Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday


It's time for Waiting on Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine that spotlights books we are eagerly anticipating the release of.  

My pick this week is:


The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas
Release Date: 3 April 2012

Synopsis courtesy of elizabethloupas.com

In the sweeping new novel from the author of The Second Duchess, dangerous secrets lead a passionate young woman into a maze of murder and conspiracy as Mary, Queen of Scots, comes home to reign in a treacherously divided Scotland….

With her dying breath, Mary of Guise entrusts a silver casket to Rinette Leslie of Granmuir, who possesses the ancient gift of floromancy. Inside the casket, and meant only for the young Mary, Queen of Scots, are papers the old queen has painstakingly collected—the darkest secrets of every Scottish lord and explosive private prophecies prepared by Nostradamus. Rinette risks her life to keep the casket safe, but she makes a fatal mistake: she shows it to her beloved young husband. On the very day the young queen comes home, Rinette’s husband is brutally assassinated.

Devastated, Rinette demands justice from the queen before she will surrender the casket. Amid glittering masques and opulent weddings, courtly intrigues and Highland rebellions, the queen’s agents and Rinette herself search for the shadowy assassin. They are surrounded by ruthless men from all over Europe who will do anything to force Rinette to give up the casket—threatening her life, stripping her of her beloved castle by the sea, forcing her to marry a man she hates, and driving her from the man she has reluctantly grown to love. In the end, the flowers are all she can trust—and only the flowers will lead her safely home to Granmuir.



Sunday, November 27, 2011

Mailbox Monday

Another week, another Mailbox Monday.   Mailbox Monday is a weekly travelling meme that is being hosted for the month of November by the creator of the meme, Marcia at  Mailbox Monday.

Although I had intended to stop buying books until after Christmas,  I simply had to take advantage of some of the promotions being run by my favourite bookstore this past week and, as a result, my to be read pile grew by a few more books :-) 

Passed on my purchases, I think I'll be doing a lot of reading within the fantasy genre over the next little while. 

Unless otherwise stated, all synopses courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil''s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she''s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she''s about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

A powerful secret. A dangerous path. 

Rigg is well trained at keeping secrets. Only his father knows the truth about Rigg''s strange talent for seeing the paths of people''s pasts. But when his father dies, Rigg is stunned to learn just how many secrets Father had kept from him--secrets about Rigg''s own past, his identity, and his destiny. And when Rigg discovers that he has the power not only to see the past, but also to change it, his future suddenly becomes anything but certain.

Rigg's birthright sets him on a path that leaves him caught between two factions, one that wants him crowned and one that wants him dead. He will be forced to question everything he thinks he knows, choose who to trust, and push the limits of his talent…or forfeit control of his destiny.

The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.

He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.

There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow.  There is a secret library  with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English - but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny's cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.

Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny  as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.


The Griffin Mage Trilogy by Rachel Neumeier

The desert winds have come to the village of Minas Ford. Griffins, creatures of fire, have appeared in a burning haze - searing the sky a blinding white and scorching the earth to parched, barren sand. These majestic beasts, half-lion, half-eagle, spread the arid desert wherever they roam.  Iaor, the King of Feierabiand, will not tolerate the destruction of his people's farmland. He means to drive the griffins from his domain - whether by negotiation or brute force. But not all those who encounter the griffins fear them.  Kes, a timid village girl, is summoned to heal the King of the Griffins himself. She will discover her affinity with these creatures, and come to realise that the menace they flee is even more deadly than the blazing fires of the desert. This omnibus edition contains: LORD OF THE CHANGING WINDS, LAND OF THE BURNING SANDS and LAW OF THE BROKEN EARTH 

Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton (synopsis courtesy of amazon.ca)

What would you do if the stories of your childhood suddenly began coming to life?

Teagan Wylltson’s best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures—goblins, shapeshifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty—are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn’t worried. Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives, with his killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. Either he’s crazy or he’s been haunting Abby’s dreams, because he’s talking about goblins, too . . . and about being born to fight all goblin-kind. 


Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby’s right. The goblins are coming. 

The Fifth Queen by Ford Madox Ford

Ford Madox Ford's novel about the doomed Katharine Howard, fifth queen of Henry VIII, is a neglected masterpiece.

