[Review] The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman 
Publisher: Scribner
Publishing Date: July 31, 2012
Format: hardcover, purchased
343 Pages

Synopsis 

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. 

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them. 

M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.

My Review

I don't remember when I first heard about this book, but I knew right away I wanted to read it, so I searched and finally found a copy. However, it still took me a while to finally get around to reading it, and even when I started it the first time, I ended up putting it down after a bit, though I don't know why. I decided it was time to finally pick it back up and I really enjoyed it! 

This book was pretty different from anything I've read before. I haven't read many stories set in Australia, nor have I read much from that time period. Tom and Isabel live together out on a lighthouse island, just the two of them. They only have contact with others every three months when a ship brings them supplies, or when they get leave and stay on the mainland every so often. Isabel has had two miscarriages and one stillbirth and is having a very hard time moving on. But then a baby in a boat, with a deceased man, wash up on shore and Tom and Isabel decide to raise the child as their own, thinking she doesn't have any parents left. But their choice will later come to haunt them and they have to decide what's right and what's wrong. 

Tom and Isabel are well-written characters and I really enjoyed reading about their life at the lighthouse. Funny enough, my bookmark was an ocean view with a lighthouse on it, which I didn't realize until I just about finished the book (: The book was really well written, and my heart ached for Isabel each time she realized she had a miscarriage, or found out the baby was stillborn. I have no idea how anyone copes with that kind of loss and I only hope that I never have to! 

I wasn't really sure how this story would turn out. Do Tom and Isabel keep Lucy forever? Do they report her to authorities? I couldn't figure it out, but once things started unraveling, I was happy with it; either way, it would have been a sad, tough decision to make, but I think what happened in the book was the best outcome. 

[Review] *Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY* Something Sweeter by Candis Terry

Something Sweeter

Sweetm Texas #3

by Candis Terry

Released June 24, 2014

Synopsis 

The men in Texas are hard to resist . . . Seattle event planner Allison Lane is an expert at delivering the perfect wedding—even if she might not exactly believe in the whole "'til death do us part" thing. When her father decides to tie the knot with a woman he barely knows, Allison heads to Sweet, Texas, to make sure his new honey is the real deal. What she didn't expect to find at the local honky-tonk was a sexy Southern man as bent on charming her pants off as he is on blowing her "true love doesn't exist" theory all to hell. And they always promise . . .

Veterinarian, former Marine, and Sweet's favorite playboy Jesse Wilder takes one look at Allison and knows she's a handful of trouble he can't deny. But even after a sizzling kiss and obvious mutual attraction, it seems Allison has no such problem. When Jesse uncovers her sweet side, can he crush his playboy image, melt her cynical heart, and change her mind about taking a trip down the aisle?

My Review

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Ohhh these books never fail! This is the third book in the Sweet, Texas series and I'm lucky enough to have read and reviewed them all! Candis Terry sure knows how to capture your heart and pull you into her stories! I was highly anticipating the release of this third book because I wanted to know what Jesse is up to! He's a tough (on the outside) vet with a soft spot for his family. Allison is very similar to him in that she cares deeply for her family, but puts up a tough exterior because of her past, and she doesn't really believe in love. Jesse takes this as a challenge and tries to teach Allison what love actually means. Throughout the book, they establish a fun, caring relationship, but each are still holding something back. As the story develops, we find out what they're running from and why they both think they shouldn't fall in love. 

Like I said above, Candis Terry definitely knows how to pull at your heartstrings! I read this series a little out of order (reading the 2nd one first), but I was immediately hooked! I couldn't wait to get to the rest! And now that I'm done with Jesse's story, I can't wait to read Jake's! 

Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2014/05/now-booking-tasty-virtual-tour-for_20.html 

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Something-Sweeter-Sweet-Texas-Candis-ebook/dp/B00FJ34YHS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid= 

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/something-sweeter-candis-terry/1117005010?ean=9780062237262 

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/something-sweeter/id718579932?mt=11 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18599713-something-sweeter?from_search=true 

About the Author

Candis Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of Southern California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She’s experienced life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood recording studio to chasing down wayward steers. Only one thing has remained the same: her passion for writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the security one finds in their own happily ever after.

Author Links

Website: http://www.candisterry.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candis.terry

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CandisTerry

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4935263.Candis_Terry

Giveaways

Wedding Themed Sweepstakes:

http://avonromance.com/sweepstakes 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday 7.1.14

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for a 'Top Ten' list relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond and participate. All the details are listed on her site.

This week's question: Top Ten favorite classics, or top ten classics you want to read

I haven't read too many classics... a few in high school, but not as many as I'd like! Here are my top favorite classics I've read and those I wish to read! 

                             

To-Read

1. Pride and Prejudice (and everything else by Jane Austen)

I know... I can't believe I haven't read it yet! I love the newer movie with Keira Knightly, but every time I want to start it, I get distracted with something else. 

2. Anna Karenina

I started this one! But set it aside to read something else, and haven't gone back to it yet. 

3. Chronicles of Narnia 

4. Les Miserables

 I haven't even seen the movie, but I've heard good things so I want to read and watch it!

