The Good Stranger
by
Dete Meserve
Kindness----
"It's also selfish because it makes you feel good when you help others. I've been helped by acts of kindness from strangers. That's why we're here, after all, to help others."
Carol Burnett
I love that quote. It fits so well with this book.

Dete Meserve's books make me feel good. They are about kindness and doing good things. They are about how there are more "good" people in the world than "bad". The Good Stranger is a book that takes all these elements and are written into a story that just made me smile reading it. This is the third book in the Kate Bradley Mystery series but it's easily picked up to be read as a stand-alone.

Kate Bradley has landed the job of her dreams. She's moving up from being a local news correspondent to a national news correspondent. Along with that, tho, she has to say goodbye to friends and all the things she's comfortable with. She has to move from L.A. to Manhattan where everyone seems wrapped into themselves and oblivious to anyone around them. No one seems to notice or care about anyone around them. The change is difficult but Kate is up for the challenge. Then an unexpected event happens when there's a city wide power outage. Mysteriously after the power is restored, a stranger is leaving gifts for random people around the city. This intrigues Kate and with her investigative skills, she's determined to find out who the person/people behind the unconditional giving and the reason why. This "stranger" is changing the lives of a whole city with random acts of kindness. How and why? What if those random kindnesses are passed on from one person to the next? "This isn't just about giving. They're connecting strangers."

I love the character of Kate Bradley. She's so likable and easy to want to search for clues and answers as to who the mysterious "good stranger" is with her. I turned the pages seeking those answers, too. She also has a personal life that I connected with and felt the things she was going through. She's compassionate, determined, and not afraid to go after what she wants and believes in. She finds out things about herself as she discovers more and more about the goodness and kindness behind this stranger. The supporting cast of characters are all touched by the events and that causes changes of hearts. "Could it be that the biggest problems could be solved by the smallest gestures, person to person?"

Reading this book brought these thoughts into my mind....smiles are contagious. Even a smile can change someone's day.
Kindness is the gift that keeps on giving. Like the ripples from a pebble in a body of water, kindness can ripple out from one little act of being kind and touch many more people than we know if we just be nice and pass it on.

I want to thank Dete Meserve for the ARC copy and great honor of reading The Good Stranger. I have read her previous books and each one of them have made my heart happy. I joyfully and gratefully thank her. I recommend this book for an uplifting read that gives us hope in all good things. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.

The Girl in the Lime Green Wellies
By
G.C. Allen
When anticipation of reading a book actually becomes reality of holding that book in your hands and opening the pages to read it, that is happiness! I'm HAPPY! I LOVE this series. I couldn't wait to read this book and continue from where book three, "The Girl in the Aubergine Sandals", left off. Again, knowing, but not knowing what to expect (other than a FANTASTIC read), that this was going to be another zany, unusual, quirky, and unique story by G. C. Allen. Where was Lorraine going to take me and what was going to happen? I was about to find out! Excitement!!

When the book opens, Lorraine is summoning an important figure from her past for help. What does she need help for? She's the most famous woman in the world after all! I didn't expect what her request was going to be or who was going to help her. I definitely wasn't prepared for the emotional impact it would have on my heart as I read the pages. It was a visit to the past. Both of Chesney's and Valerie's in two separate, parallel stories that G. C. Allen ingeniously crafts and invites me into a page turning, unputdownable "blast from the past" of each character.

In Chesney's portion of the story, I traveled to England with him and met back up with his Aunt Elinor who "gets" him and loves him as if he were her own son. She is so tender and loving to him and I actually feel the emotional connection they share. "She smiled at him, and he felt the warmth of her unconditional love wash away his anxieties." Chesney's introduction to England is one of a series of events that happens in just a few minutes. Just who is this "Girl in the Lime Green Wellies"? The time I spent with him learning the lingo and lots of English word references was part of the over all experience being along with Chesney. Chuffed, lorry, skiving, loo, little nip, elevensies, across the pond, trotters and so much more. What fun! But the main story had my heart. I laughed, I cried, I yearned, I dreaded. I loved. I was taken on the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Chesney's story pulled at my heart in ways I didn't know it could go...all with the one-of-a-kind style G.C. Allen writes her series in.

Then there's Valerie's background story! Wow! From her father's beginnings in a war torn Italy to

his eventual landing in America and becoming his Piccola Principessa Valerie's father. She has him wrapped around her little finger. The premise of Valerie's story is planning for prom. Her perfect prom. Her teenager girl ideals on what her "perfect prom" is going to be. It's a plan she uses cunning, guile and her self-centeredness to achieve. There are her thoughts of how to "catch" a boy that had me rolling from laughter. Her experience at a dinner with her prom date at his parent's house was so funny! I had tears from laughing. Valerie is another one of G.C. Allen's characters from a mold of her own. These characters are like none other I have ever encountered.

Unforgettable!

