Far Horizons by Kate Hewitt

 

 

Vitals (courtesy of goodreads.com):

• ebook, 241 pages
• Published April 29th 2012 by Amazon Digital Services (first published September 28th 2007)
• original title: Far Horizons

  ISBN 0985593806 (ISBN13: 9780985593803)

  edition language: English

  series: Emigrants Trilogy #1

Vitals for Hardcover (courtesy of barnesandnoble.com)

• ISBN-13: 9780709082583
• Publisher: Hale, Robert Limited
• Publication date: 9/28/2007
• Pages: 224
• Product dimensions: 6.00 w x 9.50 h x 1.10 d

Synopsis (courtesy of goodreads.com):

The Highlands of Scotland, 1819: On the eve of his departure for the New World, Allan MacDougall asks his beloved Harriet to wait for his return, when he will be established and able to marry her. When his father discovers his intent he insists it is dishonourable, and so Allan must free Harriet from her promise even as he vows to remain faithful himself. Through years of hardship, heartache, tragedy, and betrayal, Allan and Harriet cling to the love that first brought them together–yet it is the treacherous doubts of their own hearts that could prove to be their undoing, and drive them farther apart than ever.

Far Horizons is a sweeping saga of that will take you from the Highlands of Scotland to the untamed Canadian wilderness and the bustling streets of Boston. Based on actual events, it celebrates the strength of a promise and the enduring power of love. Written by USA Today bestselling author Kate Hewitt, and Book One of The Emigrants Trilogy.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book immensely!  The premise intrigued me being of Scottish ancestry and I was in the mood for a tale of love.  This is a classic and beautiful love story, nothing dark or…shall we say “risque”.  I enjoyed the use of more formal yet lyrical English, very refreshing.  The imagery was well put and allowed me to picture the surroundings and also feel some of the emotions the characters must have felt in all of their adventures.  This to me marks the sign of an accomplished author…if I can be made to be IN the story.

The best part of this entire plot is that it is based in reality, as the author tells you at the end of her work.  That makes reading the trials, tribulations and heart break even more evocative!

I do have one area of discontent regarding the read as a whole and that is the editing.  Throughout the book there were sentences with complete words missing which reduced the fluidity of the dialogue but in the end I still loved it.  If editing does not bother you too incredibly read it! Also! It is part of a series so you can revisit the lovely characters again!

Find out more here:

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13631061-far-horizons
• https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1269244.Kate_Hewitt
• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/far-horizons-katharine-swartz/1007246816?ean=9780709082583
• http://www.amazon.com/Far-Horizons-Emigrants-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B007Z3QVGW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434663905&sr=8-1&keywords=far+horizons&pebp=1434664199727&perid=01CXQ5X2EEPFQRXJZ03T

 

The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos

 

Vitals (courtesy of barnesandnoble.com):

• BN ID: 2940151686341
• Publisher: Brenda Pandos
• Publication date: 12/27/2014
• Series:Talisman Series
• Sold by: Draft2Digital
• Format: eBook
• Sales rank: 1,603
• File size: 358 KB

Synopsis (courtesy of goodreads.com):

To be normal, sixteen-year-old Julia Parker would shed her empathic gift in a second. Life has been difficult since her mother’s mysterious disappearance ten years earlier – an event she witnessed, but can’t remember. Julia’s situation becomes more complicated after a near death experience from a blood thirsty stalker. As high school students go missing it is clear there is a connection to her own experience–past and present. Someone has to stop the madness and a chance encounter with a creepy psychic foretells that only Julia is the key to stopping the madness, but it may require the life of the one she loves.

My Thoughts:

This is a FREE eBook from both Barnes & Noble and Amazon as of this posting.  It is a YA series of which this is the first installment.  I didn’t dislike this book so much as it was not one that I would re-read.  The dialogue was choppy, reminiscent of my daughter’s middle school papers, short sentences and the like.  The main character was perturbing throughout as she was always fretting about this and that, however once I put myself in the correct mindset I realized that she is merely a teenager and again reminded me of my daughter.  This realization made her character more tolerable.

