"Into The Woods"

This past year my husband and I went to see the musical, "Into The Woods," performed by our local theater group.  I think the version we saw before this one was a children's theater production -- the adult version is a lot more risque!  About a month ago we decided to watch the film version with Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Johnny Depp to name just a few of the outstanding cast members of this movie.  Johnny Depp makes a wonderful "Big Bad Wolf" and Meryl Streep brings new meaning to the word witch.  I can't recommend it high enough!  pazt

"Smitten Book Club"

"Smitten Book Club" is the third book in a series written collaboratively by four authors:  Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter.  I suspect this may be the last book in the series since one of the authors has died.

If you read my post on the first book, "Smitten," you  may remember that the religious overtones/references were difficult for me.  However, I have enjoyed the series and tended to glide over and/or ignore them in this last book.

Again, as in previous books, each of the four sections is authored by one of the four authors and focuses on a romance.  Most of the romances in this book come with some serious challenges and how they are surmounted is part of the fun in reading about them.  If you're looking for some lighter reading, this might be a book you want to pick up.  Although I read the series in order, each works fine as a stand alone book, too.  pazt

"False Positive"

"False Positive" is a novel by Andrew Grant and the first one of his novels I have read.  Although I was tempted at times to read ahead in this book, I resisted the urge and read the mystery one page at a time from the beginning to the end and I'm so glad I did!

Alabama detective Cooper Devereaux has been paired with fellow detective Jan Loflin who has been working undercover in the vice squad and is a little burned out.  Together they have been tasked with finding a missing 7 year old boy who has been snatched from the home of the foster parents who adopted him.  Cooper and Jan are an unlikely pairing as they both have issues in the past with their home life and their work but this case will bring them together in unexpected ways.  What no one saw coming (including me) was the surprise ending.  Grant is a writer to watch and I'll be looking for his novel, "Run," next!  pazt

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo"

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" is a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid which I picked up on a shelf at my local library featuring some books.  When Evelyn Hugo wants to do a tell all about her life as a glamorous movie star and her seven husbands and other scandals associated with her career, she chooses a little known reporter, Monique Grant, to do the honors. No one knows why but the reason is unveiled at the end of her life story.

Since I knew what the book was leading up to and I was curious as to why Evelyn chose Monique, I started the book but impatiently scanned the various chapters about each of her husbands starting with page 61.  I read enough to get a picture of each of her relationships until I found what I wanted.  It is not a reading style I recommend but it served me well and I will look for other novels authored by Reid to check out.  It is a well written story and, without telling you my age, I will say that I'm old enough to decide not to read every word of every book so I can "read" more books in my lifetime.  pazt

"Secretly Smitten"

"Secretly Smitten" is the second book co-authored by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter.  When I read the first one - a romance -, I was prepared not to particularly like it but I found it a quick and fun read so I decided to read "Secretly Smitten - Love Changes Everything" which is more romance in Smitten, Vermont, but this time there is also a mystery.

While the Thomas sisters are holding a bridal shower, one of the young guests finds a set of dog tags when she is exploring the attic.  The mystery is that the dog tags belong to a veteran who was once their grandmother's love but he was presumed killed and never returned to Smitten.  So...how did his dog tags get in the attic?

As the sisters go about their daily lives running their businesses and getting involved in their own romances, they also set out to discover how the dog tags came to be in the attic and what does that mean?  Why did they not know about this old boyfriend of their grandmother's?  This is one of those books that would be a fun summertime read!  pazt

"An Almond For A Parrot"

"An Almond For A Parrot" is a first historical fiction as well as first adult novel for Wray Delaney -- the pen name for Sally Gardner, an award-winning children's novelist.

The novel features Tully Truegood, a woman accused of murder in the 18th century.  It describes the hardships of her life from a young age and the fact that her father married her off at age 12 to a man she did not meet.  After her father's death she is sheltered and taken in by Queenie who runs a house of prostitution.

Tully becomes a sought after courtesan who wins the favor of several men in turn and the story illustrates the disparity and unfairness of the male and female roles in 18th century England.  A woman is nothing without a husband but, if she cannot be married or under the protection of a male relative, she has little choice but to resort to prostitution to provide for herself.

This is a well written love story in the form of historical fiction but also falls in the realm of fantasy literature.  It is not what I'd normally select to read but it was on a display shelf at my local library and called my name and I'm glad I read it.  pazt

"The Rocky Road to Romance"

"The Rocky Road to Romance" is Janet Evanovich's third romance novel written before her Stephanie Plum series.

Daisy, the Dog Lady on WZZZ, is a doctoral student but has to keep herself afloat by delivering newspapers, being a crossing guard, volunteering at a retirement home, and working at the radio station.  While her parents are out of town, she's also responsible for her teenage brother, Kevin, who is staying with her.

Steve owns the station where Daisy works and reluctantly agrees to let her be the fill-in weather person on-the-road when the regular weatherman has an accident.  Daisy is a strong woman and, when she comes up against a local drug dealer, she doesn't back down.  Threats are flying her direction so  Steve insists on hiring a bodyguard to travel with her while she's at work.

Daisy is strong-minded enough that she doesn't like the bodyguards that Steve has sent her to interview and hires her own -- Elsie, who Daisy met at the retirement center, drives a Cadillac and carries a big purse with a big gun inside.

As Steve  interacts more with Daisy, he knows he's in trouble when he buys a dog, Bob, to impress her.  Romance blossoms but not without some mishaps along the way.  As Steve becomes more protective, Daisy maintains her independence.  Will love win in the end?  It's a fun read! pazt