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 a bit different from the first three in that I had some very deep emotions from the characters that I hadn't experienced or expected. There is so much in this book that I can't begin to express how much I really hope other readers open up the series and are pulled into the world of Lorraine Innis. I am so totally glad that I did and "The Girl in the Lime Green Wellies" is even more reason I am. I highly recommend this series. This book is the best one yet!! I'm definitely the kind of a girl who loves Lorraine Innis and G. C. Allen. "That'll do yer good."

Thank you, G. C. Allen for the honor of reading this amazing book. All opinions and thoughts are my heartfelt own.

Lavender, Loss & Love
at the
Villa des Violettes
by
Patricia Sands

What would it be like to spend an extended vacation in an amazing setting with close friends you've enjoyed getting to know? This book took me on a continued experience of just that kind of adventure with Philippe and Kat, innkeepers of a beautiful and welcoming villa in the Côte d’Azur. The third book in the series. The title of this series, "Villa des Violettes", along with the beautiful covers of these books, is a welcoming invite to step into the south of France and delight in all it has to offer.

There is something about meeting dear friends and catching up with them. The characters in this series are like family and I was joining up with them to spend time together again. It's like picking up with each other and having not been away. They are connected with each other through friendships, family and love for one another. Characters that are caring and ones I love being with. They took me into their lives and, through them, I had a holiday in the pages of this book.

As I was reading, Ms. Sands words created the most amazing visuals in my mind of what a tour of this area of France would be like. From the scrumptious foods that I practically tasted by her mouth watering descriptions, to the beautiful scenic panoramas I could see in my mind of the sparkling sea, the endless lavender fields and the cobble stoned alleyways, I was along with the characters as Philippe shared his childhood home and places he spent time in with Kat.

Then there's the storyline with the characters woven through this scenic country. I love the love story with Kat and Philippe. Finding true love later in their lives. "That's how it was with Philippe. He gave her the unswerving love, adorned with sincere romantic gestures, that she had missed in her earlier life." The characters are family with those around them. They are all there for each other through the good times and the hard times. There is so much emotion in the pages that touched and pulled at my heart. Romance in the south of France is heartwarming and magical. Being loved and with family and friends is everything.

I loved going into the pages of this book with Kat and Philippe. I loved the virtual tour Patricia Sands took me on through her extensive visits she herself has taken. Her love for this region of France comes through in the beautiful stories she creates in that setting. I want to thank Ms. Sands for the honor or reading another one of her wonderful books in Lavender, Loss and Love. I enjoyed it very much. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.

A Dog's Hope
By
Casey Wilson
It's not always a person finding a dog but sometimes it's the dog finding it's person. That's how this story happens. It's a connection between a wandering dog, Buddy, and a mixed up, confused and often angry boy, Toby, that this emotionally filled story is about. Casey Wilson has filled the pages of this book with a heartwarming story that has heart wrenching situations. She adds a lovable and faithful golden retriever to make this a story of unconditional love between Toby and Buddy.

Being a dog lover myself since I was a little girl and knowing that Casey Wilson is, I knew this was a must read book for me. I loved the two different POVs in this book. Buddy, the golden retriever and Toby, the young boy. It starts with the "Now" and Buddy's thoughts as he faithfully reminisces about his unbreakable bond with Toby. Ms. Wilson so perfectly brought me into Buddy's thoughts of how he felt about his human soulmate. From the anticipation of throwing a ball: "There's no time to think when you're staring into your best friend's eyes, waiting for the next ball" to the trust and "knowing" he will be back: "I know Toby wouldn't leave me. He told me he'd be back and he keeps his promises", there is a connection with Buddy right away. He won my heart. The story then goes to Toby's POV and the "Then"....the struggles Toby has of making changes in his life from the conflicting and turmoiled relationship with his father to the finding of his true love in his life, Buddy is the constant companion and always there for him. I turned the pages feeling as if I were there experiencing the love and connection between a dog and his boy. "His gentle eyes remind me I'll never be alone. He's a faithful companion who never tires of being near me. He's an excellent listener and sometimes, the way he looks at me, I think he understands me even when I don't say a word." A dog's intuition for his person. What a feeling!

This story gave me so many emotional ups and downs. It made me cry but also made me happy. I felt Ms. Wilson's heart the story was written from. A heart for the love of dogs and their loyalty, faithfulness and love. I could feel myself looking into Buddy's eyes and seeing his pure love for Toby. I know that feeling as I look into the eyes of my own loyal and unconditionally loving dogs. This book is one any dog lover will so appreciate. I most certainly do. Anyone who has had a "best friend" in a faithful dog. There is nothing like that bond. This book took me intimately into that place through the heartfelt words from an author's heart. It was more than just a read, it was an experience.

I want to thank Casey Wilson for the honor and privilege of reading an ARC of this beautifully written story. All opinions and thoughts are my heartfelt own. I absolutely loved this book!