The plot of the story is much like other popular YA books in recent years.  That is, supernatural, love interest for the teenagers, life and death, and I presume a new set of dilemmas/perils in each subsequent book, though to be fair I have not read them so I do not know!

Again I have found a wonderful book I would recommend to my daughter! I love giving her suggestions too!

Find out more here:

• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7940997-the-emerald-talisman
• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?store=allproducts&keyword=the+emerald+talisman
• http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E35ZAA/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=43021169786&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13924383796493087961&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_6z1ss9n4x1_b
• https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Emerald-Talisman/268109580763

Silent? Me? Never!

I have been in the process of reading three…you “heard” me THREE books lately.

Now normally I don’t read more than one at a time however, I got a little too interested in a couple and couldn’t put them down.

One I read on my Nook HD while I walk on my elliptical. One is an ACTUAL paper-back book that I read at night before bed and the other is a wonderfully intriguing self-help book that I focus on during the day on my breaks.

I can’t WAIT to fill you all in on all three of these books but until then happy reading!

The Riddles of Hillgate by Zoey and Claire Kane

Vitals (courtesy of barnesandnoble.com):

• BN ID: 2940013905450
• Publisher: Breezy Reads
• Publication date: 2/29/2012
• Series: Z&C Mysteries, #1
• Sold by: Barnes & Noble
• Format: eBook
• Sales rank: 424,393
• File size: 103 KB

Synopsis:

“Zoey Kane is known around Riverside for making risky purchases. When her daughter Claire learns a most recent investment is eighty acres on the haunted side of town, she is simply flabbergasted. Amazement takes over the whole community, however, when an old mansion is discovered deep within trees. After the estate is turned into a popular hotel, no one could have expected just how risky this purchase would be.” Kane, Claire. “Synopsis.” The Riddles of Hillgate. By Zoey Kane. Breezy Reads, 2012.

My Thoughts:

Do you ever just want a quick read?  This book fulfills that criterion well.  It was a free – at the time –  find from barnesandnoble.com and is currently $3.99.  The words “old mansion” and “discovered deep within trees” caught my attention while reading the synopsis- I have a fascination with abandoned buildings – and figured I had nothing to lose.

The Riddles of Hillgate was enjoyable as simple, easy entertainment to pass the time.  The dialogue between the mother/daughter duo seemed scattered at times and the plot seemed rushed, as if the author had a limited number of pages to work with.  There were, however, several details of the book I enjoyed.  I loved picturing what the mansion would look like and as the authors were describing the protagonists exploring the rooms I liked the discoveries they made.  Oh the interesting things and the mysteries from history such a house would hold!!!

Would I recommend this book? Yes, I would recommend it to my teenage daughter.  The length would be good for a busy, teenage attention span and the plot is age-appropriate.  I would also recommend this to those that need a quick escape from everyday frustrations…a distraction.  I will probably not be investing in any of the other books in the series however.  There are so many other quick reads to discover!

Find out more here:

• http://zoeyandclaire.blogspot.com/
• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-riddles-of-hillgate-zoey-kane/1107080161?ean=2940013905450
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18241721-the-riddles-of-hillgate

Review of Million Dollar Cup of Water by Adam Mark Smith

Vitals (courtesy of barnesandnoble.com):

• BN ID: 2940151460941
• Publisher: Adam Mark Smith
• Publication date: 3/16/2015
• Sold by: Barnes & Noble
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 246
• Sales rank: 639,893
• File size: 2 MB

Synopsis:

• Would you willingly give up 1 million dollars to stand up for what you believe?
• “Adam Smith grew up in an impoverished and deeply religious family. From the agonizing struggle to meet the basic needs of life to the crushing quest for acceptance in adolescence, Adam learned quickly that everything he wanted from life had a high price tag . But, he was not finished learning this lesson.” Smith, Adam M. Synopsis. Million Dollar Cup of Water. : Adam Mark Smith, 2015.

