Vintage: A Novel by Susan Gloss

		Vintage: A Novel         Offered by HarperCollins Publishers Price: $11.04
A Charming and Engaging Novel, March 31, 2014

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2014

Vintage is Susan Gloss's sparkling debut novel in the vein of The Friday Night Knitting Club, centered around a Midwestern vintage clothing shop and   a group of women who eventually transform the store and each others' lives.

At Hourglass Vintage in Madison, Wisconsin, every item in the boutique has a story to tell . . . and so do the women who are drawn there.

Violet Turner has always dreamed of owning a shop like Hourglass Vintage. When she is faced with the possibility of losing it, she realizes that, as much as she wants to, she cannot save it alone.

Eighteen-year-old April Morgan is nearly five months along in an unplanned pregnancy when her hasty engagement is broken. When she returns the perfect 1950s wedding dress, she discovers unexpected possibilities and friends who won't let her give up on her dreams.

Betrayed by her husband, Amithi Singh begins selling off her old clothes, remnants of her past life. After decades of housekeeping and parenting a daughter who rejects her traditional ways, she fears she has nothing more ahead for her.

An engaging story that beautifully captures the essence of women's friendship and love, Vintage is a charming tale of possibility, of finding renewal and hope when we least expect it.

This was an entirely unexpected treat of a novel.  I love romance, sci-fi and speculative fiction novels and I usually only merely ‘like’ this sort of book. However, this novel just surpassed my expectations of what this type of fiction usually is and left me wanting more.

This is a charming, engaging read with well-fleshed characters and what is, for me at least, a fresh approach to the genre.

Three generations of women - one of which is a fine line between American and Indian, meet in a vintage clothing shop owned by our protagonist Violet.  All three women are suffering from problems ranging from betrayal to an unplanned pregnancy, to a loss of her business.  Although Violet is faced with the possibility of losing her shop, there are bigger issues that trouble her.

This book is filled with second chances and some happy endings. The fact that not all the endings are entirely happy made this such a realistic and pleasant read.

I do believe that I will be searching for more books by this author and then having a pleasant day loosing myself within these new worlds.

ARC supplied by publisher for reviewing purposes.

		Where Aspens Quake Offered by Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc Price: $7.59
A 1983 Re-print, March 25, 2014 This review is from: Where Aspens Quake (Kindle Edition) According to the copyright on my ARC this is a reprint of a novel previously published by Silhouette Books by the same name. As can be expected of this genre and from being 31 years old, it is a typical romance of its time period. It is a sweetly written and angst driven novel with both protagonists suffering from bad relationships and career problems. What I did find unusual is that the female protagonist - Kristin is suffering from a critical review on her first solo photo exhibit - this is much like authors of late that are suffering from the same angst and then taking it out on the reviewer. So in this way, this novel is up-to-the minute! The male protagonist, Grayson is recovering from a bad marriage and coping with a young daughter who has Down Syndrome. Kristin and Grayson meet when she applies to become a cross country ski instructor at a resort that Grayson owns. Kristin wants to forget her old life. Naturally they are instantly attracted to each other and although Grayson swears he will not get involved-what do you think happens? Yep! As I said, this book is typical of its time period and should be read as such...without expectations that the characters are going to act like what we see in modern romance novel's. I enjoyed going back in time, but not enough to fully enjoy this book

		The Chase: A Novel (Fox and O'Hare) Offered by Random House LLC Price: $11.47
Parody Perhaps?, March 23, 2014 Book Description Publication Date: February 25, 2014 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, bestselling authors of The Heist, return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O’Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line.   Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals.   Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad.   A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.     This review is from: The Chase: A Novel (Fox and O'Hare) (Kindle Edition) I love the writings of both of these authors. I really liked The Heist: A Novel (Fox and O'Hare) and I had thought that I would enjoy this one just as much, if not more. But as I found myself trying harder and harder with each chapter to suspend my disbelief I found myself skimming the pages. It is not that this isn't an exciting book, one that has some witty dialogue and very dry humor. It isn't even that at times it read more like a dime noir novel of old or a parody of all mystery/thrillers. It is just that after a while I got a little tired of the characters being in tight spots and then - miracle of miracles finding a sometimes complex and always an unbelievable way out of them. Sometimes with help, other times alone but always in an unbelievable way. After a while it just gets old. There is little real interaction between the characters. Oh, don't get me wrong - they do interact, but not in any sane or sensible way. I don't know...maybe it is just because it is nearly non-stop action with no breathers in between that left me wanting. I did love the secondary characters that had been brought into this book and hope they show up in future books by these authors - I just don't know if I'll be around to read about them. I most likely will though, because I really like punishing myself!!!

