Review: Caught In The Act by Kim Law

Book Summary

Catherine Davenport Carlton needs a break. After dedicating her life to her political-minded family, shocking scandals from the past have shaken her to her core. Summer in the quiet town of Dyersport, Maine, is just what she needs, especially with a super-hot neighbor right next door…who’s none other than Brody Hollister, the boy she fell in love with as a teen. Cat wants nothing more than to pick up right where they left off eighteen years ago, but she’s still haunted by a terrible secret that could devastate Brody.

Brody Hollister spent years pining over Cat Davenport. They met young and loved passionately—until she disappeared from his life. Now she’s back, as spirited and beautiful as ever. But while Brody is determined to help Cat free herself from her family’s drama, his own family may be hiding something that could ruin their rekindled romance for good.

In Book Two of the Davenports romance series, sex and politics collide…with passionate results.

Review

If I knew how awesome this book was going be, I would’ve started with the first book. It wasn’t until after I read this book that I saw it was the second book in the series. I’m not sure how much of the preceding book or how it transitions into this one of the details we would’ve missed but I need to check out the first one. As far as I’m concerned, Caught In The Act, really gives you a great grasp of the story’s past and present but you never know. 

Considering I grew up a serial soap opera viewer, they had nothing on the family drama in this book. Trust me when I say there was never a dull moment. I wasn’t expecting the drama that played out but it made one awesome read. Everything that you could want in a juicy novel dealing with a prominent family that included love, betrayal, lies, secrets and every other flaw out there oozed out of the pages.

Without giving away the details, I will give you the framework of the families involved first. We first have the Davenports. I will say they have the influence of the Kennedys. There is Emma Davenport, the mother and her husband who has been deceased. They have strong roots personally and politically in the community. Their clan includes their children Catherine, JP, and Bennett. Then we have the Hollisters’ which include Brody and his mother Annabelle. Finally, we have the not so liked Harrisons which include Thomas and his father Arthur. There is more to this dynamic but I will leave you to read all about that in the book because you have to read it to believe it.

So, the book primary centers around Catherine and Brody. There are subplots that blend into their storylines but if I had to narrow the major aspects of the book, it would be centered around their past and present. So, the story centers around a small town called Dyersport in Maine. Catherine, also known as Cat, decides that she has had enough with everything going on with her family scandals and needs a quiet place to relax for the summer.  Trying to keep her presence low, she decided to rent a beach house rather than stay at the family compound. Her summer is starting to look really bright as she starts to take interest in her very attractive neighbor. Funny how time passes and you don’t recognize people but unbeknownst to her she has no idea that the person that she has been ogling will unleash a past that she thought was tucked away. 

When an unexpected encountered comes and she finds out who her mystery jogger is, the one she stalked everyday with her binoculars, little did she know it was her lost love Brody. They met as teenagers and you will learn when you read the book what happened to them and why this moment is so major. You know that feeling as if you ever had the chance to be in this situation what would you do, well they’re here but have some major secrets that rock this book cover to the end. Since she only has a couple of weeks until her kids arrive, attempting to reconnect as friends, they decide to engage in a noncommittal little fling. Did they really think that could happen considering their past? Also, the fact that Cat asked Brody to keep it hush hush not wanting to bring on anymore unwanted scandals to the press…um how do you think that went over? Not only ignited some issues from the past that have slowly simmered what was to come. 

Just like any family, you have your secrets but these people really take that to another level. The book sort of takes a life on its’ own from here. There are so many other major aspects to the storyline that tie into including all the families collectively and independent. You have Cat and Brody who have an unsettled past with questions unanswered from both sides. Little did they know there was interference but as they get their answers it comes at what cost? They always say if it is true love it will come back but does it? Then there is Cat’s mother.  She is a very driven, competitive person that stops at no expense to save face and get what she wants, even at the expense of her family. She has some heavy secrets of her own that not only open pandora’s box but it affects the dynamics of her whole family. 

There’s so many great aspects of this book that make this such an awesome read to put on your summer reading list. It’s so hard to go into to many details because I don’t want to ruin the book because the way she wrote this book was like a puzzle that perfectly fit each piece. It’s a fun, drama filled ride that will satisfy all that you could crave in a page turner. The characters are great, the plot is infectious and definitely one that you won’t forget!

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles 

Series: The Davenports
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Montlake Romance (January 27, 2015)

Review: Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton

Summary

While Toni Braxton may appear to be living a charmed life, hers is in fact a tumultuous story: a tale of personal triumph after a public unraveling. In her heartfelt memoir, the six-time Grammy Award-winning singer and star of WE tv's hit reality series Braxton Family Values is unapologetically honest in revealing the intimate details of her journey.

