Book Review of heart like mine by Amy Hatvany

From goodreads.com:

When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.

But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.

Paperback, 370 pages

Published March 19th 2013 by Washington Square Press

more details...

ISBN

1451640560 (ISBN13: 9781451640564)

edition language

English

by Amy Hatvany (Goodreads Author)
 

When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined. Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace deci

My review:

I won this book from Romancing the Book. This is one of the hardest, emotional books I have read and one of the hardest to put down. It keeps you wanting to know the outcome.

Grace and Victor are recently engaged and plan to tell Victor's children of the engagement this coming weekend. Tragedy strikes when Kelli, the mother of the children, dies. Ava is thirteen and Max is seven years old. Ava and Max miss their mother and cannot understand what happened to her. Her death brings out her past.

Grace works for a center that helps abused women and Victor owns a restaurant.

The book chapters have the female characters telling the story. Kelli's is a flashback of what happened to her before her death. Ava and Grace also tell their story.

Emotional feelings as the reader gets to know each character and their what has happened in their lives. Heartbreaks for each character as each has their family problems and emotional ups and downs.

Because each "tells'" their story, you get the feelings of adult women as well as teenagers. The characters become well know to the reader and their emotions are with you.

Some sexual moments and some  bad language.

I am giving this a 4 star rating. A quick read but keep the tissues handy.

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Accused by Janice Cantore

 

From the Back Cover

“Time to prove she isn’t a broken cop.”
An officer-involved shooting six months earlier takes Detective Carly Edwards off the street and sends her to a boring desk job in juvenile. When a troubled youth is arrested for the murder of the mayor, Carly is summoned to the crime scene. Homicide thinks it’s a quick, open-and-shut case, and Carly hopes this will be her ticket back to patrol.

Though her professional life seems to be on track, Carly still has unresolved issues in her personal life. Nick, her ex-husband and fellow police officer, is determined to show Carly that he’s a changed man, but she isn’t convinced he won’t betray her again.

As the murder investigation progresses, Carly suspects a cover-up and strikes out on her own, uncertain whom she can trust. But she soon realizes the case may put her directly in the killers’ crosshairs.

Janice Cantore is a retired Long Beach police officer who now writes suspense novels to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. Her years of experience on the force lend authenticity to her stories. Accused is the first in the three-book Pacific Coast Justice series.

I usually do not add the information about the book from the covers but this time I did because it gave a good explanation of the book.

This is the first book I have read by Janice Cantore, and I did find a fast-moving book but I found there were too many directions the book was going. It was a quick read and I thought I knew some of the ending but I did not know all for it; this is what makes a good book.

As a reader, I could feel the frustrations of the main characters and I also wondered who was to be trusted.

Carly's mother, who in religious, tries to tell Carly to believe and trust in the Lord. This is a Christian romance novel but not overly pushed. I like the relationship between Carly's mother and Carly's ex, Nick.

Because the author was an officer at one time, you will find "police talk" in the book, which brought some realism into the book. There is some violence.

Janice Cantore can be found at www.janicecantore.com

I am giving this book a 4 star because it keep me interested even if I did get confused sometimes.

I checked this book out of my local library.

Leona Olson

mnleona.blogspot.com

The Book of Madness and Cures

The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O' Melveny

Gabriella Mondini is a doctor in Venice in 1590. She has decided to search for her father, also a doctor who left home 10 years ago to research for his book on maladies (madness). By taking his letters with her, she uses them as her map to find him. Letters from France, the Kingdom of Spain and Scotland are some places from where the letters were sent. The journey begins in Venetia, Venice, and leads the reader north as far as Edenburg and down to Tanger. There is a map on one of the front pages, always a nice feature.

During this period of time women doctors were considered to be doing witchcraft rather than being a doctor. The only reason she was accepted into the Guild of Physicians as a doctor was because of her father. She was told her she had to resign after he was gone.

On her journey are two of her servants, Lorenzo and his wife, Olmina. Gabriella's mother does not want her to leave but Gabriella is a determined lady.

On their journey they face many hardships as well as meet new people. Many knew of Gabriella's father which encouraged her to keep traveling. Dr. Baldino told Gabriella "Nothing is certain. But it's true that your father wandered the land at night, wrestling with something unknown in himself" (page 194).

At times, the women had to cut their hair and dress as men, endure cold weather, illness and short supplies of food.

People were always greeted in Venice even by strangers but not everywhere, Gabriella found as she traveled.

During this time, Gabriella kept taking notes and writing information collected about cures and herbs for the book The Book of Diseases.

Some notes I took were:

They traveled the lands of the Christians and Moors.

The Julian and Georgian calendars used in two different places (page 189). Understanding the Julian to Gregorian Calendar FamilyTree.com. The United Kingdom and all their colonies, like the American Colonies, did not recognize the Gregorian calendar (also known as Western or Christian Calendar) until September 1752, so leading to the main reason for two different years on many records; such as 1712/1713.

