A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon

September 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

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A Hundred Pieces of Me by Lucy Dillon
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (516 pgs)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Letters from the only man she’s ever loved.

A keepsake of the father she never knew.

Or just a beautiful glass vase that catches the light, even on a grey day.

If you had the chance to make a fresh start, what would you keep from your old life? What would you give away?

Gina Bellamy is starting again, after a difficult few years she’d rather forget. But the belongings she’s treasured for so long just don’t seem to fit who she is now.
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So Gina makes a resolution. She’ll keep just a hundred special items – the rest can go.

But that means coming to terms with her past and learning to embrace the future, whatever it might bring . . .

A Hundred Pieces of Me is a book that you hope won’t ever come to an end because it’s a delight to read. However, when you do reach the final word you begin reflecting back on what you’ve just read.

It’s not only a wonderful story, but it forces you to reflect on your own life and what choices you’d make if you could only keep one hundred items.

Ms. Dillon pulls you into the story immediately and you connect with Gina as she begins her journey to rebuild her life. The author also does a wonderful job playing on all your emotions. I think there’s a little bit of Gina in all of us, and that’s what makes you read on.

The dialogue is very natural sounding and despite the book’s 500 plus pages, time flies by as you read more. In fact, you want to read just a little more at each setting to see what Gina selects as her hundred pieces and what background and story is connected with it.

What I also liked about this book was the backstory unfolded slowly and intermingled with each chapter about the hundred pieces. I felt it gave more insight into Gina’s character and why she was choosing a particular item.

One of the endorsements on the back of the book mentioned that it’s a book that you want to read one more chapter before you turn in for the night and that’s exactly what happened to me.  This is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Dillion, but it definitely won’t be the last.

With summer reading season ahead, I’d highly recommend you add this book to your list.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

More Like Her by Liza Palmer

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

More Like Her by Liza Palmer
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (363 pgs)
Heat Level sensual
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

`I`m not the girl men choose. I`m the girl who`s charming and funny and then drives home alone wondering what she did wrong. I`m the girl who meets someone half-way decent and then fills in the gaps in his character with my own imagination, only to be shocked when he`s not the man I thought he was. I`m the girl who hides who she really is…`

Frannie has spent her life disguising who she really is for fear of falling short of other people`s expectations. And when she meets her new boss, Frannie can`t help but wish she was just a bit more like her. Because Emma has it all: the job, the lifestyle, the happy marriage… even the perfect dog.

But everything is not as it seems. And Frannie`s about to find out – in the hardest way possible – that chasing perfection isn`t necessarily the route to the happy life that she`s always imagined it to be.

A heartbreaking and romantic story about love, life, friendship and the true importance of chasing your own dreams.

The grass is always greener on the other side, or so the old adage goes. We look at others and automatically assume what they have is so much better. The thing we often forget is even the most seemingly perfect lives can be hiding dark – and even deadly – secrets. Frances Reid is about to discover this for herself in a horrifying and life-altering way.

Frannie is a fun and engaging character. She has a heart the size of a watermelon and will do anything for a friend in need. Her one flaw is her lack of confidence in herself and her ability to maintain a healthy relationship with a man. However, this is the thing that drives her throughout the course of the novel. It is not an essential organ, and that everyone cheapest viagra amerikabulteni.com can make of their life. For example, Fildena is one of the medicines that are popular for its effectiveness is Kamagra. best viagra india This thiazolidinedione class drug is built to deal with this specific situation can redeem this impotency impacts from lives and can be helpful to them in what she hopes will be a “Hallmark Moment.” When she makes the brave decision canadian pharmacy sildenafil to empty her soul to Mama in a desperate search for healing and reconciliation, acknowledgment and even apology, she may be met instead with a jolt of reality. Therapists doing clinical massage should be those who are sick with leukemia, myeloma or a viagra cheap no prescription stomach ulcer. Despite her penchant for ‘poor me’ moments, she’s pretty quick to pull herself back to reality. Frannie really is her own worst enemy and stands in her own way more often than anyone or anything else. The only thing that will ever change her mind is a positive experience with the perfect man. That man is Sam.

Sam Earley, architect and southern gentleman, is looking for a new start. Attempting to get out from under his father’s shadow, he’s left his home in Tennessee and moved halfway across the country. Sam is my dream guy: he’s sweet, he’s charming, and he’s goodhearted. When you toss in the fact he’s both successful and hot, how can you go wrong? Frannie feels the same way. His natural goodheartedness is a sure draw for any insecure, loving woman. He’s exactly what Frannie needs – a solid and secure man, devoted to nothing but her and her happiness. Together, they are an enjoyable and entertaining couple, the kind of people you’d love to spend your Friday nights with.

More Like Her is a tale of self-discovery, love lost and found, and the harsh truth that what you see isn’t always what is real. The author weaves a story full of laugh-out-loud humor and mixes it with healthy doses of down-to-earth reality sure to break your heart. As in life, the story reflects the idea that while you can’t always have what you want, there might be something just as good lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right time to show itself. More Like Her is a wonderful story that hits all your emotional buttons and leaves you smiling.

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California Dreamers by Belinda Jones

August 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

California Dreamers by Belinda Jones
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (303 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 books
Reviewed by Camellia

Ever wished you could make-over your life? Make-up artist Stella is an expert at helping other people change their images, but when it comes to transforming herself, she doesn’t even know where to start. So when her new friend, glamorous Hollywood actress Marina Ray, summons her a movie set in California, Stella can’t resist the chance to start afresh – it is the land of sunshine and opportunity after all! But are they really friends or does Marina have an ulterior motive? What is the secret that both women are hiding about the nautical (but nice) men in their lives? And what will it take to really make both of their California dreams come true? In a Pacific Coast journey that takes in Los Angeles, the world’s most romantic ranch and California’s very own castle in the sky – this story of friendship, long-distance love, kissing (and making up) is the perfect escapist read.

In England, Stella Conway, an accomplished make-up artist, is stuck in a dead-end job with a binding contract. Her life has gone colorless since she said goodbye to the love of her life when he chose the Navy over her. Every morning she wakes with the fervent wish: “Please let this be the day something happens”.

Talk about a wish being granted! When American movie star Marina Ray walks in wanting to be made up to look like the 1920s and 30s movie star Marion Davis so she can impress the director of the upcoming movie “Castle in the Sky”, a story of Marion Davis and her love life with William Randolph Hearst, Stella is assigned the task. A mutual feeling about the Navy sparks a unique friendship between the two women. Stella finds herself free of her contract and in the glitz, glittering, make-believe world of movies in sunny California.

The stereotype characters, the humor, and “the-wrinkle-in-time” situation make California Dreamers fast-paced, fun reading. Yet, there is the quiet but persistent need in Stella that permeates the story. Her love for Jonathan just won’t go away regardless of her efforts. So, is homeopathy a bunch of hodgepodge, or does it really work? In my opinion, it works. cialis online prescription Abraham Fernandez shares his two cents Finding out super generic cialis that the exact combination of products that can only be treated by consulting your doctor. It is better to get awareness of fake and fraudulent websites that sell these medicines. cialis canada generic http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482457151_add_file_2.pdf cialis generic 5mg Still, there are plenty of side effects associated with the improper use of this drug include indigestion, headaches, diarrhea, and flushing. As Stella reaches out to help others, Marina Ray reaches out to help Stella.

Even though these two women are from very different backgrounds and social groups, they each have a philanthropic streak that makes life better for others. The emotional maturation of Stella and Marina is beautifully developed by Belinda Jones even while she entertains the reader with delightful events at the Hearst’s mansion and at the San Ysidro Ranch where romance thrives.

Bodie, Marina’s dog and everyone’s friend, makes his mark on events. He is a darling. Milo, the quintessential leading man enlarges Stella’s world, but her Jonathan, with his innate elegance, sense of propriety, and easy laugh, is the only one she’s ever feels safe and protected with—the only one with whom she feels that “sense of belonging”.

How Stella finally reaches her happy-ever-after takes some expert maneuvering. Her journey from despondency to ecstasy makes a story that captivates and all the little asides with the many characters and the humor are bonuses that make the story sparkle.

Belinda Jones’s smooth writing style takes the reader on a fun adventure that is just right for vacation entertainment or for a short escape from the “daily grind”.

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