Kat Howard-intelligent, beautiful, naively outspoken, and passionately idealistic-catches the eye of Henry VIII and improbably becomes his fifth wife. A teenager who has grown up far from court, she is wholly unused to the corruption and intrigue that now surround her. It is a time of great upheaval, as unscrupulous courtiers maneuver for power while religious fanatics-both Protestant and Catholic-fight bitterly for their competing beliefs. Soon Katharine is drawn into a perilous showdown with Thomas Cromwell, the much-feared Lord Privy Seal, as her growing influence over the King begins to threaten too many powerful interests. Originally published in three parts (The Fifth Queen, Privy Seal, and The Fifth Queen Crowned), Ford's novel serves up both a breathtakingly visual evocation of the Tudor world and a timeless portrayal of the insidious operations of power and fear in any era.



*****
That's my mailbox.  What arrived in yours? 


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Guest Post by M.J. Rose + Giveaway for The Hypnotist


As part of the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tour for, The Hypnotist, I'm pleased to welcome author M.J. Rose for a fantastic guest post.   In addition, keep reading for your chance to win a copy of The Hypnotist -- giveaway information is provided after the guest post.
 
************ 
M.J. Rose 
 

I started writing books that went back in time to other eras after having written 8 totally contemporary novels.



I knew I needed to do research – but how much? When do you stop researching and start writing. How much information is enough?



And the more research I did the more overwhelmed I was by the job I’d given myself.



One of the things I did was ask other writers of historical fiction about how they wrote so realistically about the past without turning their novels into history lessons.



How do you delve into a historical past you cannot yourself remember?



Here some of the answers that helped me find my own way.



C.W. Gortner: For me, it's part instinct and part research. I write novels based on people who actually lived, so it's always a challenge because my imagination is constrained by fact. For example, I can't change the ending, even if it ends badly. I'm obsessive about research; I have to find out everything I can, and that means getting in contact with libraries and archives, finding out-of-print books, setting up meetings with experts in certain areas, etc. After the research is done, and the writing begins, something stronger takes over and perhaps that is, in fact, a collective unconscious of the past.



Arthur Phillips: Memory has a huge role in writing historical fiction, but just not the memory of that particular history. I use my own memories from time to time in my books, of course: something I said or did or wished I said or did, or felt, or wished I felt, or whatever. And then I give that memory to a character who is otherwise unlike me, and in the cases of historical fiction, someone who lived at a time and in a place that I did not, and hey presto: a reader might have the illusion of a particular moment of history recreated convincingly, but maybe that is a trick because living memory was transplanted into a historical shell...



David Hewson: While I try to be "accurate" as much as possible (mainly because it would be lazy to be inaccurate when the sources are out there), I don't see veracity as important in itself. What matters is the subjective truth of the historical world to the reader. An unreal world that feels right is much better than a technically accurate one that feels made up.



Steve Berry: Research, research, research. I suppose that means I rely on the recollections of others. How else would we ever know about the past except through the memories of those who experienced it? In my case, that comes from hundreds of primary and secondary sources, which I pore through one by one, searching for those precious few facts that will fit together to make a story. Without those recollections, properly memorialized and preserved, the past would truly be lost.



David Liss: My background is in literary studies, not in history, and so by training I am inclined to pay as much attention to researching historical subjectivity as material historical fact. What people ate and wore and how they got around and the material conditions of their day-to-day lives are all very interesting, but they are also meaningless if we try to impose a contemporary sense of self into a historical setting. When I work on historical characters, I always try to imagine how this person, living at this time, would respond to this problem or obstacle or success or whatever it is they are dealing with.



Sandra Gulland: One realization that was important for me in delving into history — an epiphany, really — came while I was feeding my horse. I realized that what I was doing was timeless. But for his height, my horse was not much different from a horse in the 17th century — or the third century, for that matter. As for myself, I might be taller than a woman in the past, and clothed differently, and my constellation of beliefs and customs somewhat different, but my body and soul were basically the same, and what I was doing — feeding a horse — had been done for centuries before. That was the key that opened the door for me, helped me to make myself at home in a world of the past.