Toni and the entire Braxton clan have become America's favorite musical family, but what fans may not know is the intense guilt Toni once felt when she accepted a recording deal that excluded her sisters. That decision would haunt Toni for years to come, tainting the enormous fame she experienced as a popular female vocalist at the top of the charts. Despite her early accomplishments, Toni's world crumbled when she was forced to file for bankruptcy twice and was left all alone to pick up the pieces.

Always the consummate professional, Toni rebuilt her life but then found herself in the midst of more heartache. The mother of an autistic child, Toni had long feared that her son's condition might be karmic retribution for some of the life choices that left her filled with remorse. Later, when heart ailments began plaguing her at the age of forty-one and she was diagnosed with lupus, Toni knew she had to move beyond the self-recrimination and take charge of her own healing—physically and spiritually.

Unbreak My Heart is more than the story of Toni's difficult past and glittering success: it is a story of hope, of healing, and, ultimately, of redemption.

Review

I tend to shy away from celebrity memoirs because I find them so out of touch on a whole. To my pleasant surprise, I was extremely moved and impressed with Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart. This was a very candid, honest outline framing the life of one of music industry's most beautiful singers. Unlike many other celebrities, there's a magnetic intimacy with musicians that people cling to that stimulate a bond as if we feel know them personally. On the surface we perceive a certain lifestyle but behind the scenes, life is completely different.

My only knowledge of Toni over the years is of being a fan of her music. I didn't know anything more of her personal life until I read the book which I found very interesting. The book broadly captures her strict upbringing as a young girl through the highs and lows of her personal & professional career. What I found extremely moving about the book was her openness with the details of her experiences which allows you into her life and connect with her. There is something about a person who has a story that has been broken to the core that finds hope through their despair that is always worth listening to. So, if you are a fan of Toni Braxton, I'd definitely grab a copy.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Review: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Summary

Under the alias Girl Online, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her quirky family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse at school, her parents accept an opportunity to whisk the family away for Christmas at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. There, Penny meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly she is falling in love—and capturing every moment she spends with “Brooklyn Boy” on her blog.

But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny’s cover—and her closest friendship—forever.

Award-winning and influential YouTube vlogger Zoe Sugg delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age novel that perfectly captures the highs and lows of first love, friendship, and growing up in the digital age.

Review

Psst. Girls, guess what? You are the not the only one who feels like a walking disaster, especially in front of the boy you like. All girls feel insecure at one point or another and try to compensate for it; some girls just pull it off better than others. Unfortunately Penny is not one of those girls that can pull it off. To her, she is the queen of calamity.

Penny lives in Brighton, which is in England, and at her school, it would seem she is not only a walking disaster but the sidekick in her own life. She is best friends with the queen B, Megan, and is in love with the most popular guy in school, Ollie; or as Elliot, her true best friend, calls them, Mega-b***h and The Walking Selfie. And to make matters worse, Penny has these terrible panic attacks when she is in stressful situations. Thus adding to the calamity that was her life.

But Penny has a few things to be happy about; her wonderful family, her best friend Elliot, her photography, and especially her blog. Donning the name Girl Online, Penny creates a place for herself where she can “keep it real.” Here Penny tells the world about her best friend Megan and how Penny feels maybe she’s outgrown her and asks her followers for advice on what to do. But she also talks about the good things going on in her life and tries to end on a positive note. Mostly, she tries to stay true to herself and to her fans.

Back in the real world, Penny has to try to act like she has it all together; easier said than done. For on the night of the school play, Romeo and Juliet, the urban version, Penny falls face first on the stage while trying to take a picture of the curtain call. Not only does she fall face first, but her butt lands in the air while showing off her old underwear. And to make matters worse, besides the entire audience and cast seeing her knickers, Megan posts the video on Facebook. Some best friend huh?

Totally humiliated, Penny wishes she could just get away from it all and much to her surprise, her parents have a solution to this problem. Penny’s parents are both wedding designers and end up getting a job in New York, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, doing a wedding over the Christmas holiday. At first Penny doesn’t want to go. One, she doesn’t want to spend Christmas apart from her brother Tom or Elliot, and two, she is terrified of flying. But with all the drama going on at school, suddenly Christmas in New York doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Plus, her parents say Elliot can come. So that makes things better.

Once in New York, past the flight that wasn’t so bad, Penny feels like she is transported to a whole new world. The buildings seem taller, the people more fashionable, the places shifting from the past to present to future, everything about New York seemed like a wonderland and they hadn’t even gotten to the hotel yet.

