A Wish and a Prayer

A Wish and a Prayer

Beverly Jenkins

Preston is living in a small town that was purchased on Ebay and is being revitalized. His foster parents are great (at least his mom is) and he is enjoying his life. But an email from his maternal grandmother sets his world upside down.

I haven't read the previous books and I think this set the tone for my reading experience. There are quite a few characters and I just couldn't keep track of them all. I'm not sure if it was because I was reading a ARC or not, but there was no distinction between the stories. I would be reading along about Preston and suddenly realize that we were now discussing the mayor (a lady). It was very confusing. The stories were, for the most part, entertaining, but a bit too cheesy for me. Everything seems to work out too perfectly. The characters were "cute", but not gripping.

If you enjoy the types of books that have multiple story lines running through it than this book would be good. Just make sure you start at the beginning of the series. These books are definitely not stand alone books.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Elegy for Eddie

Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

Jacqueline Winspear

Several of Maisie's old acquaintances come to her office to ask for her help. They believe that their friend Eddie was murdered. Maisie sets out to find any clues surrounding death that might lead to this conclusion.

I haven't read any Maisie Dobbs books before this one. But I do enjoy a good who-done-it or mystery novel. This book was okay, but it certainly wasn't great. The story seemed to meander slowly along without anything happening for long periods of time. Her indecision about her boyfriend and her previous life were irritating and didn't seem to fit with the story at all. I won't give any spoilers, but I wasn't thrilled with the conclusions either. They didn't seem to wrap up like a normal who-done-it should. This might be a typical Maisie Dobbs novel, I don't know. But it left me wishing I'd read a different book and not wasted my time. It wasn't awful, but with so many great books out there it's hard to waste your time on one that is only okay.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

The Cookbook Library

The Cookbook Library

Willan, Cherniavsky, and Claflin

This book is a cross between a history lesson on cookbooks, a look into a cookbook author's book collection and a cookbook. It tells how cookbooks began and takes you through time to discover where the cookbooks we use today came from.

This book is well written and for a foodie might be fascinating history. I am not a foodie and was very quickly bored to tears. I received a kindle ARC (Advance Reader Copy) which makes it difficult to judge. It was very full of grammatical, spelling and type errors. This made it very difficult to read. But I'm hoping that these were removed from the final copy. I also think it would be easier to read in print.

I didn't hate the book because the writing was good. But the subject matter and numerous errors soon had my eyes glassing over. This book isn't for the casual reader, it's for serious foodies with a desire to understand more about cookbooks and their history.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Kissing List

The Kissing List

Stephanie Reents

This story is about four young women who move from college into the working world. It tells each of their stories in a slightly connecting way.

I received the ARC so I'm not sure how many changes were made before publication. But the type was all over the page with so many errors that at times it was hard to even know where to place my eyes. The spacing was set so that there were often quite a few spaces between words. Unfortunately this allowed for strange words and type to come between them.

The story, what I could make of it, was just as disjointed and confusing. The women didn't seem to have any depth or focus. The characters didn't connect as much as I'd expected them to and I just couldn't bring myself to care about their whiny and shallow selves.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Very Fond of Food

Very Fond of Food

A Year in Recipes

Sophie Dahl

This is a very unique cookbook. The author tells a story or adds her memories of the particular season that she's showcasing. Then the recipe is from what she remembers eating during that season.

The author is British, so some of the recipes are not what we might typically find here in the USA. But the ingredients seem fairly easy to find and the recipes are straight forward. I think the only problem someone might have is in converting the measurements from the metric system.

It's a cute cookbook. I just wish I had it in print instead of on my kindle so I could enjoy the pictures and flip through it to find favorites. It just doesn't have the same feel on the kindle.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

The Bakers Daughter

The Bakers Daughter

Sarah McCoy

Elsie and Reba are from different countries and different decades. But their lives come together when they need each other. Reba comes to interview Elsie about a German Christmas. The warmth of the bakery and possibly the people keep her coming back. This is the story of both women and the blessings they chose to pursue.

Someone said this book was like Sarah's Key. It IS about Germany during the war and a little boy hidden in the wall. But that is where the similarity ends. This story takes the horrendous parts of war and blends it with the gems of beauty that live in every person. The story will draw you in and give you a glimpse into reality for Germans during the war.

Life can be terrible. It's up to us to grasp the beauty and show it to others.

This story tugged at my heartstrings. It made me smile, cry and be thankful for the beautiful world that I live in. It's a book I'll definitely be recommending to my friends.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Confessions from an Arranged Marriage

Confessions from an Arranged Marriage

Miranda Neville

Minerva thinks Lord Blakney is the dumbest man she's ever met. He isn't any more impressed with her. Quite by accident Minerva finds herself married to him, now a Duke of Hampton.

This book is not your typical romance. It does have a sweet love story written within it. But mostly it's about politics in early England, blackmail and secrets. I really enjoyed the author's style of writing. She was able to write  story that was captivating and entertaining. It gave me a peak into politics and kept me guessing about where she would take me next. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received this book free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.