.  Sam is very much that cranky, mean and nasty man that people don't want to be bothered with.  He's not nice and it makes things harder than they have to be.

What these two neighbors don't know about each other is that they both have lost their spouses.  Sam and Maddie are both grieving and learning to move forward.  Maddie lost her husband two years prior and Sam lost his wife 6 years before. 

Sam is very overprotective of his daughter, Kirstin and this is a cause for most of the tension that occurs in the beginning of the story.  It was made known to Cam by Kirstin, that her father is not afraid to ruin the reputations of those who go and talk to his daughter. 

I think that's why the first interaction between Cam and Kirstin made me think of "I'd be Jealous too" by Dustin Lynch.  I thought it would have been quite appropriate for that first initial meeting.  Kirstin is sort of this anomaly; all of the men in Bitterroot won't speak to her.  (Could you blame them though?? )

The first 1/4 of the book focused on Cam and Kirstin.  Then there was a change to the focus of the story about the 1/2 way mark. 

Around the 1/2 way mark of the book is where Anderson started to lose me with the relationship between K and C... 

Cam went to help Kirsten wrangle in one of the bulls. Okay, easy enough to follow. Then, Kirstin's horse gets spooked and tackled (?) by the bull and Kirstin is pinned under said bull... Cam goes and saves her life by protecting her from this bull....

I kinda stopped rooting for Cam and Kirstin and I started to root for Maddie and Sam.  That was okay because right after Cam's accident, is when Anderson started to shift the reader's focus from the relationship between the young lovers to Maddie and Sam. 

There was something about them that was lovable.  Would I have liked it better if Maddie could have told Cam about her health concerns? Yes.  I would have liked her character to have done that but at the same time, I know why her character didn't. 

Sam was a difficult character to like but, I feel like he was the underdog that you were also hoping would come to the top.  I was hoping that he would be able to change ways and I was happy that he did!  I liked that Anderson gave him the abilities to grow as a character.

Now on to Caleb.. Caleb, Caleb, Caleb...I felt bad for Caleb... The further I got in the story, the more I became confused as to what his purpose in the story was.  He had lines, he had thoughts but there was no character development with him and I kinda felt that he was just dragging along...?

The book didn't leave any open endings, things weren't untied and as the reader, you weren't left wondering what could have happened or what should have happened. 

While the subject of the book wasn't for me, it wasn't a book that I disliked.  Anderson was able to tackle heavy topics in a manner that didn't make you as the reader feel sad.  She gave hope and comfort to her characters.  The best part was seeing that her characters were able to mend fences to trust and love one another.  

 I would recommend it to a friend (or even a patron!) if they were looking for a new release.   That being said, I am giving this book 4 out of 5 coffee beans. 

Hopefully you all will be seeing more posts from me this month.

See you all soon!

~JMB

Stronger Within (Silver Lakes #1) by Coral McCallum- Reshelved Books

You guys... This post has literally taken me a month to write... 
I am the worst slacker EVER.

Stronger Within (Silver Lakes #1) is one of the books that we have been graciously offered to read.  I am going to admit that I am a little 
Thank you guys, you rock!! :))))

Of course, we said yes; we couldn't turn it down!

Stronger Within tells the story of Lori and Jake.  Lori is a graphic designer who does merchandising for musicians.  Jake is an musician (I want to call him aspiring but that just doesn't seem right...)  When Lori and Jake meet, Jake comes to Lori's rescue- she had fallen and was unable to get up! Having had a serious accident months before, Lori sought convalescence in Rehoboth Beath, DE (which is a great place to spend time). 

Throughout the course of the novel, we find out what happened to Lori and we get to see if Jake is able to achieve his dreams of rock and roll stardom. 

The best thing about this book (for me at least) was that it takes place in Rehoboth Beach, DE.  I've been there many times over the last several years and it's a great place to visit the beach! 

You're near the outlets where you can shop.  You're near the beach where you can swim and tan.  You're near Maryland- where you can visit Ocean City and go to the boardwalk or where you can find *amazing* seafood. Plus (!!) you're able to find the BEST donuts EVER.


It's close enough to New Jersey but far enough from New Jersey when you're looking for a quick getaway (haha). 


It was fun to envision the main street in Rehoboth and imagine where the characters were walking and the places that they were going to. I felt like I knew exactly what resturants McCallum was referencing when Lori and Jake went to the sushi restaurant or “the Turtle”.

Coral did say that she also has vacationed to Rehoboth Beach many times in the past and that it was a spot she did love to visit.

When I asked Ms. McCallum what her inspiration was behind Stronger Within; she said that she received advice many years ago from an English teacher of hers, who said to write about what you love and passionate about. (Which sounds like some pretty solid advice if you ask me!). By taking the love she has for both rock music and the beach, McCallum was able to curate a story that was packed with both love and tragedy.

The things that I didn’t like are small and silly. I'm going to be honest when I say that I'm not really drawn to the rocker type of guy.  I had a hard time with the fact that Jake has this long flowing hair. The tattoos, I was on board with (especially if the tattoos are like the ones that Michael Ray has ;) ). Jake was all bad boy exterior with a great big heart of gold.

Part of me would have liked to see Lori end up with Grey. You could totally see the special connection that Lori was developing with Becky.  I thought it would make for a good twist and turn, if Lori and Grey had some sort of torrid love affair and ended up together.  It seemed to me like the relationship between Lori and Becky was developing to be very strong.

There were some moments that were heavy- when you see that Becky’s mother gets fatally injured and when Jake gets shot. Looking back on it, I thought it was packed with too much tragedy.  In a way, I felt that the reader was left to process a lot.

If you're interested (and you have to time to read!) and wanted to read Stronger Within (The Silver Lake Series Book 1), you can find it on Amazon! :))

Over the course of the next few months, Jess and I will be posting the reviews from the books that we are so kindly sent. (As you saw with Jess’s review from this week. Which, if you haven’t read- you should go check it out!)


Thank you again to all of the authors who are willing to share their wonderful books with us!
~ Jillian

Between Friends by Debbie Macomber: Reshelved Books

**Attention For the Love of Dewey Readers! 5 out of 5 coffee beans for this book!!!***

Between Friends is unlike any of the other Debbie Macomber books I have read, which at times can be a little sappy, homey, and Hallmark Movie-esc.  On the other hand, this novel is deep, powerful, and tear jerking in a way that touches your soul, makes you think about life, your values, the world, and the role you play in it.  The closest book that I have read which I can compare this novel to is Kristin Hannah's Firefly Lane.  (Which is one of my favorite books.)

      To give you a bit of a summary, this novel is written in the form of both letters and journal entries between two best friends, Jillian Lawton and Lesley Adamski.  I thought that a novel written in this format would make me feel disconnected to the characters, but I have never felt like I was present in a novel quite as intensely as this. The novel begins in 1948 with the birth of Lesley, and follows the girls up into 2010, showing them first as young girls and how they mature and grow.  Jillian is strong willed and independent, and is perhaps the character that I most identify with.  She very pro-women's rights, pro-choice, yearns to advance in her career, and follows her own heart and dreams - even if these dreams disagree with others.  (This next sentence may be considered a spoiler.) Jillian falls in love at a young age with a man named Nick, who tragically dies in Vietnam and leaves her heartbroken for many years.  This untimely loss of what she believes to be her soulmate, effects her deeply.  Part of Jillian's story is learning how to become whole again, to live her life, and not let life slide by wasted.
     Lesley may be considered to be the weaker of the two girls, and for me personally, Lesley symbolized the parts of myself and even of life that scare me.  I think that as women, we often feel pressured to be able to do it all.  From young girls, we are told that we can be anything we want to be.  We go to school to have a career, but we want a family of our own, and even sometimes feel pressured to have one.  There's a certain balance that we strive to find between independence, a successful career, and raising a family. And there's a lot of guilt that get's thrown into the mix.   Lesley grew up in a poor family with a mother who became pregnant at a very young age, only to marry the father who became an abusive alcoholic.  When Lesley becomes a teenager, she was raped by her boyfriend (newly ex-boyfiend), ends up pregnant, and marries him, thus sort of reliving her mother's mistakes.  While reading this novel I wanted Lesley to be strong.  At first I wanted her to get an abortion.  Then I wanted her to raise her child, go to school, and leave her husband.  However, she kept giving her marriage another shot, and giving her family all that she had and who she was. Lesley came close so many times to leaving her husband, but just about every time she did, she always returned.
     This novel tackles to many topics such as war and the importance of supporting men who dutifully go to war (even if you don't believe in the war yourself) so that loved ones do not pass away in vain, marriage, alcoholism, rape, Catholicism vs. Protestantism, female reproductive health, birth control & abortion, career & family, cancer, etc.  I honestly feel like I could talk about this book forever, and delve into all these topics so deeply it could take up the entire blog space.  But rather than do that I'm just going to beg you all to read it.  And when you do read it, let's talk!
~Jessica