You can learn more about M.J. Rose by visiting her website at:  http://www.mjrose.com/content/index.asp

*******

GIVEAWAY

As part of The Hypnotist Virtual Book Tour, I'm pleased to host a giveaway for a copy of The Hypnotist (you can read my review here).

Giveaway information:
  • Contest open to Canada/United States residents ONLY.
  • To enter, please leave a comment with your name and email address (only comments with email addresses will be entered into the contest).
  • The contest will be open until December 7, 2011. 
For more on The Hypnotist Virtual Book Tour, see the tour website at: 
http://hfvirtualbooktours.blogspot.com/2011/10/mj-rose-on-tour-for-hypnotist-november.html

You can follow the tour on Twitter at #TheHypnotistVirtualTour


 

Monday, November 21, 2011

Book Review: Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman


From the New York Times-bestselling novelist, a stunning story of a great medieval warrior-king, the accomplished and controversial son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Richard, Coeur de Lion.

They were called 'The Devil's Brood,' though never to their faces. They were the four surviving sons of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine. With two such extraordinary parents, much was expected of them.

But the eldest-charming yet mercurial-would turn on his father and, like his brother Geoffrey, meet an early death. When Henry died, Richard would take the throne and, almost immediately, set off for the Holy Land. This was the Third Crusade, and it would be characterized by internecine warfare among the Christians and extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. And, back in England, by the conniving of Richard's youngest brother, John, to steal his crown.

In Lionheart, Sharon Kay Penman displays her remarkable mastery of historical detail and her acute understanding of human foibles. The result is a powerful story of intrigue, war, and- surprisingly-effective diplomacy, played out against the roiling conflicts of love and loyalty, passion and treachery, all set against the rich textures of the Holy Land.

Synopsis courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca

My Review

4 Stars

When I learned earlier this year that Sharon Kay Penman's latest effort, Lionheart, was to be released in October, it became one of my most anticipated reads of the year.   While I've never been a fan of the title character, Richard I, the fact that the story picks up where Penman's wonderful Devil's Brood left off meant that it was a novel not to be missed.   

Having had such high hopes for this novel -- Penman's books have never let me down -- I was surprised to find my early impressions of it weren't overly positive.   While Penman's writing and historical detail are, as usual, top notch, I was more than a little bored by the start of the story.   I even set the book aside for a short while in the hopes my indifference to it was a result of my reading mood, but when I picked it back up again I still didn't connect with either the story or the characters.   Nevertheless, I stuck with the book in the hopes my initial impressions would change.   It wasn't until the 200 page mark, when the setting started to shift away from Europe and towards the Holy Land, that I became interested in the novel.  By the time Richard and his entourage were settled in the Holy Land I was hooked, and from that point forward did not want to put the book down.   

Despite its slow start, Lionheart provides yet another example of why Penman is considered a master within the historical fiction genre.   Penman's attention to historical detail and her commitment to sticking as close to known fact as possible -- her author's note indicates she only took a few minor liberties in Lionheart -- continues to amaze me.  This novel is not only entertaining, it is also highly informative.   The Third Crusade is not a period in history I'm overly familiar with, but Penman brings it to life for me in Lionheart.   The politics of the Third Crusade are at the forefront of this novel.   I hadn't realized the depth of enmity between Richard I and Philip II of France, and how their antagonistic relationship had such a profound effect on the Crusade.    

While regarded as one of history's greatest battle commanders, I've never much cared for Richard I since he is always characterized as having little interest in the welfare of England.  Penman's characterization of the monarch not only humanizes him, but also brings to light some of his possible motivations for remaining in the Holy Land whilst England was in crisis.   Although still not one of my favourite historical figures, Penman's view of Richard I has left me with a better understanding of him.  He is a figure I'd now like to learn more about.

Overall a great novel, Lionheart is sure to appeal to Penman's fan base, as well as readers of historical fiction interested in the Crusades.  

Richard I's story will continue in A King's Ransom, which will hopefully be released in 2012. 



Sunday, November 20, 2011

Mailbox Monday

Another week, another Mailbox Monday.   Mailbox Monday is a weekly travelling meme that is being hosted for the month of November by the creator of the meme, Marcia at Mailbox Monday.