		Ghost Train to New Orleans (The Shambling Guides) Offered by Hachette Book Group Price: $8.89
Book 2 in Series: 4.5 Stars, March 21, 2014 Book Description Publication Date: March 4, 2014 COULD YOU FIND A MUSEUM FOR A MONSTER? OR A JAZZ BAR FOR A JABBERWOCK? Zoe Norris writes travel guides for the undead. And she's good at it too -- her new-found ability to talk to cities seems to help. After the success of The Sbambling Guide to New York City, Zoe and her team are sent to New Orleans to write the sequel. Work isn't all that brings Zoe to the Big Easy. The only person who can save her boyfriend from zombism is rumored to live in the city's swamps, but Zoe's out of her element in the wilderness. With her supernatural colleagues waiting to see her fail, and rumors of a new threat hunting city talkers, can Zoe stay alive long enough to finish her next book?

This review is from: Ghost Train to New Orleans (The Shambling Guides) (Kindle Edition)

This book picks up a short time after The Shambling Guide to New York City (The Shambling Guides) (book 1) and gives us a very interesting look into New Orleans. We see Nola through Zoes' eyes. Zoe is a human who recently found our that she is also a 'citytalker', a very very rare human with power. Zoe and gang are researching NOLA for the next book in the travel series they are writing, plus her boyfriend Arthur is coming along to see if he can get some help with his zombism since he has 'lost' the drugs that slow down the 'disease'.

Be prepared for a better crafted and faster paced book than the last one. This book doesn't get bogged down with anything that is over the top - at least over the top for speculative fiction. Also be prepared for changes.

There is plenty of fun, dry, acerbic and witty humor as well as some astonishing changes in some of the characters, relationships and story line.

There is plenty of growth through-out this entire novel,not only on Zoes side, but the whole crews side. NOLA was the perfect place to showcase this novel and Ms Lafferty does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are really there.

The characters are likeable and mostly ones that I would want to see as a real life friends. Ones that I would want at my back!

				Night Broken (A Mercy Thompson Novel) Offered by Penguin Group (USA) LLC Price: $10.99
Please Pardon Me For Doing This..., March 12, 2014

Book Description Publication Date: March 11, 2014 #1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series has been hailed as “one of the best” (Fiction Vixen). Now, Mercy must deal with an unwanted guest—one that brings a threat unlike anything she’s ever known. An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from a stalker. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right. Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy. Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s stalker is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

This review is from: Night Broken (A Mercy Thompson Novel) (Kindle Edition)

OMG! This has to be the second best (maybe the first best) book in this series! Write faster. I loved, loved, loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could NOT put it down! Squeeeeeeeeeee!

OK now that I did a horrible imitation of a squee fan, I have to tell you that all of that, was really how I felt. I think I'm going to re-tread it today at a more leisurely pace. I read this book in one seating from 12 noon to 9 pm with not too many breaks. I really could not put this down. I spent a lot of time crying at the near the end of this book.

Ms Briggs used this book to do so much with her characters. So much advancement as far as the pack goes. She did so much in using this book to introduce a very believable new evil character. One that I wonder if it will be back someday. She introduces us to two NEW characters and brings them into the pack. AND she proves without a shadow of a doubt, just what an evil *itch Christy, Adams former wife, really is.

It is going to kill me to wait for the next installment, but they do say patience is good for the soul...right?

I'm sorry that this is not the best review I have ever written, but it isn't everyday that a book has kept me so captivated and left me so breathless that I can barely think straight.

Happy Reading! Enjoy!