When I first saw this beautiful cover on a Twitter post, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to know more about this book. After reading the book description I requested to read it on Netgalley, and was over the moon when I received the email telling me I was approved to read it. Luckily for ...KEEP READING »
In August Maureen’s Books Book Club started and for our first read we choose ‘Virgin River’ by Robyn Carr. ‘Virgin River’ had been on my reading list for a long time, and after watching the ‘Virgin River’ tv-show I got even more anxious to read it. So this was definitely the perfect book to start my new book club. I got myself a paperback copy of ‘Virgin River’ a while ago, so when August started I grabbed my copy and my brand new notebook and started reading.
In ‘Virgin River’ we meet Melinda Monroe. Mel has been through a lot the last view months. So when she sees an ad for a Midwife/Nurse Practitioner in the remote mountain town of Virgin River, it seems like fate and she decides to go for it. Leaving her L.A. life behind while selling her home and almost everything she owns. But when she finally arrives in Virgin River, the house she was promised looks nothing like the picture and the doctor she is supposed to work with is the grumpy old man who doesn’t really want her there. Everything seems like a very bad choice. But than she meets the bar owner Jack, and a little baby is left on the front porch.
The first thing that grabbed my attention in this book was the way the first chapter was almost exactly the first episode of the tv-show. And I was definitely surprised by that. How many times is a series not completely different than the book? Well the very first chapter is definitely the same as the first episode. I loved that.
The other thing that surprised me was that I found the main character Mel in the beginning very irritating. Sure she also had a kindness over her, but I found her frustrating. Slowly on throughout this book, this began to change and I began to admire her strength and passion. Which didn’t mean I liked her all the time. No, she definitely made some decisions that where just so stupid.
My absolute favorite thing about this read was Jack Sheridan, the bar owner. He was an old army guy, and very handsome and above all just very kind. And from the moment he met Mel, he was completely smitten with her. I loved how he took care of her even when she didn’t want it all the time.
‘Virgin River’ was a very different read than my normal reads, but I definitely enjoyed it from the beginning till the end. The writing was fun and I could easily imagine the characters and the small town of Virgin River.
But above all I loved reading this book with my Book Club. It was so fun to chat with the ladies about this read. And we had several discussions about this read. Mostly we agreed about this being a very fun read. And it definitely made me curious to read more by Robyn Carr.
I’m a big fan of Nora Roberts and her books. She has a way of writing that almost always make me like her books. So when I received an email with the question if I wanted to read her next new standalone novel ‘Under Currents’ I immediately said yes.
In ‘Under Currents’ we meet Zane and Darby. Both have had a hard, and violent past. And now they both live in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Trying to forget the past, they aren’t looking for love. But somehow they found each other. Although their time together is beautiful and fun, there is violence following them around. And soon they have to fight for their lives.
This book is written in different parts. Starting when the main character Zane is in his teens, and ending in the part where he is a grown up working as a lawyer at his own practice. In the beginning this confused me a little. Time went by so fast in this book, that it made me wonder what the deal was and how this book was going to end. But instead of this being something that made me dislike this book, it made me want to keep on reading because I just wanted to know what was going to happen.
‘Under Currents’ is a hard book to put a genre on. It was thrilling, it was sad, there was romance. This book definitely made me want to keep on reading. There was just something about this book that made me want to read every single page. And the first part of this book was definitely hard to read. It put tears in my eyes, and I felt so many things. And that’s definitely a part of Nora Roberts charm and talent. She makes us readers feel all kinds of emotions.
Although this book sometimes felt like time went by a little too fast. I loved it! I loved the characters, and I loved the setting. There where many thrilling moments, and the romance was just beautiful. Yes, definitely another great read by Nora Roberts that kept me sitting on the edge of my seat.
It doesn’t happen often I hear my family talking about a book series I haven’t heard anything about yet. But with ‘The Seven Sisters’ it was my family that started talking about this series being so good they couldn’t stop reading. My grandma was reading it, my mom, my mother in law, a family friend, the neighbors and in every bookstore I visited I saw copies from ‘The Seven Sisters’. So although I wasn’t completely sure this book would be for me, I had to know what the deal was and bought myself a copy.
In ‘The Seven Sisters’ we meet Maia D’Apliese the oldest sister of six adopted sisters. Maia is called home after their adoptive father has suddenly deceased. After having a love filled, but also a little mysterious childhood not one of the sisters know anything about where they came from or why they were put up for adoption. Now her father is deceased they all get a clue to find out more about their history. Maia has never thought much about where she came from. She has always been the one that stayed safely home. But now her father is gone, and with the clues she got about her history, she is determined to change her ways and find out who her family is.
This book sure was a little different than my contemporary romance novels I’ve been reading a lot. But there was something about the writing and the mystery of the sisters that made me keep on going. And I’m glad I did keep on going because I started to love this book more and more the further I’d go. There was romance, there was mystery and I loved it.
There is something about Lucinda Riley’s writing that really interested me. Especially the way this story altered from future time to the past. There was so much going on and so much to figure out that it really made me want to keep on reading until I finished every single page.
Yes, although very different from my ‘normal’ reads, I really enjoyed this book. And now I know what all the fuss was about, I definitely want to read the next book too.
A little while ago Charlie Laidlaw approached me with the question if I wanted to read his new book ‘The Space Between Time’. Although this book isn’t in the genre I’ve been reading a lot of books lately, I found myself interested when the author told me this book addresses issues of love, loss and mental illness. Especially since I work as a nurse, and come across these illnesses regularly.
In ‘The Space Between Time’ we meet Emma. Emma seems to have it all, but things aren’t what they seem to be on the outside. Emma is the daughter of a beautiful mother and famous actor father. But although this sounds like something every little girl should want, nothing isn’t less true. Emma’s life isn’t perfect to say the least, but luckily she has her grandfather, who she adores.
This book is definitely very different from my usual reads and it honestly took me a while to really get into this story. But definitely not because the writing isn’t good or anything like that. No, there is definitely something about Charlie’s writing that makes you want to keep on reading. It is real, and honest and really addresses things that most authors stay away from.
As a person who often works with people with mental illnesses, I was fascinated by this story and I definitely felt an connection with Emma. But I definitely think that’s also a reason why I don’t often read books like this. After working with people on a trauma ward every week, and seeing people with mental illnesses I don’t often like to read about them too.
In the end, I’m still figuring out how to rate this book. The writing is good, the storytelling especially, but this wasn’t my genre. I’m still glad I read this book though, and I definitely think this book is worth your time if your into fiction.
Hi there!
I'm Maureen