They found different religions and how they felt about other religions (Catholics were not always welcome). Herbs and plants for healing and how many were used. Gabriella took notes for the book. She thought the majolica jars for apothecaries were not as nice as in Venice (page 260).

The hardships they endured, the food they ate and what they had to drink. Yunnan Tea made in tea cakes "Here we have the uncommon Yunnan tea that the Dutch nobles enjoy for over a hundred silver ducats a pound" as Signor Vincenzo Gradenigo shared it with Gabriella, Lorenzo and Olmina. (page 163).

I really liked the descriptions of the places, food, herbs, dress of the different areas and the people.

No sex and no bad language. Some disasters along the way.

I think the author, Regina O' Melveny has done a wonderful job on The Book of Madness and Cures. It is a book I could re-read even though I know the end. I liked the quick conclusion of the story. It was brief but still complete.
The author may be reached at www.reginaomelveny.com

I will give it a five star.

I received a complimentary copy of The Book of Madness and Cures to read and review from the author and the Hachett Book Group.The opinions are my own.

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

To Heaven and Back by Mary C. Neal, MD

To Heaven and Back by Mary C. Neal, MD is about an orthopedic doctor who drowned while on a kayaking trip in Chile. The book spends little time of her journey into Heaven but does give enough of her time there throughout the book.

The book is dedicated to God: "I dedicate this book to God: You gave me life And I live for your glory."

Mary Neal's book talks a lot about her life to become a doctor, her family life, her religious life, the divorce of her parents, loss of family members, her death and return to life. The book is a fast read, I read it in one day while taking some breaks, and emotional. I could feel her emotions as she wrote the book and her encounters in life and death.

I liked this book but as some have reviewed, I did not care for the politics of Kerry and Obama at the end of the book, but since this was her book, I guess she could write whatever she wanted.

For those who doubt that people return from a near death experience, this is a book for them to read. A few days before I lost my mother, I was in the hospital with her. She told us she had gone into a tunnel, never saw the light and was at peace and did not hurt. I said I was glad she came back. I had to fly back home for some knee surgery and told her I would be back in a couple of weeks, we lived in different states, when she had surgery on her leg. As a diabetic she was about to lose her leg. She died while they were checking her out of the hospital the next day; I think God did not want her to go through surgery at her age, 89.

Mary's husband, Bill, is with her the whole time as she heals from the experience in Chile. In the book, Mary Neal said her husband is the glue that holds things together.

I will say, I thought she should have been in a hospital instead of a hotel after the accident and also should have taken a medical flight back to the United States. (The reader will see what I mean when they read the book.)

I will give a little commercial here: anyone traveling, especially out of the country, should take out insurance. As a travel professional, I have seen too many people lose a trip and injured people have the expense of returning home.

The author uses a lot of biblical quotes in To Heaven and Back. She also has the poem "Footprints in the Sand" by Carolyn Joyce Carty ( the Internet has another author, Mary Stevenson, I have seen anonymous many times and her version is different than the poem in this book.)

I will write the one in the book because it is always a special poem and I believe it relates to all of us.

Footprints in the Sand

One night a man had a dream

He dreamed he was walking along a beach with the Lord

Scenes from his life flashed across the sky

And he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life had flashed before him,

He recalled that at the lowest and saddest times of his life

There was only one set of footprints.

Dismayed, he asked, "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

I don't understand why, when I needed you most,

You would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious child.

I love you and would never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering,

When you saw only one set of footprints...

That was when I carried you."

There are some family pictures in the book that helps the reader connect with the family, always a nice feature.

I give this book a four star. I received a complimentary copy of To Heaven and Back to review. The opinions are my own. I wish to thank the author for such a look into her and her families life.

Leona Olson

www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham

Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham

The prologue begins in 2008 and then goes the book goes back into the past beginning in 1979. A story about three people and how lives can change and separate; how life does not always give you what you want and what you plan but how one can change when needed.

Trey Don Hall, John Caldwell and Catherine Ann Benson are the main characters who became friends at a young age. I will add Rufus, a dog given to Cathy by Trey Don and John. In this sometimes complicated book, the three go through many passions, friendships and love. The book is based in the Panhandle of Texas and how football is so important in the lives of the small town of Kersey and the people. I am from West Texas and football is very important to the whole town; something Cathy, who was from California, could never understand. (My mother who was from Colorado never understood it either but my father did.)

Families are involved and there is a feeling of small town closeness, sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Trey was quoted as saying "The Texas Panhandle breeds a bunch of us long, tall drink-of-water look-alikes. We're as common as tumbleweeds".

One life leads to football, another to become a priest and another one works in a diner.

I hate to review too much of the book as the reader will need to get into the book and feel the emotions of the characters. A book that covers decades and many lives.

John named his pickup, Old Red, my father had his International pickup he bought from Texas Electric and called it the Red Mule. Many Texas references to the colleges and universities and towns.

The recipe for Emma's Hot water Corn Bread is at the end of the book, a nice treat.

I give it a five star rating for the overall twists and turns and the page turner it is.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author and Grand Central Publishing. www.HatchettBookGroup.com. The opinions are my own. I wish to thank Leila Meacham for such a wonderful, and emotional, book to read and review.

Leona Olson

mnleona.blogspot.com

Five Dances With Death, Dance One

Austin Briggs has written a good historical/supernatural book about the Aztecs of Mexico. The book begins in 1516. It also relates to the Spaniards as well as the Mayans, Olmec and Toltecs, people of Mexico. The "outlanders" are the Spanish who came in ships. The Aztec Empire is called "One World".

Angry Wasp is searching for his daughter, Dew, who was captured by his enemy, Talon. The beginning of the book has Angry Wasp and Talon at the ballcourt for the game to get Dew back . I have seen the ballcourt at Chichen Itza and was told there were sacrifices for the losers.

There is gore but anyone who has studied these cultures will not be surprised at the violence. The names in the book have somewhat been changed because they are hard to read; for me, I did not have much of a problem. I am glad I have studied the Maya, and also taught school children about them, and I have studied the Aztec somewhat, because it made the book more interesting and easier to read. Many of the words and happenings were familiar to me. The language of the Aztec was Nahuatl. I recommend the readers copy the Notes at the beginning of the Five Dances With Death which has a Quick Pronunciation Guide, Names of Places and Tribes, Historical Names and Gods so when they read they will have as good guide. I would have liked a map to help locate the area.

This is a supernatural book and Broken Plume, wife of Wasp, is a sorceress from Blue Cloak Mountain. She sends Wasp into the Void where he becomes a "twin" of himself where he can have a out of body experience. Plume has warned him not to go too far.

There are a number of characters and they all blend together, Wasp has his father, his wives and children as well as other leaders form other clans. The book begins with the search for Dew but somehow she is not the main part of the story. The book is fast track and there are many twists and turns. The language is fine and no sexual portions.

List of some characters are: Angry Wasp, his father Angry Wasp the Elder, His first wife Broken Plume, Talon, his enemy, Stern Lord ( Montezuma) who was leader and ruler of the Moonnwalk People and One Grass of Sacrifice, a young woman. Some gods are Feathered Serpent (Quetzalocotal), God of Rain (Tlaloc), and Smoking Mirror (Tezcatlipocal).

This is the first book of a series and the end of the book will leave you wanting to see the next "chapter".

I give it a five star. There is a quality of writing and I did not find any typos. Five Dances With Death is in the first person with Angry wasp as the person; I think it helped make the book personal. I will recommend this to my local library because they have recently acquired the option of e-books for the patrons.

The reader will learn something about the ancient cultures of Mexico.

http://austinbriggs.com/aztec-history/who-were-aztecs/

http://austinbriggs.com

mnleona.blogspot.com

Leona Olson

Marked by the Moon by Lori Handeland

This is the first boook I have read by Lori Handeland and found it different and page moving. The main characters are Alexandra Trevalyn and Julian Barlow and the electricity between them is very emotional. Alex is trying to klill werewolves and find the killer of her father. She, as her father, belongs to the Jager-Sucher, whose main purpose is to kill the werewolves. Juilan Barlow is the alpha or leader of werewolves who live in Alaska. He makes werewolves, who accept the change, and they are part of his group that live in Barlowsville. Be prepared for some sulty scenes and also some language the author uses. I want to remark that she does a good job using the word, Inuit instead of the common word Eskimo. The book mentions some of the words we no longer use and Eskimo is one of them. (I personally feel it is a matter of becoming educated on words and when people use them, they are used to using the old terms.) Read her book to get a different type of book and "feel" the feelings of the charcters. Lori Habndeland does a good job of bringing the reader into the book. I look froward to reading her other books. Look for her on Facebook.

Again by Diana Murdock

First, I want to thank LibraryThing and Diana Murdock for the opportunity to read Again by Diana Murdock.
This short novel by Diana Murdock is based on two main characters in different time eras. Both of the main characters have men in their lives that are possessive and the women are looking for passionate romance; the knight on a white horse type of man. The story is about a woman's feelings for real love. The men in the novel are all physically fit and are described as such.
Eryn is the modern character and is a successful photographer; she is married to Bryce. Lady Catherine is the medieval noblewoman and it is assumed she will be married to Galen, someone she has known since childhood. Eryn has recurring dreams that bring her back to the time of 1501, the time of Catherine. The chapters switch back and forth between the two women. Both of the main characters have similar happenings in their lives.
The book is somewhat based on reincarnation. A book called Twin Souls- Life Beyond Life and a necklace sent to Eryn by her brother are some mentions of the view of reincarnation.
I liked the short novel but would have liked more substance in the writings.
I received this complimentary ebook to read and review from LibraryThing. The opinions are my own.
Leona Olson