Book 65: The Millionaire and the M.D. by Teresa Southwick

Gabe Thorne is steel reeling from the life that fate dealt him several years ago. He has escaped to Las Vegas to get away from the memories and start a new construction project to help his company break into the Las Vegas market. But then his pregnant teenage sister comes along and the memories coming flooding back. Then he meets his sister's OB who he is sure can't be old enough to be a doctor and his life changes.

Rebecca Hamilton is trying to get away from her past also. She was a victim and she sees trouble in Amy Thorne that she can't seem to break through. Not to mention that Amy's attractive older brother is also taking up her thoughts.

This was a great book that brought two people who thought their problems were insurrmountable together to find that fate can be kind and they can both have a second chance. I liked the themes in this book and enjoyed reading it. I also really liked the characters, you got to see their problems and see how they worked through them with help from Amy, each other and even Gabe and Amy's father. It was a fun book to read watching both Gabe and Rebecca grow and also watching their love grow too.



Date Started: 04-14-2008
Date Finished: 04-16-2008
From: My bookshelf (by way of paperbackswap)
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Genre: Romance
Category Line: Silhouette Special Edition
Miniseries: The Men of Mercy Medical, book 1
Setting: Las Vegas, NV, Mercy Medical Hospital
Characters: Gabe Thorne, Rebecca Hamilton, Amy Thorne
Pages: 211

Book 64: Once Upon a Pregnancy by Judy Duarte

Just over a month after Simone Gardner's one-night stand with sexy paramedic Mike O'Rourke, she finds herself staring at a positive pregnancy test. Due to her past she is sure she won't make a good mother and she doesn't think she makes a good girlfriend wife either so she keeps pushing persistent Mike away.

Mike has enjoyed being an eligible bachelor for awhile, but one glimpse of a loosened up Simone at a hospital function and one night with her has changed his mind. Now he's ready to settle down and start a family, but Simone keeps pushing him away.

This is a great story that felt really real to me for some reason. I really can't explain it, except that this was really well done and a very interesting book. I hardly put it down after starting it.

This book is part of a series, but I hadn't read the previous books and I didn't have any problems. I am going back and planning on reading the others because I find the hospital an interesting setting.

I highly recommend this gem for others to read!


Date Started: 04/13/2008
Date Finished: 04/14/2008
From: My bookshelf (paperbackswap)
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Genre: Contemporary romance
Category Line: Silhouette Special Edition
Setting: Walnut River
Characters: Mike O'Rourke, Simone Gardner
Pages: 214

Book 63: Last Seen Alive by Carlene Thompson

Chyna Greer returns to Black Willow because her mother has passed away. She hasn't spent much time in her home town since college and she dislikes coming back since the one summer when her best friend Zoey disappeared into the night to never be heard from again and also from the talk of her special talent, her ESP.

Shortly after returning she finds out that other girls have gone missing during the time she has been away. She also runs into her old high school crush, Scott Kendrick who is at home recovering from a plane crash.

Then another girl disappears and Chyna starts having more visions, that involve several people in town. As Chyna and Scott try to figure out all that is going on around them the mystery continues to build.

The suspense element of this book was great. I actually figured out who the murderer was, but it really was only a guess. The suspects abound and you are guessing who has done it. I also enjoyed the romance of two people who knew each other in the past come together in a time of trial. The last 200 pages had me not wanting to put the book down.

A good read for those who don't mind graphic romantic suspense.


Date Started: 2008-04-09
Date Finished: 2008-04-13
From: My bookshelf
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Genre: Romantic Suspense, Paranormal
Setting: Black Willow, WV
Characters: Chyna Greer, Scott Kendrick
Pages: 342

Book 62: Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

An amazing story told from the perspective of 5 different people who all center around Shay Bourne, a man convicted of killing a young girl and her policeman stepfather. Father Michael was on the jury that convicted Shay and 11 years later he becomes Shay's spritual advisor in prison. Lucius is one of Shay's I-tier cellmates who is in for murdering his lover. June is the mother of the child and wife of the man that Shay killed, she was pregnant with Claire when the murders occurred. And finally Maggie is the ACLU attorney that quickly attaches herself to Shay's case to highlight the wrongness of the death penalty.

