From the Shelf: Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor #1)

Title: Simply Irresistible (Lucky Harbor #1)
Author: Jill Shalvis
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit
Date read: March 12-14, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.

In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother—a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.

Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career—if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.

The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes—and mouth—are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

The reason why I am a bit reluctant on reading a new romance series is the fact that it could be a make or break for me. I could either move on or be addicted as I devour the next books. This was recommended by my sister and I gladly enjoyed it. A small town, three sisters on a mission and a hot guy; those are the makings of an interesting start. This story focuses on Maddie 'The Mouse', as her mother fondly calls her, the middle timid sister. I love how the sisters gradually build their relationship as they renovate the inn their mother left them and also at how witty and amusing their conversations were. I had this guess about Tara's situation but maybe I would find out in the next installment of the series if what I'm thinking is true.

Till the next read...

From the Shelf: If You Find Me

Title: If You Find Me
Author: Emily Murdoch
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction
Date read: March 7-10, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

There are some things you can’t leave behind…

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This was one of those books that would rip your heart and leave it out to die. This was the most complicated, tear-jerking roller coaster ride of emotions I've read in a book...so far for 2014. It starts with the curiosity on why Nessa and Carey would be living in the woods when they would eventually be found by Carey's father. This story did buildup till the end and for a rare moment, it made me teary-eyed so many times. The dialogues were so emotional that I even felt a pang of sadness. This is a novel about embracing one's past however dark, deranged or painful it may be so that one could welcome the hope for the future. 

Till the next read...

From the Shelf: Love a Little Sideways (Kowalski Family #7)

Title: Love a Little Sideways (Kowalski Family #7)
Author: Shannon Stacey
Genre: Chick-Lit, Contemporary Romance
Date read: February 26 - March 1, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Liz Kowalski is heading home to Whitford, Maine—this time for good. Eager for her family, a fresh start and some fun, she doesn't count on being rescued by the chief of police her very first night back in town. Drew is everything she's not looking for…so why is she still so attracted to him? 

After a brief, forbidden rendezvous at her brother's wedding, Drew Miller expects Liz to return to New Mexico and stay there. He's searching for someone to settle down with, not a casual fling with his best friend's sister. But when they're stuck together on the annual Kowalski camping trip, things start going a little sideways. Keeping their hands off each other proves just as impossible as keeping their secret from becoming public knowledge. 

Amid family, mud and melted marshmallow, Liz and Drew try to fight what's growing between them. But a little time alone, a lot of chemistry and too many opinions might be just what it takes to bring together two people so determined not to fall in love.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Exclusively Yours, Undeniably Yours, Yours To Keep, All He Ever Needed, All He Ever Desired, All He Ever Dreamed

Liz is the last of the Kowalski siblings to get hitched and that was pressure enough for her especially when she just got home and trying to start her life all over again. What complicates it is when she and Drew finally meet again. A divorced Drew, her brother's best friend who she had a one night stand, in that same brother's wedding reception party. What I liked in this story is that we get to revisit the well-loved characters from the past books during a camping trip. That famous camping trip which introduced me to the Kowalski family during the first book. 

Till the next read...

From the Shelf: All He Ever Dreamed (Kowalski Family #6)

Title: All He Ever Dreamed (Kowalski Family #6)
Author: Shannon Stacey
Genre: Chick-Lit, Contemporary Romance
Date read: February 26, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Josh Kowalski is tired of holding down the fort—better known as the Northern Star Lodge—while his siblings are off living their dreams. Now that his oldest brother has returned to Whitford, Maine for good, Josh is free to chase some dreams of his own.

As the daughter of the lodge's longtime housekeeper, Katie Davis grew up alongside the Kowalski kids. Though she's always been "one of the guys", her feelings for Josh are anything but sisterly. And after a hot late-night encounter in the kitchen, it's clear Josh finally sees her as the woman she is.

Katie's been waiting years for Josh to notice her, but now that he has, she's afraid it's too late. Giving her heart to a man who can't wait to leave town is one sure way to have it broken. But Josh keeps coming up with excuses not to leave—could it be that everything he's ever wanted is closer than he could have imagined?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Exclusively Yours, Undeniably Yours, Yours To Keep, All He Ever Needed, All He Ever Desired

I could say that this would be my favorite Kowalski book...so far. Okay fine, I'm sometimes partial to plots of unrequited love; not because I have a deep connection to it but because there are things that could be explored deeply if the story has that flow. Josh is dense to the fact that Katie, his best friend, whom he have known his whole life has been harboring feelings for him. That's how dense he could be. Katie the daughter of their adopted mother, since the Kowalski Northern Star Lodge family's parents has died, has always been in love with Josh and it seemed like he was the only one who couldn't see it. Everyone in town knows it like an open secret and even her mother is secretly plotting a matchmaking session for them. I love this story because Josh has always been the witty, humorous one in the bunch and the way the story revolves and matures where he is in the crossroads of finally getting his freedom from the lodge that has been a chain around his neck against his willingness to fight and stay for Katie is tastefully done; at least for me.

Till the next read...

From the Shelf: All He Ever Desired (Kowalski Family #5)

Title: All He Ever Desired (Kowalski Family #5)
Author: Shannon Stacey
Genre: Chick-Lit, Contemporary Romance
Date read: February 24-26, 2014
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

A second shot at first love

After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he’s forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren’s son…

The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan’s door every day to work off his crime.

With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can’t deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Exclusively Yours, Undeniably Yours, Yours To Keep, All He Ever Needed

I guess it was bound to happen. When someone committed something to his family, especially if it was in the hometown, one would face the ghosts of the past. Ryan who wanted to restore the family business was staying at the lodge and there he finally once again saw someone he loved, the person who was once his former best friend's ex-wife; the person he wanted to save but refused. And with some kind of twisted fate, her son is now working for him, meaning that he would once encounter his former best friend. What he had was maybe a broken heart but for me it was more of a bruised ego. The story was okay and I did like the part where they were at the crossroads whether or not to repeat history or change what was about to happen.

Till the next read...