A few new books made it into my home this week courtesy of an end of the week visit to the bookstore, as well as a little shopping in the Kindle store :-)




Bookstore purchases (synopses courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca):

Mary, Queen of France by Jean Plaidy

Henry VIII, locked in a political showdown with France, offers up his beautiful sister, Princess Mary Rose, to secure peace between the two mighty kingdoms. Teenage Mary becomes the wife of the elderly King Louis, but remains secretlyin love with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. When King Louis dies two years later, Mary must act quickly to be with theman she loves. Mary and Charles devise a scheme to outwit theking, not knowing if it will lead to marital bliss or certain death.


State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug, the development of which has already cost the company a fortune. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.

Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her seventies, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days of Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations.

In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows us what lies on the other side.

Kindle Purchases (synopses courtesy of Amazon.com):

Trade Winds by Christina Courtenay

Marriage of convenience – or a love for life?

It’s 1732 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and strong-willed Jess van Sandt knows only too well that it’s a man’s world. She believes she’s being swindled out of her inheritance by her stepfather – and she’s determined to stop it.


When help appears in the unlikely form of handsome Scotsman Killian Kinross, himself disinherited by his grandfather, Jess finds herself both intrigued and infuriated by him. In an attempt to recover her fortune, she proposes a marriage of convenience. Then Killian is offered the chance of a lifetime with the Swedish East India Company’s Expedition and he’s determined that nothing will stand in his way, not even his new bride.


He sets sail on a daring voyage to the Far East, believing he’s put his feelings and past behind him. But the journey doesn’t quite work out as he expects….


The Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

Jane Madison has a problem. Or two. Or three. She’s working as a librarian, trapped in absurd period costumes and serving up expensive lattes, all in an effort to keep her employer’s budget in the black. She has a desperate crush on her Imaginary Boyfriend, a professor who regularly uses her library. Her doting grandmother is determined to reunite her with her long-absent mother. And now she’s been told that the library can’t pay her a well-deserved raise – instead, she can live for free in an ancient, dusty cottage on the library grounds.

When Jane settles into her new, allergen-infested home, she discovers a hidden chamber lined with ancient books – a world-class collection on witchcraft. She begins to read a spellbook, never suspecting that she has the power to work actual magic. Her first spell awakens a smart-mouthed feline familiar. Her second makes her irresistible to men, starting with her geeky, shy co-worker. Those magical workings attract the attention of the local coven, specifically the warder David Montrose. Jane resents David’s interference even as she watches her powers spiral out of control. Before long, Jane doesn’t know who she should listen to: her well-meaning grandmother, her down-to-earth best friend, her bitchy familiar, her besotted co-worker, her coming-around Imaginary Boyfriend, or her overbearing astral enforcer.



That's it for me.  What books showed up in your home this week?

Friday, November 18, 2011

Book Review: The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose



Book Synopsis:

Haunted by his inability to stop the murder of a beautiful young painter twenty years ago, Lucian Glass keeps his demons at bay through his fascinating work with the FBI's Art Crime Team.  Investigating a crazed collector who's begun destroying prized masterworks, Glass is thrust into a bizarre hostage negotiation that takes him undercover at the Phoenix Foundation - dedicated to the science of past-life study.  There, to maintain his cover, he submits to the treatment of a hypnotist.

Under hypnosis, Glass travels from ancient Greece to nineteenth-century Persia, while the case takes him from New York to Paris and the movie capital of the world.  These journeys will change his very understanding of reality, lead him to question his own sanity and land him at the center of perhaps the most audacious art heist in history: a fifteen-hundred-year-old sculpture the nation of Iran will do anything to recover.

My Review

4 Stars

The Hypnotist, the third novel in author M.J. Rose's Reincarnationist series, is a fast-paced and engaging thriller that will keep readers enthralled right until the end.

