A Change of Heart

Overview
“A rising talent.” —BooklistDr. Nikhil 'Nic' Joshi had it all—marriage, career, purpose. Until, while working for Doctors Without Borders in a Mumbai slum, his wife, Jen, discovered a black market organ transplant ring. Before she could expose the truth, Jen was killed.
Two years after the tragedy, Nic is a cruise ship doctor who spends his days treating seasickness and sunburn and his nights in a boozy haze. On one of those blurry evenings on deck, Nic meets a woman who makes a startling claim: she received Jen’s heart in a transplant and has a message for him. Nic wants to discount Jess Koirala’s story as absurd, but there’s something about her reckless desperation that resonates despite his doubts.
Jess has spent years working her way out of a nightmarish life in Calcutta and into a respectable Bollywood dance troupe. Now she faces losing the one thing that matters—her young son, Joy.  She needs to uncover the secrets Jen risked everything for; but the unforeseen bond that results between her and Nic is both a lifeline and a perilous complication.
Delving beyond the surface of modern Indian-American life, acclaimed author Sonali Dev’s page-turning novel is both riveting and emotionally rewarding—an extraordinary story of human connection, bravery, and hope.  

This was an intensely cruel book that borders on being a horror novel and not a love story. Had I known more about this book I would have never chosen it. The characters - one who is trying to escape (Dr. Nikhil by drink) his horrid past and the other trying to save her young son, by pretending to have the heart of Nikhils' deceased wife - are truly shallow, however they do grow and change. Unfortunately it takes the entire book to do so. I don't think I have ever felt such anger when reading a book that should not have war warranted it. ARC supplied by pubisher

Like a Bee to Honey (The Honeybee Sisters #3)

Overview

Affectionately dubbed The Honeybee Sisters in their Wisconsin Amish community, the three Christner girls are devoted beekeepers who are coming-of-age—and discovering the sweet surprise of love…  Shy, skittish Rose Christner is more comfortable tending to the beehives on the family farm and keeping her aunt’s unruly cats in line than attending social gatherings with the rest of the die youngie. A childhood trauma and secret shame keep her heart under lock and key, and Rose just can’t accept the sweet attention she’s receiving from a handsome neighbor. But the more she shies away from Josiah Yoder, the more their families sneakily plot to bring them together. And when a vandal who’s been plaguing the Honeybee Farm starts targeting Rose, Josiah’s steadfast protection—and patience—just may lead her into his waiting arms…

This is a difficult review for me to write. I am not going to change how I feel about this book, just because I got the book from the publisher. Personally I didn't like this book and I really disliked the protagonist. One needs to read the entire book (an the first two books in the trilogy) to see why she is the way she is (timid, weepy, over-anxious to please, for me- annoying). This fact made this a very difficult book for me to read. I understand that the Amish culture is different, but humans are humans and I just can't get over the guilt that this woman was allowed to carry and how it stunted her. The author tried too hard and too obviously to pull on my heart-strings. *ARC supplied by publisher

Sunset in Central Park

Overview

In the chaos of New York, true love can be hard to find, even when it's been right under your nose all along…Love has never been a priority for garden designer Frankie Cole. After witnessing the fallout of her parents' divorce, she's seen the devastation an overload of emotion can cause. The only man she feels comfortable with is her friend Matt—but that's strictly platonic. If only she found it easier to ignore the way he makes her heart race…
Matt Walker has loved Frankie for years but, sensing how fragile she is beneath her feisty exterior, has always played it cool. But then he uncovers new depths to the girl he's known forever and doesn't want to wait a moment longer. He knows Frankie has secrets and has buried them deep, but can Matt persuade her to trust him with her heart and kiss him under the Manhattan sunset?

 
👍👍👍

The is no reason why you would HAVE to read the first book in this series (trilogy?) since this can be seen as a stand alone book. This was a mildly enjoyable romance novel that follows the formula to a T. The heroine is full of self-recrimination, distrusts men to the point that she is obsessive and panics whenever a man comes to talk to her. However, not with her male friend of many years (naturally) a friend that she, of course has the hots for and he for her. A little (okay a LOT) of angst, self-recrimination and over the top (to me) and lengthy inner-dialogue. Any character growth that happens will be with Frankie and it will happen just in the last tenth of the book. On a happy note for those that care, even though it takes Frankie and Matt more than 50% nearly 60% of the book to consummate their relationship, it was quite steamy. Things naturally clear up for the ending. *ARC supplied by ppublisher

Drone Threat (A Troy Pearce Novel)

Book Description:

Troy Pearce and his team of drone experts are called to action when ISIS launches a series of attacks on U.S. soil. On the eve of President Lane’s historic Asian Security Summit, a hobby-store quadcopter lands on the White House lawn carrying a package and an ominous threat: Fly the enclosed black flag of ISIS over the White House by noon today or suffer the consequences. The threat further promises that every day the flag isn’t flown a new attack will be launched, each deadlier than the first.
President Lane refuses to comply with the outrageous demand, but the first drone attacks, sending a shudder through the U.S. economy. With few options available and even fewer clues, President Lane unleashes Troy Pearce and his Drone Command team to find and stop the untraceable source of the destabilizing attacks. But the terror mastermind proves more elusive and vindictive than any opponent Pearce has faced before . . . and if Pearce fails, the nation will suffer an unimaginable catastrophe on its soil or be forced into war.

This was the 4th book in a series -while I would have loved to have read the first three to get me up to speed, it wasn't truly necessary.  Feel  fairly confident that you can read this as a stand-alone.  The characters are well fleshed and the back-ground was filled in just enough for me.

This issue is an important one in this day and age and the idea certainty gave me the chills.

This book seemed to be well researched and it was certainly very well written, it kept me on the edge of my chair and, was for me, very satisfying.

*ARC supplied by publisher