Through all of these characters we see the life of Shay Bourne and how he touched them all. All of them have learning experiences and some have crisis of faith. This is a wonderful book that is not really trying to push any agenda, it just looks at the what-ifs of human life and human nature. We all have a crisis of faith sometime and faith really comes down to what we believe in and not something that we can touch. The book is very enjoyable and hard to put down. I can't say that I have read anything like it and it was a very refreshing read. Most books like this seem to push a political or religious agenda or try and shock you, but this did not, it is written straight from the heart of a woman who obviously knows a lot about human nature, and wants each of us to question the absolutes and decide for ourselves what we believe.


Date Started: 3 April 2008
Date Finished: 9 April 2008
From: Library
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Genre: Fiction, general
Setting: New Hampshire
Characters: June and Claire Nealon, Shay Bourne, Maggie, Father Michael, Lucius
Pages: 447


Other Reviews:

Natasha @ Mawbooks

Book 61: Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

Classic Stephanie Plum - this is my first time reding through this series and I am loving it. I love laughing at Stephanie and Lula's crazy antics in this one. I missed Grandma Mazur in this one since she was really in Two for the Dough, but when she was there, she was funny.

Stephanie is hot on the trail of one of Trenton's favorite uncles. Uncle Moe who owns the town candy store. In this one she fights against people out to protect Moe, one of her former teachers, her new truck, her hairdresser and of course Joe Morelli. As things start to unravel it gets even crazier. Just a fun read and C.J. Critt does a wonderful job on the audio - I love her different voices and the accents are great.

Fun, fun, fun is what you get when reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading more about Stephanie Plum, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Morelli and Ranger.



Date Started: 25 march 08
Date Finished: 08 april 08
From: Library
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Setting: Trenton, NJ
Characters: Stephanie Plum, Grandma Mazur, Lula, Morelli, Ranger, Uncle Moe
Pages:

Book 60: Swimming with the Dead by Kathy Brandt

Hannah Sampson is a detective on the Denver police force and she is also a search and rescue diver. Due to her diving knowledge and her reputation for never giving up on a case, the police commissioner asks Hannah to investigate his son's death in the British Virgin Islands.

So Hannah heads down there reluctantly and falls in love with the area, but it seems someone doesn't like her digging. As she begins to investigate, everyone seems guilty even the guy she starts to fall for.

Lots of local color of the island and plenty of people to make you wonder who exactly did it. Fun book to read and get to know Hannah. I look forward to more books in this series.



Date Started: 04 apr 2008
Date Finished: 05 apr 2008
From: My bookshelf
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Setting: Denver, CO, and British Virgin Islands
Characters: Hannah Sampson, Chief Dunn, Peter O'Brien, Michael Duvall
Pages: 258

Book 59: Forget-Me-Not by Marliss Melton

Helen Renault has finally decided to move on with her life, almost a year after her husband was declared missing after a SEAL mission gone wrong. The truth is he was gone from her life long before that so she is through with her mourning when he is officially declared dead. On the night she makes the decision to move on, she gets a phone call that her husband is still alive but he can't remember the last year or the two before that - the whole time that Helen and her daughter Mallory were in his life. She tentatively goes to see him sure she has the resolve to not fall for the cold, emotionally devoid man he had become before that mission.

Gabe has had a rough past but thankfully through some great role models he really made something of himself. Part of a SEAL team that were as close as family to him and he finally settles down with a woman. But because of his past he has remained somewhat aloof to his wife and step-daughter. Now sitting in a hospital bed, his wife and step-daughter step back into his life though he has no recollection of them.

Through time the memories start to come back and Helen is somewhat surprised that the man who her husband was before is not the man who has returned to her.

I'm never really sure how I like the husband/wife thing in romance books, I mean they are already together. This one it worked really well. Both sides had some giving to do and you really get to watch both of them grow. The daughter Mallory is a nice additional primary character. She really adds to the story. I also liked getting to know the other members of Gabe's SEAL team whose books will follow. Also the storyline is finalized enough for the end of the book, but there are some unanswered questions that lead into the next book.

A great start to a series and I can't wait to read more about this SEAL team. With real characters and a plausible scenario, the romance touches you and the action never stops. This book was a joy to read and I highly recommend it.

Date Started: 02 april 2008
Date Finished: 04 april 2008
From: my bookshelf (by way of paperbackswap)
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Genre: Romantic suspense
Setting: Coastal Virginia (Portsmouth area)
Characters: Gabe and Helen Renault, Mallory, Master Chief Sebastian Leon
Pages: 355