While the main focus of the novel is on FBI agent Lucian Glass' attempts to solve a case involving the destruction of a priceless work of stolen art, several other secondary story lines are skillfully woven into the fabric of the narrative.  While at first these story lines, which include a fight between Iran and the Metropolitan Museum of Art over an ancient sculpture, seem to be unrelated, it soon becomes apparent that they are in fact connected in some way to Lucian Glass' case.  M.J. Rose effectively balances these multiple story lines, leaving the reader yearning to discover how they connect rather than leaving them wondering where each story line is headed.  By the close of the novel the various story lines are successfully brought together in an ending that is sure not to disappoint.

Being the third novel in a series, I was initially concerned that I would be missing important background information as I've not yet read the first two books in the series.  This concern proved unfounded.  The Hypnotist can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.  Given my enjoyment of The Hypnotist, however, I will now go back and read the first two novels in the series. 

This novel is recommended for enthusiasts of the thriller genre, especially those who enjoy thrillers with an historical aspect to them.

Note: I received a copy of this novel for review as one of the hosts of The Hypnotist Virtual Book Tour.

You can learn more about the tour, including the tour schedule, by clicking on the following link:

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012

Lately I've been giving some thought to the 2012 reading challenges I'd like to participate in.  Since I failed (bad me!) to read any books for two of the five challenges I committed to for 2011, I figure it's best to commit only to those challenges I actually have a hope of completing in 2012.  

Given the mountainous size of my to be read pile, the Mount TBR Reading Challenge being hosted by My Reader's Block, definitely seems like a challenge that I can not only successfully complete, but also one that will perhaps motivate me to stop buying so many new books and instead focus on those I already own.  



Details on the challenge, which will run from 1 January to 31 December 2012, can be found by clicking here: Mount TBR Reading Challenge 

My goal will be to achieve the Mt. Kilimanjaro level, which means I commit to reading, during 2012,  at least 50 of the books that are sitting on my physical to be read pile as of 31 December 2011.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Mailbox Monday

Another week, another Mailbox Monday.   Mailbox Monday is a weekly travelling meme that is being hosted for the month of November by the creator of the meme, Marcia at Mailbox Monday.

My book purchases have slowed recently, so it's been a few weeks since my last Mailbox Monday post, but this past week saw several new books make their way into my home (all are my own purchases).

All synopses are courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca

 The Tory Widow by Christine Blevins 

On a bright May day in New York City, Anne Peabody receives an unexpected kiss from a stranger. Bringing news of the repeal of the Stamp Act, Jack Hampton, a member of the Sons of Liberty, abruptly sweeps Anne into his arms, kisses her--and then leaves her to her fate of an arranged marriage...

1775: Nearly ten years have passed and Anne, now the Widow Merrick, continues her late husband's business printing Tory propaganda, not because she believes in the cause, but because she needs the money to survive. When her shop is ransacked by the Sons of Liberty, Anne once again comes face to face with Jack and finds herself drawn to the ardent patriot and his rebel cause.

As shots ring out at Lexington and war erupts, Anne is faced with a life-altering decision: sit back and watch her world torn apart, or stand and fight for both her country's independence and her own.


The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. 


It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer and to his other victims lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Not so very long ago, Eragon-Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider-was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle


The Very Picture of You by Isabel Wolff

                                                  Thirty-five-year-old Ella Graham is a portrait painter whose career is taking off. At a fundraising
event, Ella's half-sister, Chloe, makes the winning bid in an auction for an Ella Graham portrait commission. The portrait will be of her fiancé, Nate, as a surprise engagement present for him. There's just one problem-Ella can't stand Nate, and painting him is the last thing she wants to do.

But as they spend time together in the studio, Ella finds her feelings towards Nate are changing, and she begins to realize-to her horror-that she is not simply warming to him but is falling in love. Chloe, newly promoted at work and busy reining in her mother's overly enthusiastic wedding planning, is completely unaware that the two people she cares most about are falling for each other.

To make things worse, after being out of the picture for thirty years, Ella's father, John, contacts her out of the blue-and Ella wants nothing to do with him. But then she makes a startling discovery about her parents' relationship that turns everything she has known about family and loyalty on its head. Desperate to protect Chloe from heartbreak, but anguished by her growing love for Nate, Ella can't imagine tearing her family apart by revealing her true feelings. But will the wedding tear her apart instead?


What books did you get this week?