5. Gone with the Wind 

6. Anne of Green Gables 

I have a friend who LOVES this series, but I have yet to read it... 

Read

1. The Hobbit 

2. The Great Gatsby

3. The Scarlet Letter

4. The Picture of Dorian Gray

5. To Kill a Mockingbird

Stacking the Shelves 6.28.14

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course, ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog! 

Library

I'm borrowing the audio version of this book from the library! I'm about halfway through and its pretty good so far! 

Won

I won this book from Simon and Schuster Publishing! I haven't heard of it, but it looks pretty interesting so I can't wait to read it (: 

Feature and Follow Friday! 6.27.14

Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other blogs also. I follow you, you follow me. 

The general rules are: 

- Follow the Feature and Follow Hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read)

- Follow the Featured Bloggers

- Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts. 

- Grab the button up there and place it in a post. This post is for people to say hi and that they are now following you in your comments. 

- Follow, Follow, Follow as many as you can. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Don't just follow, comment and say hi in the post! Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say 'hi'

- If someone comments and says they are following you, please follow back! 

This weeks question: Post a photo of your favorite coffee mug (or mugs if you can't choose just one)

  

I have a couple favorite mugs! I bought the minion mug when I was at Universal Studios last year. And I painted the owl mug at a pottery place for a bachelorette party. I also just got a new coffee mug that has a picture of books, and underneath it says "my happy place". I love it! But I don't have a picture with me right now.. (: 

[Review] Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton

Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony by Jeff Ashton with Lisa Pulizter
Publisher: Harper True Crime
Publishing Date: 2011
Format: paperback, purchased
373 Pages

Synopsis 

It was the trial that stunned America, the verdict that shocked us all. On July 5, 2011, nearly three years after her initial arrest, Casey Anthony walked away, virtually scot-free, from one of the most sensational murder trials of all time. She'd been accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, but the trial only left behind more questions: Was she actually innocent? What really happened to Caylee? Was this what justice really looked like?

In Imperfect Justice, prosecutor Jeff Ashton, one of the principal players in the case's drama, sheds light on those questions and much more, telling the behind-the-scenes story of the investigation, the trial, and the now-infamous verdict. Providing an inside account of the case, Ashton, a career prosecutor for the state of Florida, goes where the press and pundits have only speculated, detailing what really happened during the investigation, showing how the prosecution built their case, and explaining how a woman so shrouded in suspicion was proclaimed innocent.

Moving beyond the simple explanations, Ashton offers an in-depth look at the complex figure of Casey Anthony, a woman whose lies he spent three years trying to understand. And yet this focus on Casey came with its own risks; here he details how this widespread fixation on Casey—both in the media and in the trial—may have undermined the case itself. As everyone got caught up in the quest to understand the supposed villain, somehow the victim, Caylee, was all but forgotten—not just to the public, but more important, to the jury.

Complete with never-before-revealed information about the case and the accused, Ashton examines what the prosecution got right, what they got wrong, and why he remains completely convinced of Casey Anthony's guilt.

My Review 

When the Casey Anthony case was happening, I didn't follow it too closely. I watched news clips every now and then, new the gist of what the case was about and the latest theories, but didn't have much interest in following it religiously. Lately, I've been interested in reading true crime stories, so I picked this one up at my local book store. 

Since I followed the story a little, I knew many of the things that were discussed in this book, but some of it was new. It was interesting to hear the prosecutor's side of the story and I thought Jeff Ashton did a good job laying out the facts as they saw them. I liked that the book was in chronological order as well; it made everything much easier to follow. I thought this book was interesting, but it wasn't the best or most intriguing book I've ever read. I would have to say the first half - the investigation - was more interesting than the description of the trial. Maybe that's because I'm an attorney and know the process already, but I found myself getting a little bored with it. Nevertheless, I thought this was an interesting book that's worth reading if you don't know too much about the case or trial. 

[Review] The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publishing Date: May 21, 2013
Format: hardcover, won
352 Pages

Synopsis 

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

My Review

I won a copy of this book in a huge giveaway from SimonTeen. I was so excited to receive all these wonderful books and couldn't wait to dive in! But I also wanted to make sure that I was getting other books done as well, so it took me a while to finally get to this book. I don't know why I waited so long for this one, but I'm glad I finally read it! 

Jude has just graduated from high school and its the summer before her freshman year of college. But instead of working to save up money, or spending all her time with friends, she's taking care of her dad who has Alzheimer's. She decides to restore her dad's old bike with the help of a local mechanic shop. When Emilio is the guy hired, she doesn't know what to do because she made an oath to her sisters that she would never become involved with a Vargas. But as they get to know each other, and as she faces the struggles taking care of her dad, she realizes she can't keep the oath. Emilio and Jude are great together. He really cares about her and her father, and doesn't judge her father with his strange behavior (before he learns why he's acting that way). 

What I loved about this story was that it was so much more than just a teen romance. Jude is really struggling with taking care of her sick father, but doesn't really want to admit to needing help. She's no longer a teenager enjoying her summer before going to college; she's a caregiver 24/7 and she's losing her close friends because they don't understand. This book is emotional, so be prepared! But I highly recommend it! (: