Wallflower In Bloom - Claire Cook

I love when a book cover catches my attention, but I really love when the books lives up the excitement. Acclaimed Best Seller, Claire Cook introduces to an array of characters that you can relate to. Deidre works as a personal assistant to her brother, Tag whom she describes as Deepak Chokra & Bono. Deidre is used to living in the shadows of life, including being in an on and off relationship with her flight by night boyfriend, Mitchell.  When Mitchell delivers the ultimate blow to Deidre, she decides to make some major changes in her life. Deidre finds out it’s an uphill battle learning self-acceptance and living life on her terms.

Claire Cook does an excellent job of writing a story full of life gems; there were times I did find myself laughing out loud. Isn’t that what Life is all about, the ability to weather the storms and become stronger individuals. We all have been Wallflowers in certain situations in our lives, but it never too late for us to Bloom.

I would definitely recommend this book.

4 Stars

Orsayor

Kisses Don't Lie - Tamika Newhouse

Tamika Newhouse’s, Kisses Don’t Lie, highlights the beginning and end of love, friendships and heartache, masked by lies, secrecy and deceitful kisses.  Kyla has promised her high school sweetheart Sean that he forever holds the key to heart, no matter the distance between them as they journey off to college.  Decades pass before they see one another again, and old feelings, secrets and new lust surface, leaving Kyla and Sean in a difficult situation.  This warm and engaging novel embraces the idea of family, true love and hidden agendas. 

Overall, the book was very interesting.  It was easy to empathize with the characters and reminisce on my own personal endeavors in life.  I enjoyed the different stories for each character and the author did a fascinating job tying them all together, not once leaving a moment for questioning.

Although some parts angered me with the characters, I equally smiled, laughed and felt remorse for the characters. To bring about these types of emotions is exactly what I look for when reading a book and Ms. Newhouse didn’t leave me hanging with this piece of work.  I am patiently waiting for the sequel and I hope that it is as exciting as the first.

I rate the book a 4 out of 5 and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading. Prior to this novel, I had not been familiar with the author.  I am glad to say that I will be looking forward to more of her work in the near future.

4 stars

Natalya

Disclaimer: Book Referees was given a Free Copy of this book from the Author. Our thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. We were not compensated for the review. Thank you for giving Book Referees the opportunity to review your book.

His Chosen Bride - Sherry Gloag

This was an outstanding read! Author Sherry Gloag really captured my attention from the beginning.

This story was about a future king who fell in love with an ordinary girl who had extraordinary powers. He was afraid that she would not be willing to give up the simple life and share the life that would be required of a future queen and all the pomp and circumstance that surrounded his position.

She, on the other hand, did not know how he would respond to the ability she had to foretell the future. All her other suitors had left her when she displayed herskill. She had the ability to see everyone else’s future except her own.

Author Gloag kept me engaged throughout the entire story because the plot and characters were well developed. I can't wait to read more books from this author.

5 Stars

Edna

Disclaimer: Book Referees was given a Free Copy of this book from the Author. Our thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. We were not compensated for the review.Thank you for giving Book Referees the opportunity to review your book.

The Blood Done Signed My Name - M. Ann Ricks

Are the sins of the father and mother visited upon their sons and daughters? Honey Lamb, like many, is a descendant of an unfortunate legacy of molestation, addiction, murder and bad decisions. As long as she could remember, she believed the unhappiness she experienced was somehow bequeathed to her. Not realizing God places people in our lives for a purpose, she reluctantly embarks upon a journey that will open her heart to a divine inheritance. Will she accept the spiritual blood transfusion that will change her life forever or will she shun the invitation and allow her carnal familial legacy to continue to the next generation. Either way, she will never be the same! - Amazon

Review

This was a hard read for me and took me a lot longer than normal to finish a book.  Although I understood what Author Ricks was attempting to do by building to what caused the marriage to fail between Honey and Mason, it just did not go over very well.  I got frustrated while reading because everything would come back to Honey’s relationship with Mason.  Honey would be talking to someone else or doing something else and here comes the thought or image of Mason again.  It got old after the first couple of times.  

I wish Author Ricks would have told us what happened to their marriage in the beginning of the story and how they worked on it instead of extending the story.  The book really could have been over way before it was, but I felt like Author Ricks just kept the story going.   

In the middle of the story, the book turned to Honey’s relationship with her mother which was actually a nice and welcomed relief from the Mason saga.   It did provide some insight to her relationship with Mason. I would have preferred to see a little more of that storyline than of the Mason storyline.  

Although it seemed like it took forever to get to the end, the book did have a happy ending and gave a new meaning to the words - second chance.

3.5 Stars

Carmela

Disclaimer: Book Referees was given a Free Copy of this book from the Author. Our thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. We were not compensated for the review.Thank you for giving Book Referees the opportunity to review your book.