My Thoughts:

As I was listening to my favorite radio station one afternoon, I caught the last bit of an interview with the author.  Listening to him tell his story I found myself thinking…”this man’s struggles are ridiculous and unnecessary”.

Mr. Smith participated in a peaceful protest of the food chain Chick-fil-A after their stance on homosexuality came to light.  Since then he has struggled to hold a job because of his personal view.

I bought the book to help Mr. Smith in some small way.  It was nothing like I expected.  This man’s story pulls you in and keeps you drawn to move on from page to page.  He begins at the beginning of his hard life and I found myself pulled in many different emotional directions.  Those feelings and how he evokes them with words, just words, are what made this book great to me.  Regardless of what you believe regarding people and their general right to happiness, this book was well written and shone a light on a terribly misunderstood man.

Do NOT base this book on the reviews others have given it because many refuse to read it at all.  Not a fair way to review a book.  I highly recommend this as a first person account of the difficulties people go through that no one never knows about or sees.

Find out more here:

• http://adammarksmith.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/milliondollarcupofwater
• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/million-dollar-cup-of-water-adam-mark-smith/1121448367?ean=2940151460941
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25138987-million-dollar-cup-of-water?from_search=true&search_version=service

Review of An Irish Love Story by Russ Durbin

Vitals (courtesy of barnesandnoble.com):

• Type of Book: Novella; Split into two parts
• Publisher: Russ Durbin
• Publication date: 2/7/2012
• Sold by: Smashwords
• Format: eBook
• Sales rank: 4,274
• File size: 353 KB

Synopsis:

• Finding himself on a business trip to Ireland, Patrick O’Connor meets the unyielding, red-head native Maggie.  Upon listening to Maggie’s amorous description of her beautiful Emerald Isle, Patrick asks her to be his tour guide while visiting; despite Maggie’s view of “Yanks” she agrees…

My Thoughts:

I must admit, first and foremost, that I was scanning through the free Nook books when I came across this particular one.  The title and the cover art caught my attention right away as I have an affinity toward all things Irish/Celtic.

When I began reading however, the prose seemed choppy and without preamble.  The main character was hard to picture as he was never really described, although he seemed a like-able chap, easily related with.  One of the aspects of this read that I enjoyed was that pace.  Even with short sentences and abrupt paragraphs the plot progressed rapidly which held my attention.  Mr. Durbin did a lovely job of describing the land that Patrick O’Connor was experiencing for the first time.  For me this painted a lovely and apropos backdrop for this tormented love story.

Throughout the blossoming of their affair you learn that Patrick is a married man with two children and is therefore torn between two women he loves.  This issue hit rather close to home for me as I found myself in a similar position toward the death of my first love.  I could, therefore, sympathize with his anguish.  I did find myself disappointed in how readily he let Maggie into his life but that is what makes a book good!  When one feels!

I enjoyed this love story; it was a pleasant read, nothing too bogged down with detail that one had to pay attention, nothing too easy as to be dull.  I would recommend this for a quick read.

Find out more here:

• https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RussDurbin
• http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5835987.Russ_Durbin
• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/russ-durbin
• https://www.facebook.com/russ.durbin.5
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13650206-an-irish-love-story?from_search=true&search_version=service

Hello world!

I recently had a lovely conversation with a family member/fellow bibliophile about books.  Authors we love, genres we prefer, what we’re reading currently.  She introduced me to a world I had never explored before; “street-teams” and A.R.C.s (advanced reading copies) and even added me to several of the closed pages on Facebook of which she is a member.

All of this led me to a reignited passion of books.  Not just reading them but SHARING them.  Why should I keep a good book to myself?!  So with that in mind I am dedicating this blog to all things literary.  I will be posting book reviews, “shelves” based on what I have read, what I want to read, what I wish to purchase…and whatever other things I wish to share with you.

I wish this to be a place of discovery and am always interested in what is out there and who is reading what so let me know what I can add to my “shelves”!

With excitement we begin!

Christy