Missing Her More
By
Karen McQuestion
Karen McQuestion calls this her "surprise book"! I was certainly surprised and excited to find out that this book was a sequel to Good Man, Dalton. It's so well written that it can be a stand alone read, too. The inscription in Missing Her More is "For the readers who asked for more". I loved the story in Good Man, Dalton and was thrilled the story was going to continue in Missing Her More. I was going to reunite with wonderful characters and meet new ones in a story that I was anxious to read.

It begins with eight-year-old Brenna Vanderhaven overhearing an argument between her parents that extremely upsets her. She feels she has no one to talk to or anyone who will understand except her "Nanny" who has been her rock and there for her all her life. Brenna decides she needs her and leaves her home to go to Nanny where she lives. Brenna finds herself hopelessly lost and becomes a "missing child" in the big city. In the meantime, the family is frantic and finds themselves where no parent ever wants to be. Having a missing child. They come together to support each other. There is much soul searching and reprioritizing they discover that needs to happen in the time that Brenna is missing. I felt their pain and fears. Where could she be in that big city? What kind of things could happen to a lost, little girl? What made her leave home? It's devastating and heart wrenching not knowing where she is or if she's hurt and scared.

Then there's the parallel story that's happening to a family that suffers a devastating loss. It's a tragedy that has two sister's relationship broken and seemingly irreparable because of the circumstances. There is a bit of mild paranormal in this scenario that is unbelievable but is written so well that it's believable and works to bring answers to the family through Brenna and her friend, Summer.

The story has so many lessons written into it. Life can change drastically in the matter of moments. Putting priorities in order. Being there for each other. Opening up hearts and letting forgiveness in. It's about having hope in hopeless situations. It's about love that overcomes.

The ending of the story takes me back to the inscription at the beginning. Asking for more after Good Man, Dalton ended. This is a fantastic sequel and brought the story full circle with the characters I loved. I want to thank Ms. McQuestion for this wonderful read. It was a heart touching story and I enjoyed it so very much.

Life On Loan
By
Ashley Farley
When I was a little girl, sometimes I wanted to "run away" and find an escape from what was miserable in my life. I thought there was going to be something better somewhere else. Lena and Olivia are in lives that have pushed them to that point. Escape and find some breathing space to figure out what happened to themselves, find out who they really are, and leave those miserable lives for even a little while. The two former college friends unexpectedly run into each other in the airport and reconnect. They decide to "swap" houses and try to find the person they seemed to have lost in the years their lives were on hold.

Ashley Farley writes wonderful characters. They are so very relatable and easy to become friends with. These characters are written into situations that take a lot of courage and determination to overcome. It's a story of rediscovery of who they were meant to be. It's not an easy thing to walk away from 30 years of "life" that they became rooted into. But when there's no where to go but up from the deep and troubled lives they're in, they have to pack up and go. There's no other option. This is also a story of mending relationships that have suffered because of the tensions and struggles of living in miserable conditions, with spouses who are not who they thought they were. It's a story of developing new relationships that are supporting and unconditional.

As I read through the pages, Ashley Farley had me transferred into the settings with such amazing descriptions. I felt as though I were walking the streets in Charleston, I was seeing the views in New York City, I was in the serene and peaceful Northern Neck of Virginia. Ms. Farley has even described streets and buildings down to the minutest of details. It was so easy to picture myself there with each character and experiencing their emotions as well. I had a virtual journey with the characters in this book that I was able to escape into.

The story is one that brings hope for readers to know that taking a chance to change things in their lives is possible. It is a story written with a powerful message that there is hope in situations that might seem impossible. It is encouraging to find that place where "life is no longer on loan" and step out and live the best life possible. Finding out what that life is, is part of the great adventure! It might not always be a "walk in the park" or "living the high life" but there is a way to balance it all out and find happiness.

I want to thank Ms. Farley, Netgalley, and the Georgia's Porch, Ashley Farley's Team on FaceBook for the honor of reading this wonderful book. It's very highly a five star read for me!

Diapers, Drama, and Deceit
By
Erina Bridget Ring
When Eva Johnson is walking her newborn baby, Jill, through the park, she meets another mom named Janel and her baby, Mandy. These two moms hit it off and become friends. They decide it would be great to get together and meet with each other each week and talk all things baby! Then as more new moms start to become aware of their meeting, they want to become involved. So, what can go wrong with starting a baby group!? OH, how little do they know what they're getting into.

Diapers: How cute little babies are. But then there are times they just plain wear a mom out. Each mom has different ideas and ways they think babies should be raised and taken care of. Put all these moms into the same room and they all have their own opinions. Hmm...what can go wrong there? I love that Eva has a baby quilt that is at every baby group and it's a place that each mom gravitates to with her child. It's almost like a character in the story.

Drama: Things start to come out about the characters to each other. How much drama can there be with moms and babies? That's the understatement of the story! "Ava, your baby group is like a soap opera!" If there can be a situation that even seems wrong, then it's going to bring out the drama!

Deceit: This is the part where secrets and lies start to be revealed. There are situations that are unbelievable. "It's funny how you think you know a person but you don't really know them at all." As I was reading the pages, the level of what some of the characters were capable of had me shocked. "Everything about the women in this baby group has been crazy. How can they sleep at night doing the things they're doing?" I had to keep reading to see what happens next!

I had a lot of emotions while reading this book. There are some very sad scenes that broke my heart. I laughed at some of the craziness. It also is a book that brings the meaning of what friendship and compassion for one another can do. We never know what a difference we might make in someone's life by caring.

I enjoy Mrs. Ring's personality and writing style. It's descriptive and a bit anomalous. I particularly like all the dialogue throughout. This book is full of so many surprises and situations that I wondered how I would react if I were put in them. The mothers of Easthaven were quite the group of women who challenged each other in ways they never thought possible. They definitely redefine the term "soap opera" to the max! When I thought there couldn't be any more drama, I'd turn the page and oh, my, gosh!! Drama abounds!

I enjoyed this book very much and can't wait for the next novel Mrs. Ring is working on!

Scarred: Trey and Autumn
By
Tess Thompson

There are times when you take a book journey that you fall more in love with the characters and the places they live each time you visit. This is one of those stories that did just that for me. A return to Cliffside Bay and spending time with Trey and Autumn in Scarred has touched me heart and soul. Tess Thompson brought me into the lives of these two characters completely with passion that made me yearn for them to find their way to each other's hearts.

Trey and Autumn are best friends. They are comfortable with each other and do things together but they both have scars that have caused them to put up "walls" to protect themselves from being hurt. Trey wants to take it to the next level with Autumn, but he's been hurt in a relationship before. His scars are internal. Autumn doesn't feel like she's beautiful enough for Trey because of scars from an accident. Hers are external. Can Trey find it in himself to heal his heart enough to risk it to Autumn? Can Autumn find the courage to reveal what she's been hiding since the accident and trust Trey to accept her flaws? This story is one of letting go of painful pasts and heartaches. It's one of finding forgiveness and hope. It's a story that trust and faith in someone doesn't come easy. Can true love overcome and break down the walls built from the scars each one bears?
""We all have scars," Lisa said." "They make us human."...."that everyone has scars. It's what we choose to do with them that defines who we are.""

This is a great story that brings together all the characters who live in Cliffside Bay. They are friends and family that look out for each other and are connected by bonds of love and friendships. They are characters who have become like my family and friends. I love reconnecting with them in each and every book I read in this series. Tess Thompson has a wonderful gift of making these characters become living beings in my mind and I'm stepping into Cliffside Bay to be with them.

As I read this book, I turned each page knowing I was going to have my emotions tugged, my heart touched and my senses awakened. This book has surprises, twists, and drama I never saw coming. It has tenderness, romance, compassion, and hope. It has all the things that make a Tess Thompson novel one that I look forward to reading each and every time. She writes such beautiful passages that touch my heart. This one in particular:
"Shouldn't that be how all love is? Unconditional? Even when we make mistakes, we're still loved?"

I am honored to have read Tess Thompson's Scarred: Trey and Autumn. I loved it from the first page to the last. I love going to Cliffside Bay and spending time there....and I'm excited for the next book in the series. Thank you, Ms. Thompson, for this wonderful read!

The Secrets of Lost Stones
By
Melissa Payne
This is a book that took me into a story that was intriguing, emotional and mysterious. The characters have a common thread but that thread has all kinds of loose ends that need to be tied together. I felt compelled to read the pages and to discover the reason and how those ends would be tied. How, what seemed like coincidental meetings, were really meant to happen and why.

What kind of secrets can a stone hold? Or is it the secrets that are held in a person's mind and heart that the stones help to reveal? The character of Lucy, the "witch of Pine Lake", holds the secrets to the answers. "I'm Lucy", she said, winking, "and I know things." She's a little, old lady who owns an old house in Pine Lake where the characters find themselves. "It was hard not to like the old woman, even if she was an odd mix of fairy godmother and witch." Her home feels like the place where the characters of Jess and Star belong and it holds them there by some mysterious force.

Jess and Star are two characters whose lives are broken. Each for different reasons. Lucy knew something. Each chapter in the book is told from the POV of Jess and Star. The threads start to connect as each of the character's pasts start to be revealed. There's a cast of characters that blend into the present to help Jess and Star begin to discover what has torn their lives apart for so many years. How are they connected? It's Lucy's mission, through crossword puzzles and questions, to tie it all together. "Lucy knew something; otherwise, Star and Jess and Chance wouldn't all be here together, and it was only a matter of time before it would all come out."

I enjoyed this book and the unusual ways the author intertwined the characters together. It's a tragic and emotional story. My heart ached for Jess and Star. How would they help to heal each other when there was so much pain carried within each one? I bonded with Lucy and her mysteriousness. Her heart for the people's loose ends that need tied together makes me love her so much.

"It takes time for all the loose ends to be in one place, but once they are, things tend to move quickly."

This is a very good debut novel for Melissa Payne. I enjoyed it very much. Her writing is very descriptive and I was taken to my home state of Colorado. I also experienced the paranormal events with a quickening heart, the suspenseful scenes with anxiousness, and the tragedies with heart wrenching sadness. There were things that happened I never expected. I loved the emotions that were pulled out of me by this story. This is a good read and I'm looking forward to reading the next book by Ms. Payne.

I want to thank Netgalley, Lake Union and Melissa Payne for the opportunity to read this book!

The Girl in the Aubergine Sandals
By
G.C. Allen
I am enthralled with this series! I know I am going on a wild and crazy, unusual and zany, hilarious and quirky experience when I read a book by G.C. Allen! I couldn't wait to read Book 3 in the Lorraine Innis series and I am totally excited that I did! I LOVED it!!!

Lorraine Innis is doubting herself after the shocking ending in "The Girl in the Diamond Studded Heels". How could she have been so wrong about Liverot? Or is she wrong? What's she going to do now? Why do things seem to go so wrong?

"The Girl in the Aubergine Sandals" is a story that takes the reader back into the beginning of Chesney's life and where he came from. What were the events that happened to him as he grew up that bring him to be the person he is? It's a story his mom starts to relive when Chesney/Lorraine calls her to ask questions he just doesn't know the answers to.

The characters in this book are uniquely individual and ones you will never forget. We meet Aunt Elinor and the impact she has on Chesney's life as he grows up. As Prudence, Chesney's mom, starts to go back into her memories, the story takes the reader back to the college days when she meets Elinor at their sorority house. Their initial introduction to each other is an amusing scene. It sets the stage for a series of assumptions between the two and starts off a string of situations. The story brings in Elinor's brother, Rodney and his arch rival, Paul. G.C. Allen throws in some outrageous characters in outrageous scenes that twist all these people together. They are the foundation of Chesney's life before he was born.

The story then transitions into Chesney's boyhood and his challenges of growing up. He has an older brother who picks on him constantly. A best friend he confides in. Parents who just don't seem to understand him. But then there's Aunt Elinor. She was an encouragement and an inspiration to him. He is special to her. "He had found someone who understood him perfectly and liked him for who he was. His parents loved him, Clodaugh liked him a lot and was rarely judgmental in her acceptance of him, but here was someone who "got" him."

I LOVE Aunt Elinor!

G.C. Allen's humor and wit bring her trademark quirkiness, zaniness and laugh-out-loud fun into this book. She also brought into the story how growing up can be heartbreaking, tough and guilt ridden. This all combines together to make Chesney the adult he becomes. Aunt Elinor bestows many things in Chesney's life with wisdom, understanding, compassion and love. She and Chesney are "cut from the same cloth". Their connection to each other is one of unconditional love.

The book is written with chapter titles that add so much to the book. I just can't help but turn more pages and see how those words become part of the story. I enjoyed the titles and how they drew me to read more to see how they tied into the next chapter. This is a feature that I really like.

So that leaves me with the question first stated. What is Lorraine going to do now? G.C. Allen left me with that unanswered question in a cliff hanger at the end of the book! I can't wait to find out what's in store for Lorraine as she continues her "mission" for justice in book four of this series called "The Girl in the Lime Green Wellies"!

I enjoy G.C. Allen's writing style and how it makes me feel. It's a feel good kind of read that goes in so many unexpected ways. This book is another unputdownable, can't turn the pages fast enough, read! For me this was the best book so far in the series! It's filled with all the things that make her writing uniqueness shine in the pages of her books. This is a five star read for me! Thank you, G.C. Allen, for this amazing read! Let the adventures continue!!!
"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."