Now imagine the most fairy tale place on earth and then imagine it ten times greater. That is how one would describe the Waldorf Astoria hotel. And just like every fairy tale, there is a prince.

While exploring the hotel, Penny hears this melodious voice alone on a stage. She stops and takes a picture and the voice questions her presence and wants to know who she is. She tells the voice she is one of the photographers for the wedding and she discovers the voice belongs to a “rock-tastic god.” She is one smitten kitten.

The “rock-tastic god” is Noah, tall, chiseled cheekbones and deep dimples with dark hair and he shows Penny the non-touristic side of New York; more specifically, Brooklyn and smitten becomes an understatement. With Noah, Penny doesn’t feel weird and awkward and she feels she can say anything and be herself around him. And Noah is charming and sweet and seems like he totally gets her. But alas, all good things must come to an end.

Thus Penny must return to England, miles away from the potential love of her life. Not to mention, deal with a best friend who she could stand to do without and another best friend that isn’t really talking to her. And to make matters worse, she discovers a secret about Noah that shakes the foundation of everything she believed to be true about him and their love affair; affair being the operative word. Now her followers are abandoning her, calling her out to be a liar and people she doesn’t even know are saying the most hateful things about her. Worst yet, besides Elliot still not talking to her and suspecting him of betrayal, Noah is making her out to be the scoundrel when it is she who feels hurt and lied to.  Even more so, she is forced to hide from the online world, especially her blog. The one place she feels, correction, felt safe to be herself. But now, she isn’t so sure.

Will Penny ever patch things up with Elliot or is their friendship over and done? Can she ever get over the lies Noah told and the like, maybe even love she felt? Most importantly, can Penny face her fears and return not only to the real world but the online and stand brave, and just be herself?

It is tough being a girl, or being a teenager, or even a human being on this earth. But pardon me for saying so, there is no hell on earth like being a teenager in high school. Girl Online teaches us that we all have our crosses to bear and that no one has it as together as they say or appear. Girl Online also teaches us to love who we are and not care what others think of us and that there is someone out there who will love you as you are. Another lesson from this novel is that it shows us that we can’t let our fear control us; that we must overcome all obstacles, inside and out, and live our lives our own way. Most importantly, Girl Online shows us that we can’t believe everything we read online, or even what people say. That we must figure out truth from lies, that we cannot let the lies hold us back and always lead with the truth.

Reviewed by Camia Rhodes

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Atria/Keywords Press (November 25, 2014)

Review: Streets of Mayhem by John Mefford

Summary

On a cool October afternoon, the majestic blue sky above Dallas is polluted with swells of gray smoke, carrying shattered memories of fifteen people, mostly children, who've just been killed by an explosion on a bus. A white supremacist group claims responsibility, opening old wounds, turning neighbor against neighbor--fracturing the community.
 
A Southeast Dallas native, Booker T. Adams couldn't be more invested in the city…in the people he'd served for the last seven years as a beat cop for the Dallas Police Department.  Without warning, it becomes personal for Booker on so many levels. And as panic grips the city, he must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice to end the chaos.
 
With his career called into question and his family in the crosshairs of one terrorist act after another, Booker invests every fiber of his being to protect a broken community, and to stop the brutal, senseless slayings.
 
If he fails, terrorism will reign in the city of Dallas. 

Review

When I first started reading Booker:  Streets of Mayhem, two words came to my mind, Alex Cross. I didn’t think I’d come across a character that I would like as much in that genre but there is something about Booker Adams that reminds me so much of him in similar characteristics but equally as fantastic. You will find yourself immediately drawn into his character and completely absorbed in an awesome plot that keeps you tuned into the end.

Booker Adams, who is currently a police officer, finds himself in a situation that no cop wants to be in. When a situation arises that confronts his own personal ethics versus aligning with the blue wall of silence, he gets suspended from the force. In the process, things become too personal when a series bombing occurs and fuels his quest to find the suspect regardless of whether or not he still has his badge. The story told from the duel point of view of Booker and the suspect which enables the reader to absorb into an exciting plot that unravels that will keep you guessing until the end. 

Streets of Mayhem, is the first book of the Private Investigator Thriller Series of Crime and Suspense Series. The main character from the series, Booker Adams, is definitely one that if you enjoy reading this genre will desire to keep reading the series. I thought the book was refreshing from the perspective that you weren’t overwhelmed with nonstop things going on that sometimes take you away from enjoying a suspense novel. The plot was constructed and put together in a way that enables the reader to experience the action as if it were happening but also the sub plots of the book allow you to get to the character and their lives. Besides Booker, there are a handful of characters that supported the novel which hopefully will be revisited in future books. I feel this was a good introduction to the series and look forward to what is to come for Booker Adams in the future.

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Review: You Oughta See Me Naked by Ed Bartlett

Summary

Here is an inside look at life on the slippery slope, by a man long past his “expire date,” savoring the perks few live long enough to enjoy: watching other people work, being outspoken without fear of physical reprisal (except for feeble jousts among the geezers), saying “no” to doctors ... delving into subjects like traveling the world, where we go when we die, the joys of dementia, what's it like being a ghost, the hazards of grave's edge romance.

Review

Anyone who has been given the chance to live to 80 or as the author says past “his expiration date” you are bound to have an insight worth listening to. Ed Bartlett in his You Oughta See Me Naked, takes readers into a life full of the good and the bad, showing how imperfect our expectations are and when you get to a certain age how you earn the right to just live life and make your own rules. As you chuckle your way through his journey, his experience I’m sure many will be able to relate to and bring some assurance that getting old isn’t so bad. His life is full of experiences that many will share and find comfort in appreciating the treasure that is or lies ahead in your golden years. Prepare to laugh and embrace life for what it’s meant to be. 

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Review: The Lady Meets Her Match by Gina Conkle

Book Summary

LOCATING HER IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE

Cyrus Ryland didn't become England's wealthiest bachelor by being a pushover, but the mysterious beauty he discovers sneaking around at his grand ball enflames his curiosity. When the clock chimes midnight and she's nowhere to be found, Cyrus vows to scour all of London to uncover who she is. Little does he know that not only does Claire Mayhew not want to be found, but she wants nothing to do with him at all...

Review

In her second installment of the Midnight Meetings series, Gina Conkle captivates us with her new historical romance, The Lady Meets Her Match, giving us a refreshing, bold interpretation of traditional elements of Cinderella with a modern flare. 

What makes this story so fabulous is not only the plot but its characters. Let’s begin with its awesome female heroine, Claire, who defies the status quo in a time where women were defined behind a man. She is unlike any other that we have encountered from this period of time. Clearly independent, her sass and bravado is well applauded to see such a character whom embodies the chops to do things on her own and want better for herself other than the norm of the goal to just be someone’s wife. Unlike her other “sisters” she is content with her status not looking for a man and being without love.

Having experienced some heart break of her own, she sort of closes the door on love after an experience changed how she felt about men and their intentions. Determined to set the goal to go in business for herself she is faced with one obstacle, Cyrus Ryland. According to his rules, you cannot be an unmarried woman business owner. You have to have a husband, brother or father on the lease. Well, rules are meant to be broken and she comes up with a plan to get past this rule at a masked ball at his house. Everything was going according to plan until guess who she runs into? Yes! Now, no sense in trying to run so all she can do is own up to the moment but little does she know how much her mystery presence piques his curiosity. Just before the revealing at midnight, she bolts unknowingly leaving one of her shoes behind. Determined to find her, only having her shoe and her first name, what will happen when or if he he finds her? Thus begins their story…

Now, let’s move on to Cyrus. Well, doesn’t he sound like everyone woman’s dream. He’s attractive, intelligent, wealthy and has everything going for him. He is the type of man who would fight for your protection. He’s had a challenging upbringing but really made a life for himself and his family. His hard work has definitely sowed some great rewards especially earning him the most sought out bachelor in England. He wasn’t looking for love himself but something ignited a spark in him when his path crossed Claire Mayhew. Their initial encounter defying the rules of society and their unconventional banter contradicted the type of women that have sought his attention. Claire, woman who wasn’t interested in him or his money brought out something in him that saw her differently. With all the women lining up to be the next Mrs. Ryland, his heart was never opened to any of them until possibly now. They say love comes in unexpected places, was it destiny for them?

Well, let’s just say that we have two people not looking for love but their journey makes one awesome story to read. Since I loved this book and don’t want to give too much away, I gave you enough to hopefully pique your curiosity. From the first chapter, I promise that you will be fascinated by their story and be hooked to the end of the book. You will definitely be thrown some curve balls that kept the story interesting but ultimately wraps up quite nicely. This book being my first historical romance, I really appreciated the beauty in the way the story was written especially with some of the scenes that could’ve gone to the trashy side but didn’t. She brought the “romance” to historical romance which was greatly appreciated. I will definitely be reading her future work. If you are a fan of her books or love historical romance, put this one on your list to read! 

Reviewed by Michelle Bowles

Series: Midnight Meetings (Book 2)
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 7, 2015)